The Drum Kit

The drum kit – also called the drum set – is not a single instrument but a system of drums and cymbals arranged so that one person can play it with hands and feet at the same time. It came into being in the United States around 1900, when musicians in dance bands, vaudeville theatres and early jazz groups took over the work of several military and orchestral percussionists. Within a few decades it became the centre of almost every band in the world. Playing the drums means keeping time, coordinating four limbs, shaping sound on many instruments at once, and being able to carry a whole group musically. This article covers history, instrument making, technique, styles, international traditions and the practicalities of learning.

1Overview and classification

The drum kit brings together two groups of the Hornbostel-Sachs system: membranophones (bass drum, snare, toms), in which a stretched head vibrates, and idiophones (cymbals, hi-hat, cowbell, woodblock), in which the material itself sounds. Unlike orchestral timpani, the drums of the kit are not tuned to particular melodic pitches; their tuning serves the sound, the resonance and the feel. The drum kit counts as a rhythm instrument, yet through dynamics, colour and the shaping of form it does much to determine the character of a piece.

In the symphony orchestra one speaks of the percussion section: there, several players handle individual instruments such as bass drum, snare drum, cymbals, timpani and mallet instruments. That tradition is covered in the article on percussion. The drum kit, by contrast, is an invention of twentieth-century popular music.

2History

From military music to “double drumming”

In the nineteenth century, military, circus and wind bands played bass drum, snare drum and cymbals separately, usually with two or three players. In New Orleans, where African American brass bands, dance orchestras and Caribbean influences met, musicians began around 1890–1900 to play bass drum and snare drum at once on their own (double drumming): the bass drum with a beater in the right hand or with improvised foot mechanisms, the snare with the left. This saved space and wages and suited the smaller line-ups of the dance halls.

The bass drum pedal and the “trap set”

• about 1890–1900 Various inventors build foot pedals for the bass drum; early models strike a cymbal at the same time.
• 1909 William F. Ludwig and his brother Theobald found Ludwig & Ludwig and bring out a reliable, mass-produced bass drum pedal. A single player can now use hands and foot independently.
• 1910s–1920s The “trap set” (from contraption) with woodblocks, cowbells, Chinese tom-toms, temple blocks and effect instruments accompanies silent films, vaudeville and early jazz. Important players: Baby Dodds, Zutty Singleton, Ray Bauduc.
• about 1920 The low “low-boy” or “low-sock” cymbal machine is played with the foot; around 1926/27 it is raised so that it can also be played with sticks: the hi-hat.

Swing, bebop and the emancipation of the drums

• 1930s The swing era: Chick Webb, Jo Jones (with Count Basie; he makes the hi-hat the timekeeper), Gene Krupa (the first great recorded drum solo, “Sing, Sing, Sing”, 1937), Buddy Rich.
• 1940s Bebop: Kenny Clarke and Max Roach move the pulse to the ride cymbal, use bass drum and snare for accents (“dropping bombs”) and make the drums an equal partner in the conversation.
• 1950s–1960s Art Blakey, Elvin Jones (polyrhythmic playing with John Coltrane), Tony Williams (with Miles Davis) and Joe Morello (with Dave Brubeck, “Take Five” in 5/4, 1959) widen the language.

Rock, soul and the modern world of the drum kit

• 1950s Rhythm and blues and rock ’n’ roll establish the backbeat (accents on 2 and 4); Earl Palmer, Hal Blaine and the studio musicians of New Orleans and Los Angeles shape the sound.
• 1956/57 Plastic heads (Evans, Remo) replace weather-sensitive calfskin.
• 1960s Ringo Starr (the Beatles) becomes a model for a whole generation; soul and funk (Clyde Stubblefield and Jabo Starks with James Brown; Al Jackson Jr. at Stax) shift the emphasis to semiquaver grooves.
• 1970s Hard rock (John Bonham, Ian Paice), progressive rock (Neil Peart, Bill Bruford), fusion (Billy Cobham, Lenny White), reggae (Carlton Barrett), disco and punk; large kits with many toms.
• 1980s Electronic drums (Simmons SDS-V, 1981) and drum machines (Linn LM-1, Roland TR-808); “gated reverb” (Phil Collins, “In the Air Tonight”, 1981) becomes the sound of the decade. Double pedals make double-bass playing possible without a second bass drum.
• since 1990 The influence of hip-hop (programmed grooves played live), specialisation in metal (blast beats), gospel chops, mesh-head electronic kits (Roland V-Drums, 1997) and an online culture of instructional videos.

