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Drums An Ancient Instrument That Rocks The Modern Music World

By: Vin DeWolfe

I personally prefer the drums because of the loud and solid base they provide for a song. Without them, the song would sound washed out and dull. How many times have you listened to a hardcore rock song and headbanged to the beat of the drums? It's what keeps the music afloat.

The drums have been around for ages, longer than any human alive today can remember. Although we use drums today mainly for musical purposes, drums served as a source of communication for ancient tribes. Africa uses what is called a "talking drum", which can convey messages using pitches and inflections used in languages.

To motivate soldiers, drums are used. The beat sets a pace just like it would for a rock band who needs their solid pace to create a successful song. In the old-time based movies about colonial wars and such you often see a drummer at the front of an army procession, rat-a-tat-tatting away for the men behind them.

Traditional cultures use drums for ceremonies of a religious nature. The beats of the drum in an American Indian pow wow aren't there for pleasure, you know. Some say that drums can eradicate unruly spirits or bring up good ones during a ceremony.

In addition to being used for those purposes, drums can be used in music therapy. This can provide motor skills to someone in therapy to regain them. There are many reasons why the drums are specifically used for music therapy, among them being their easiness to use and tactile nature.

Of course, the same kind of drum is not used for everything. For instance, a rock drummer would like something loud and with a low pitch, whereas a jazz drummer might prefer a softer and crisper drum sound. because of this, not every drum is made the same. The tone of a drum depends mostly on the shell, the different type of drumheads, and the tension of said drumheads.

The drumheads, or the material on the top and bottom of a drum, are the things that effect the sound of a drum the most. Thick drumheads are deep-sounding and are loud. Plastic drumheads produce dull overtones, making the pitch stay relatively the same. Drumheads that have dots near the center dull the overtones even more. Finally, drumheads with outside "sound rings" get rid of the overtones nearly completely.

A secondary factor that affects the sound of a drum is the tightness that the drumhead is fastened to the shell of a drum. This is just as important as the type of drumhead because when the hoop that holds the drumhead to the shell is put on, the bolts around the hoop can be adjusted to reduce or increase the amplitude and frequency of the sound the drum produces.

The vibrations that hitting a drum with a drumstick or a hand produces resound within the shell of a drum. Having a bigger or smaller shell can affect the volume of the sound and the type of sound a drum produces. A jazz drummer might prefer small shells, whereas a rock drummer would want large shells. The type of wood a drum is made of can also affect the sound it makes.

Drums are particularly useful in musical endeavors and knowing a bit about them is extremely helpful when choosing the right one for a sound. Rockers around the world will agree, however, that drums are the best part of a rock band, creating the beat we love to headbang to! No rock band is complete without a set of drums and a good drummer. Too bad you can't buy a drummer at the music store too.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
For More On Drums And More About Your Favorite Rock Bands And Music, Visit http://AudioFlip.Com AudioFlip.Com is dedicated to rock and roll music and rock culture. The site offers the latest music news, rock band reviews, music videos, free music downloads, indie music, concert ticket information, rock radio, pics of rock stars, rock fashion, tattoos and piercings and everything else rock music fans need.

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