Percussion – Indefinite Pitch Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A solo performance on drums or other untuned percussion such as a drum kit, hand drums, cajón, snare or cymbals, judged on rhythm, tempo control, dynamics and musicality, and rated out of 10 for teens.

Percussion with indefinite pitch is the entry for a single player on instruments that make a sound without a fixed musical note: a drum kit, snare drum, hand drums, cajón, congas, tambourine, cymbals and similar. It sits opposite Percussion – Definite Pitch, which is for tuned instruments such as marimba or xylophone. Because there are no named notes to get right, the panel listens to what the player does with time, volume and colour.

A round is short and solo. The player sets up or checks the kit, then performs one prepared piece, often a groove-based piece with a fill or solo section, or a rudimental snare routine. The panel hears whether the pulse stays steady, whether the hands and feet are balanced, whether loud and soft are genuinely different, and whether the piece has a shape with a clear beginning, build and ending rather than a string of tricks.

One eTalenter template carries the item: a teen talent template for ages 13 to 19, English, both genders, treated as an individual entry and scored as a rating out of 10. Keeping it apart from the tuned-percussion item means a drummer is compared with other drummers and unpitched players, not with someone playing chords on a vibraphone.

The template prints no time limit and names no instruments, so organisers should say in the event notice which kit or instruments are provided, whether players may bring sticks, pedals or cymbals, how long a piece may run, and whether backing tracks are allowed.

Where Percussion – Indefinite Pitch is run

On eTalenter this item appears in one template, a teen talent template for ages 13 to 19. As a format, a drum or untuned-percussion solo slot is common in school music days, youth talent showcases and instrumental festivals wherever a kit or hand drums can be provided, but this page records only that one template.

• Worldwide

Key facts

• Individual item: one player, one performance, one score
• Teen talent template: ages 13 to 19, English, both genders
• Scored as a rating out of 10 with a maximum of 5 set in the template; no time limit printed
• Covers drums and untuned percussion; the template does not list instruments
• Listed separately from Percussion – Definite Pitch, which covers tuned instruments
• Organisers should state what kit is provided and whether players may bring their own sticks or pedals

On eTalenter, Percussion – Indefinite Pitch is filed under Music and typically scored with Rating out of 10. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Percussion – Indefinite Pitch is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 5.

What judges look at in Percussion – Indefinite Pitch

What a Percussion – Indefinite Pitch panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Rhythm and time-keeping: a steady pulse that does not rush fills or drag quiet passages
• Tempo control: smooth, deliberate changes of speed rather than accidental ones
• Dynamics: a real difference between soft and loud, with accents landing where the music wants them
• Technique and balance: clean strokes, even rolls, and hands and feet working together without one limb dominating
• Musicality and structure: a piece with a beginning, build and ending, and fills that serve the groove
• Presentation: calm set-up, confident count-in and a clean ending; the template prints one rating, so a panel wanting separate headings agrees them beforehand

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Percussion – Indefinite Pitch under Scoring Setup, or start from the full instrumental music judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Percussion – Indefinite Pitch

How entrants and their teachers usually get Percussion – Indefinite Pitch right on the day:

• Choose a piece you can play cleanly at tempo, with one steady groove section and one short feature section
• Practise with a metronome and then without it, so the pulse is yours and not borrowed
• Work on dynamics deliberately: play the same bar at three volumes and listen for the difference
• Plan every fill so it lands back on the beat, and rehearse the transition into and out of it
• Check your sticks, pedals and stool height before the day and keep spares of anything breakable
• Rehearse set-up and the count-in until you can start calmly in under a minute
• Record yourself and listen for rushed fills, uneven rolls and over-loud cymbals, then fix those first
• Ask the organiser which kit is provided and try it before your turn if allowed
• If a time limit is announced, time the whole piece and shorten a repeat rather than be stopped

Frequently asked questions

Is Percussion – Indefinite Pitch judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

Which instruments count as indefinite pitch?

Instruments without a fixed note, such as a drum kit, snare, hand drums, cajón, congas, tambourine and cymbals. The template names none, so confirm with the organiser if your instrument is unusual.

How is it different from Percussion – Definite Pitch?

Definite pitch is for tuned instruments such as marimba or xylophone, where wrong notes can be heard. Indefinite pitch is judged on rhythm, dynamics, technique and musicality.

Is it judged individually or as a team?

Individually. The template sets it as an individual item with one player and one rating out of 10. Ensembles are separate items.

Can I use a backing track or bring my own kit?

The template says nothing either way. Ask the organiser what is provided and whether accompaniment is allowed, and rehearse with whatever is permitted.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full instrumental music judging criteria guide, or browse every music competition item.