There are records of them as early as 5500 BC. The drums found were made from crocodile skin, they were found in China and were used mainly for religious purposes. Drums have been used for communication purposes throughout history.
Before the development of drum kits, drums and cymbals used in military and orchestral settings were played separately by different percussionists; if the score called for a bass drum, triangle drum, and cymbals, three percussionists would be hired Hands to play these three instruments.
In the 1840s, percussionists began experimenting with foot pedals as a way to enable them to play multiple instruments, but it would be 75 years before these devices were mass-produced.
By the 1860s, percussionists began combining multiple drums into sets. Bass drums, snare drums, cymbals, and other percussion instruments are struck with hand-held drum sticks. Drummers in musical theater performances and stage shows, where pit orchestra budgets are often limited, have contributed to the creation of drum kits by developing techniques and equipment that allow them to cover the roles of multiple percussionists.
Double drums were developed so that one could play the bass and snare drums with sticks, while the cymbals could be played by striking the "high-boy" with their feet... In this way, the bass drum is usually Play one and three to the beat (in 4
4 time).
Although the music was originally designed to accompany marching soldiers, when the simple marching beat became more syncopated, this simple and straightforward approach to drumming led to the birth of ragtime music. This results in a greater swing and dance feel. Drum sets were originally called "trap sets," and from the late 1800s to the 1930s, drummers were called "trap drummers."
By the 1870s, drummers began using "hang pedals." Most drummers in the 1870s preferred to play double drums without any pedals, rather than using hanging pedals. Companies patented their pedal systems, such as the New Orleans-based Dee Dee Chandler 1904-05.
For the first time hands-free, this evolution saw the bass drum being played with the feet of the standing percussionist (hence the name "bass drum"). The bass drum became the central part around which all other percussion instruments later revolved.
William F. Ludwig, Sr. and his brother Theobald Ludwig founded the Ludwig & Ludwig Co. in 1909 and patented the first commercially successful bass drum pedal system for the modern stand Drums pave the way.
Wire brushes for use with drums and cymbals were introduced in 1912. The need for brushes arose due to problems with the drums masking other instruments on stage. The drummer began using a metal flyswatter to lower the volume next to other acoustic instruments on stage. Drummers can still play basic snare patterns and grooves with the brushes they normally play with drumsticks.
Common configurations
Drum sets are traditionally classified by the number of drums, ignoring cymbals and other instruments. The snare drum, bass drum, and bass drum are always counted; other drums, such as the octagonal drum, may or may not be counted.
Traditionally, in the United States and the United Kingdom, drum dimensions were expressed as depth x diameter, both in inches, but many drum kit manufacturers have since begun expressing their sizes as diameter x depth; still in inches unit.
For example, a hanging drum that is 12 inches in diameter and 8 inches deep is described by Tama as 8 inches by 12 inches, but Pearl describes it as 12 inches by 8 inches by 5 inches deep. The Derwig snare drum is 5" x 14";
The British Premier Manufacturer offers the same size: 14" x 5" snare drum.