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| Drum | |
|---|---|
| Name | Drum |
| Classification | Membranophone |
| Hornbostel Sachs | 211 |
| Developed | Prehistoric |
| Related | Djembe, Tabla, Snare drum, Timpani, Bass drum |
Drum
Drum devices—percussive membranophones found worldwide—serve rhythmic, ceremonial, military, and entertainment functions. Archaeological finds, iconography, ethnographies, and recordings document drum use across prehistoric societies, Classical antiquity, medieval courts, and modern popular culture, linking instruments to rituals, statecraft, religious institutions, and performing arts. Ethnomusicologists, organologists, composers, and percussionists study drums in relation to African music, Indian classical music, Jazz, Rock music, and Orchestral music.
Archaeological evidence from sites associated with Neolithic cultures, Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley civilization, and Mesoamerica indicates membranophones in ritual and civic contexts, accompanied by artifacts linked to Shamanism, Funerary rites, and military signaling. Iconography in Hittite reliefs, Assyrian bas-reliefs, and Chinese Zhou dynasty bronzes shows drums in court and battlefield scenarios alongside figures tied to Divination and state ceremonies. In the medieval period, drums appear in accounts of the Crusades, Ming dynasty processions, and Ottoman Janissary bands, intersecting with developments in marching, signaling, and ensemble use documented in archives from Renaissance courts. Colonial encounters spread African, Asian, and Indigenous instruments to the Americas and Europe, influencing genres emerging in port cities like New Orleans, Lisbon, and Rio de Janeiro and shaping traditions such as Samba, Afrobeat, and Blues.
Typical drums consist of a shell, head(s), tensioning system, and mounting hardware; construction varies by region and function. Shell materials include woods from taxa used by luthiers in Stradivari-era instrument making, metal alloys reminiscent of Cleveland steelworking traditions, and synthetic composites developed alongside innovations by manufacturers like Remo, Evans, and Ludwig Drums. Heads range from calfskin used in Baroque ensembles to Mylar developed during the 20th century and favored in Big band and Studio recording settings. Tensioning uses rope, wooden pegs seen in vernacular designs associated with West African lacing, or mechanical rods associated with industrial-era patents filed in contexts like Chicago trade fairs.
Organologists classify drums by shape, pitch, and playing position: frame drums related to Bodhrán and Tambourine families; goblet drums exemplified by Djembe and Middle Eastern darbukas; cylindrical drums including orchestral Timpani and marching Snare drum; kettled varieties used in Classical orchestra contexts; and bass drums central to Marching band traditions. Classification systems reference Hornbostel–Sachs categories used in museum catalogues at institutions like the British Museum and Metropolitan Museum of Art. Regional categories include South Asian Tabla pairs, East Asian barrel drums used in Noh and Kabuki theatre, and Latin American congas in Afro-Cuban ensembles tied to history around Havana and Santiago de Cuba.
Technique ranges from hand-struck methods in West African djembe ensembles and Flamenco accompaniment to stick, mallet, brush, and beater articulations in Jazz combo, Symphony orchestra, and Marching band contexts. Rudimental patterns codified by military traditions influenced drumming manuals associated with Rudolph, Percussive Arts Society pedagogy, and conservatory curricula in institutions like the Juilliard School. Techniques such as rolls, paradiddles, finger strokes on tabla and konnakol vocalizations intersect with notation practices developed in Western music notation and oral transmission systems preserved by lineages linked to figures from Bharatanatyam and Carnatic percussion. Drumset coordination integrates bass, snare, toms, and cymbal actions central to trio settings in Bebop and power-trio formats popularized in Seattle and Detroit scenes.
Drums function as timekeepers in ensembles like Big band swing and Funk rhythm sections, as ritual instruments in Vodou, Candomblé, and Shinto observances, and as signaling devices in contexts such as naval code and civic alerts. They play roles in political mobilization found in marches associated with events like the Civil Rights Movement and parades in festivals such as Carnival in Rio de Janeiro and Mardi Gras. Drum-centered genres and scenes—Afrobeat orchestras, Klezmer ensembles, and Afro-Cuban jazz—highlight cross-cultural hybridization between diasporic and metropolitan musics. Ethnomusicological studies connect drum practice to social identity, gender roles in performance traditions, and transmission through apprenticeship networks linked to cultural centers like Accra, Mumbai, and Havana.
Industrialization shifted manufacture from artisan workshops to factories with standardized processes in cities such as Chicago, New York City, and Tokyo. Companies like Yamaha Corporation and Pearl Corporation scaled production of shells, hoops, and hardware; innovations in polymer chemistry during the mid-20th century—driven by research labs affiliated with institutions like MIT—introduced synthetic heads and damping systems suited to studio work. Specialty makers continue to employ traditional materials—goatskin, cowhide, hand-carved hardwoods—maintaining craft economies in regions including Senegal, Turkey, and Peru.
Historical and contemporary makers include European cabinetmakers who collaborated with orchestral instrument firms tied to Vienna concert life, US manufacturers such as Ludwig Drum Company, Japanese conglomerates like Yamaha Corporation, and boutique ateliers run by artisans in West Africa and Istanbul. Iconic instruments and setups associated with artists and ensembles include the ride/snare configurations used by drummers in The Beatles recordings, marching tenor arrays in United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps performances, and timpani sets referenced in Mahler and Beethoven symphonies. Museum collections in institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and Victoria and Albert Museum preserve examples that document design evolution and cultural exchange.