You might have heard your mother humming some tune just a while ago. You might know a friend who plays the drums. You might be listening to the radio right now, mouthing the words of the song being played. However way you look at it, music is prevalent in the world today. It can calm [...]
If I had been alive during the Bronze Age (2000 – 700 BCE), I seriously doubt that it would have occurred to me to use the skin of an alligator to make a drum. In fact, I believe I would have avoided going anywhere near alligators altogether. Fortunately for the Chinese culture, the ancient Chinese [...]
Japanese taiko drums are perhaps some of the most dramatic percussion instruments ever created. Originally used in both Japanese folk and classical musical traditions, taiko drumming has moved with the times and evolved into a modern art form called kumi-daiko, which refers to ensemble taiko drumming. Exhibitions of kumi-daiko can include taiko of all different [...]
The drum set. The quintessential backdrop for any rock and roll band. The axis around which the other members revolve during any onstage performance. In the movie That Thing You Do, Tom Hank’s character explains his marketing approach to his newly formed band: “We are gonna get you some new clothes. Matching suits, nice suits. [...]
There is something about the beat and the feel of playing the drums. Even little kids love banging away at a pot with the kitchen spoon. It probably has something to do with a primal instinct. The drums is one of the most interesting part of the music history. Drums and drum sets form quite [...]
Percussion instruments are perhaps the oldest type of musical instruments in history. The voice, of course, was probably the first instrument, with percussion coming in as a close second. When you think about the drum and percussion, in it’s rural beginnings, you may think of tribal beats from Africa, and maybe the Polynesias. The term [...]
Almost all musical instruments require tuning, with the possible exception of certain percussion instruments. The guitar, as an instrument made from natural materials, and with a natural degree of tension stored up in the strings, needs retuning on a fairly frequent basis. This is especially important for a guitar since each of the six or [...]
When visitors enter a concert hall to hear a symphonic orchestra, they will see a orchestrated seating arrangement stretched out across the stage before them. Many might wonder about the musical instruments that will be used during the performance because there are no signs posted to identify the types of musical instruments and the specific [...]
It may seem strange, but in today’s music world, vocals and lyrics are no longer the determining factor in a artists success. The beat is in the forefront now, driving many contemporary hip-hop, r&b and pop pieces straight up the charts. There are a number of different beat styles. Some common categories are east-coast beats, [...]
This type of instrument is usually a tube that makes a sound when air is blown through it. Some of these are played by the musician blowing air directly into the tube through the mouthpiece, such as when playing the saxophone, while others only require the musician to blow air over the mouthpiece, such as [...]
