Hey guys! So this video has been getting a little more traffic than usual, so I figured I would post a "corrections" comment to address the many errors in this presentation that keep getting brought up 😀 1. "AC/DC, ELP, Gong, Camel, Motorhead, AC/DC... are not American bands etc. etc." - Indeed! At one point I say "these American bands" in error. I had to memorize this entire presentation, and totally just had a brain fart here. I chalk it up to major nerves, forgive me! 2. "Drumming history goes way farther back than 150 years/ originates outside the USA" Again correct! However, this presentation focuses on the development of *drum set*, which *is* a totally American instrument. I did not claim that the technique of *drumming* or *drums as a whole* were invented during the American Civil War. The roots of modern *drum set* starts in the use of rope-tension drums for military purposes. The context is that era-specific military style rope tension drums at the time form the foundation of everything that comes after, pertaining to the development of the modern drum set in the USA. Before this, drums as in instrument had of course been around for millennia, all over the world, but that is outside the scope of this presentation as this presentation focuses on *drum set*, which is a very specific and different instrument. 3. "You forgot this thing (insert topic) or this person (insert person)" This is very likely. 40 minutes is simply not enough time to include absolutely everything- and again- presenting all this from memory, considering the circumstances, may very well have contributed to forgetting things. I am human and prone to error. If this is the case, please put it in the comment section! 4. Any comment saying you could do better. Anyone who would like to, I highly encourage to release your own video and provide a link, or just any link in general to new or updated information that I may have left out, forgotten, not known about or simply didn't have time to mention. I think we learn best from our mistakes, and I think that anyone who has the ability or time to do so, should provide sources and links to additional information, so we all can learn and do better! 5. "Listening to the clips of music was difficult due to the constant talking over the music" I only had 45 minutes to present and time was super tight, so apologies there! 6. Any comment pertaining to the lack of African American representation I genuinely tried to include as many African American acknowledgements as possible in this presentation, as we are HUGELY indebted to the African American community for their undeniable contribution to the evolution of modern-era music, especially in the context of this presentation. Again, if there are more artists, historical figures, or anyone else who I did not mention and you think I should have, please comment and link below! We are all far better off with every new bit of information that is included here! I hope we can all work together to expose as many people to the artists responsible for the proliferation, development, and innovation of music of all types, old and new. Help spread the knowledge so we all can learn! 🥳 7. You spelled (insert thing, or person's name) wrong. Specifically John Bonham, Led Zeppelin and Saxophone. I don't know what to say here, other than the auto-correct or spell-check gods were not on my side this day. What also doesn't help is that I am also not the world's greatest speller, and in the hectic last minute glow up for this presentation these kinds of things are really easy to miss. Sorry! Lastly, thank you all so much for all the kind words of encouragement and praise for this video. I am truly, truly grateful that so many people enjoyed something I worked really hard on. -Nolan
I hope you didn't get too many silly comments about what you left out, but you probably did, because people always want their faves mentioned and think it must be an error if they are left out. I just wanted to chime in to say thanks for the excellent brief history of the collection of "contraptions" that form the modern drum kit!
Hi Nolan, regarding the topic "150 years of drumset evolution" you did pretty well! Your small little unimportant mistakes make this presentation even more "human"! Keep on.
You know what is cool? living in a time when you can ask yourself "where does de drums set comes from?", ask youtube for the history of drums and find this kind of content. Thanks for sharing the knowleadge.
@@truthsaviour8804 well, it was definitely a major driver in the development of it, thats for sure. Jazz was a major creative catalyst that helped propel the development of many instruments, as well as drum set.
I'm a drummer and am in awe about the attention to detail that this young man 👨 🙌 👌 had in this presentation! He did his due 💀 diligence and leaves you with a much clearer understanding of the whole 💀 subject of the drum kit. A uniquely American creation.
Thankyou for this wonderful educational resource. Drummers have always had to be part time mechanics to enable their own musical/percussive vision. Fascinating and much needed presentation. When we have a clear insight into our drumming past, it clears our vision into what is possible in developing our own voice. Your love for drumming and education shines through. Tom McLelland, Ontario, Canada
Thank you! I feel the same way about all the sources I used to construct this presentation. Daniel Glass has an AMAZING docu-series on this very subject and he goes way into depth about it. I would say he's way more knowledgeable on this subject and you should definitely check out his stuff and buy his DVD!
Terrific presentation! Wonderful job! As a drummer for almost 60 years, I’ve always thought that the evolution of the drum set has allowed the drummer to be more creative. Back in the civil war days, the three individual drummers (bass drum, cymbals, snare drum) would pretty much have to play predetermined rhythm patterns. But with the invention of the bass drum pedal and the hi hat, it allowed one drummer to play all three. Now, one drummer could spontaneously create a rhythm pattern, a fill, or a drum solo on the fly because his one brain could coordinate the rhythm between all his percussion instruments. That would have been near impossible for a 3 man drum section to do on the fly! So this ability greatly influenced jazz. You can plainly hear this in recordings of Baby Dodds and Chick Webb. My two cents. Anyway, I loved your presentation! Thank you.
I am a hobby drummer myself for the last 25 years and I find this video not only informative of the history of srumming, but also as a story of the modern music. Just amazing job, one of the best, if not the best, I have watch on this topic. Thanks a lot!
So interesting! As a drummer and music educator myself I keep on learning - and thank you for some additional insights like immigrant additions, evolution of hardware, lamp in bd, 'Weather' King Name, eg. I will share this with students and other teachers! Thank you, well done and rock on from Denmark, Europe :)
As a trad jazz drummer, I was just typing a comment about mentioning the “advent of the high hat” without the lo-hat it developed from - and up pops a lo-hat on the screen! This is my kind of nerdery. Well done!
@@NuDrums The Chinese tacked headed tom tom drums were beautiful with the painting of dragons on them. I have a question. When exactly did musicians start adding tom tom drums to the existing bass and snare drum??