3Manufacturers worldwide

Field	Manufacturers (a selection)
Drums (USA)	Ludwig (1909), Gretsch (1883), Slingerland, Rogers, Drum Workshop (DW, 1972)
Drums (Japan)	Pearl, Tama (Hoshino Gakki, 1974), Yamaha, Canopus
Drums (Europe)	Sonor (Germany, 1875), Premier (United Kingdom), Mapex (Taiwan/USA)
Cymbals	Zildjian (founded in Constantinople in 1623, in the United States since 1929), Sabian (Canada, 1981), Paiste (founded in St Petersburg in 1906, today in Switzerland and Germany), Meinl (Germany, 1951), Istanbul Agop and Bosphorus (Turkey)
Heads	Remo, Evans, Aquarian
Electronic drums	Roland, Yamaha, Alesis, ATV, Pearl

4Set-up and components

A standard five-piece kit with typical sizes

Component	Typical size	Function
Bass drum (kick)	20″ or 22″ in diameter, 14–18″ deep; 18″ for jazz	low impulses, the basic pulse; played with a foot pedal
Snare drum	14″ × 5.5″ (also 3.5″ “piccolo” up to 8″ deep)	backbeat, ghost notes, rudiments; a set of metal snares runs across the underside
Rack toms	10″ and 12″ (12″ also in jazz)	fills, melodic lines, accents
Floor tom	14″ or 16″	deep tom sounds, grooves played on the tom
Hi-hat	a 14″ pair of cymbals (13–15″)	timekeeping, offbeats; opened and closed with the foot
Crash cymbal	16″–19″	accents, the start of sections
Ride cymbal	20″–22″	continuous patterns (the ride pattern), with the bell used for accents
Other cymbals	splash (6–12″), china (14–22″), stacks, effect cymbals	colours, accents
Hardware	–	bass drum pedal, hi-hat stand, cymbal stands, tom holders, stool

Sizes are given in inches (″), diameter first and then depth. Jazz kits are smaller (18″ bass drum, 12″/14″ toms) and tuned higher; rock and metal kits are larger and lower.

Shells

Shells are usually made of several plies of wood (maple, birch, mahogany, beech, walnut), less often of solid wood (stave or segment construction), acrylic or metal. Maple is considered balanced and warm, birch bright and punchy, mahogany deep and soft. Thicker shells sound more focused and louder, thinner ones more resonant. The bearing edge (where the head rests) and the treatment of the interior affect the tone, as does the way the toms are mounted (resonance-friendly suspension systems).

The snare drum

The snare is the most personal instrument of the kit. Wooden shells sound warmer; metal ones (steel, brass, bronze, aluminium, copper) are brighter and cut through better. The snare wires (usually 20 or 24 strands, up to 42 on orchestral drums) rest against the bottom head and produce the characteristic rattle; a throw-off disengages them. Deep snares sound fuller, piccolo snares (3–4″) bright and crisp.

Heads

Each drum has a batter head on top and usually a resonant head underneath. Single-ply heads sound open and rich in overtones, two-ply heads shorter, fatter and more robust. Coated heads are necessary for brushes and sound warmer; clear heads are brighter and have more attack. Heads with a muffling ring or dot reduce overtones. Natural heads (calfskin) are available again for vintage and jazz sounds.

