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Sunday 2 November 2014

Drum

From the beginning man made music by clapping his hands and stamping his feet. Drums were made by animal skins stretched over hollow logs. Percussion instruments were probably the first musical instruments to come into existence.

Drum beat codes sounded alarms during the Shang Dynasty in China.

General Jan Žižka of Bohemia (1360-1424) never lost a battle. According to chronicler Piccolomini, Žižka's dying wish was to have his skin used to make drums so that he might continue to lead his troops even after death.

Sir Francis Drake had a famous drum which can be seen today in Buckland Abbey, Devon. It was to be sounded when his country has need of him again.

The modern bass drum pedal was invented by William Ludwig in 1909, allowing bass and snare to be played simultaneously.

The 1940s-era jazz/swing drummer Gene Krupa brought percussion to the forefront, making the drummer a star for the first time. He influenced many rock drummers with his flamboyance and showmanship.


The first major pop song to use a drum machine was "Saved by the Bell" by Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees, which reached #2 in the UK in 1969.

Ringo Starr is a lefty, but plays a right-handed drum kit, contributing to his unique drumming style.

Rick Allen, the drummer from Def Leppard, was involved in a car accident on New Year's Eve, 1984. He flew through the windshield and his arm was ripped off by the seat belt. Allen thought he would never play drums again until a friend noticed him tapping his foot while listening to music and offered to develop a specially designed electronic foot pedal. He returned to the band in 1986.

Daniel Radcliffe broke over 80 wands while filming the Happy Potter movies because he used them as drumsticks.

Clem Burke, the original drummer for Blondie, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Gloucestershire in July 2011. He participated in an eight year study which examined the effects of drumming (psychological, physical) and demands on a professional drummer's stamina.

A study has shown that elephants are able to keep a very stable tempo on a large drum—even more stable than a human can.

The most expensive drum kit ever sold at an auction is a five-piece Premier set used by The Who’s Keith Moon from 1968 to 1970. It fetched more than $252,000 (£139,650) at Christie’s in 2004. The anonymous American buyer paid nine times the pre-sale estimate of £15,000.

Carlos Santos from Portugal broke the world record for marathon drumming when he sat at his kit and played for 133 hours and 3 minutes in 2015. He completed the endurance feat on his son’s fourth birthday. Santos had to accompany recognizable songs, with no more than 30 seconds between each track and limited rest breaks.

The world’s largest drum set was created by church minister Dr Mark Temperato of New York state, who describes himself as “an agent of rhythm.” It contains 340 pieces and takes four people 15 hours to set up once it has been transported in an 18-wheel tractor trailer.


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