The History of Drums

Man has been beating on drums from as far back as history records (books will tell you around 6000 BC). Among numerous other artifacts found through the years, hollowed out logs were excavated that were believed to be communication devices in primitive times. Drums would later take a more prominent role in tribal ceremonial gatherings where they accompanied ritual dancing and celebration.

Field Drums - Ellis Mirsky has assembled historical information on field drums including drum photos, information, and critical commentary on field drums with a focus on the rope drums of the American Civil War.

Recorded History of Jazz Drumming
The evolution of drumset through the years from old style swing to modern day fusion. Covers many legendary drummers and their contribution in history.

Drums were used throughout numerous wars including the infamous civil war. The fife and drummers marched proudly as their side fought for victory.

Get the 411 on Drums at Drumming.com. From Drum Lessons and Tips to Rudiments , you'll find everything here!

The History of Drums
Emerging Drumset Beats through History
Covers Sousa drum parts, New Orleans second line style drumming, Jazz Swing, Jazz Dance, Rock Beats, Shuffle Beats, Latin Beats, etc.

Drum 'n Bass and Breakbeats [link temporarily down]
A fantastic article covering the evolution of Drum 'n Bass. George Broyer takes us on a journey through DNB land from 1980's house music to modern jungle breakbeats.
Jazz Resource Library - A very well organized site consisting of styles, timelines, and jazz legends. Helpful in determining where drums fit in to the jazz scene and how significant their role was through history.

Rock and Roll Drumming History - Pro Drummer / Author Daniel Glass wrote an exciting book on the history of Rock and Roll Drums and Drumming. This book covers drum history from 1948 to 2000 and follows the evolution of the drumset.

The History of Drums
Country Drumming
A short article covering the introduction of drums into traditional country music years ago.

History of the Drumset - Takes you from the late 1800's with brass bands and the founding of Ludwig Drum Company. Moves forward to the 1920's and the the invention of the bass drum pedal and hi-hat pedals. They were called low boys, sock cymbals and eventually settled in to 'hi hat'. Then on to the 30's celebrating Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich and then the 1950's where Remo Belli invented the plastic drum head.

The History of Four-Limb Independence
This brief history of four-limb independence on drumset, by Tom Mendola of Faunt school, is a supplement for the Faunt school and discusses how drumset independence evolved through the years.
Steel Drums - A short background of steel drums through history.

A Brief History of Drums and Drumming - Briefly covers the beginnings of drumming and drum corps, it's European connection, early rudiments, NARD (the National Association of Rudimental Drummers) and how drum rudiments evolved through history, Drum and Fife, Swiss drum notation, pipe band competitions, World War II drum scores, pipe band snare drumming books, and more.

Historic Percussion Instruments - Shows historical percussion instruments from the 1800's on. Interesting old cymbals, timpani, combination drums from 1845 and more.

New Orleans Second Line Drumming [link temporarily down] - The history of New Orleans second line drumming.

The Story Behind Ringo Starr's Drums - An interesting article on Ringo Starr, his drums, his relationship with Ludwig Drum Company and that black oyster pearl drumset he played with The Beatles.

History of Drumset - "The drum set as we know it today is an American invention, with it's roots in New Orleans about the turn of the last century." - See more on this from Kay Gee over at the Drum Chat drum forum. He talks about the origin of the drumset, it's Dixieland roots and posts photos of some of his own historical drums.

Stay tuned as we'll be adding even more articles on drums, vintage drums reviews including the history of drums, vintage drum articles, catalogs and more.