World Music
Every drummer knows they are the foundation for music. Everyone in the world loves to use drums because drums are what give the rhythm and depth that that music needs to be complete. History of Drums Since the dawn of time man has sought to improve musical expression within all our cultures and have created musical instruments. Drums have been an important part of musical history and remain so today. Drums have been easily made from regularly found materials like wood, metal and clay combined with an animal skin that is stretched and tightly wrapped over the top of the base. Archaeologists have found evidence of music drums being used by cultures around the world dating back thousands of years. These rare artifacts remind us how important to our human spirit drums have been for music instruments since the dawn of time. |
World Music
Different types of drums Even though every culture in the world uses some sort of drum as a musical instrument, not all drums are made the same. In the United States the most popular drum is the drum set. This can be an acoustical drum set or an electronic drum set. In Latin America musicians prefer percussion instruments like bongo drums and conga drums. In Africa djembe drums are very popular and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. The Bodhrán is an Irish Hand drum that dates back over 400 years. Taiko means "drum" in Japanese and is a very popular type of world percussion instrument due to the intense rhythmic sounds that can be created. |
The general term for a musician who plays percussion instruments is "percussionist" but the terms listed below are often used to describe a person's specialties:
Balafonist: a balafon player Bombisto: a bombo legüero player Bongocero: someone who plays bongos and usually cencerro (a cow bell) Congalero, conguero: someone who plays congas Cymbalist: someone who plays cymbals Djembefola: djembe player. Drummer: a term usually used to describe someone who plays the drum set, hand drums or a single drum such as Snare drum. Glockenspielist: someone who plays the glockenspiel. Güirero: someone who plays the güira, a Dominican scraper used in merengue music Marimbist: a marimba player Panman, pannist: a steelpan player Timbalero, timbero: someone who plays timbales Timpanist: a timpani player Vibraphonist: a vibraphone player Xylophonist: a xylophone player |
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