Varieties of drums: types, classification, sound, similarities and differences, names and photos

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

This article will discuss the types of drums. These musical instruments are among the most ancient on our planet. That is why there are so many types of them. This article will list the main ones. Each type of drum (names and photos will be presented below) is dedicated to a special section, including a description of the design, as well as the history of the origin of the musical instrument.

Drum functions

First of all, it is worth mentioning the division of musical drums into types, according to their use in everyday life. From time immemorial, drumming has been an integral part of religious rituals. With the help of rhythms of a different nature, shamans put people into a trance. The existence of such practices is evidenced by the rock paintings of the Sumerian tribe, which date back to the third millennium BC. Similar traditions have also survived to this day. They can be observed in religious rites in Buddhism, Hinduism and others, beforeall oriental, religions.

Drum as a badge of distinction

To the African Tuareg tribe, drums are as important today as they were many centuries ago.

No cult ritual can do without them. In addition, a special kind of African drum, used in this tribe, serves as a distinction of the elders of certain clans. The leader of the entire tribe also has his own percussion musical instrument. When armed conflicts occur between the Tuareg clans or the whole tribe is at war with a common enemy, the greatest insult that can be inflicted on the leader is the destruction of his drum. It must be said that until recently all types of modern music were banned among this people, and a person could easily be imprisoned for playing guitars. Making music on this instrument was equated with revolutionary activity. Now these harsh rules have noticeably softened. Therefore, now in the Tuareg tribe there are even several rock bands that combine modern Western music with elements of national culture (the sounds of a local variety of drums called tobol) in their work.

The main musician in the orchestra

Another function of drums since ancient times was considered to be the musical accompaniment of military parades. For the first time in this capacity they began to be used in ancient Egypt. European military bands began to include percussion in the 16th and 17th centuries in Austria and Germany. It was there that a special kind of drum appeared. The tool entered the modern installation underthe name of the big one. Outwardly, it resembles a large barrel. In the slang of professional musicians, they call him that. The bass drum, unlike other varieties of this instrument, is played not with sticks or hands, but with a mallet, which has a seal of soft material at the working end. It is important to note that this type of drum (photo below) is played with the hands of military bands.

At the same time, the musician tightly squeezes the beater with one hand, hitting the barrel with it, and with the other brush he beats the rhythm on the cymbals that are attached from above. When the bass drum became part of the modern drum set, the method of extracting sounds from it changed somewhat. At the beginning of the 20th century, orchestra musicians played this instrument by kicking it. Later, a device appeared that made it possible to fix a mallet near the big drum, which was set in motion with the help of a pedal. When the musical genres of jazz and rock appeared and the need arose to perform more complex rhythms, some drummers began to add a second kick to their kit, and, accordingly, another mallet with a pedal. In the 1970s, bass drumming was improved with yet another innovation. The beater began to be mounted on the cardan shaft. Now drummers have the opportunity to play the same barrel with two feet. This process is similar to riding a bicycle.

Varieties of drums by origin

This article has already considered the classification of percussion instruments according to the role they playin public life. Now it's time to talk about the classification of drums (names and photos will also be present in this material) according to another criterion. Almost all musicologists say with confidence that every drum kit instrument has folk roots. For example, the big drum already mentioned in the article was invented in ancient China. The name of the craftsman who first made this drum, the lowest in timbre, is unfortunately unknown. So what other instruments are included in a drum kit? Since this article is devoted to the types and names of drums, when answering this question, we should focus only on them.

The main instrument in this set is the snare drum. It has another name - worker. The main rhythmic pattern, as a rule, is performed on it. This kind of drums (see photo below) is a flat percussion instrument resembling a large tablet in appearance, consisting, like the vast majority of its relatives, of a round base covered on both sides with membranes made of leather or plastic.

Currently, the second of these materials is used more often. This is due to its relatively low cost and ease of use. The tension of the plastic is much easier to adjust with the help of special mechanisms, which are often provided with hoops that press the membrane against the walls of the case.

Springs are usually attached to the underside of the snare drum. They add steel to the sound of this instrument.shade. On some models, the saturation of the overtone can be adjusted.

This type of drum was also borrowed by pop musicians from military band drummers.

Tom-toms are another indispensable element of the kit.