Very nice job! I'm from Louisiana and passed Congo Square two days ago and pointed it out to my kids. I would encourage you to explore New Orleans 2nd line style of drumming. It kind of branches off into a tangent off the history of drumming from Congo Square into what molded a funky style all of its own. It's not straight time and it's not swing but kind of finds its way in a wave bouncing in between. Bands like The Meters, Dr. John, and more recently Galactic and Trombone Shorty. Anyway, once again great job!
Your research is well done I’ve seen other videos that speak on a certain item on the drum set but you really help to fill large gaps to that picture. I hope you do more videos for us wonks.
Im from the great state of Michigan I also have been drumming for 30 years sure could used this video when I was making my way through band class!!! Very cool to see you Representing the state!!!
Great work I enjoyed and appreciated the information and old images. Being a life long drum set player. I look back 50 years and still remember walking downtown With my mother and seeing in the window of a Music store, s white Marine Pearl drum set. Love @ 1st sight.
Congrats! It's a wonderful short journey! I play the drums and you covered just everything. I just love the subject, thank you! A big hug from Bogotá, Colombia 👌
I signed up for the summer drumset workshop at U. of North Texas in 1996, and learned a lot in the history class. The professor was Bob Briethaup. (Sp)
Excellent! What an incredible in depth look at the way these percussive contraptions have shaped our history, present day & no doubt future in music. Hats off to you NuDrums for bringing us this fascinating lecture from Nolan Pettersen.
Wow so happened came across this video on the History of the Drums. Very well documented really enjoyed and was impressed on how it came about. Been playing drums for the past thirty years and never heard of any of this information the labor of documenting this history that was never covered as well as you have done here. Great job... Thanks!
Back around 1994 I tried to write a 5-10 page paper about the history of the drum set for a college music class. Alas, there was no internet to speak of yet, and I had a very difficult time finding enough information to meet the requirements of the assignment. I gave up and wrote about the history of Timpani instead. Good job on this!
I mean, we did have the internet back in 95. It just was not as enormously vast as it is now :))) so that's why it would've been pretty hard to find info on this subject. The internet was also just a bit harder to use back then :))))))
Been involved w/music 70 yrs. This was very well put together. For me the most important thing he mentioned was how straight ahead/4 on the floor/patting your foot along to the music has become anything but i.e. sycopation. This, in my mind, takes the drums from a very mundane, background instrument to very much a lead instrument that drives everything that's going on. Would love to hear more of these kinds of presentations.
are you related to Don Carr the master of drum teaching in Peabody Mass i know he had too daughters and they used to run his drum shop when he went on tour
@@NuDrums The history of the drumset is so interesting. I think that the drumset came about when musicians moved into buildings where the spaces were limited. Originally drums and cymbals were played separately.
Just found this, thank you very much for posting it. Really interesting drummer/historian/socio-economist take. Congo Square has become my No1 time-travel destination. Cheers.
Thank you so much for your beautiful and informative presentation. I would love to hang out with you one day just to talk about drums. Also, i would love to talk to you about the history of percussion in South East Asia specifically one day. All the best from Indonesia. Cheers, AS
Great survey into the history of drumming. The right hand hide cymbal was indeed an important development. Its use allowed drummers to explore sounds with the left hand around the drum set providing accents and syncopation including the use of bass drum.
Well done Nolan!! It's so cool how the history of drum kit also contains the story of the music those kits kept time for; they are totally entertwined in a symbiotic relationship. Steve Smith also did a nice job with his history of the American drum "pulse." Have you seen the DVD? BTW-Another important factor to the 50s youth accessibility to their music was the development of the transistor radio; absolutely essential to the rise of surf, rockabilly and rock.
Excellent presentation. Remains to be seen as Roland purchased DW and is now developing wireless electronic drums, will the ease of -use-sophistication of sounds -control of volume- variety -and transporting of electric drums eventually completely replace the “old” style of acoustic drums.
You know, this is a very interesting subject, for which I am not the master. Ever heard of 65drums youtube channel? That guy knows his stuff. Check him out! www.youtube.com/@65Drums
Thanks for the informative video, Nolan. I plan to begin giving drum lessons this week and watching video put me in a good place to be able to explain things to my student.
Excellent presentation. We kind of take percussion instruments for granted especially what we now know of as the 'drum set'. The drum set, or kit as some prefer to call it; is really a collection of instruments of which each instrument can be played individually in a musical manner but brought together they blend into what we identify as 'drum set playing'. The progress in drum development is fascinating; take cymbals for example. Today the selection of cymbals available to percussionists is bewildering both in materials they are made from and also types, sizes, finishing, etc. Not too many years ago there were just 'cymbals'; which when incorporated into the 'drum set'; rapidly evolved into 'high hat cymbals', 'crash cymbals', 'ride cymbals', 'splash cymbals', 'effects cymbals' etc. etc. Percussion instrument history and development is a fascinating subject (well..to us 'drum nerds' anyway) and this video gave a good summary of the 'trap set/drum set' as we now know it.
Your first statement is so true. I've been listening to a lot of one-man bands recently (mainly because I'm considering doing a kind of one-man band thing myself). With that in mind, and with me understanding a bit of the history of drumming, I always say this: anyone who plays a drum kit is technically already acting as a one-man band, in percussion form. Come on, think about it: before the drum kit was ever even thought of, if you wanted even just a bass drum, snare drum, and cymbal in your music, this had to be achieved by separate "drummers", each playing said bass drum, snare drum, and cymbal as his own respective instrument. So, one person played the bass drum (that's his 'instrument' in the band). Another person played the snare drum (that's also his own 'instrument'). And finally a third person played the cymbal, again as his own respective instrument. This is indeed a band, just like the rock bands and jazz bands and blues bands and country western bands we already know today, and each member of said band is playing a drum or cymbal. But then, with some clever thinking, someone in history thought "hey, I could be a one-man drum band, I just need to figure out a way to play the bass drum with my feet which frees up my hands to play the other drums!", and then brought the idea into reality. Now, if you take this to an even further extreme and you figure out how to play literally the entire drum kit with your feet (instead of just the bass drum, or just the bass drum and hi-hat), you can be an even bigger one-man band, because now your hands are free from having to play drums/cymbals and so you can now play an entirely different instrument at the same time! :))) So really, each of your body parts as a single person is acting as individual band members, because your body has many members and they are each performing a different musical function. Really, it does blow my mind that so many people really don't think of it in this way. Because... it's really pretty accurate. Each component of a drum kit is already very playable as its own instrument, as you correctly pointed out, so all you're doing with a drum kit is positioning those instruments and connecting special hardware to those instruments in a way that you as a single human being can play them all at once.
