Ah, the drums – one of the world’s oldest instruments and still one of the favourites today. They come in lots of different shapes and sizes and make a variety of sounds. Here are some interesting drum facts that you might not know:

From the Beginning
Drums were with us from the dawn of mankind, making them one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. Originally, they were natural objects that could be hit, but real drums were later developed with membranes made of animal skin. The oldest drum to be discovered is the Alligator Drum, which is said to have manifested shamanistic characteristics and was often used in ritual ceremonies. The earliest record of it is from 2300BC – 1900BC.

Great Exercise
Drumming Is known to be one of the best forms of exercise as it burns more calories in a half hour session than cycling, weight lifting, and hiking. In fact, it has even been adapted into an actual workout called Drums Alive which involves aerobic dancing and jamming on exercise balls. Recreational drum playing is also lowers the amount of stress hormones in our body.

The Drums as We Know Them
The modern drum kit was formed during the 1930s – before that, musical bands used more than one person to control the drums in orchestras. The average drum kit has 5 pieces – the bass drum, snare drum, two toms, and a floor tom, as well as several cymbals; crash, hi-hat, and ride. The world’s largest drum kit has 813 pieces and took 36 years to build. It was created by Dr. Mark Temperato who is working on expanding it to 1000 pieces!

The First Step
The Ludwig Drum Company, a popular American drum manufacturer, became known for its first product back in 1909 – the first ever workable bass drum foot pedal system, which paved the way for what was eventually to become the modern drum set as we know it.

The Electric Drums
The first electronic drum was created by Graeme Edge, drummer of The Moody Blues, back in the early 1970s. They became widely popular in the 80s, and people even thought that they would phase out the traditional drums. It turns out, however, that drummers still preferred to play acoustic kits over electric ones.

The drums are the most crucial part of the rhythm section in any band, and they require plenty of skills including limb independence, hand-eye coordination, and a good sense of rhythm.

If you love the drums and are interested in learning to play them, consider taking drum lessons at the School of Popular Music in Guernsey. We also offer tuition for a range of other instruments as well as vocal training. Click here to get in touch today.