History of Percussion and Drums
How has percussion changed over the years? If you didn’t know, percussion is a musical instrument in which a sound is produced when struck. So how has percussion evolved over the years? We know there are many types of percussion instruments such as: maracas, drums, cymbals, piano, and many more, but how have drums evolved over the years?
At first, anything that was simply struck, shaken, scraped, plucked, or rubbed, and made a sound was considered a percussion instrument. What makes the sound? The vibrations made the sound. Where did percussion originate? Percussion is said to have originated in China, where percussionists played drums made from alligator skin. The drum's original purpose was to be used for
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The first ever drum appearance that was recorded was from China, that was made out of alligator skin in 5500 BC. Early drums were made of a tree trunk which was covered in some type of animal skin. How was the skin secured? The skin was secured by nails, glue, pegs, or buttoning. Well what about the drumsticks? The drumsticks aren't hard to find. You could use your hands or sticks. However, over time, things changed. Pottery drums were being created. There were many pottery drums, but the one thing they had in common was that they were all made out of clay. The first drum that was made out of clay was an Udu drum. This drum was shaped like a lamp. With an oval round body but somewhat slim at the top. However, it had a hole in the very center of the drum. The hole was used to gather air to carry the sound. Most bass players use this drum because it produces a bass sound. Then over time, different types of drums were starting to be introduced. Whether that be clay or normal drums. In 1650, the first version of the snare drum was created. Following that in 1890, the first drums that were hit by foot pedals and a drum set made an appearance. Then after that, the first hi-hats on a drum set were made. Many things changed during this time because of how popular drums were becoming, but how did drums play a part in