Essay On Drum Set

It is hard to picture the Beatles without Ringo or Led Zeppelin without Bonham. These drummers many not be front and center, but they are the back bone to the band. And without the Drum set these drummers would have never been. Jazz or Rock n Roll or Pop music wouldn’t be the same without the invention and evolution of the drum set. The drum set took over a century to become what it is today. The drum set is an American instrument and through its development it has reflected the way America has developed. The drum set has become the most visible and widely used percussion instrument and a very important instrument in countless genres of music (Fidyk). In the late 1800’s, the most popular bands in the United States were American brass bands. During the Civil War every military unit had its own band and after the war the bands stayed together and continued to play together. The traditional parade style they played before was moved inside. Since most venues were smaller it was harder to fit as many instruments inside, so to make room drummers would experiment with trying to play the Snare Drum cymbals, and Bass Drum together. One drummer could accomplish the job that use …show more content…
He helped popularized the idea that drum kits had to not only be functional but also be well designed and look good. Gene Krupa was also the first drummer to head his own orchestra and thrust the drums into the spotlight with his drum solos. The drum set was no longer just about being in the background. Gene Krupa also standardized the drum set up we use today and the drum sizes, excluding the bass drum: 24” or 26” bass drum, 14” snare drum, and 16” floor tom. Gene Krupa was also the first drummer to have a high critically acclaimed extended drum solo, which was in Benny Goodman’s song “Sing Sing