Every once in a while, after the guitars, bass and drums are all in place and you’re starting to rough in the mix, the arrangement needs just a little extra .. something .. to make it really stand out. Some might choose to add a keyboard or another “color” guitar part in the background, but another route one might take would be to add some hand percussion. This could include maracas, claves, bongos or congas, or just a simple tambourine to accent or counter the snare drum.

Tambourines originated in Mesopotamia and the Middle East, and were popular in Greek, Roman, Arabic, Judaic and Indian music in the Bronze Age. They were brought to northern Europe after the Crusades in the 13th century, and spread to the Americas in the 16th. Traditional tambourines are comprised of a wooden frame with a animal-hide head, and with jangles or “zils” mounted around the frame. The tambourine is held in the primary hand, and can be struck on the head or rim with the secondary hand, struck on a leg, or shaken in the primary hand to articulate the zils without sounding the head. Some experienced players can create roll effects with the thumb of the secondary hand.

The basic construction of the tambourine has remained essentially the same over the centuries, but modern tambourine frames may be made of metal, fiberglass, or plastic, and the head may be left off entirely. With these modern materials, it’s easier to change the basic shape of the tambourine for aesthetic effect, to make it easier to hold, or to mount it on a stand for use with a drum kit.

RhythmTech developed their Ergonomic Tambourine in the 1970s and early 80s. Modern rock music had pretty much dispensed with the tambourine’s head, so Richard Taninbaum reconfigured the shell to shift the center of gravity back toward the player’s hand. This made it easier to play the tambourine for longer sessions, and the redesigned tambourine (and Taninbaum’s fledgling company RhythmTech) were an almost instant success.

I have a selection of tambourines I use in the studio. One mounts to my hi-hat stand for use with my drum kit; two with heads (one with a metal frame, one of wood); and a pair of RhythmTech tambourines. The Ergonomic Tambourine has a solid one-piece molded plastic frame with a cushioned grip. It has two rows of zils, which makes it a loud, bright tambourine that really cuts through the mix. The RhythmTech Ergonomic Tambourine has an MSRP of $45.95, but can often be found for much less than that, particularly around gift-giving times.

The Solo Tambourine is virtually identical to the Ergonomic Tambourine, but uses a single row of zils rather than two rows. This allows for a thinner frame, which makes the Solo Tambourine an excellent choice for smaller hands. With half the zils of the the Ergonomic Tambourine, the Solo Tambourine isn’t quite as loud, which can be a good thing in a small space, or if the double zils are overwhelming the mix. The RhythmTech Solo Tambourine’s MSRP is $23.95, but I picked up mine for just $14.95.

Both the Solo and Ergonomic Tambourines come in an array of colors, so it’s easy to choose a color that matches your personal preferences, or to make your tambourine easier to identify after a session or show. The Ergonomic model is available in black, white, red, blue, yellow, pink, purple and “midnight sun” (glow-in-the-dark white); and each color is available with either silver (nickel) or gold (brass) zils. The Solo model comes in black, white, red or purple, all with silver (nickel) zils. I chose purple, of course.

For an instrument that’s simple to play, adds a lot to the arrangement, and won’t break the bank, a tambourine is an obvious choice for your percussion cart. And if you’re planning to add a tam, RhythmTech’s Solo and Ergonomic Tambourines are an excellent choice.