A brief history of the drum and drumming

History of Drumming

The art of music and musical instruments are an extremely important facet of human history. The use of a rhythm and song has long been associated with expressing meaning, feeling and to accompany rituals of all types spanning the globe.

Spanning generations and as far back as we can trace, music has been part of human life. Early civilizations and races used music as a way to communicate and express themselves. Out of all of the musical instruments that we see in our society today and use on a regular basis, there is one instrument that always seems to stand out in musical history, the drum.

This history of the drum and drumming is both a unique and interesting journey. When you look deeper into the history of the instrument, you will see that drums and rhythm have had a place in every culture and civilisation all around the world. Variations of drums and drum kits have occurred in many instances, the standard drum concept consisted of simply a hollowed out log or perhaps a gourd with a piece of animal skin stretched taunt. As well as this different sized logs and skin tension were created to achieve different sound and tones.

African Influence

In almost every African culture, drums have been very important in the use of tribal rituals and religious ceremonies. The people of different African tribes relied on the use of drums to express themselves and when the slave trade began, the drum made the journey across the ocean as well.

African drumming and drummers provided a unique sound that would heavily influence Western Rock and Roll music. Those same rhythms and beats still provide a strong influence in today’s modern music.

Early Drum Sets

When it was discovered that one player could play two or more types of drums at the same time, people started placing groups of drums together for one musician to play. These groups were comprised of an assimilation of drums of different cultures and from all around the globe. Cymbals and tom tom drums were brought in from China with the size being adjusted to allow for ease of play when played with drumsticks.

It was not until the early 1930’s, that drummers slowly discovered with the proper drum placement and a lot of practice, one musician could handle a set of drums, and an entire band of drum players was not required anymore. Thus, the basic kit was born and an evolution took place.

Elements of an Early Drum Kit

The early drum kits were simplistic in their design, they typically consisted only of:

1. A bass and foot pedal
2. A snare drum
3. Tom Toms
4. A hi hat cymbal
5. One or two sets of hanging cymbals

The Evolution of the Drum Set

In the 1930’s the drum set was heavily influenced by the sounds of the time, and the early forms of Rock and Roll music. The sounds had a strong basic beat backing them.

In the 1950’s as Rock and Roll music began to develop, the sounds became more complex and likewise, the drum sets became more evolved, with new additions added to them. Rockers began expanding the drum kits adding more cymbals and tom tom’s drums to them. In addition, as time went on, electronic drums were added to the drum kits as well. All of these additions allowed the musicians to expand their sounds and diversify their music.

Types of Drum Kits

In the past, as drums evolved and drum kits developed, new companies were formed and products were fine-tuned and made better. The Ludwig Drum Company is known as one of the most influential and historical drum companies of our time.

The Ludwig drum company was started by a young man who enjoyed playing the drums. He could not find a bass pedal that would hold up to his intense drumming style. He shopped around everywhere and could not find an appropriate pedal, so he fashioned one out of wood. The pedal was superior to anything else on the market. His brother, felt that an even stronger pedal could be created out of a metal product, so they teamed up to create an even better bass pedal. Thus, the Ludwig Drum Company was born.

Ringo Starr, the famous drummer for The Beatles used a Ludwig drum set and was known for preferring the Ludwig drums. He is said to still own the original Ludwig drum set that he played with the Beatles.

There have been many other types of drum kits and company names that have played an important and influential role in the history of drums. Yamaha, Pearl, Tama and Gretsch are all famous brand names whose drums and drum kits have helped form the drum set, as we know it today.

The Future for Drumming

What does the future hold for drum sets? No one can be sure. However, with the creation of more and more technology, we can be sure that the sounds will evolve even more. A combination of new sounds and traditional will always be found. And the limit for drum set creation will simply be the imagination of the musicians.