
drum up
[Middle English drom, probably alteration of Middle Dutch tromme, probably of imitative origin.]
For more information on drum, visit Britannica.com.
Background
A drum is a musical instrument which produces sound by the vibration of a stretched membrane. The membrane, which is known as the head, covers one or both ends of a hollow body known as the shell. Instruments that produce sound by means of a vibrating membrane are also known as membranophones. Drums are part of the larger category of musical devices known as percussion instruments. Percussion instruments other than membranophones are known as idiophones. Idiophones, such as bells and cymbals, produce sound by the vibration of the instrument itself rather than by an attached membrane.
Drums exist in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. The two basic shapes for shells are bowls and tubes. The most familiar bowlshaped drums in Western music are kettledrums, also known as timpani. Tubular drums may be taller than they are wide, such as conga drums, or shorter than they are wide. Short drums, also known as shallow drums, are the most common tubular drums used in Western music. Shallow drums include snare drums, tenor drums, and bass drums. If a tubular drum is so shallow that the shell does not resonate, it is known as a frame drum. The most familiar type of frame drum is the tambourine.
Drums are usually played by being struck. Some drums, such as bongo drums, are designed to be played by striking them directly with the hand. In modern Western music, most drums are designed to be played by being struck with various devices known as beaters. The most familiar beaters are wooden sticks, generally used to play smaller drums such as snare drums, and padded wooden mallets, used to play larger drums such as bass drums. Sometimes drums are struck with wire brushes or other types of beaters to produce a different sound.
Some drums, particularly in non-Western cultures, are played in ways other than being struck. Rattle drums contain pellets within the shell or knotted cords attached to the head and are played by being shaken. Friction drums are played by being rubbed. Some membranophones have the vibrating membrane set into motion by sound waves coming from a human voice or from another musical instrument. These devices are known as mirlitons. The most familiar mirliton is the kazoo.
Drums are either tunable, so that they produce a particular note, or nontunable. Most drums in Western music are nontunable. The only commonly used tunable drums in Western music are timpani. Idiophones, which exist in an even greater variety than membranophones, may also be tunable, such as a xylophone, or nontunable, such as a rattle.
History
Percussion instruments have been used since prehistoric times. The earliest drums consisted of fish or reptile skin stretched over hollow tree trunks and were struck with the hands. Somewhat later the skins of wild or domesticated mammals were used to make larger drums which were struck with sticks. Besides tree trunks, skins were also stretched over pits dug into the ground to make large drums or over openings in pots or gourds to make small drums.
Frame drums were used by the ancient civilizations of the Middle East about 5,000 years ago. They were later adapted by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Romans also used tubular drums with skins stretched over both ends of a hollow shell. After the fall of Rome, drums were not commonly used in Western Europe, although they continued to be used by the Arabs. The Crusades brought Europeans in contact with the Arab culture. From the Arabs, Europeans adapted the tambourine (a small frame drum), the naker (a small kettledrum), and the tabor (a small tubular drum). The tabor was often used with a snare, which consisted of thin cords of animal gut stretched across one of the heads in order to produce a rattling sound. The snared tabor is the ancestor of the modern snare drum.
Large kettledrums, long used in the Middle East, were introduced to Western Europe in the fifteenth century. These instruments consisted of calfskin stretched over large copper cauldrons and were used for military and ceremonial purposes. They were first used in orchestras in the late seventeenth century.
The bass drum, a large tubular drum, was rare in Europe until the late eighteenth century. The snare drum and the tenor drum (a somewhat larger version of the snare drum, but without the snare) were used primarily for military purposes until the nineteenth century.
Timpani became an important part of orchestral music during the nineteenth century. During the 1880s, devices were developed which allowed timpani players to change the pitch of the instrument quickly, allowing them to play more complex melodies.
