History of the drumset

The Birth of
the Drum Set

ART.M.IV.7.3

ART.M.IV.6.1

ART.M.IV.8.4

Bell Work

• What is immigration
• Immigration refers to the movement of persons into a new country

with the intention to reside in that country.

• What is a ensemble
• An ensemble is a group of musicians
• What does mutual mean?
• two or more people or groups) feeling the same emotion, or doing

The Rules to follow!

• Keep our classroom clean
• Respect everyone
• Don’t get up without permission
• No cussing!
• Zero in the hallways
• Negative 10 points for

redirection

Objective

• I will be able to tell our cultural relationship to the drum set.
• Identify and describe specific musical elements and events in a given

aural example, using appropriate terminology.

• Describe the impact of technology on music and culture.

History of

the drumset

In Africa, drums were a "family of seven"

• In Africa, drum ensembles are made up of seven

drums in most cases. Since long ago, these seven
drums have been referred to as "a family." The
drum family consists of "four child drums, a mother
drum, and two father drums"!
People who had these various drums would go
visit the homes of the other drums and exchange
presents and become close like families. When a
person who owned one of these drums moved
outside of the village or otherwise left, the tribal
elders of the houses of the other drums would wail
and cry as if they had lost a childhood friend.

Origin of the drum set

• The drumset is a uniquely American instrument, a blend of

European, Asian, and African influences that come together
to form a vital part of our shared musical heritage. Much
more than merely a timekeeping device, the drum set has
evolved over the past 150 years to become a universal piece
of the American musical tradition.

• It is fair to say that the current collection of instruments that

we think of as “the drums” would not have come together in
quite that particular way without the influence of New
Orleans culture at the beginning of the twentieth century.

• The drum set is a hybrid of instruments from around the

world, from cultures that were assembled in port cities like
New Orleans.

Congo Square:The
birthplace of
American Drumming

Cymbals

• Chinese immigrants came to the United States

because they were hired or forced into labor, and
they brought with them their own centuries-old
theater traditions, highlighted by colorfully
painted tom-toms that made a beautiful full
sound, distinct from snares or bass drums.

• Cymbals evolved from bronze cisterns made in

places like Turkey and China; they were later
pounded into flatter shapes and supplied to
countries around Europe for operas and military
music, becoming so popular in the United States
that Zildjian, the original Turkish cymbal company,
eventually moved to Massachusetts.

• The drum set and jazz emerged

together, mutually influencing each
other.

• For centuries, percussion instruments in

classical music were played by different
people, and, perhaps partly for that
reason, “groove” and feel were never
paramount

The Father of the Drumset

• Dee Dee Chandler was perhaps one of the first

drummers to use a makeshift pedal to play the bass
drum with his foot while playing snare with his hands

• Very little is known about Dee Dee Chandler. He was a

drinker. He wore his hat a distinctive way. There is
only one photo of him that exists, and it is in this 1896
photo that we can see down at the corner of the
frame the pedal on his bass drum

The evolution of the foot pedal

The first bass drum pedal

• The pedals were made of wood and were not spring

loaded, so the beater had to be returned to the ready
position using the foot. The spring return mechanism of
today's pedals was introduced in 1910. In 1934, ball
bearings were added to create a smoother pedal action,
and in 1950, the spring was built into the frame,
improving the look and allowing for finer adjustment of
the foot pedal, improvements that many drummers
supported.

• The next big improvement was the chain-driven pedal.

Near the end of the 1970s, a craftsman at a drum store
in New York removed the pedal's drive mechanism and
replaced it with gears and a chain taken from a bicycle.

Cymbal Tones

• First, the bell. It looks like a hat or some

kitchen utensil, and it has a bright, clear tone
like a chime. Though a bell is not a drum, the
sound has quite an impact, and if used
skillfully, can add a nice accent to a song

• Another interesting instrument has an even

more intense look. The Spiral Trash is a
cymbal that has been cut into a spiral, and in
fact does not even resemble a cymbal. It has
a unique sound reminiscent of a trashcan lid
falling to the ground. When struck, the
cymbal itself shakes and wobbles, giving a
slightly wavy nuance to the tone.

Cymbal Tones Cont.

Electronic Drums

• The most recent addition to the evolution

of the drum set is, much to the excitement
of the drumming world, happening right
now in the form of electronic drums and
accessories. The first of their kind was
created by Graeme Edge in 1971

• Electronic drums are primarily

designed to serve as an alternative to
an acoustic drum kit. Electronic drums
consist of an electronic sound
module which produces
the synthesized or sampled percussion
sounds and a set of pads

Electronic drums
cont.

• 2012 – The TD-30 module is

released. With over 1000
onboard sounds, ambience and
reverb control, usb connection,
onboard effects processing,
superior dynamics response,
built-in metronome and MP3/wav
file conversion. The electronic
drum has come a long way!

Devon Taylor

• Stixx Taylor is an American professional

drummer. He's Justin Bieber's drummer
from Purpose World Tour to present.

• Stixx Taylor is an American professional

drummer. He's Justin Bieber's drummer
from Purpose World Tour to present.

• Born -December 30th 1992 (age 30)

Atlanta, Georgia

Hybrid drum kit