Drums belong to the percussion family of instruments and have been around for as long as people can remember. If one were to look far enough back in history, they would probably find that people would beat on logs to make a sound. Drums have also been used by many people in ceremonies and ritualistic dances. Since then, the drum has grown and evolved as people have demanded more from the drum. In fact, the greatest advancements to the drum have possibly been made in the 1900s, when blues, jazz, rock and roll and other new forms of music that required the use of multiple drums throughout the song, though people were already experimenting with some changes to the drum in the late 1800s.
Today, a typical drum set or drum kit is composed of a number of different drums and cymbals. Most of the drums and cymbals in the set or kit are struck with sticks, mallets or brushes, while the rest of them are struck by using a foot pedal. It was in the late 1800s that the foot pedal was designed and used for the drums, while most of the other advancements to the drums occurred during the 1900s. One might wonder why there have been so many changes to the drums and why they would need to be so complex. Just think about the music that is being played and listened to in the world today. When paying extra, close attention to the different individual sounds present in the music, one will notice that there are numerous different drum sounds in the song that adds to it.
There are many people who want to learn the drums and take lessons, but few will be able to succeed at playing the drums just right. Many play them just fine and play the drums for fun on their spare time. With the complex drum set and kits out there today, a person has to focus and practice to be able to keep track of what they are doing.
A few, a few, too few for drums and yells,
May creep back, silent, to village wells
Up half-known roads.
—Wilfred Owen (1893–1918)
It takes some talent and skill to be able to multi task the way that a drummer needs to. A person has to be able to use each hand for a different drum much of the time, and they have to be able to keep everything in sync. Many people have tried playing the drums but have been unable to manage so they will turn to something else.
Another reason why many people might not choose the drums is that a good kit can be fairly expensive, especially if it is bought new. Younger, newer drummers who are just starting to learn how to play and how to keep pace will attempt to buy used drum kits and sets instead.
Most will avoid purchasing a new drum set or kit until they are sure that they are serious musicians who want to continue playing. It must also be noted that like most other instruments, higher quality drum kits and sets will often cost more than lower quality ones.
I respect the ways of old folks, but the blood of a rooster or a goat cannot turn the seasons, change the course of the clouds and fill them up with water like bladders. The other night, at the ceremony for Legba, I danced and sang my fill: I am a black man, no? and I enjoyed it like a true Negro should. When the drums beat, I feel it in the pit of my stomach, I feel the itch in my hips and up and down my legs, I have got to join the party. But that is all.
—Jacques Roumain (1907–1945)
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