An important development in drum manufacturing occurred in the 1950s when drum makers began to experiment with using plastic instead of animal skin to make heads. Although some drummers, particularly timpani players, preferred the sound of heads made with animal skins, plastic heads soon almost completely replaced traditional heads. A few individual drum makers still make heads from animal skins for musicians who prefer this type of product.
During the twentieth century, percussion instruments of all kinds became important in both orchestral music and in popular music. A modern drum set used by popular musicians such as jazz and rock drummers often consists of a bass drum struck with a mallet operated by a foot pedal, a snare drum, a series of tubular drums of various sizes, and a set of cymbals.
Raw Materials
Until the late 1950s, the head of a drum was almost always made of animal skin. Modern heads are now almost always made of plastic. Usually some form of polyester is used. Polyesters are plastics in which numerous small molecules are linked together into a long chain using a chemical bond known as an ester group. The most common form of polyester used in the drum industry is known as polyethylene terephthalate, available under trade names such as Mylar. Polyethylene terephthalate has the advantage of being strong and resistant to moisture, heat, sunlight, and many chemicals. Polyethylene terephthalate is made from the chemical compounds ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. These substances are derived from petroleum
The shell of a drum is usually made of wood. Commonly used woods include maple, birch, and poplar. Some drums have a shell made of metal. Commonly used metals include steel, aluminum, brass, and bronze. Sometimes synthetic materials are used to make shells. These materials are usually strong, hard plastics.
The various hardware components that hold the drum together are usually made of steel. Sometimes other metals such as brass or aluminum are used. In some cases, these components are made of wood or strong plastic.
Optional attachments such as stands to hold the drum in front of the drummer are usually made of steel or aluminum. Straps to hold the drum in place while marching in a band are generally made from leather, plastic, or cloth. The snare of a snare drum consists of thin strands of various materials such as steel, aluminum, plastic, or animal gut.
The Manufacturing
Process
Making the hardware components
Making the head
Making the shell
Assembling the drum
Packaging and shipping
Quality Control
The most important factor in the quality control of drum manufacturing is the size and shape of the various components. The wooden veneer must be cut to the precise size to allow several layers to fit together to form a cylinder. The plastic head and the metal rings that hold it in place must fit together properly. The lugs and other hard-ware components must be positioned correctly in exact holes drilled in the proper places in the shell.
The external appearance of the drum is important to drummers. Each drum is visually inspected to ensure that the wood stain or decorative plastic wrapping is free from defects.
The Future
During the 1980s, it seemed that electronic drum machines (flat panels that produce a synthesized sound when struck) might replace traditional drums in popular music. It soon became obvious that drummers preferred playing traditional drums. In the future, small electronic devices may be attached to drums to allow the sound to be manipulated in new ways while allowing the drummer to enjoy the experience of playing traditional drums.
Where to Learn More
Books
Bonfoey, Mark P. Percussion Repair and Maintenance. Belwin Mills, 1986.
Holland, James. Percussion. Schirmer Books, 1978.
Percussion Anthology. The Instrumentalist Company, 1988.
[Article by: Rose Secrest]
Ancient techspeak term referring to slow, cylindrical magnetic media that were once state-of-the-art storage devices. Under some versions of BSD Unix the disk partition used for swapping is still called /dev/drum; this has led to considerable humor and not a few straight-faced but utterly bogus ‘explanations’ getting foisted on newbies. See also “ The Story of Mel'” in Appendix A.
1. One of the cylinders of stone which form a column.
2. A round or polygonal wall below a dome, often pierced with windows. 3. The bell of Composite or Corinthian capitals.
Modern dance work in one act with choreography by Laura Dean and music by Steve Reich. Premiered 3 April 1975 by the Laura Dean Dance Company at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York. Its vocabulary of simple repetitive steps mirrors the trance-like power of the music.
Bibliography
See R. S. Brindle, Contemporary Percussion (1970); J. Blades, Percussion Instruments and Their History (rev. ed. 1975).
| Druim Fada, Druidston, Droylsden | |
| Drumacrib, Drumadrihid, Drumahoe |
Drumming is perhaps the most effective way to induce brain wave synchronization.
