For as long as human beings have walked the earth, there have been drums - and for almost as long, they’ve been accompanied by cymbals! From hollowed-out logs and frame-mounted hides through all manner of vaudevillian, military and orchestral percussion paraphernalia, the history of drumming is epic and diverse. This tale writ large and loud ultimately culminates in the modern drum kit, a seemingly disparate collection of instruments that came together at the start of the 20th century and forever changed the face of music.
From jazz and rock ’n’ roll, through pop, rock, soul, country and funk, and on to hip-hop, house, techno, drum ’n’ bass and every other genre of the last 80 or so years, the drum kit, whether real, synthesised or sampled, has been a constant presence. And although many of the playing techniques and styles have changed a lot over the decades, the essential make-up of the drum kit has remained largely the same, centring on the kick drum, snare drum and hi-hats/ride cymbal, supplemented by tom toms and crash cymbals.
If you’ve spent any time hanging around drummers, you may have heard them refer to their drum kit as comprising a number of ‘pieces’. This only refers to the number of drums in the kit - cymbals aren’t counted. And with the kick and snare being absolutely essential, the rest of the pieces are usually tom toms: a four-piece kit will have one mounted on or suspended over the kick drum - also knows as a rack tom - and one floor tom, while a five-piece will add an extra rack tom (or possibly a second kick drum).