Martial music or
military music is a specific genre of music intended for use in military settings. Much of the military music has been composed to announce military events as with
bugle calls and
fanfares, or accompany marching formations with
drum cadences, or mark special occasions as by
military bands. However, music has been employed in battle for centuries, sometimes to intimidate the enemy and other times to encourage combatants, or to assist in organization and timing of actions in warfare. Depending on the culture, a variety of percussion and
musical instruments have been used, such as
drums,
fifes,
bugles,
trumpets or other horns,
bagpipes,
triangles,
cymbals, as well as larger
military bands or full
orchestras. Although some martial music has been composed in written form, other music has been developed or
taught by ear, such as bugle calls or drum cadences, relying on group memory to coordinate the sounds.