Interesting delivery and documentation. No mention of “Traps” as Buddy Rich’s nickname in the 20s, that’s surprising. Also, double bass drums was common in the late 40s, ex. Louis Bellson & al.
NICLE T, great comment. I wish the photographer showed us those drums 🥁 up much closer. I wish NU had 15 more minutes. Just think of how much more we could have learned? Lol. I wanted to hear more about and see those drums behind the sets on the floor. I was trying to think of the TRAP set from the early 40s, with Louis Bellsons drums. Was it his kit where he had the cowbells and other Toys on top of his bass drum? I was going to look for it on UA-cam. Now that would have been a great picture and piece to show and talk about. I want to thank and tell NU about his EXCELLENT WORK that he did on this project. I did not know about the early yrs of drums, drumming, and music styles as the way he described it to us. Blessings, Glen
@NuDrums HELLO SIR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR EDUCATIONAL LESSON ABOUT DRUMS IN THOSE 40 AWESOME MINUTES. I really enjoyed your video. I learned a lot. I thought i knew a lot more than i actually did. Lol. I can't express my joy and appreciation enough. Im sure that you wanted to show us more and could have. You probably have so much extra stuff that you couldn't include in the video. I thought drummers today put lites in their bass drums to be hot heads ( no puns), lmao. And to be show offs. They probably saw your video or saw the same ideas as you did from the early yrs to protect the heads from de- tuning. Lol. I need to respectfully bust ya here. When you played those 2 bass drums for the woman who asked about the pillow. I couldn't hear what she asked. The room did not do those bass drums any mercy from the hollow walls, but the tuning of those bass drums sounded exactly the same pitch. The room sucked. Lol. The pillow muffled the head a little , but both bass drums sounded the same to me from their tones. Im messing w you. You may have put them together so fast that tuning was the last thing to worry about. Or maybe your style of drumming has those basses sounding the same. I was waiting for the bigger bass to thump those 2 old men out of their chairs in that room. Ha ha haa. I have a 24 x 16 on my 1989 LUDWIG ROCKERS. And i have a pounding 24 x 18 on my MAPEX M- BIRCH. That drum pounds my heart out of my chest. The ROCKERS are nice and loud. Just my preferences. Lol. Thank you again, NU DRUMS. check out my drum kits on my facebook. - 1989 MODULAR LUDWIG ROCKERS, WITH A 6 INCH AND A 15 INCH CLASSIC TOMS. - MAPEX M- BIRCH . - ROLAND V- DRUMS I dont have any pics of my mugg on f.b. I dont like f.b. Say hello if you check the drums out. GLEN POLEN PGH, PA
Cool presentation - I like how u integrated U.S/World history with the evolution of the drum set. Definitely a huge beast of a subject to try to wrangle. I highly recommend a book from Mickey Hart "Planet Drum: A Celebration of Percussion and Rhythm", which attempts to explain drumming from the beginning of man (essentially) -the first pulse of life, etc.. it's not your standard school textbook, but very very interesting + eclectic.
Great presentation overall. Would have been great to add a short look at the more recent developments in drumming (especially in the more extreme subgenres of Metal) at the end. The one odd thing for me were your comments about Grunge moving away from the overdriven sound and the screaming: That's pretty much opposite to my perception of Grunge.
I really wish I had time to go into extreme metal... but it was unfortunately not super relevant to the way the drum kit changed. Now, if I were to make a presentation or 20 on drum technique? I feel like metal would be a whole 5 hour segment and STILL only be scratching the surface. Thanks for the comment!
Love it. As a life-long drummer and drum fanatic, this was super interesting and enthralling to me. As for what's current, I see a rise in popularity of electronic drums, which has only recently came to the point where it leaves little left desired over acoustics. But the e-cymbals still have a ways to go for the most part. Triggers are also huge, so you have an acoustic/electronic hybrid in that case. The evolution continues..
This is great! Thanks for the history lesson. When I was a younger fellow (decades ago), I started playing on what we then called a "trap set" with animal skin heads. Wow, the adjustments that were required when the weather changed! While I stopped playing many years ago, the drummer within me still lives.
Thanks for your work, very appreciated. Please note that the list of 40 rudiments you are showing was published in 1980. I suggest to check "The drummer and fifers guide" (Bruce & Emmett 1862) that is closer to the civil war marching bands.
Great presentation. Really enjoyed that. It’s a pity you didn’t link the beginnings of the use of double kick drums with the like of Louie Bellson and kind of left it as an invention of heavy metal bands like Van Halen, but hey. Nice job anyway! It’s by far THE best short summary of the history of the drum kit I’ve heard anyone give anywhere. I learnt so much. 10/10!
The Hot For Teacher shuffle beat, as taken from the song Quadrant 4 from the1973 Billy Cobham album Spectrum (Alex Van Halen will tell you that) is actually Simmons electric pads mounted in the bass drums.
How could you leave the greatest rock drummer EVER, Neil Peart of Rush, out of your presentation!? Talk about an amazing drumset! With his acoustic and electronic drums, he could replicate sounds of the original drumsets, African drums, etc..... Other than that, it was a very educational and informative project. VERY well done!!
Great presentation! Now that you've gotten all this together, you should make a documentary! Well done and I learned something today. Merry Christmas from the land of Nirvana!