Cymbals

Cymbals are made from bronze alloys:

Alloy	Manufacture	Sound
B20 (about 80% copper, 20% tin)	cast, rolled, hammered by hand or machine, then lathed	complex, warm, rich in overtones; traditional Turkish cymbals and professional models
B8 (about 92% copper, 8% tin)	pressed and formed from sheet metal	bright, direct, inexpensive; entry level
Brass (MS63)	sheet metal	simple, cheap
Paiste “2002” alloy (CuSn8)	sheet metal, finished to a high standard	bright, loud; a rock classic

Hammering creates complexity and darkness, lathing brightness and shine; unlathed, raw surfaces sound dry. The tradition of cymbal smithing comes from the Ottoman Empire, and Istanbul remains a centre of hand-made cymbals today.

5Acoustics and tuning

A stretched head does not vibrate in harmonic partials as a string does, but in inharmonic modes. A drum therefore has no clear pitch, though it does have a dominant fundamental. Tuning serves to bring each drum into even tension “with itself” and to set sensible intervals between the drums – often fourths or thirds, sometimes tuned to the notes of a song (“toms on C, A, F”).

Muffling – gel pads, damping rings, tape, a cushion in the bass drum, a hole in the resonant head for the microphone – should shape the sound you want rather than hide faulty tuning.

6Technique

Grips

With the matched grip, both hands hold the sticks in the same way. Depending on the position of the hand one speaks of the German grip (back of the hand up, plenty of wrist, powerful), the French grip (thumb up, more fingers, fine and fast, especially on the ride) and the American grip (in between, all-purpose). The traditional grip comes from the marching drum hung at an angle: the left hand holds the stick between the base of the thumb and the ring finger, and the movement comes from a rotation of the forearm. It is used above all in jazz and in marching bands.

Rebound and types of stroke

The basis of all technique is rebound: the stick should spring back from the head rather than be pressed into it. Four basic strokes build on this:

Stroke	Movement	Used for
Full stroke	from high to high	evenly loud notes
Down stroke	from high to low (the stick is stopped)	an accent before quieter notes
Tap	from low to low	quiet notes, ghost notes
Up stroke	from low to high	a quiet note that prepares an accent

The Moeller technique (after Sanford Moeller, whose book appeared in 1925) uses a whip-like movement of upper arm, forearm and wrist to produce accents and speed with little effort; Jim Chapin and later Jojo Mayer taught it worldwide. Finger control (push-pull) makes very fast single strokes possible.

Rudiments

In 1984 the Percussive Arts Society defined the 40 International Drum Rudiments – the vocabulary of drumming, which grew out of military drum signals (Switzerland, France, the United States).

Family	Examples	Sticking / characteristic
Rolls	single stroke roll, double stroke roll, five-, seven- and nine-stroke rolls, buzz roll	R L R L; R R L L; pressed multiple strokes
Diddles	single paradiddle, double paradiddle, paradiddle-diddle	R L R R · L R L L
Flams	flam, flam tap, flamacue, flam accent	a grace note with the other hand
Drags	drag, ratamacue, lesson 25	a double grace note

Hybrid rudiments (combinations from the drum corps tradition) extend the vocabulary further. Rudiments are not only played as technical exercises but distributed around the kit (toms, cymbals, bass drum) and so turned into fills and grooves.

Foot technique

The bass drum is played heel down (heel on the pedal, quiet and controlled, used in jazz) or heel up (heel raised, using the weight of the leg, powerful). For fast double strokes there are techniques such as the slide, heel-toe and swivel. Double pedals (widespread since the 1980s) make continuous semiquavers and blast beats possible; before them, Louie Bellson (from the 1940s) and Ginger Baker used two bass drums. The hi-hat is played with the left foot on 2 and 4 (the “chick”), as a crotchet pulse, or with a splash technique.

7Coordination and groove

The core skill is the independence (or interdependence) of the limbs: the right hand plays quavers on the hi-hat, say, the left the backbeat on the snare, the right foot the bass drum and the left foot the hi-hat. This is built up step by step – first two layers, then three, then four – and always with a metronome or a play-along. The classic exercise books (Ted Reed, Gary Chester, Jim Chapin) combine fixed ostinatos with changing figures.

