Music Performance: Percussion

This guide is intended to help performing musicians locate repertoire and specialized resources for percussion. To access this guide, browse the left navigation menu to explore call numbers, subject headings, bibliographies, repertoire collections, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and additional resources including relevant organizations all related to percussion.

Try these strategies to explore scores in the Music Library’s collections:

• Library catalog searches
  An advanced search for "subject contains.” Limit your search by “Resource Type.”
  • Concertos timpani* (Snare drum, Xylophone, etc. may be used instead of timpani.)
  • Concertos percussion
  • Percussion 
  • Percussion ensemble
  • Percussion music
  • Sonatas timpani
  • Timpani
  • Timpani music
     
• Shelf browsing. Here are some suggested call number ranges:
  • Solo Percussion
    • M146: drum (including timpani, drum set, snare drum, etc., and works for one performer playing two or more different percussion instruments)
    • M147: bells, glockenspiel
    • M172: carillons, chimes
    • M175: marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, castanets, celesta
  • Duets
    • M284-285: keyboard and percussion duets
  • Percussion ensembles
    • M585-985: music for 5-9 percussionists
  • Percussion concertos
    • M1038-1039.4