Drums
& Equipment
- Drum Kit
A drum kit (or drum set or trap set) is mostly a
collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments
arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer.
The drummer uses drum sticks to strike the drum head and to create a
vibration. Bass drum pedals are used for the bass drum. The hi-hat is
usually controlled also by a pedal, connected via a stand.
History
Early drum kits were known as traps (from contraption). Though this term
is now uncommon, it survives in the term trap case still given to a case
used to transport stands, pedals, sticks, and miscellaneous percussion
instruments, still commonly called traps.
Early kits usually consisted of a bass drum, a snare drum on a stand, a
small cymbal and other small percussion instruments mounted on the bass
drum or a small table, all played with drum sticks or brushes except for
the bass drum. This drum is operated with one or more mechanical pedals.
Due to being played with the foot (and to help distinguish from the bass
guitar or string bass), the bass drum is also often referred to as the
"kick" drum. The drum set was not invented by one person, but instead
was developed by a number of people who made various contributions to
it. For example, Ulysses Leedy contributed the adjustable snare drum
stand and pearl coverings which made a difference in the appearance of
the drum set. Robert Danly invented the throw-off snare strainer which
also made it easier to turn the snare on and off during drumming.
William F. Ludwig built a foot pedal that could withstand high speeds so
people could play the bass drum faster. The hi-hat contribution came
after the snare drum stand and the foot pedal. The inventor of the
hi-hat is not certain, but Barney Walburg may have been responsible.
Papa Jo Jones was one of the first and greatest artists of the hi-hat.
All of these different parts formed a full drum set as we know it today.
The first drums sets were made differently than they are currently made
today. The rims of the first drums were made of wood. Later, some people
started to make metal rims. Instead of drum stands, the drums were all
attached to a large bass drum on metal racks. Drummers took anything
they could think of and put it on the tray, called the traps, on top of
the metal rack.
The first drums used calfskins for the drum heads, but they broke
easily. Many people started making plastic heads for drums that would
hold up better, but some plastic heads were better than others. Marion
Evans invented the first plastic head in the mid-1950s. The Evan’s Heads
Company was later formed. In 1957, Remo Belli and Sam Muchnick together
developed a plastic head that became the most popular head. Remo Belli
was the world’s leading producer of plastic heads.
Cymbals were introduced to the drum set when people found a way to hang
them above the drum set. The first cymbals that people used were cheap,
small, and were suspended from curtain cords. When Zildjian cymbals
began to be produced in the United States in 1929, higher quality and
larger cymbals were available, but they were still suspended from
curtain cords. Gene Krupa, a famous drummer, finally invented a stand
for the cymbals because the curtain cords could not hold the larger
cymbals properly. As cymbals became more popular, Zildjian started
producing more cymbals of different types, sizes, and sounds. Drum sets
started to expand because more cymbals could fit around the drum set
because of the stands.
The history of cymbals in the United States comes from the Zildjian
family. The first Zildjian cymbals were made in Turkey in 1618 by Avedis
Zildjian. The history of modern day cymbals began in 1929 when Avedis
Zildjian III set up a Zildjian cymbals company near Boston. Producing
the Zildjian cymbals was a family tradition that was passed down from
father to son. The Avedis Zildjian Company eventually became the world’s
largest producer of cymbals. Before Avedis Zildjian III died, he passed
the secret of making Zildjian cymbals to his two sons’, Armand and
Robert. Robert later left the Zildjian Company and formed the famous
Sabian Cymbal Company in 1981.
Modern kits and components
The exact collection of components to a drum kit varies greatly
according to musical style, personal preference, financial resources,
and transportation options of the drummer (See Breakables for more
information about personalizing).
Though the use of two bass drums in a kit can be traced back decades to
jazz drummers like Louie Bellson, more recent drummers -- especially in
hard rock and heavy metal -- have used dual bass drums. Since the 1980s,
drummers have used electronic drums, either as by themselves or
incorporated into a standard drum set. Cowbells, gongs, tambourines and
other percussion instruments are sometimes used in drum sets.
Drum set notation
Notation of drum kit music once commonly employed the bass clef, but a
neutral clef of two parallel vertical lines, sometimes referred to as
the percussion or drum clef, is usually preferred now. (All note letter
names in the "Techniques" section refer to the bass clef.) Drum set
notation is not standardized, although there are some common
conventions. It is usual to label each instrument and technique when it
is introduced or to add an explanatory footnote. Rolls: Diagonal lines
across stem (or above whole note). Open hi-hat: o above high-G X. Closed
hi-hat: + above high-G X. Rim click: X in E snare space. Rim shot:
Diagonal slash through note head. Brush sweep: Horizontal line
(replacing note head) in E snare space with slur to show brush is not
lifted.
Dynamic accents
Light: -- (tenuto). Medium: > . Heavy: ^ (marcato).
Anti-accents
1. Slightly softer than surrounding notes: u (breve above or
below--inverted--notehead)
2. Significantly softer than surrounding notes: ( ) (note head in
parentheses)
3. Much softer than surrounding notes: [ ] (note head in brackets)
(Ghost note is a less formal alternative term which may refer either to
anti-accentuation in general or to a particular degree of
anti-accentuation--ghost notes are often considered to be especially
faint.)
From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_kit
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