Tamburin

As Printed on a Score

German for the tambourine, abbreviated Tamb. after the first system — an abbreviation shared with tamburo (drum), tamburello and the French tambour, the side drum, so check the full name where it first appears. German scores also call it Schellentrommel. On its single line, plain notes are strikes and tremolo strokes a shake roll.

Abbreviations: Tamb.

How Composers Use It

A hand-held frame drum with jingles: struck with fingers, knuckles or fist, shaken, or rolled with the thumb along the rim. It brings dance and festivity — Spanish, Italian, folk colour. Name the stroke when it matters (shaken, thumb roll, played between knee and hand for fast rhythms), and remember that a loud shake roll covers more of the texture than you expect.

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