Welcome To Drum Kits and Cymbals

To view the Drum and Cymbal Products please use the links above or you click on the Drum Set and Cymbal pictures below.

 

Drum History

Drums are a musical instrument belonging to the percussion family (percussion instruments are those that are played by striking – either with a stick or a part of the body). Drums are the oldest musical instruments known to man and their usage dates back to around 6000 B.C. This is probably because man discovered that the easiest way of producing sound was by striking instruments (especially those that were hollow). Today drums are an integral part of musical composition; it is impossible to produce a piece of music without drums or at least some form of percussion.

The first drums were used more as a means of communication between communities, since they could be heard over large distances. They were a little more than hollow shells of vegetables like gourds or pumpkins. These drums were popular in Africa and Sri Lanka as a means of sending messages to people.

There are over 75 different kinds of drums – all used to produce sounds of varying pitches and tones. Drum types have evolved from different countries and people according to their needs. For example in England, the snare (side) drum was used by infantry messengers to convey information. In Central Asia, Siberia and some parts of Northern America native tribes used shallow frame drums in ritual shaman ceremonies. The tambourine has long since been used by women in Persian countries as a musical instrument during performances.

Drums as we know them today are a set of 3-4 different sized and shaped drums along with a pair of cymbals. This is called a drum kit. Drum kits came into existence when it was discovered that playing drums of different sizes together produced a much richer sound with varying pitches and depth. In the 1920's drums were an important accompaniment to jazz and other types of music. It was during this time that drummers began to experiment by adding other percussion instruments such as the tambourine, tom-toms and cymbals to the drum kit and the players emphasized different instruments,to produce various kinds of music. This first drum kit is said to have been ‘installed' in Louisiana, Georgia in about 1920.

In the later decades, drum players like Max Roach, Louis Belson, Ginger Baker and Buddy Rich evolved the style of playing and made changes to support their styles – popularizing the use of a particular combination or a drum. As the techniques of playing drums evolved, so did the technique of making them. Drums began to be made of more durable and more compact material. Plastic or synthetic membranes came to be used on the drum head as opposed to the previous calfskin.

Today of course, we have electronic drums. These are simulated drums which are nothing more than a flat surface with plates that can produce different simulated drum sounds when struck. These are more convenient while recording as they are much smaller than the traditional drum kits and can be ‘engineered' to produce a specific pitch and volume.