I knew that in the 20's and 30's they had theatre organist who were responsible for various sound effects and musical fills for silent film but I never knew drummers were doing the same thing for the radio. How fascinating how musicians played a more important role in culture during the 19th century.
I’m curious about the trap sets from the 30’s that had a curved steel hoop over the bass drum that had casters (swiveling wheels) at their feet at least on the side facing the audience. Are there casters on the back side too? I’m assuming this was to roll them in and out of venues easier? What did the use to lock the drum down? Just foot lever locks or did they have spikes. If there were wheels all around I’m sure there was more than one drummer who had to chase his rig across the room on the first beat of the first number! 😅
Very well done, and as a drummer I learned about light bulbs under the calf skins! Also, I'm guessing you meant "grotesque" as a compliment for John Bonham and his drums? 👊😎Thanks for the quality historical content here on UA-cam...
I've known much of this info.... and given your allotted time, you hit a good deal of the points. Granted there's always more info, but I'm cool with it.
Regarding the picture of the Youngsters listening to records at 25:30,it must be at least 1966,as there is a copy of 'Revolver' by The Beatles on show.
Nicely done, overall. I could tell there were some nerves, but memorized college presentations are always that way. I had to laugh when you got to the part where you described Camel as an American band I was expecting the two graybeards up front to leap to their feet in protests, since I think I recognize them from Camel concerts I've been to. 😄 Speaking of prog musicians, I'm sure you've taken interest in Bill Bruford's graduate thesis, writing and presentations.
@@NuDrums - Wait - this was an undergrad project? Well done! And yes, typos happen (my personal favorite fm this was Sosua @ 4:34, only to show up as Sousa 10 seconds later). No worries - I hope you got a good grade!
Wow, this video showed up on my page as a recommendation. I am a drummer so I watch drumming videos to learn since I have only been playing for 40 years, lol. Honestly, I have never thought about the history of the drum. I clicked on the video and thought I would quickly become bored and click on something else. But here I am at the end of the video clapping for your presentation. It was not only informative, but enjoyable to watch. Thanks for putting it together. What have you been doing since you graduated?
Thank you so much for your kind words! Well the summary of my life since this presentation: I have moved a couple times around the world, got another degree in the healthcare field, and now am going to school again. I have, however, always been playing in bands, and finding spare time to keep fixing drums, teach, and play music as much as possible! I am actually ramping up a little in terms of video content both here and on Instagram, so its a challenge for sure. Thanks again, and hope you have a lovely holiday season, Nolan.
Hey guys!
So this video has been getting a little more traffic than usual, so I figured I would post a "corrections" comment to address the many errors in this presentation that keep getting brought up 😀
1. "AC/DC, ELP, Gong, Camel, Motorhead, AC/DC... are not American bands etc. etc."
- Indeed! At one point I say "these American bands" in error. I had to memorize this entire presentation, and totally just had a brain fart here. I chalk it up to major nerves, forgive me!
2. "Drumming history goes way farther back than 150 years/ originates outside the USA"
Again correct! However, this presentation focuses on the development of *drum set*, which *is* a totally American instrument. I did not claim that the technique of *drumming* or *drums as a whole* were invented during the American Civil War. The roots of modern *drum set* starts in the use of rope-tension drums for military purposes. The context is that era-specific military style rope tension drums at the time form the foundation of everything that comes after, pertaining to the development of the modern drum set in the USA. Before this, drums as in instrument had of course been around for millennia, all over the world, but that is outside the scope of this presentation as this presentation focuses on *drum set*, which is a very specific and different instrument.
3. "You forgot this thing (insert topic) or this person (insert person)"
This is very likely. 40 minutes is simply not enough time to include absolutely everything- and again- presenting all this from memory, considering the circumstances, may very well have contributed to forgetting things. I am human and prone to error. If this is the case, please put it in the comment section!
4. Any comment saying you could do better.
Anyone who would like to, I highly encourage to release your own video and provide a link, or just any link in general to new or updated information that I may have left out, forgotten, not known about or simply didn't have time to mention. I think we learn best from our mistakes, and I think that anyone who has the ability or time to do so, should provide sources and links to additional information, so we all can learn and do better!
5. "Listening to the clips of music was difficult due to the constant talking over the music"
I only had 45 minutes to present and time was super tight, so apologies there!
6. Any comment pertaining to the lack of African American representation
I genuinely tried to include as many African American acknowledgements as possible in this presentation, as we are HUGELY indebted to the African American community for their undeniable contribution to the evolution of modern-era music, especially in the context of this presentation. Again, if there are more artists, historical figures, or anyone else who I did not mention and you think I should have, please comment and link below! We are all far better off with every new bit of information that is included here! I hope we can all work together to expose as many people to the artists responsible for the proliferation, development, and innovation of music of all types, old and new. Help spread the knowledge so we all can learn! 🥳
7. You spelled (insert thing, or person's name) wrong.
Specifically John Bonham, Led Zeppelin and Saxophone. I don't know what to say here, other than the auto-correct or spell-check gods were not on my side this day. What also doesn't help is that I am also not the world's greatest speller, and in the hectic last minute glow up for this presentation these kinds of things are really easy to miss. Sorry!
Lastly, thank you all so much for all the kind words of encouragement and praise for this video. I am truly, truly grateful that so many people enjoyed something I worked really hard on.
-Nolan
I hope you didn't get too many silly comments about what you left out, but you probably did, because people always want their faves mentioned and think it must be an error if they are left out. I just wanted to chime in to say thanks for the excellent brief history of the collection of "contraptions" that form the modern drum kit!
Nolan, don’t let the nitpickers get you down. Overall you did an excellent presentation and you have a wonderful enthusiasm for the subject. Rock on!
Wow, and not a lot of folks know the band Gong. You are a well rounded listener as well as well read. Great job on the presentation!
Without a drummer rock music
Will suck.
Hi Nolan, regarding the topic "150 years of drumset evolution" you did pretty well!
Your small little unimportant mistakes make this presentation even more "human"! Keep on.
