What’s the Best Tambourine for Me? |
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You’ve clearly landed on this page because you’re looking for a percussion instrument with a jingly sort of sound. It may be a tambourine that you’re after, but there are also various similar kinds of musical instruments available, like headless tambourines, jingle sticks, and pandeiros. In this Buyer’s Guide, we’ll explain the differences to help you decide which percussive instrument suits you the best. If you have any more questions, feel free to contact us! Tambourine | Headless Tambourine | Jingle Stick | Uses | Jingles | Skin | More 1. What’s a Tambourine?A tambourine is a certain type of frame drum fitted with multiple pairs of jingles. Tambourines are usually round and equipped with a drumhead that’s played to create a jingly sound. Any tambourine that’s fitted with a drumhead but doesn’t have any jingles, is a frame drum. The Brazilian pandeiro looks a lot like a tambourine, but it has a less intense sound and can be tuned via one or more fitted lugs. Another percussion instrument that’s very similar to the tambourine is the Indian kanjira, which only has three jingles mounted to the frame in a single spot. Here, the jingle-effect is less dominant; it’s the sound shaped by the fitted skin that’s the most important.
2. What’s a Headless Tambourine?As implied, a headless tambourine is nothing more than a frame fitted with jingles. Headless tambourines are usually round or oval-shaped and sometimes have a ‘cutaway’ that serves as a handle and improves balance and playability. Often made of plastic, headless tambourines are played by hand or using a pair of sticks and generally feature a ribbed or textured top for special effects like güiro-style scraping. Some models can also be mounted onto a stand, allowing drummers and percussionists to keep their hands free for other things, and there are even special headless hi-hat tambourines that can be set up just above any hi-hat cymbals. Handheld Headless Tambourines
3. What’s a Jingle Stick?Jingle sticks are easy to spot. Essentially stick-shaped headless tambourines, jingle sticks have a straight plastic frame fitted with jingles. Both instruments are played more or less the same way and, just like headless tambourines, jingle sticks often feature a ribbed or textured surface for guiro-style effects. Jingle sticks are frequently used in combination with other percussion instruments like bongos and congas, where they’re used as a substitute for your hands or drumsticks. In other words, you play the other instruments by striking them with your jingle stick(s) to add that classic tambourine sound.
4. So What Should I Buy? A Tambourine, a Headless Tambourine or a Jingle Stick?That entirely depends on your personal style and what you’ll be using the instrument for. If you’re a singer and you want to add a percussive element to your sound, a headless tambourine is the best option. This goes for drummers as well, while percussionists should be able to use any. Tambourines are often used in more traditional styles of folk. In Celtic music, they’re combined with instruments like the bodhran, and when it comes to gospel, tambourines are as indispensable as they are irreplaceable. The fitted skin can be played to create claps and accents and, if done correctly, this even removes the need for a drummer! If you want a drier, less intense sound, try a pandeiro first. Tambourines
5. To What Extent Do The Jingles Determine The Sound?The jingles largely shape the overall sound and are always fitted to the frame in pairs. Some tambourines, headless tambourines and jingle sticks feature a single row of jingle-pairs, while other models may come with two rows of jingles. The total number of jingles determines the intensity of the jingle-effect as well as the volume. Jingles are made of materials like brass, chrome-plated steel, aluminium and stainless steel. Brass jingles sound terse and dry compared to stainless steel jingles, which in turn sound bright, high-pitched and more sustained. The shape of the jingles is just as important as the material they’re made of. Flat jingles generally sound brighter and higher-pitched, and have more sustain than hollow jingles. Tip: When browsing through our range of tambourines, use the search filters to select the number of jingles and jingle material that you’re looking for.
6. Does the Kind of Tambourine Skin Make a Difference?Just like other percussion instruments equipped with drumheads, there’s a huge variety when it comes to tambourine skins. Animal skins like goat-skin and cowhide are traditionally used to craft these skins, which sound warm and full but are sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity - something that causes them to drop out of tune. It’s worth noting that some tambourines can actually be tuned up and that these days, skins are also often made of synthetic materials. While synthetic skins sound a bit fiercer than natural skins, they’re extremely resistant to temperature changes. The size, or diameter if you will, determines the pitch of the sound. As such, a 10-inch tambourine sounds lower and deeper than an 8-inch model. In addition, size plays a role when it comes to playing comfort and dictates the maximum number of jingles that can be fitted to the frame of the tambourine. Tip: When browsing our range of tambourines, use the size and jingle material filters to quickly find specific models.
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