Man has been beating drums and playing percussion instruments for as far back as history records have existed. Many books will tell you that it was back around 6000 BC that percussion instruments really made their mark. Hollowed out logs have been found along with other artifacts throughout the years, leading archaeologists and anthropologists to assume that they were used as communication devices during more primitive times. Drums have since taken on a much more prominent role, especially in tribal ceremonies and gatherings where they were utilized for celebration and ritualized dancing.

Music and musical instruments are an extremely part of our history. Rhythm and song have both been used for as long as we can tell in order to express feeling and meaning, as well as to accompany rituals and ceremonies. Music has been a part of human life and culture for as long as the history books can reach. Our earliest civilizations used music as a means of communication as well as to express feeling. The one instrument that has stood out beyond all others throughout the history of music is drums and other percussion instruments. Percussion instruments like drums have earned a place in every culture and history all around the globe. Different variations of drums and drum sets have been found occurring in every culture under the sun, even drums crafted from hollowed out logs, hollowed out gourds and other hollowed out instruments with skin stretched taut over the top. Different sized drums all create different beats and sounds, allowing different cultures to communicate with one another.

In most African cultures, drums and other acoustic percussion instruments were vital in the use of religious ceremonies and rituals. The people belonging to different African tribes would rely heavily on the use of drums as a means of expressing themselves. When the slave trade became popularized, the drums they created began to travel across oceans into other continents and countries as well. African drums provided a truly unique sound that heavily influenced Rock and Roll music in Western culture. Those same rhythms and beats can still be found in today's sounds, providing a strong influence in even today's music.

When it was eventually discovered that a single player could easily manage more than a single drum at a time, people began to put together groups of drums that a single musician could play, which is how the early drum set was born. These groups were generally compromised of a variety of different drums assimilated from different cultures and all over the globe. Cymbals and tom toms for example were brought in from China, sizes adjusted over time to allow for ease of play when playing with drumsticks. Musicians began to discover, especially in the 1930s and beyond that the proper drum placement could allow a single musician to handle an entire set of drums, meaning that only a single drummer was needed rather than an entire band of drummers. This is when the basic drum kit was created, and why it is still so popular today

Photo Credit: 1

Originally posted 2008-10-15 05:09:59. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Related Posts

• Metal Instruments 101 There are a range of different metal percussion instruments that can be found in the modern western orchestra, even though many of them have origins that are not only ancient in nature, but also global as well. The Anvil - The Anvil is a specific type of sound effect that......
• Introduction to the Banjo Instrument The term banjo actually refers to a family of instruments rather than just a single instrument that fits into another family. The banjo instrument family makes use of a membrane made of hide or vellum that is used as a sound board. The first banjo instruments were brought to the......
• Brief History for Double Bass or Stand Up Bass The Double Bass or Stand Up Bass is the largest and the lowest pitched of all bowed string instruments that is used as a part of the modern symphony orchestra. The stand up bass is a standard member of the symphony orchestra's string section as well as smaller string ensembles......
• Introduction to Woodwind Instruments, pt 1 Woodwind instruments are musical instruments that produce sound when a player blows air against the opening in or edge of the instrument. This action causes the air to vibrate within a resonator within the instrument. Most commonly when it comes to these instruments, the player is blowing against a thin......
• Introduction to the Bodhrán pt 2 A traditional Irish instrument, the Bodhrán is an open frame drum. The head of the drum is traditionally made out of goat skins, but other animal skins as well as some synthetic materials can be used. The head of the Bodhrán is tacked to one end of the frame and......

Related Websites

• The Drum Kit The percussionist in any musical group will have to his aide a number of percussive elements. This set of drums will have a variety of instruments including drums, cymbals, and any other instruments that the musical group will need. Different genres will require differing pieces of equipment. So what goes......
• Tennis Profile for Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal was born on June 3, 1986. He is a Spanish tennis player that has been regarded as the No. 1 ranked men's tennis player in the world since August 18 of 2008. He has already won five Grand Slam Singles titles and won the 2008 Olympic gold in......
• Technology in and for the Instrumental Music Classroom   Music education, in some form, goes back as far as education itself. While sometimes struggling for legitimacy, it nonetheless has had its champions. More recently, as technology has flourished within education, technological applications designed specifically for the teaching of music have been developed. While much of this technology is......
• Bass Instruments: The History of the Bass Guitar Instruments teach the people who use them a great deal. For playing an instrument, you can have your first example of love without need of love in return from a person loving their instrument, you can learn notes and patience and many other valuable lessons, some of which have to......
• A Finnish music story Musician Matti Mattila wrote his story for us, a Finnish music story! Please read also his Finnish blog and check his page at LinkedIn. I named this article "A Finnish music story" because through Matti words we can know an exclusive tale about late 70's and 80's of Finnish music.......

Online Stores

• Masks 1900-Now African Cultures, Ethnicities Collectibles
• String Musical Instruments
• Wind Musical Instruments Antiques
• Straps Musical Instruments
• Picks Musical Instruments

If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.



Categories:

Acoustic Musical Instruments, Drums, Instrument History

Tags:

acoustic percussion, african cultures, african tribes, anthropologists, archaeologists, beating drums, communication devices, culture and history, dancing music, different cultures, drum sets, earliest civilizations, history of music, history of percussion instruments, history records, hollowed out logs, means of communication, primitive times, religious ceremonies, tribal ceremonies