The most commonly found orchestral percussion instrument is the timpani (kettle drums). A kettle drum is tuned to a single note. Often an orchestral score will ask for two or more drums tuned to different notes (especially the tonic and dominant notes).
The xylophone, glockenspiel, celeste and marimba are also percussion instruments which produce notes of definite pitch.
Most percussion instruments make sounds of indefinite pitch. These include the snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, tambourine, gong and triangle.
| English | Italian | German | French |
| Bass drum | Cassa, gran cassa | Grosse Trommel | Grosse caisse |
| Cymbals | Piatti/Cinelli | Becken | Cimbalos |
| Drum | Tamburo | Trommel | Tambour |
| Glockenspiel | Glockenspiel | Glockenspiel | Jeu de timbres |
| Snare drum | Tamburo piccolo | Kleine Trommel | Caisse claire |
| Triangle | Triangolo | Triangel | Triangle |
| Tambourine | Tamburello | Tamburin | Tambour de Basque |
| Kettle drum | Timpano | Pauken | Timbales |
| Xylophone | Xilofono | Xylophon | Xylophone |
