Parts of a Drum Set

Series Summary

The drum was perhaps first created from the primal idea of mimicking the human heartbeat, yet today its music has developed into a technical, complex arrangement of beats and grooves. Different sized drums and cymbals are arranged into kits, where a drummer can pick from a variety of sounds to lead or accompany a particular song. Kit sizes vary from the simple to the outrageous. Modern drummers, including the likes of Buddy Rich, Billy Cobham, Neal Peart, Dave Weckl, and Jimmy Chamberlain, have helped drummers develop their playing skills by inspiring new beat and rhythm patterns, new combinations of sound upon sound. The modern approach to drumming, then, is to try and master the fundamentals of beat and time signature, and then to create fresh, innovative patterns and fills for each song. Learn how to play drums in these free video music lessons on setting up drum kits, playing basic beats and time signatures, and other drumming rudiments. Drum clinic sessions include how to set up your new kit, basic stick techniques, playing rock, funk and jazz patterns, and how to master standard rhythms to become a solid drummer.

Video Transcript

" Hi! My name is Ken Marcou and I’m here to introduce the drum kit. The first thing is the snare drum is here in between the drummers leg, second thing is the kick drum which is directly below us here and played by the drummers foot. The next thing is the rack tom which is this drum right here…and sometimes there are two rack toms but this is what’s called the jazz hit so there is only one rack tom. The next thing is the floor tom which is to my right, then there is the hi-hat which is on the drummers left hand side and played with the right hand and also it’s controlled by the left foot and there’s a crash cymbal here, over here we have a ride cymbal and the ride cymbals also used as a crash cymbal depending on the type of cymbal and the way the drummer plays. And lastly we have a second crash cymbal over here which is a little bit smaller and provides one more tone in the cymbal range. Here’s what they sound like together, I’ll play a little beat for you using all of the components…"