What Are the Different Types of Drums
03 November, 2020Snare Drum
The snare drum is a staple in Western music. You can find it in virtually all drum kits, orchestras, wind ensembles, and marching bands. These drums are medium-sized and feature wire snares that are fastened to the bottom head of their construction. The wire snares are typically made of steel or nylon. Snare drums are usually played on beats two and four in most popular music.
The best way to describe the sound of the snares is that it’s snappy and tight. These drums are easy to discern in a loud setup that consists of many instruments because they just cut through everything with their distinctively high tone. Note that you can loosen the snares to have a thick and deeper sound. You simply utilize the snare mount to adjust the tone to your liking. Ensure you invest in the best snare drum for you by doing some research!
Floor Tom
Floor toms, and the tom family in general, are used for grooves and drum fills. The floor tom is a large drum that measures at least 14 inches in depth and diameter, making it the second-largest piece in a drum kit. Large drums tend to offer a deeper tone, and that’s exactly the case with the floor tom. The drum usually stands on the floor, but it can be attached to a cymbal stand.
Rack Tom
Rack toms are medium-sized drums that vary between 8 and 13 inches. These drums consist of two drum heads: a resonant head and a batter head. These drums are used primarily for fills. As far as its location, you can typically find rack toms straight above the snare drum. Rack toms are very popular with larger drum sets and they produce a distinctive and resonant medium tone.
Bass Drum
The bass drum is by far the largest drum in virtually all drum kits. Drummers rely on this drum to add a bottom to their beat, thanks to their boomy and powerful lower tone. The thumping quality of the bass drum is essential in all genres of music, especially rock and heavy metal music. The simplest drum groove in rock music typically has a bass drum played on beats one and three.
Hi-Hat
The hi-hat is a fairly new addition to standard drum kits compared to the above-listed drums. It’s composed of two small cymbals that you control with a foot pedal. When you depress the pedal, the upper cymbal moves down, giving a crisp and muted down. When you release, it produces a shimmering and more-sustained sound. The hi-hat is an integral component of rock music.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this brief post has offered some insight into the different types of drums found in most standard drum sets. If you have any questions, please feel free to let us know.
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