In the basic setting, there are usually three: high, medium and low. Their design resembles a working drum, but higher, cylindrical in shape. A low or floor tom usually stands on metal legs. And its smaller relatives are fixed on a stand, which either rests with its base on the floor, or is screwed to a large drum. There is also a variation of these instruments that does not have a shell around the membranes. Such tom-toms are called rototomes. Their main distinguishing feature is not only the absence of a shell, but also the sound of a certain height. That is, each of them, unlike the bass and snare drums, is tuned to a specific note. Thanks to this feature, they have attracted the attention of a number of contemporary composers who have entrusted them with solo parts in their works.

These drums can also be used by drummers of military or civil brass bands during defile, that is, when playing while moving. In this case, tom-toms are used, designed to be attached to the musician's belt.

Percussion

Many music lovers are probably familiar with this word. It has a Latin root which means "knock". But not all percussion musical instruments are called that. As it wassaid earlier, due to the fact that these accessories have been known to mankind for more than the first thousand years, there are also a great many of their species. Almost every nation has created its own original percussion instruments. Even if some kind of drums was borrowed by one tribe from another, then in the process of use it changed. Instruments that were not included in the classic drum set were called percussion. Therefore, we can talk about another principle of percussion separation. According to him, the first group of these instruments are those that are included in the traditional drummer's kit, and all the rest can be included in the second.

Latin American and African drums

Types and names of some of them are given in this chapter. But, first of all, I would like to say a few words about how these exotic musical instruments became known and earned the love of European music lovers. At the beginning of the twentieth century, sultry music, brought by sailors from Argentina, sounded on dance floors around the world. The fashionable dance was called tango.

It was then that Latin American compositions appeared in the repertoire of European and American jazz orchestras, and drum kits were included in their composition, which included some exotic drums.

This sunny music received a new round of popularity with the appearance on the stage of the American band Santana in the late sixties. Its permanent leader, Carlos Santana, successfully combined blues melody with hot Spanish and Caribbean rhythms in his work. ATthis ensemble, in addition to the traditional drum set, also included percussion.

Most popular percussions

What exotic instruments are most often used by modern drummers?

First of all, I must say about the African variety of drums called conga. These tools are usually quite impressive in size. Their height reaches 1.2 meters.

They are elongated and usually made from palm wood. The membranes for such drums are made of genuine leather. They are played standing up, usually with three or sometimes four kongs next to each other. The musician extracts sounds with the help of slaps with the palms or the edge of the brush. It is also common to use more sophisticated techniques in the form of snaps and finger strikes.

Bongs

Another popular percussion instrument is the bongos. They were brought to America and then to Europe from Cuba.

This type of percussion is a double drum. Interestingly, most of the instrument is called a woman, and the smaller part is called a man. The technique of playing this instrument is almost the same as for the conga.

Shape classification

Also, drums can be distinguished by the outer contours of the instrument. There are barrel, barrel, cone, and even hourglass-shaped drums.

King of Asian Rhythms

Oriental percussion instruments tend to be whimsicalforms. In one of the songs of Boris Grebenshchikov and the Aquarium group there are the following words:

May God spare the minds of all tarabouk players!

The instrument mentioned here is one of the most common percussion instruments in Eastern countries. Its body is cup-shaped. The membrane for it is usually goat skin. In budget options, a calf skin can be used, always female.

Such tools are common in many eastern countries, for example, in Egypt, Turkey, Morocco. Therefore, the name of these drums may vary depending on the homeland of each particular sample.

The musician has the ability to adjust the tension of the skin that serves as a membrane. Tuning can be done directly during the performance of the piece. With this technique, percussionists achieve interesting sound effects.

Images of these tools found in rock art of the third millennium BC.

Cossack tool

It is generally accepted that the Slavic peoples are not particularly fond of rhythmic musical compositions. Their songs are more measured and melodious than rhythmic.

However, these nations also have their own percussion instruments. For example, the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks a few centuries ago began to use large regimental boilers for cooking as huge drums. The process of making this type of antique drum is simple: just cover the vessel with fresh animal skin.

Number of reels

B minimumThe drum kit includes the following drums: working, large, three toms. Such a set is used, for example, in many areas of classical jazz. Other drummers, especially in genres such as art rock, jazz rock, etc., play kits with a lot of tom-toms and snare drums, and sometimes kicks.

Various percussions are sometimes added to them. Often an individual musician plays exotic drums.

Conclusion

In this article, several classifications of drums have been given. Information about the instruments includes photos of drums with the names of the species.