You know what is cool? living in a time when you can ask yourself "where does de drums set comes from?", ask youtube for the history of drums and find this kind of content.
Thanks for sharing the knowleadge.
Love that! Thanks for the view!
I have found that the creation of the drumset coincided with the creation of jazz. Do you agree?
@@truthsaviour8804 well, it was definitely a major driver in the development of it, thats for sure. Jazz was a major creative catalyst that helped propel the development of many instruments, as well as drum set.
I'm a drummer and am in awe about the attention to detail that this young man 👨 🙌 👌 had in this presentation! He did his due 💀 diligence and leaves you with a much clearer understanding of the whole 💀 subject of the drum kit. A uniquely American creation.
You are correct; you can't spell for sh××. John Philip Souza
Also keep your voice at an understandable volume, and try to speak at an understandable tempo. This hyperspeed idiocy is really a drag🤯🤮
Fantastic presentation! I played a Rogers 8 piece with Evans Hydraulic heads, Zildjian cymbals. Great memories! Thank you so much!
Thank you!
Thankyou for this wonderful educational resource. Drummers have always had to be part time mechanics to enable their own musical/percussive vision. Fascinating and much needed presentation. When we have a clear insight into our drumming past, it clears our vision into what is possible in developing our own voice. Your love for drumming and education shines through. Tom McLelland, Ontario, Canada
You did a great job, I’ve been a drummer for 40 years and learned quite a lot from this presentation.
The excellent presentation was a ride through history. Every drummer should see this.
Thank you! I feel the same way about all the sources I used to construct this presentation. Daniel Glass has an AMAZING docu-series on this very subject and he goes way into depth about it. I would say he's way more knowledgeable on this subject and you should definitely check out his stuff and buy his DVD!
@@NuDrums The drumset 🥁 has always been my favorite instrument since I was a kid.
Terrific presentation! Wonderful job! As a drummer for almost 60 years, I’ve always thought that the evolution of the drum set has allowed the drummer to be more creative. Back in the civil war days, the three individual drummers (bass drum, cymbals, snare drum) would pretty much have to play predetermined rhythm patterns. But with the invention of the bass drum pedal and the hi hat, it allowed one drummer to play all three. Now, one drummer could spontaneously create a rhythm pattern, a fill, or a drum solo on the fly because his one brain could coordinate the rhythm between all his percussion instruments. That would have been near impossible for a 3 man drum section to do on the fly! So this ability greatly influenced jazz. You can plainly hear this in recordings of Baby Dodds and Chick Webb. My two cents. Anyway, I loved your presentation! Thank you.
I am a hobby drummer myself for the last 25 years and I find this video not only informative of the history of srumming, but also as a story of the modern music. Just amazing job, one of the best, if not the best, I have watch on this topic. Thanks a lot!
So interesting! As a drummer and music educator myself I keep on learning - and thank you for some additional insights like immigrant additions, evolution of hardware, lamp in bd, 'Weather' King Name, eg. I will share this with students and other teachers!
Thank you, well done and rock on from Denmark, Europe :)
Thank you so much!
As a trad jazz drummer, I was just typing a comment about mentioning the “advent of the high hat” without the lo-hat it developed from - and up pops a lo-hat on the screen!
This is my kind of nerdery. Well done!
Thank you!
Thank you so much for this wonderful educational about drums, I’m a drummer my self. Really learn a lot. Thanks again.
My pleasure! Thanks for watching, I really appreciate it :)
Amazing presentation! Went in knowing next to nothing and left with tons of new knowledge
Excellent discussion and research! 👍🏾
Much appreciated, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Dude this was phenomenal, I've played drums for almost a decade and I learned a ton from this
Thank you so much! Be sure to check out the other resources I mentioned, they are great!
@@NuDrums The Chinese tacked headed tom tom drums were beautiful with the painting of dragons on them. I have a question. When exactly did musicians start adding tom tom drums to the existing bass and snare drum??
@@SuperheroJunior the Chinese drums are similar to Japanese teiko drums
@@grantkoeller8911 Both the teiko drums of Japan and the Chinese tom tom drums are similar in style
Great work! Thorough and well presented!
Thank you!
Very nice job! I'm from Louisiana and passed Congo Square two days ago and pointed it out to my kids. I would encourage you to explore New Orleans 2nd line style of drumming. It kind of branches off into a tangent off the history of drumming from Congo Square into what molded a funky style all of its own. It's not straight time and it's not swing but kind of finds its way in a wave bouncing in between. Bands like The Meters, Dr. John, and more recently Galactic and Trombone Shorty. Anyway, once again great job!
Thanks! Thats really interesting. Its definitely one of my bucket list destinations, someday!
Your research is well done I’ve seen other videos that speak on a certain item on the drum set but you really help to fill large gaps to that picture. I hope you do more videos for us wonks.
Thank you! I do make videos and have some in the works. Often it can take some time but they will come! :)
Fantastic work very well done. I have been a drummer for over 50 years but the attention to history is inspiring..
Wow, thank you!
Im from the great state of Michigan I also have been drumming for 30 years sure could used this video when I was making my way through band class!!! Very cool to see you Representing the state!!!
Thank you so much!
Great work
I enjoyed and appreciated the information and old images.
Being a life long drum set player.
I look back 50 years and still remember walking downtown
With my mother and seeing in the window of a Music store, s white
Marine Pearl drum set.
Love @ 1st sight.
Rock on!
@@NuDrums The Chinese Tom Tom drum that had the heads tacked, were very cool?
Excellent presentation! Loved how you tied the trap evolution to the developing musical styles.
Thank you!
Congrats! It's a wonderful short journey! I play the drums and you covered just everything. I just love the subject, thank you! A big hug from Bogotá, Colombia 👌
Awesome! Thank you! Big hug back right at ya!
Super Job! Drummer of 35 years and I learned a lot from this!
