This document provides an introduction to drums and drum terminology. It begins with the aims and learning objectives of understanding drum names and tempo. It then discusses the history of drums as the world's oldest instruments dating back thousands of years. The main part defines the individual drums and cymbals that make up a standard drum kit, including the bass drum, snare drum, rack toms, ride cymbal, and high-hat cymbal. It describes the sounds each drum produces and how they are played.

1. LET’S KICK IT OFF!
Lesson: Music
Aim:
• By the end of this lesson you will develop a understanding of the
different drum names and how they sound on a standard drum
kit.
• To introduce tempo as a musical term and how this is used in
music.

2. INTRODUCTION
Learning Objective’s for this lesson are:
• To visually recognise and name the individual drums that make up a drum kit.
• To recognise the sound of individual drums that make up a standard drum kit.
• To define the term tempo.
• To apply this knowledge to estimate the tempo of a piece of music through the use of
an online beat counter.

3. THE HISTORY OF THE DRUM
Lets take it back to basics. A drum is a percussion instrument, it
has a membrane called a drum head or drum skin. The membrane
is stretched over the drum shell, you can strike the drum with your
hand or a drum stick.
Drums are the worlds oldest instruments and date back thousands
of years. A drum made with alligator skin found in china dated back
5500-2350 BC. Drums are not just used in Music, they have been
used by African tribes to communicate over long distance.

4. A DRUM KIT.

5. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT DRUMS ON A
DRUM KIT.
On a standard drum kit these are main drums/cymbals (see previous slide for picture).
Cymbals:
A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs this is known as a
high hat when on a drum kit. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of
various alloys. The majority of cymbals can not be tuned to a specific not once made.
rum kits usually incorporate at least a crash, or ride, and a pair of hi-hat cymbals.

6. HIGH-HAT CYMBAL
A high hat cymbal is A hi-hat, also spelled hi-hat or high-hat, is a combination of
two cymbals, a foot-operated pedal which moves a rod which in turn moves one
of the cymbals, all mounted on a metal stand. Hi-hats are an essential part of
the standard drum kit used by drummers in many popular music and
traditional music (e.g. blues) styles. It consists of a pair of small to medium-
sized cymbals mounted on a stand, with the two cymbals facing each other. The
bottom cymbal is fixed and the top is mounted on a rod which moves the top
cymbal towards the bottom one when a foot pedal is pressed (a hi-hat that is in
this position is said to be "closed" or "closed hi-hats"). If the pedal is not pressed
this is called “open” or “open hi-hats”. If the high hat is open it makes a
different sound when hit than if it is closed.

7. RIDE CYMBAL
The ride cymbal is a standard cymbal in most
drum kits. It maintains a steady rhythmic
pattern, sometimes called a ride pattern,
rather than the accent of a crash. It is normally
placed on the extreme right (or dominant hand)
of a drum set, above the floor tom.

8. BASS DRUM/KICK DRUM
A bass drum, or kick drum, is a
large drum that produces a note of low pitch.
The kick drum, a term for a bass drum
associated with a drum kit. It is struck with a
beater attached to a pedal, usually seen on
drum kits.

9. SNARE DRUM
Snare drums are usually played with drum sticks, but other beaters such as the brush or
the rute can be used to achieve very different sounds. The snare drum is a versatile and expressive
percussion instrument due its sensitivity and responsiveness. The sensitivity of the snare drum
allows it to respond audibly to the softest strokes, even with a wire brush; as well, it can be used for
complex rhythmic patterns and engaging solos at moderate volumes. Its high dynamic range allows
the player to produce powerful accents with vigorous strokes and a thundering crack.

10. RACK TOMS
A tom-tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-
Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th
century. Most toms range in size between 6 and 20 inches (15 and 51 cm) in diameter,
though floor toms can go as large as 24 inches (61 cm).