The Structure of Drums

Drums work by the vibration of the skin or membrane that is stretched over a hallowed out piece of wood. This usually happens when it is struck by a rounded stick. The skin can be tightened or loosened by using a key to twist screws placed around it. For thousands of years drums were only used one at a time, but when it was discovered that more than one drum could be struck at the one time drum kits were invented.

 Today the main components of a drum kit are a snare drum, bass drum, tom toms, floor toms, hi-hat, ride cymbal, and a crash cymbal. A snare drum is a drum with thin metal wires or snares on the bottom that can be tightened or loosened. The hi-hat is two cymbals that hit each other when the pedal is pressed. The bass drum   is hit by also pressing a pedal. Other accessories for drum kits include, cowbells, wood blocks, tambourines, and chimes. One of the first revolutionary drummers to fully use the kit was Buddy Rich.

The Origins of Drums

Drums, or membranophones have been around for thousands of years. Today the usage of drums range from part of a marching band, to the instrument supporting the rhythm in a rock band. Drums first appeared over 6000 BC. Since then they have been found all over the world, for example: Evidence of drums have been unearthed from the Neolithic Era, Mesopotamian ruins have been discovered containing cylindrical objects as old as 3000 BC, Egyptian tombs have contained small drums, many caves in Peru have paintings depicting drums used for ceremonies or celebrations, and drums from 3000 BC have been found in India. Drums have also been used for other things such as communication. Many African cultures used drums as part of religious ceremonies to express themselves and use different beats to symbolize ideas. The idea of a drum kit has only been around recently when people realized they could play more than one drum at the one time. This was called double drumming.