Drum history information.

Essay by sk8er4lifeJunior High, 8th gradeA+, January 2004

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Drums can be traced to the beginning of man.Hollowed out logs were found along with other artifacts.The logs were first used for communication then used for ceremonial functions.Later on hides/skins were stretched over the end of a stump or log and this began the history of drums.

If you are referring to the modern drumset,they started out as separate items:a bass drum,a snare drum a tom tom and cymbals.It took 3 or 4 people to play a drum part.Then someone connected a cymbal on top of the bass drum,which made it possible for 1 person to play it.then the bass drum pedal was invented and the sock cymbal was invented.The sock cymbal started out as 2 boards connected with a hinge,a spring between them and 2 smaller cymbals bolted on-1 on each board.Later the sock cymbal became the "lowboy"-then a section of pipe was added and that became the hi-hat stand of today.

Drums work on the principal of a vibrating membrane. When you strike an object,you set in motion,vibrating. Our ears pick up the vibrations and we hear the sound. Low sounds=slow vibrations. High sounds=fast vibrations. The music is a natural progression of nature. There are 3 elements of music:Melody-harmony and rhythm. Rhythm is the only one of these which can stand alone. The first people heard rhythms in nature,they were pleasant,so they duplicated them. As they communicated,they noticed that their feet were tapping to the beat. Something similar happened when they were having one of their ceremonies. Rhythm is in each one of us. Some people have a lot,some not as much,but everyone has some rhythm. Everything was a natural progression from there. Music continues to evolve. From primitive man trying to communicate and have their ceremonies,to the mounted timpani players...