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.
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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
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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
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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
cymbal
Hi-hats
Floor cymbal

Snare drum
Toms

Crash
Bass drum

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
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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
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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.

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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.

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Drum sticks
Well 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.

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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

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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.

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