On the Origins of Percussion: A Brief History of Drums

Drums and percussion instruments have been used in practically every type of music throughout history, spanning ages and continents. The history of drums spans a wide range of musical styles, from early gourd drums to today's electronic drums.

When Did Drums First Appear?

Drums made of alligator skins were used in religious ceremonies and cultural meetings as long back as 5500 B.C., according to artefacts from China, and iconography from ancient Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cultures shows the usage of drums in religious rites and cultural gatherings. Both hand drums and drums played with beaters appear to have emerged at the same time, according to evidence.

Who Is the Inventor of the Drum?

• Individuals are rarely credited with the development of certain drums, according to music historians. Different drums, like most musical instruments, have evolved over centuries of creativity. Drum beaters, such as drumsticks and felted mallets, are the same way.
• A Brief History of Drums Around the World Examples of ancient drums can be found in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East dating back millennia. Bas-reliefs from ancient Greece and Syria, relief sculpture from ancient Mesopotamian and Sumerian society, and neolithic Chinese artefacts all feature drums and cymbals, the foundation of the contemporary drum set. Humans devised ways to make drum heads out of animal skins all around the world.
• Idophones fashioned from mammoth bones discovered in modern-day Belgium are among the earliest known instances of percussion instruments. These instruments are idiophones, which means they make music by vibrating the entire instrument. They are thought to date from 70,000 B.C.
• The frame drum has its origins in the musical instruments of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, and is being used by drummers today. Frame drums—drum heads stretched over a shallow wooden frame—were the forerunners of twentieth-century snare drums and tom-toms in these civilizations. After the drums were made, each culture developed its own idiomatic drumming styles and drum sounds.
• Classical drum origins: Europe's drum history can be traced back to early Middle Eastern traditions. European classical music's kettle drums (timpani) are thought to have originated in Egyptian and Turkish traditions. The Ottoman empire also gave birth to the classical bass drum.
• Drums borrowed from European classical instruments were used in the five-piece drum kit that helped form American jazz and rock music. Classical bass drums are the source of today's popular music's kick drums and double bass drums. The snare drums utilised by rock, pop, and jazz drummers are derived from marching band side drums.
• The origins of the current five-piece drum kit may be traced back to early twentieth-century New Orleans, where jazz drummers like Warren "Baby" Dodds put together a drum set out of classical instruments. Some of these instruments, such as the bass drum, had to be altered: The drummer uses handled mallets in classical music, while in popular music, the drum is placed on the floor and the drummer uses a bass drum pedal. William F. Ludwig of the Ludwig Drums company is credited with inventing the foot pedal as we know it.

Do you want to learn more about how to shred on the drums?

Pick up your sticks and find the beat with special instructional videos from GRAMMY-nominated drummer Sheila E. Get a MasterClass Annual Membership, pick up your sticks, and find the beat with exclusive instructional videos from GRAMMY-nominated drummer Sheila E. (aka the Queen of Percussion). Expand your musical horizons with lessons from other sound luminaries like Timbaland, Herbie Hancock, Tom Morello, and others once you've mastered the timbales and congas.