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Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Percussion
Percussion instruments are those which are usually struck with sticks to produce a sound. This can include timbales, wood blocks, triangle,
xylophones, marimbas, vibraphones, and all drums. Other percussion instruments include shakers such as maracas, bells or the tambourine. If they call you Mr Tambourine Man, then you’re a percussionist (albeit an insulted one). See bass drum, bongo, guiro, hi-hat, snare drum, xylophone.


Portamento
A continuous slide over an interval without sounding the discreet intermediate steps. In
jazz the term is interchangable with glissando - a slide where the intermediate steps can be heard.


Punk
A sub-genre of
rock characterised by aggressive volume, short, angry vocals and often bitter political or hopeless emotional content. It was born as a reaction to the supposedly bland, corporate rock of the 1970s. Exponents of punk include the Sex Pistols, The Clash, the Ramones and the Buzzcocks. Punk's recent revival is attributed to the dominance of sound-alike "alternative" bands.





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