A
percussion technique which is usually applied to a tambourine in
symphonic environments.
Whenever a
roll is notated in a
tambourine part and "shaken" is not specified, it is always preferable to perform the thumb roll. This is acheived by wetting the thumb of the
dominant hand, holding the tambourine by the wooden frame in the other hand, and rubbing the thumb across the head of the tambourine along the edge of the wooden frame in a circular motion.
With practice, the percussionist will be able to time the
meter in which the tambourine shakes, the
tempo, and to alter the
dynamic of sound produced.
Obviously this will not work on a tambourine with no head or in a half-moon shape.