I signed up for the summer drumset workshop at U. of North Texas in 1996, and learned a lot in the history class. The professor was Bob Briethaup. (Sp)
22:26 - “it caught on and it stayed” - hi hat is the single most important development in the evolution of the drum set
Amazing content and presentation! Thank you!
Excellent presentation! Congratulations.
Excellent! What an incredible in depth look at the way these percussive contraptions have shaped our history, present day & no doubt future in music. Hats off to you NuDrums for bringing us this fascinating lecture from Nolan Pettersen.
thank you so much!
Wow so happened came across this video on the History of the Drums. Very well documented really enjoyed and was impressed on how it came about. Been playing drums for the past thirty years and never heard of any of this information the labor of documenting this history that was never covered as well as you have done here. Great job... Thanks!
Thank you!
You really did a great job on this! I enjoyed it.
Thank you!
Back around 1994 I tried to write a 5-10 page paper about the history of the drum set for a college music class. Alas, there was no internet to speak of yet, and I had a very difficult time finding enough information to meet the requirements of the assignment. I gave up and wrote about the history of Timpani instead. Good job on this!
Thank you so much for your kind words! Yes, this was a lot of research indeed.
I mean, we did have the internet back in 95. It just was not as enormously vast as it is now :))) so that's why it would've been pretty hard to find info on this subject. The internet was also just a bit harder to use back then :))))))
Sorry, meant 94, not 95 :))))))))))
Fantastic video! Great commentary!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Been involved w/music 70 yrs. This was very well put together. For me the most important thing he mentioned was how straight ahead/4 on the floor/patting your foot along to the music has become anything but i.e. sycopation. This, in my mind, takes the drums from a very mundane, background instrument to very much a lead instrument that drives everything that's going on. Would love to hear more of these kinds of presentations.
This presentation was really interesting,The History of The Drum Kit,I'm 70 now and still playing with about 45 yrs of experience behind me.
Thank you!
Fantastic presentation. Thank you!
Absolutely fascinating. Bravo, man. And your gratitude after the presentation is inspiring. Good on you m8
Thank you so much!😄
@@NuDrums You're more than welcome. I will surely revisit this vid again
Thank you so much, Nolan, for your research and sharing it with us. Really informative, engaging and awesome!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks so much for watching!
Really interesting presentation, dude! The time just flew by watching this 😄
Thanks for putting such a wonderful video together for us drummers, just great 👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Loved the presentation. Really interesting. J
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it!
are you related to Don Carr the master of drum teaching in Peabody Mass i know he had too daughters and they used to run his drum shop when he went on tour
@@NuDrums The history of the drumset is so interesting. I think that the drumset came about when musicians moved into buildings where the spaces were limited. Originally drums and cymbals were played separately.
WOW! Superb dissertation!
Thank you! :)
Highly entertaining and educational talk. I'm a drummer and, like all drummers, I experiment. If you don't got what you need you build it.
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
What an incredible history presentation! Cheers & Happy holidays from an old Las Vegas drummer!!
Thank you so much!
Just found this, thank you very much for posting it. Really interesting drummer/historian/socio-economist take. Congo Square has become my No1 time-travel destination. Cheers.
This was wonderfully detailed and informative. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent presentation!
This was infinitely fascinating and I thank you.
This is a fantastic lecture tons of information and very entertaining!
Thanks!
Second time I’ve watched this and I learned even more the second time.
Thanks.
Fantastic presentation 😎. Thank you for making this 😊. From a cymbal phobic drummer in the UK.
Thanks so much! It was a lot of work. I truly appreciate it!
Thank you so much for your beautiful and informative presentation. I would love to hang out with you one day just to talk about drums. Also, i would love to talk to you about the history of percussion in South East Asia specifically one day.
All the best from Indonesia.
Cheers,
AS
Any time! Thank you so much for your lovely comment!
p.s. I have been playing since 68, and you taught me a thing or two.thanks so much.
Thank you!
Fantastic presentation!
Thank you!
Great survey into the history of drumming. The right hand hide cymbal was indeed an important development. Its use allowed drummers to explore sounds with the left hand around the drum set providing accents and syncopation including the use of bass drum.
Thanks for watching!
Well done Nolan!! It's so cool how the history of drum kit also contains the story of the music those kits kept time for; they are totally entertwined in a symbiotic relationship. Steve Smith also did a nice job with his history of the American drum "pulse." Have you seen the DVD? BTW-Another important factor to the 50s youth accessibility to their music was the development of the transistor radio; absolutely essential to the rise of surf, rockabilly and rock.
Thanks for the comment! I haven't seen the DVD, no. But I will definitely check it out!
Great presentation. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot as well. Good job and thank you. Trap set...always wondered what that meant. Now I know.
Thank you for watching!
This was excellent. Deserves way more views
Thank you so much!
Excellent presentation. Remains to be seen as Roland purchased DW and is now developing wireless electronic drums, will the ease of -use-sophistication of sounds -control of volume- variety -and transporting of electric drums eventually completely replace the “old” style of acoustic drums.
You know, this is a very interesting subject, for which I am not the master. Ever heard of 65drums youtube channel? That guy knows his stuff. Check him out! www.youtube.com/@65Drums
Thanks for the informative video, Nolan. I plan to begin giving drum lessons this week and watching video put me in a good place to be able to explain things to my student.
Much thanks for the video and info! Hope the journey has been enjoyable and fruitful ^.^
Thank you for watching! Yes, it was a really hectic year, I'm so glad you liked it!
Excellent presentation. We kind of take percussion instruments for granted especially what we now know of as the 'drum set'. The drum set, or kit as some prefer to call it; is really a collection of instruments of which each instrument can be played individually in a musical manner but brought together they blend into what we identify as 'drum set playing'. The progress in drum development is fascinating; take cymbals for example. Today the selection of cymbals available to percussionists is bewildering both in materials they are made from and also types, sizes, finishing, etc. Not too many years ago there were just 'cymbals'; which when incorporated into the 'drum set'; rapidly evolved into 'high hat cymbals', 'crash cymbals', 'ride cymbals', 'splash cymbals', 'effects cymbals' etc. etc. Percussion instrument history and development is a fascinating subject (well..to us 'drum nerds' anyway) and this video gave a good summary of the 'trap set/drum set' as we now know it.
