- The double pedal was invented in the 1940s and it revolutionized rock and metal music. The bass drum pedal revolutionized our playing and ushered in the modern day kit as we know it, but it’s true inventor is unknown.
- Drums are among the oldest musical instruments dating back to 5500 BCE in Neolithic China. It is a universal instrument as every region has some form of drumming tradition.
- Traditionally, drumheads were made from animal hides such as cow, deer and goat. In modern times, synthetic materials such as mylar (a type of polyester) is used.
- In ancient times, drums were also used during wars and battles by armies during the Greek, Roman and Chinese empires. Its purpose was to boost morale, signal command and to scare off the enemies.
- During the pandemic in 2020 most people had a lot of free time and many used it creatively. One such person was Robert Dietrich who went about to assemble the largest drum kit in the world with more than 1000 individual parts.
- The snare drum originated from European military and was called the Tabor. It was first used in the 13ᵗʰ century and had that distinctive rattle which we have today in modern drum kit snares.
- The world’s largest playable drum was a traditional Seiko drum measuring 18 feet in diameter. It was built in 1987 in South Korea.
- Did you know that playing drums has healing properties? It is used in music therapy as it helps reduce stress and uplift mood of the patients. Playing drums engages both the hemispheres of the brain so it is also used in neurological habilitation.
- The Indian tabla is a hand-played snare drum having 30 distinct sounds. If you’re interested in this instrument you can check out videos of some of it’s greatest players like Ustad Allah Rakha, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Shankar Ghosh and Pandit Udhai Mazumdar on YouTube.
- The modern day kit with its kick, mare, toms & cymbals emerged from jazz bands during the early 20ᵗʰ Century.
- Electronic drumkits emerged in the 1980s and their popularity has over the past decade has increased tremendously. The main reason
is of course the ability to control the volume level of the drums. It has made it possible for people who live in apartments
(like me) to own one without getting kicked out of the building. - Regarded by many as the Best Rock Drummer of all time, John Bonham was actually self-taught. He started playing from the age of 5 using homemade snares and toms. He got his first snare drum as a gift from his mom at the age of 10, and finally a full kit from his Dad when he was 15. He didn’t take any lessons and couldn’t write music, he was quoted saying “When I first started playing, I used to read music. I was very interested in music. But when I started playing in groups, I did a silly thing and dropped it. It’s great if you can write things down.”
