Drums are the world's oldest and most basic instrument and the design has remained basically unchanged for thousands of years. The way a drum set is made has just as much to do with the price as the materials that are used. Drums can be made on a large scale using a pattern, or with a more hands on approach.
To make a drum shell, an enormous log is sliced into several long boards. Each board is then used to make one individual drum shells. Each board is cut and sized and is moved along a router to taper the ends so that each edge will fit together once curved and put into place in a round drum shape.
After smoothing and shaping the edges, the board is place in a steam box to soften so it is easier to bend into the proper shape. The two sides are then glued together, and are held in place by several clamps to ensure that there are no gaps or air pockets in the drum shell.
Drum Heads and Tension Rods
Drum shell, drum head, counter hoop and tension rods.
Drums have at least one outer membrane, referred to as a "drum head" or "drum skin," that is stretched over a wooden or metal outer shell. This membrane is then struck either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of tool such as a drumstick or mallet. This produces the drum sound. Most modern drum sets have a top and a bottom drum head on each drum, and since the top head is the one that is played, that head is twice as thick as the bottom.
In most modern band and orchestral drums, the drum head is stretched over the opening of the drum, which is then held onto the shell by a metal or wooden rim, which is then held in place and tightened by a number of tuning screws or keys called "tension rods" that are evenly distributed around the edge of the drum. Loosening or tightening these tension rods can make the pitch of the drum lower or higher. Before metal tension rods were used, a drum head was tightened with rope or string, similar to those used today in a modern Djembe, which is a more traditional tribal-type drum.
Usually 10 brackets called lugs are inserted into holes spaced about 36 degrees apart. These lugs hold the rods that will attach the heads to the drum shell, and also allow the player to adjust the tension in the drum head itself and can be adjusted with a tool called a drum key.
Cymbals
Parts of a cymbal.
Cymbals are commonly made using a casting of copper, tin and even silver. The castings are sorted by weight and shaped in a rotary oven which burns at about 815 degrees Celsius and softens the metal so it can be rolled and flattened.
After being softened and flattened, the cymbal is cut to a specific diameter, and is then hammered by a hydraulic cylinder controlled by a computer program which evenly distributes the pounded force onto the shaped metal. Dents are hammered into the cymbal. These impressions will enrich the cymbals sound by changing the path of the sound waves.
A machine then carves tonal grooves into the cymbal and smooths out the metal. The depth and position of the grooves will vary depending on the type of cymbal and the intended sound. The newly grooved cymbal is then placed in an edging machine and is locked in place to smooth out the edges.
