Drums

A Brief History of Drums

Long before the drum became a musical instrument, its noise-making qualities were no doubt credited with the powers of making thunder and chasing away devils, not to mention frightening the enemy. In ancient Greece soldiers beat on shields made of tightly stretched ox-hide--a custom perpetuated by Zulu warriors well into the 19th Century. Today Dance, pop and jazz band drummers generally sit at a drum kit that includes a variety of percussion instruments including a bas drum of about 24inch diameter that is played with a foot pedal. Other parts of the drum kit, such as the snare drum, cymbals and blocks, are played with sticks or brushes.