A Quick History of the Drums

Percussion instruments are perhaps the oldest type of musical instruments in history. The voice, of course, was probably the first instrument, with percussion coming in as a close second. When you think about the drum and percussion, in it's rural beginnings, you may think of tribal beats from Africa, and maybe the Polynesias. The term 'percussion' comes from the Latin terms 'percussion' and 'percussus', roughly translates to the beating of something with another object; it can be the sound created by clapping hands, beating sticks, logs, rocks or anything else that emits a noise or creates an audible vibration once struck. In modern time, when you hear the word percussion, the drum probably comes to mind. Percussion instruments have come a long way from their beginnings to create complex and enjoyable sounds that become an... [read full story]