The Silence of the Unplayed Instrument

My grandfather built this tambourine over 75 years ago. I remember its spot above the stand-up wardrobe (which he also built). The instrument was barely visible and almost never taken down. Over the years the skin has cracked a bit, rendering the boom of the drum part to more of a thwuk.

For the most part, it remains unplayed.

Other unplayed instruments include those currently in cases, in pawn shop windows, in museums, and in closets. Even those that have just been temporarily put down, and even even those under hand but between pieces.

cf The Silence Between Notes