6 Things You Probably didn’t Know About

The Drumset
By Bacheler Burt

Screaming fans, flashing lights, squealing guitars:

there’s no denying that a good rock show, well, rocks --
and if you’ve ever had the chance to see your favorite
band live in concert -- there’s no denying that fact.
However, behind the guitarists lies the drummer, and in
front of him/her sits one of the earliest and most
historied instruments in existence. Here are 6 facts you
probably didn’t know about the drum.

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1. The first percussion instruments are thought to be 70,000 years old….

And instruments such as bone flutes dating back to paleolithic ages, about 100,000 years ago.

Although the drum is one of the very first instruments known to man, its construction materials

(animal hide and tree wood) would have perished easily, leaving them undiscoverable. But while

early drums are harder to find, religious texts such as the bible allow people to learn more about

how and when they were used, making these texts an excellent resource for historians to use.

2. The earliest drums are still used today….kinda

Although that the earliest drums were slightly different from what we know (and love) today,

those first drums served as the basis for the key components of the modern drum set: the bass

drum and the snare drum. Drums that we do use today can be traced back to western Asia (bass

drum) and European battlefields (snare drum). The earliest forms of the bass drum were known

as kete drums or davuls, which both contained heads on boths ends had made a large, round,

booming sound. Both of these come from western Asia and parts of the middle east. The snare
drum also derives from the same area, and were originally known as nakers or the primero,

which both utilized animal intestines to ad the famous ‘crack’ sound that snare drum makes.

Much later however, 15th century Swiss soldiers marched to the fife and drum -- which was used

by one player -- and was much more reminiscent of the modern snare drum. Although they both

have their differences, they served as the basis from what we model our drums off of today.

3. Cymbals were first made when bronze came about, roughly 3,000 B.C.

The cymbal is one of the most simple yet complex instruments that we use today. While early

cymbals were not as refined and purpose-driven as they are today, these remain one of the oldest

instruments today. Where did they originate from? Experts say possibly Turkey, China, or India,

but it remains unclear. What is for certain is that they were made following the invention of

bronze (just after people realized how versatile a material bronze was), and were used for many

purposes, some musical, some not, such as celebrating events or worshiping gods.

4. The Drumset we use today is only about 100 years old

When we think of a drumset, the essentials first come to mind: multiple drums, cymbals, and a

pedal-operated bass drum. However, the use of multiple drums by just one person is still

relatively new, compared to the time that the drum has been around for. The first occurrences of

“double drumming” (drummers playing more than one drum at a time) happened just after the

civil war ended in 1865 (Century of Drum Evolution). It wasn’t until 1876 that double drumming

became popular in orchestral/dance settings. Bass drum pedals came soon after at around 1890,

which allowed bigger, deeper sounds for the drummer to make and play. Because these elements

5. Early cymbals were played with the feet!

Early on in the drumset’s evolution -- before the hi-hat was invented (a set of two small cymbals

stacked on top of one-another) -- a small cymbal was hung directly in front of the bass drum. It

was struck by an additional arm that stuck out from the bass drum pedal. However, because the

cymbal could only be hit when the bass drum was, a need for stand-alone cymbals came about,

which resulted in the modern day hi-hat.

6. Early on, the snare’s main use was found on the battlefield

While the snare drum was becoming more and more prevalent, it’s loud, dry sound made it ideal

for long distance communication. Because of the lack of radios being used, the snare drum was

used to communcate orders to and from different divisions on the battlefield. The drum also

allowed for s steady marching pace to be kept. This method of communcation can be seen during

the American Civil War, and even as early on some 15th century Swiss battlefields.