Grooves by style

Style	Characteristics
Rock, pop	quavers on the hi-hat, bass drum on 1 and 3 (with variations), snare backbeat on 2 and 4
Funk	semiquavers on the hi-hat, syncopated bass drum, ghost notes on the snare, open hi-hat accents; “the One” is emphasised
Shuffle	a triplet quaver feel; the half-time shuffle (Jeff Porcaro on “Rosanna”, Bernard Purdie’s “Purdie shuffle”)
Jazz, swing	the ride pattern (“ding, ding-a ding”), hi-hat with the foot on 2 and 4, quiet bass drum (“feathering”), comping on the snare; brushes in ballads
New Orleans second line	marching drum figures played on the kit, syncopated bass drum
Reggae	the one drop: bass drum and rim click on beat three; rockers and steppers as variants
Latin (Cuba)	songo (Changuito), mozambique, cha-cha-chá; the clave as the point of reference, cáscara on the shell of the floor tom
Brazil	samba (the bass drum imitates the surdo, semiquavers on the hi-hat), bossa nova (rim click patterns), baião
Afrobeat	linear, open hi-hat figures and a distributed bass drum (Tony Allen)
Hip-hop, neo-soul	programmed grooves played live, with timing from laid back to “drunken” (the J Dilla feel, Questlove, Chris Dave)
Drum and bass	fast breakbeats (the Amen break), broken semiquavers
Metal	double bass drum, blast beats, gallop figures, extremely precise overall coordination
Gospel, “gospel chops”	virtuoso fills, linear figures, dynamic build-ups
Odd metres	5/4, 7/8 and 9/8 in jazz, progressive rock and Balkan music

A fill is a short figure that closes or announces a section of the form. Good fills stay in tempo, land precisely on the downbeat and match the energy of the song. Pocket means the shared, stable placing of time together with the bass. Many styles live on the deliberate shaping of microtiming: on the beat, ahead of it, or behind it (laid back).

8Notation

Drums are notated on a five-line stave with the drum clef (two vertical strokes). The position shows the instrument and the notehead the manner of playing: ordinary heads for drums, crosses (x) for cymbals.

Position	Instrument
above the stave (ledger line)	crash cymbal (x)
above the stave (space)	hi-hat with sticks (x); o = open, + = closed
top line	ride cymbal (x; the bell often as a diamond)
top space / fourth line	rack toms (high / middle)
third space	snare drum (rim click often as a cross in a circle)
second space	floor tom
bottom space	bass drum
below the stave	hi-hat with the foot (x)

Conventions differ slightly between publishers; reliable editions include a key. Ghost notes are written in brackets and accents with “>”. Big band and musical theatre parts often give only the form, the figures played by the horns (“kicks”) and an indication of style; the drummer shapes the groove.

9Electronic drums

Electronic kits consist of pads with sensors (triggers), a sound module and headphones or speakers. Mesh heads made of woven fabric feel much like real heads and are very quiet; cymbal pads are made of rubber and often have several zones (edge, bow, bell, choke). The advantages: practising with headphones, a built-in metronome, recording, many sounds, no tuning, and MIDI connection to a computer. The disadvantages: impact noise from the bass drum travelling through the floor (use a riser, tennis balls or absorbent panels to decouple it), fewer dynamic and tonal nuances on cheaper models, and a different feel from real cymbals. Hybrid kits combine acoustic drums with triggers and sample pads.

10Recording and sound in the studio

An acoustic kit is usually recorded with many microphones: bass drum inside and outside, snare top and bottom, each tom, hi-hat, two overheads above the cymbals and room microphones. The phase relationship between the microphones is decisive for a powerful sound. Legendary examples: John Bonham’s drums in a stairwell (Led Zeppelin, “When the Levee Breaks”, 1971), the gated reverb of the 1980s, and the dry soul sounds of Motown and Stax. Today, recordings are often reinforced with samples or programmed outright.