— Layne Redmond, Source: When the Women Were Drummers
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
A drum can represent everything from primitive urges, to dance, to the rhythms of life, to entrepreneurialism ("drumming up business"), to ejection (being "drummed out of town"). As with all dream symbols, the tone and setting of the dream indicate which meaning is appropriate.
| druggy, drugger, drug-store cowboy | |
| drummer, drunk, drunk tank |

The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones.[1] Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a drum stick, to produce sound. There is usually a "resonance head" on the underside of the drum, these are usually tuned to a slightly lower pitch than the top drumhead. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the thumb roll. Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.[1]
All types of drums such as timpani for example are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums, other than timpani drums, can be arranged together to create a drum kit.[2]
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Drums are usually played by the hand, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.[3]
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums (with some cymbals) and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Drums acquired even divine status in places such as Burundi, where the karyenda was a symbol of the power of the king.
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells.[1] Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum).
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums typically consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, also known as a log drum as it is made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum.[1]
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim"), which is then held by means of a number of tuning screws called "tension rods" which screw into lugs placed evenly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.[1]
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums.[1]
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type, shape and construction of the drum shell, the type of drum heads it has, and the tension of these drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. Take, for example, the modern Tom-tom drum. A jazz drummer may want drums that are high pitched, resonant and quiet whereas a rock drummer may prefer drums that are loud, dry and low-pitched. Since these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed a little differently.
The drum head has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drum head serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Double-ply drumheads dampen high frequency harmonics because they are heavier and they are suited to heavy playing.[4] Drum heads with a white, textured coating on them muffle the overtones of the drum head slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drum heads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drum heads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drum heads, preferring single ply drum heads or drum heads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drum heads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drum head is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drum head and shell and tightened down with tension rods, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch. The larger the depth of the drum, the louder the volume. Shell thickness also determines the volume of drums. Thicker shells produce louder drums. Mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Macaque monkeys drum objects in a rhythmic way to show social dominance and this has been shown to be processed in a similar way in their brains to vocalizations suggesting an evolutionary origin to drumming as part of social communication.[5] Other primates make drumming sounds by chest beating or hand clapping,[6][7] and rodents such as kangaroo rats also make similar sounds using their paws on the ground.[8]
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years.
Chinese troops used tàigǔ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements. For example, during a war between Qi and Lu in 684 BC, the effect of drum on soldier's morale is employed to change the result of a major battle. Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that the English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English Civil War rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize. In the mid-19th century, the Scottish military started incorporating pipe bands into their Highland Regiments.[9] During pre-Columbian warfare, Aztec nations were known to have used drums to send signals to the battling warriors. The Nahuatl word for drum is roughly translated as huehuetl.[10]
The Rig Veda, one of the oldest religious scriptures in the world, contain several references to the use of Dundhubi (war drum). Arya tribes charged into battle to the beating of the war drum and chanting of a hymn that appears in Book VI of the Rig Veda and also the Atharva Veda where it is referred to as the "Hymn to the battle drum". Given the age of the Rig Veda being atleast 1500 BC or before, this must rank as the earliest practice of beating of the war drum in the history of mankind.[11]
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The concepts of drums are as old as mankind. A drum is called a membranophone, or an instrument that creates sound by striking a stretched membrane with some type of object, usually a rounded stick. Drums consist of a hollowed-out piece (called the body), a membrane stretched over the end of the drum, and tuning keys or pegs which tighten or loosen the membrane to achieve different tones. While most may think that the body of the drum produces the sound, it is in fact actually the membrane and its vibration that creates the sound when struck. Drums first appeared as far back as 6000 BC.[citation needed] Mesopotamian excavations unearthed small cylindrical drums dated 3000 BC.[citation needed] Several wall markings found in caves in Peru show drums used in various aspects of societal life. The American Indians used gourd and wooden constructed drums for their rituals and ceremonies. Drums have always been used for more than merely creating music. Civil uses, messaging, and religious uses are but a few.
