Origin of the drum kit

In modern music (pop and rock), the most used instruments are the guitar (electric), bass (electric and melodic bass), keyboard (electric piano) and percussion (mainly the drum kit).

How did the drum kit come about ? What did it look like in its original form ? How does the drum itself affect the sound?

Drummers should have more than just technique, as a drummer, you must first have a comprehensive understanding of the instrument you are using, and then you will be able to better utilize your technique. For example: How did the drums come into being? What was its original form? How does the drum itself affect the sound? It's like a good driver who not only knows how to drive, but also understands the structure and performance of the car. Drummers, too, must not only master good playing techniques and skills, but also understand the composition and construction of the drums they are using.

Before we get to the drums, let's look back at the origins of modern music, which is what led to the birth of the original drums in the 20th century.

In 1571, the first blacks were shipped to the Spanish colony of the Americas, and since then millions of black slaves have been sold to the Americas, the arrival of the black slaves not only brought their labor force, but also for the Americas to bring a new musical culture - music and dance from Africa.

For the indigenous blacks in Africa, their dance and music is also part of their language, through music to express their feelings, especially in some important ceremonies, such as weddings, funerals, festivals, and other important moments, people are always gathered in the tribes or villages singing and dancing, and this is an important instrument is the drum.

The drum is a traditional instrument of the African people, originated in West Africa, people play the drum hanging from the neck, and is a few people (at least two people, or even seven or eight people) to play together, pay attention to the process of playing with, and this drumming has thousands of rhythms. This wooden drums not only make the African people's entertainment tools, musical instruments and products of African culture, but also their contact and alarm tool, is one of their language.

Until the beginning of the 19th century, black slaves in the Americas still maintained their traditions, especially in cities that were under the influence of Spain and France at the time, such as Louisiana and New Orleans, the capital of Mississippi.

But after 1861, during the American Civil War, because black slaves were the main labor force on the estates of the American South, southern slave owners feared that blacks were plotting rebellion through the language of the drums, so they banned the black slaves from using their traditional music and instruments, the drums. So they banned black slaves from using their traditional music and instrument, the drum. And this move led to the birth of modern music.

When blacks tried to express their feelings through music, they had to adopt white instruments and play white melodies. This move can be seen as a concrete expression of black musical talent, black people are not just interpreting the music of the white man, but to interpret their music in the style of American music. This led to the birth of black and white jazz at the end of the 19th century. It was the birth of jazz that elevated the status of percussion instruments in the band or orchestra.

For a long time, in the white world before the emergence of jazz, the percussion instrument in the orchestra is only a subsidiary instrument. No matter what kind of music was being played (e.g., classical, romantic, etc.), percussion instruments were only used in the background. The melody (solo) belongs to other instruments such as brass, melodica and keyboards.

But in jazz, for the first time, percussion instruments (drums) were put on an equal footing with other instruments, and could finally be used to play drum melodies (solos) to express a particular piece of music or the drummer's personal thoughts through a solo.

From the 1950s onwards, when rock bands appeared, the status of percussion instruments (drums) was once again elevated. To this day, it is impossible to have a rock band without a drummer, and some even have a percussionist.

But nowadays, percussion instruments (drums) once again limit themselves to the scope of "accompanying the main sound", only it is no longer the simple soundtrack of more than a hundred years ago, which embodies the cooperation with the band's guitars, keyboards, bass, and vocals, and it is the rhythmic instrument in the band, which fixes the speed, dynamics, and the structure of the music. The drummer is the conductor of the band, so to speak.