11Hearing protection and health

An acoustic drum kit reaches peak levels well above 110 dB at the player’s ear. Even short but regular exposure can cause permanent hearing damage and tinnitus. Hearing protection is therefore basic equipment – ideally custom-moulded musicians’ earplugs with linear attenuation (15, 20 or 25 dB, for example), which reduce the volume evenly. Foam plugs cut the high frequencies heavily and are only a stopgap. In loud rehearsal rooms, acoustic panels, screens or quieter sticks (rods, hot rods) help.

Ergonomically, what matters is the height of the stool (thighs horizontal or sloping slightly down), short distances to all the instruments, cymbals set fairly flat, and relaxed shoulders and wrists. Tendon problems often come from tension; warming up, taking breaks and using a rebound-based technique all help to prevent them.

12Leading drummers

Field	Names
The early jazz era	Baby Dodds, Zutty Singleton, Chick Webb, Jo Jones, Sonny Greer
Swing and bebop	Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, Roy Haynes
Modern jazz	Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette, Joe Morello, Paul Motian, Terri Lyne Carrington, Brian Blade, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Nasheet Waits, Mark Guiliana
Soul, funk, R&B	Earl Palmer, Al Jackson Jr., Clyde Stubblefield, Jabo Starks, Bernard Purdie, Zigaboo Modeliste, David Garibaldi, James Gadson
Rock	Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts, Keith Moon, Ginger Baker, Mitch Mitchell, John Bonham, Ian Paice, Neil Peart, Stewart Copeland, Phil Collins, Dave Grohl, Chad Smith, Matt Cameron, Meg White, Moe Tucker, Karen Carpenter
Studio and pop	Hal Blaine, Jim Keltner, Steve Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, Vinnie Colaiuta, Abe Laboriel Jr.
Fusion	Billy Cobham, Lenny White, Dave Weckl, Dennis Chambers, Simon Phillips, Gary Husband
Metal	Lars Ulrich, Dave Lombardo, Gene Hoglan, Mike Portnoy, Danny Carey, Tomas Haake, George Kollias, Gavin Harrison
Hip-hop, neo-soul, gospel	Questlove, Chris Dave, Nate Smith, Larnell Lewis, Aaron Spears
International	Tony Allen (Nigeria, Afrobeat), Carlton Barrett and Sly Dunbar (Jamaica), José Luis “Changuito” Quintana and Horacio “El Negro” Hernández (Cuba), Airto Moreira and Duduka Da Fonseca (Brazil), Trilok Gurtu (India), Akira Jimbo (Japan), Manu Katché (France), Benny Greb, Anika Nilles and Jost Nickel (Germany), Sheila E. and Cindy Blackman Santana (USA)

13Teaching material and training

Area	Works
Technique	George Lawrence Stone: Stick Control (1935); Sanford Moeller: The Moeller Book (1925); Charles Wilcoxon: The All-American Drummer
Reading and syncopation	Ted Reed: Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer (1958)
Coordination	Jim Chapin: Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer (1948); Gary Chester: The New Breed (1985); Marvin Dahlgren and Elliot Fine: 4-Way Coordination
Styles	Tommy Igoe: Groove Essentials; John Riley: The Art of Bop Drumming; Ed Uribe: The Essence of Afro-Cuban Percussion and Drum Set; David Garibaldi: Future Sounds
In German	Jost Nickel: Groove Book; various drum methods from German publishers (Alfred, Leu, Schott and others)

Professional training takes place on jazz and popular music degree courses, while orchestral percussion has courses of its own. The German youth competition “Jugend musiziert” has categories for drum kit (pop). Drum festivals, clinics and online courses round out the picture.

14Buying and equipment

Category	Guide price (new)	Notes
Practice pad and sticks	about €30–60	indispensable at the start and for technical work
Beginner’s acoustic kit, complete	about €500–900	often with basic cymbals; better cymbals are worth buying later
Beginner’s electronic kit	about €400–1,000	insist on mesh heads and velocity-sensitive pads
Mid-range acoustic kit	about €1,000–2,500	maple or birch shells, solid hardware
Professional kit	from about €2,500	–
Set of B20 cymbals	about €600–1,500	the greatest single influence on the overall sound
Hearing protection (custom moulded)	about €150–250	essential equipment

15Care

• Change heads every 3 to 12 months depending on how much you play, usually the snare batter head first.
• Clean cymbals only with suitable products, or let them patinate deliberately; felts and sleeves on the stands prevent cracks.
• Check screws and hardware regularly; oil the pedal lightly and adjust the springs.
• Avoid cold transport and direct sunlight – wooden shells and heads react to the climate.