Thanks! I'm happy you enjoyed the video!
Your first statement is so true.
I've been listening to a lot of one-man bands recently (mainly because I'm considering doing a kind of one-man band thing myself). With that in mind, and with me understanding a bit of the history of drumming, I always say this: anyone who plays a drum kit is technically already acting as a one-man band, in percussion form. Come on, think about it: before the drum kit was ever even thought of, if you wanted even just a bass drum, snare drum, and cymbal in your music, this had to be achieved by separate "drummers", each playing said bass drum, snare drum, and cymbal as his own respective instrument. So, one person played the bass drum (that's his 'instrument' in the band). Another person played the snare drum (that's also his own 'instrument'). And finally a third person played the cymbal, again as his own respective instrument. This is indeed a band, just like the rock bands and jazz bands and blues bands and country western bands we already know today, and each member of said band is playing a drum or cymbal. But then, with some clever thinking, someone in history thought "hey, I could be a one-man drum band, I just need to figure out a way to play the bass drum with my feet which frees up my hands to play the other drums!", and then brought the idea into reality.
Now, if you take this to an even further extreme and you figure out how to play literally the entire drum kit with your feet (instead of just the bass drum, or just the bass drum and hi-hat), you can be an even bigger one-man band, because now your hands are free from having to play drums/cymbals and so you can now play an entirely different instrument at the same time! :))) So really, each of your body parts as a single person is acting as individual band members, because your body has many members and they are each performing a different musical function.
Really, it does blow my mind that so many people really don't think of it in this way. Because... it's really pretty accurate. Each component of a drum kit is already very playable as its own instrument, as you correctly pointed out, so all you're doing with a drum kit is positioning those instruments and connecting special hardware to those instruments in a way that you as a single human being can play them all at once.
Thank you for including congo aquare and informing them about it! As a native of the area people forget what impact it had on music.
Thank you for the class.. I enjoyed it very much
Thanks so much... I also really appreciate the sub!
Very interesting. You did a great job. I learned a lot.
Thank you!
Beautiful!!!!
Great Scott
Excellent explanation! This is exactly what i've looked for..
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Excellent exposé and presentation...
Thank you so much!
Great job a lot of research thks for sharing knowledge about history and drumming mainly the drum set being American born!
Thanks for watching!
Interesting delivery and documentation. No mention of “Traps” as Buddy Rich’s nickname in the 20s, that’s surprising. Also, double bass drums was common in the late 40s, ex. Louis Bellson & al.
You are right! I was simply super pressed for time and also very nervous. Forgive me! 😅
NICLE T, great comment. I wish the photographer showed us those drums 🥁 up much closer.
I wish NU had 15 more minutes. Just think of how much more we could have learned? Lol.
I wanted to hear more about and see those drums behind the sets on the floor.
I was trying to think of the TRAP set from the early 40s, with Louis Bellsons drums.
Was it his kit where he had the cowbells and other Toys on top of his bass drum? I was going to look for it on UA-cam.
Now that would have been a great picture and piece to show and talk about. I want to thank and tell NU about his EXCELLENT WORK that he did on this project. I did not know about the early yrs of drums, drumming, and music styles as the way he described it to us.
Blessings,
Glen
@NuDrums HELLO SIR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR EDUCATIONAL LESSON ABOUT DRUMS IN THOSE 40 AWESOME MINUTES.
I really enjoyed your video.
I learned a lot.
I thought i knew a lot more than i actually did. Lol. I can't express my joy and appreciation enough.
Im sure that you wanted to show us more and could have. You probably have so much extra stuff that you couldn't include in the video.
I thought drummers today put lites in their bass drums to be hot heads ( no puns), lmao.
And to be show offs. They probably saw your video or saw the same ideas as you did from the early yrs to protect the heads from de- tuning. Lol.
I need to respectfully bust ya here.
When you played those 2 bass drums for the woman who asked about the pillow. I couldn't hear what she asked.
The room did not do those bass drums any mercy from the hollow walls, but the tuning of those bass drums sounded exactly the same pitch.
The room sucked. Lol.
The pillow muffled the head a little , but both bass drums sounded the same to me from their tones. Im messing w you.
You may have put them together so fast that tuning was the last thing to worry about. Or maybe your style of drumming has those basses sounding the same.
I was waiting for the bigger bass to thump those 2 old men out of their chairs in that room. Ha ha haa.
I have a 24 x 16 on my 1989 LUDWIG ROCKERS.
And i have a pounding 24 x 18 on my MAPEX M- BIRCH.
That drum pounds my heart out of my chest.
The ROCKERS are nice and loud. Just my preferences. Lol.
Thank you again, NU DRUMS.
check out my drum kits on my facebook.
- 1989 MODULAR LUDWIG ROCKERS, WITH A 6 INCH AND A 15 INCH CLASSIC TOMS.
- MAPEX M- BIRCH .
- ROLAND V- DRUMS
I dont have any pics of my mugg on f.b.
I dont like f.b.
Say hello if you check the drums out.
GLEN POLEN
PGH, PA
This is fantastic! Well done
Omg HHG Drums! I am a huge fan, and super honored! Thank you so much for the kind words
Cool presentation - I like how u integrated U.S/World history with the evolution of the drum set. Definitely a huge beast of a subject to try to wrangle.
I highly recommend a book from Mickey Hart "Planet Drum: A Celebration of Percussion and Rhythm", which attempts to explain drumming from the beginning of man (essentially) -the first pulse of life, etc.. it's not your standard school textbook, but very very interesting + eclectic.
Thank you! I will add this to my reading list :)
Thanks for a very interesting lecture. Minor errors aside, in all a truly educating experience.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great presentation overall.