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Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century originals, Song Dynasty.
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - tromme, trommehvirvel, tromle, tønde, del af søjle, bundt, bordel, tip
v. intr. - spille på tromme, banke vedvarende, murke
v. tr. - tromme, hamre på, give et tip
idioms:
2.
n. - moræneås
3.
n. - trommefisk
Nederlands (Dutch)
trommel, vat, drum, (mv) drumstel, haspel, segment van zuil, trommelvlies, ombervis, trommelen, instampen, drummen
Français (French)
1.
n. - tonneau, (Mus) tambour, (Mil) batterie (musique, jazz), tonnelet, bidon (d'huile), gonne, tambour (cylindre de fil), (Aut) tambour de frein, (Comput) tambour magnétique, caisse (boîte de bonbons, etc), bruit (du tambour), bourdonnement (d'un insecte), tambourinage, tambourinement
v. intr. - battre le tambour, tambouriner, pianoter sur, bourdonner (un insecte)
v. tr. - tambouriner (air), pianoter (de, avec, sur), (fig) seriner qch à qn
idioms:
2.
n. - colline, vallon
3.
n. - poisson plat
Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Faß, Trommel, Schlagzeug, Trommelfell, Trommeln
v. - trommeln
idioms:
2.
n. - Drumlin, langer, schmaler Hügel, Schotterhügel
3.
n. - amer. Umberfisch
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - τύμπανο, ταμπούρλο, εξέλικτρο, καρούλι, βαρέλι (πίσσας), κυλινδρικό δοχείο, (μεταλλικό) βαρελάκι
v. - τυμπανίζω, κρούω τύμπανο, παίζω ταμπούρλο, εντυπώνω ιδέα κ.λπ. με συχνή επανάληψη, (μτφ.) στρατολογώ
idioms:
Italiano (Italian)
battere il tamburo, barile, grancassa, tamburo della lavatrice, rullio
idioms:
Português (Portuguese)
n. - tambor (m), ouvido (m) médio (Anat.)
v. - tamborilar
idioms:
Русский (Russian)
барабанить, барабан, металлическая бочка, цилиндр
idioms:
Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - bidón, tambor, bombona, bombo, timbal, redoble, tímpano
v. intr. - tocar el tambor, tamborilear
v. tr. - tocar el tambor, tamborilear, llenar un tambor
idioms:
2.
n. - cerro largo y angosto
3.
n. - tipo de pescado
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - trumma, trumslagare, bar, sylta
v. - trumma, dunka, värva
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
鼓, 鼓声, 击鼓, 作鼓声, 打鼓奏
idioms:
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 鼓, 鼓聲
v. intr. - 擊鼓, 作鼓聲
v. tr. - 打鼓奏
idioms:
한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 북, 북소리, 고막
v. intr. - 북을 울리다, 발을 구르다, 관심을 갖게 하다
v. tr. - 드럼으로 연주하다, 불러모으다, 억지로 시키다
idioms:
2.
n. - 길게 이어지는 언덕
3.
n. - (북소리 같은 소리를 내는) 민어과의 물고기
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 太鼓, ドラム, 太鼓の音, 太鼓のような音, 鼓膜, 太鼓状のもの, ドラム缶
v. - 太鼓を打つ, 太鼓で奏する, ドンドンたたく, たたき込む, 鳴らす
idioms:
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) طبل, طلبه, برميل, أسطوانه في غساله توضع فيها الملابس للغسل (فعل) يطلق صوتا إيقاعيا بالنقر على الطبل
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - תוף, תיפוף, בית-בושת, מועדון לילה, בית (מדוברת)
v. intr. - הקיש, תופף, עשה קול חלול ע"י הנעת כנפיו (עוף)
v. tr. - הקיש, תופף
n. - סוג של גבעה
n. - מין דג