16Learning the drums

Stage	Content
The first months	posture, stick grip, rebound, crotchets and quavers, a first rock beat, counting, the metronome
Years 1–2	semiquavers, simple fills, reading music, rudiments (single, double, paradiddle, flam), playing along with songs
Years 3–5	styles (funk, shuffle, swing, Latin, reggae), ghost notes, dynamics, playing in a band
Advanced	independence on four layers, odd metres, brushes, solos, studio work and playing to a click

Daily, focused practice – fifteen minutes of technique on the pad, then grooves on the kit – achieves more than long, unfocused sessions. It is important to play along with music from the very beginning: the drum kit lives on playing together.

17The drum kit at Cuxhaven Music School

Drums are among our most popular subjects. Lessons combine technique, reading and stylistic study with practical work in our bands – together with electric guitar, electric bass and keyboard. We are happy to advise on electronic kits for home and on suitable hearing protection. A related subject: percussion.

18Frequently asked questions

At what age can you start learning the drums?

With a junior kit and a practice pad, from about six or seven. What matters is that the feet reach the pedals securely.

Is an electronic kit enough for practising?

For coordination, timing and playing along with songs, yes. Sound, dynamics and cymbal work should also be practised regularly on an acoustic kit.

Do I really need hearing protection?

Yes. The drum kit is one of the loudest instruments there is, and hearing damage is permanent.

Do you have to be able to read music?

Not at the beginning, but drum notation is easy to learn and makes lessons and band work a great deal easier.

What is a backbeat?

The snare accents on beats 2 and 4 – the foundation of most rock and pop music.

Which sticks should a beginner use?

Usually 7A (light) or 5A (all-round) in hickory; later 5B, 2B or jazz sticks depending on the style.

How loud is an electronic kit for the neighbours?

The pads and cymbals are quiet, but the bass drum transmits impact noise through the floor. A decoupled riser reduces it considerably.

19Glossary

Backbeat

Snare strokes on beats 2 and 4.

Blast beat

Very fast alternation of bass drum, snare and cymbal (metal).

Fill

A linking figure between sections of the form.

Ghost note

A very quiet note in between, usually on the snare.

Bearing edge

The edge of the shell on which the head rests.

Groove

A recurring rhythmic pattern with a convincing sense of time.

Mesh head

A woven head for electronic drums or quiet practice.

Moeller technique

A whip-like stroke used for accents and speed.

One drop

A reggae groove with bass drum and rim click on beat three.

Pocket

The stable shared placing of time by drums and bass.

Rim click (cross stick)

The stick lies on the head and strikes the rim.

Rimshot

Head and rim struck at the same moment.

Rudiment

A standardised sequence of strokes.

Snare wires

The metal spirals beneath the snare drum.

Songo

A Cuban drum kit groove (Changuito).

Trigger

A sensor that turns strokes into signals for a sound module.

20Sources and further reading

• Matt Brennan: Kick It. A Social History of the Drum Kit. Oxford University Press 2020.
• Matt Dean: The Drum. A History. Scarecrow Press 2012.
• Geoff Nicholls: The Drum Book. A History of the Rock Drum Kit. Backbeat Books 1997.
• Percussive Arts Society: 40 International Drum Rudiments (1984).
• George Lawrence Stone: Stick Control. 1935.
• Ted Reed: Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer. 1958.
• Jim Chapin: Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer. 1948.
• Gary Chester: The New Breed. Modern Drummer Publications 1985.
• Article “Drum kit” in: Grove Music Online; the magazines Modern Drummer, Sticks and drums & percussion.

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Last updated: September 2026 · Musikpedia editorial team, Cuxhaven Music School