Would have been great to add a short look at the more recent developments in drumming (especially in the more extreme subgenres of Metal) at the end. The one odd thing for me were your comments about Grunge moving away from the overdriven sound and the screaming: That's pretty much opposite to my perception of Grunge.
I really wish I had time to go into extreme metal... but it was unfortunately not super relevant to the way the drum kit changed. Now, if I were to make a presentation or 20 on drum technique? I feel like metal would be a whole 5 hour segment and STILL only be scratching the surface. Thanks for the comment!
Love it. As a life-long drummer and drum fanatic, this was super interesting and enthralling to me. As for what's current, I see a rise in popularity of electronic drums, which has only recently came to the point where it leaves little left desired over acoustics. But the e-cymbals still have a ways to go for the most part. Triggers are also huge, so you have an acoustic/electronic hybrid in that case. The evolution continues..
Check out 65Drums electronic drum set history, it's killer good!
@@NuDrums I'm all over it, thanks dude!
This is great! Thanks for the history lesson. When I was a younger fellow (decades ago), I started playing on what we then called a "trap set" with animal skin heads. Wow, the adjustments that were required when the weather changed! While I stopped playing many years ago, the drummer within me still lives.
Thanks :)
Thanks for your work, very appreciated. Please note that the list of 40 rudiments you are showing was published in 1980. I suggest to check "The drummer and fifers guide" (Bruce & Emmett 1862) that is closer to the civil war marching bands.
Good to know!! Thanks so much!
That was impeccable.
Thanks so much man! :)
Great presentation. Really enjoyed that. It’s a pity you didn’t link the beginnings of the use of double kick drums with the like of Louie Bellson and kind of left it as an invention of heavy metal bands like Van Halen, but hey. Nice job anyway! It’s by far THE best short summary of the history of the drum kit I’ve heard anyone give anywhere. I learnt so much. 10/10!
The Hot For Teacher shuffle beat, as taken from the song Quadrant 4 from the1973 Billy Cobham album Spectrum (Alex Van Halen will tell you that) is actually Simmons electric pads mounted in the bass drums.
Interesting! Do you have a source we can check out?
thank you sir ! i am drummer! for the first time i stayed 40 minutes with no break!
Thanks so much! Glad you liked it!
How could you leave the greatest rock drummer EVER, Neil Peart of Rush, out of your presentation!? Talk about an amazing drumset! With his acoustic and electronic drums, he could replicate sounds of the original drumsets, African drums, etc..... Other than that, it was a very educational and informative project. VERY well done!!
Great presentation! Now that you've gotten all this together, you should make a documentary! Well done and I learned something today. Merry Christmas from the land of Nirvana!
I knew that in the 20's and 30's they had theatre organist who were responsible for various sound effects and musical fills for silent film but I never knew drummers were doing the same thing for the radio. How fascinating how musicians played a more important role in culture during the 19th century.
Thank you, I'm glad you learned something :)
Very educational for drummer like me... The evolution of drums set..
Thank you :)
I’m curious about the trap sets from the 30’s that had a curved steel hoop over the bass drum that had casters (swiveling wheels) at their feet at least on the side facing the audience. Are there casters on the back side too? I’m assuming this was to roll them in and out of venues easier? What did the use to lock the drum down? Just foot lever locks or did they have spikes. If there were wheels all around I’m sure there was more than one drummer who had to chase his rig across the room on the first beat of the first number! 😅
Excellent...Well done
I NJoyed This Presentation As It Travels Thru The Years Of A Truly American Instrument!!! Good Information Thoughtfully Put 2getha!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
It's like Time travel. Thank you so much. From India❤
Very informative video!😊
Thanks!
Best video I ever have seen.
Thank you so much :) I am truly humbled!!
Very well done, and as a drummer I learned about light bulbs under the calf skins! Also, I'm guessing you meant "grotesque" as a compliment for John Bonham and his drums? 👊😎Thanks for the quality historical content here on UA-cam...
Very informative, thank you!
I've known much of this info.... and given your allotted time, you hit a good deal of the points. Granted there's always more info, but I'm cool with it.
Regarding the picture of the Youngsters listening to records at 25:30,it must be at least 1966,as there is a copy of 'Revolver' by The Beatles on show.
Thanks for the keen observation :) I would have never have noticed that!
Nicely done, overall. I could tell there were some nerves, but memorized college presentations are always that way. I had to laugh when you got to the part where you described Camel as an American band I was expecting the two graybeards up front to leap to their feet in protests, since I think I recognize them from Camel concerts I've been to. 😄 Speaking of prog musicians, I'm sure you've taken interest in Bill Bruford's graduate thesis, writing and presentations.
Thanks for the kind words and understanding! And YES, I have heard of Bill Bruford and he's a legend ;)
Informative
Thanks
Nice job,
Really well put together, especially considering that it’s an undergrad project.
Hope you get to make a masters and/or PhD version!
Thanks! I currently don't have any plans to take a masters in _this_ field, but never say never! We'll see. 😉 thanks for the comment!
@@NuDrums - Wait - this was an undergrad project? Well done! And yes, typos happen (my personal favorite fm this was Sosua @ 4:34, only to show up as Sousa 10 seconds later). No worries - I hope you got a good grade!
Great job ! Greetings from Serbia !
Wow, this video showed up on my page as a recommendation. I am a drummer so I watch drumming videos to learn since I have only been playing for 40 years, lol. Honestly, I have never thought about the history of the drum. I clicked on the video and thought I would quickly become bored and click on something else. But here I am at the end of the video clapping for your presentation. It was not only informative, but enjoyable to watch. Thanks for putting it together. What have you been doing since you graduated?
Thank you so much for your kind words! Well the summary of my life since this presentation: I have moved a couple times around the world, got another degree in the healthcare field, and now am going to school again. I have, however, always been playing in bands, and finding spare time to keep fixing drums, teach, and play music as much as possible! I am actually ramping up a little in terms of video content both here and on Instagram, so its a challenge for sure. Thanks again, and hope you have a lovely holiday season, Nolan.