by Jim Samposzi
The concept of the drum goes as far back as our earliest history. People played the drum to achieve sounds as far as 6000 B.C. In these old cultures, like the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayas, this instrument was played when they threw parties. Drums were found in many mountains of these ancient lands by archaeologists in later years.
Many individuals figure that it is the main body of the drum that makes the sound that is unique to the drum. But, this is not the case – it is the stretched out fabric over the top, or the membrane, that is responsible for the beat. The sound is made by hitting this top with a stick of some kind. When the drum is drummed on, the membrane vibrates and sends the sound waves into the hollowed out stock of the drum. The Indians actually fashioned sticks to pound onto the instrument during rituals and special times.
In the 1900’s, drums began to be further developed, and in time, the drum set was introduced. A drum set has: a tom-tom, cymbals, snare drums, and bass drums (one of them has a foot pedal to beat the drum from. Other procession instruments like bells, chimes, and wood blocks were used in conjunction to produce even more bass and treble in tunes. These collections were introduced in the 1930’s and by the 1960,s, when rock took form, drum kits such as the ones described above were a necessary component for these bands. You were not taken seriously if you were without drums.
Like other instruments, drums became digitized for for production of created beats. Digital devices like keyboards, synthesizers, and drum machines provide the ability for someone to make their own drum sounds. These sounds made with synthesizers were unique and not available to be heard from set of drums. Therefore, modern music employs these machines to do the work for them.
Drums weren’t just used for music. In fact, Africans used to beat drums as a form of speaking with one another. A series of beats would signal a certain sentence or command that others in the tribe can decipher. Drums further stood as a symbol of religion for Native Americans and people of ethnicity in other parts of the world. Most believed this instrument to be a male and present them as an adolescent grows up.
The drum beats bass like nothing else. Drums have been beat in many classes of music, for instance: rock and roll, jazz, blues, classical music, and many more genres. Next time you are attending a concert of sorts, look around the stage and you might see a drum or set of drums of a number of different styles. These instruments are great for percussion and low tones; because of this, drums are adaptable to any music situation and can be included with any kind of music.
Jim is a columnist with over 10 years writing experience. Jim is presently employed as a journalist for our b2b site and is considered the company authority on drum kits. Visit our great website for more information on Drum Set and Junior Drum Sets.
