A HISTORY OF PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS The drum set is unique among musical instruments. Its individual parts originated from all over the world over thousands of years. Percussion and drums can be defined broadly as instruments that must be struck with a mallet or shaken to produce a sound. The surfaces can be made of animal hide, wood, metal, or really anything that produces sound. The mallet or beater which is used to produce the sound can be pretty much anything including a human hand. Drums include a variety of instruments that make similar sounds to a piano; such as a xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel, etc. Percussion instruments that must be shaken are mostly made up of contained beads or metal. The most famous percussion instrument, the snare, also has beads with adjustable tension along with metal disks for additional sound. All of these instruments go back thousands of years to around 6000 B.C., and it is believed that percussion instruments were the first musical instruments ever invented. Ancient Africans used drums as a form of communication, to send signals. When drums were first invented, they were made out of natural materials such as animal hides. Since drum sticks were not around then, people would simply use their hands. From there onward drums have evolved by the people and cultures that made them and the styles of music they were designed to play. Today, advancements are still being made in what was once a very simple instrument.
Timeline of Drums and Percussion Throughout the Different Eras of Music Early snare drum from the 1600’s The Middle Ages 1475 - consisted of bells, jingles, long drums, nakers, side drums, tabors, tambours and timpani - many of today’s percussion instrument’s roots can be traced back to this era - drums were played for the king and his guests quite often while also being accompanied by other musicians - drums were also played at weddings, festivals, social events, and in times of despair [as inspiration] The Renaissance 1600 - consisted of tabors, timbrels, long drums, jingle bells, snare, and monk bells - although many of the percussion instruments were the same as the Middle Ages, they were highly improved - people came up with new ways to use drums, for the first time drums were used in the military and during battles - during performances drums were mostly played along with the accompaniment of a singer and dancers The Classical Period 1820 - percussion consisted of kettle drum, vibraphone, snare, gong, whip, triangle, marimba, and tambourine - during this period orchestral music and symphonic bands had completely taken over music - in orchestras cymbals and bass were added to give songs more excitement and energy - in most orchestras the snare was the main percussion instrument The Twentieth Century/ Modern 2000 - bands that used a drummer now only needed one instead of four or more - music was no longer limited to concerts, opera-houses, clubs, and domestic music making - technological advances led to new styles of music such as techno, rap, pop, etc. [electronic instruments] - recording music made distributing it to the public easier and much faster
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