The Drum Kit

The Drum Kit

The Origins

The origins of the modern drumset can be traced back to 19th Century New Orleans, a multicultural port where diverse musical traditions fused with the sophisticated rhythms of African slaves.

Military snare and bass drums flooded the citys pawnshops when the American Civil War ended in 1865, and this led to an explosion in the number of marching bands. During the day, they would perform at civic, social and religious ceremonies, but at night these same musicians would play in the dancehalls of the citys red light district, Storyville.

Once indoors and no longer marching, the drummers could play snare and bass drums simultaneously. To do this, they would arrange the bass drum at an angle to the right of the snare so that it could be played with sticks a practice known as double drumming.

In 1895, however, a local drummer, Dee Dee Chandler, fashioned a makeshift pedal that enabled him to play the bass drum with his foot, leaving his hands free to concentrate on the snare.

From here, things really took off. Ulysses G. Leedy launched the first commercially available snare drum stand in 1899, while William F Ludwig developed a new, more sophisticated bass drum pedal that offered far greater speed and control. Ludwigs wooden prototypes proved so successful that he teamed up with his engineer brother-in-law to manufacture cast metal pedals, and his Speed King model is still in production today.

American drummers then turned to Turkish cymbals, which had a richer, less trashy sound than their Chinese counterparts, and experimented with a device known as a snowshoe. This was a spring-hinged footplate with two cymbals mounted in between, which could be used to create a short, staccato chick or a longer splash sound.

By 1910, drummers were expanding their drumsets with a whole range of percussive instruments that had been brought to Americas west coast by Chinese immigrants. Known as traps, these included temple blocks, which were mounted in sets on top of the bass drum, and Pieng Ku, the brightly painted precursors to modern tom toms. In addition, Chinese cymbals were either spring-mounted on top of the bass drum where they could be played with sticks, or on the bass drum hoop, where they could be struck with a specially modified two-beater drum pedal.

Although innovative, the snowshoe could not be played at speed and a number of rival designs soon appeared. The most popular was Walberg & Auges lowboy stand, which, being ten inches tall, was able to accommodate larger cymbals. As time went by, these cymbals were raised further so that they could be played with sticks, a development that created the blueprint for the modern hi-hat.By the late 1930s, manufacturers began to sell what we would recognise as complete drumsets. The use of traps declined in popularity, while bass drums became smaller and snares shallower. New innovations, such as tunable tom toms, larger cymbals, synthetic drumheads, were also introduced to make drumsets easier to play. American companies didnt have everything their own way. Japanese firms became a force to be reckoned with in the 1970s, manufacturing high-quality drums and heavy-duty hardware at competitive prices.By the Eighties, specialist companies were springing up to offer everything from deep power toms and double pedals to electronic percussion. There are now hundreds of drum manufacturers around the world, selling an amazing array of drums, cymbals, sticks, drumheads, cases and accessories to suit every musical style and budget.

The Parts of a drumkit

Student Task: Label the parts of the drumkit.

Ride cymbal

Snare drum

Crash cymbal

Hi-hats

Toms

Bass drum

Floor cymbal

Parts of the Drum kit

A typical drum kit description will say something to the effect of a "5 piece drum kit" or "4 piece drum kit," but what do these numbers mean? The number correlates to the number of drums a kit has. For example a standard drum kit will have 2 rack toms, 1 floor tom, 1 base drum, and 1 snare drum, this equals the 5 piece kit. Another popular option is to only have 1 rack tom, which creates a 4-piece kit.

Beginners or non-drummers easily get confused here because they see a complex drum kit with seemingly 20 or so pieces and they wonder how it could be considered a 5 piece kit. Now let's go over the different drums that I have mentioned so far.

The base drum or kick drum is the large drum located at the bottom of the drum kit and it is played using a foot pedal.

The rack toms are held up by a rack that is typically on top of the base drum.

The floor tom is a standalone unit that typically sits to the right of the base drum.

Finally the snare drum is the drum that sits between the legs of the drummer. What makes the snare drum unique is that on the bottom of the drum are snare strands, which are basically just coiled metal wires. When the drum is hit the snare strands make a buzzing cracking noise that gets added into the normal drum sound.

Cymbals are the other portion of the drum kit, and they are categorized primarily by size. Splash cymbals are the smallest and are used primarily during fills. Crash cymbals are the next size up and they are used to give emphasis in the song. Often times it is the crash cymbal that is hit at the very end of a song or a drum solo.

Ride Cymbals are different than splash and crash cymbals in that they are primarily used to keep rhythm instead of used to create accents. Ride cymbals are typically around 18 inches in diameter and are a must have for any drum kit.

The last type of cymbals that we will discuss is the hi-hat cymbal. These 2 cymbals are always used with each other and can be found on the left side of the drum kit. They have a special stand, which uses a foot pedal to bring the two cymbals together which makes a clicking sound. This click is used heavily in Jazz music and can be effective in creating some complex beats.

Cymbals

The origins of the modern cymbal can be traced back over 3,000 years to China and other parts of Asia. Sometime after the 13th century, the cymbal found its way to Turkey where it would eventually evolve from the Chinese form, with its square bell and flanged edge, to the Turkish form that is most prevalent today.

Hi-hats are sold in pairs with the bottom cymbal being heavier than the top one. Most commonly they are produced in 12", 13" or 14" in diameter, although hi-hats of 15" and even 16" are becoming increasingly popular. Hi-hat cymbals are mounted on the hi-hat stand and are played with both the hands using sticks, or the foot, using the hi-hat pedal during which their main function is to state the time.

Most commonly, crash cymbals are made in sizes from 14" to 18" although crash cymbals of up to 22" are available from some manufacturers. When played correctly the main purpose of the these types of cymbals is to create an explosive 'crash' sound which is most often used to punctuate the form of a tune.

Most commonly, ride cymbals are available in sizes ranging from 18" to 22". Like the hi-hats, their primary function is to state the time but some rides also sound great when used as a crash cymbal.

Drum sticksWell possibly... but drumsticks are one of a drummer's most important tools and like any tool, it's useful to select the best one for the job. The problem is, drumsticks are available in a bewildering number of models and sizes so finding the right stick can be a daunting task for the inexperienced drummer.

The good news is that with just a little bit of information, narrowing down that choice becomes easy and before long you'll find the perfect stick (or sticks) for your particular style, taste and technique.

The tip is the part of the stick, which most frequently comes into contact with the drums and cymbals.

The body main part of the stick and the part that we actually grip.

The shoulder is the tapered part of the stick between the body and the tip.

The Butt is the back end of the stick, which acts as a counter weight. For more power and volume, a drummer might flip the stick around, holding it in reverse in order to strike the drum with the butt.

Tips

Most tips are a variation on one of four basic types: acorn, barrel, round or nylon.

The tip shape/type has a subtle affect on the feel and sound of the stick, with the affect being most audible on the cymbals.

Brushes

Brushes comprise of bundles of flexible metal wires that protrude in a fan-like shape from a rigid handle that is most commonly made from wood or rubber coated metal.PAGE 12