Drums Vs Percussion

drums vs percussion

Drummers and percussionists are both essential members of any musical group, but what is the difference between the two? The short answer is that drums are part of a larger category called percussion instruments. But that also leaves a lot to be discussed about the differences between drums and percussion instruments as a whole, so let’s explore this more thoroughly.

The earliest examples of drums are actually membranophones (drums with skin stretched over an instrument’s membrane). There is some debate as to whether these early drums were created for music or simply as methods of communication, but regardless of their purpose they became very popular. Over time, they began to be used in various cultures in a variety of settings including cultural gatherings and religious ceremonies.

As drums continued to evolve, they started to be used to create a rhythm and set the beat of a piece of music. In this role, they became an important part of many genres, ranging from rock and roll to jazz and reggae. In the early 20th century, composers such as John Cage, Harry Partch, and Edgard Varese created entire pieces of music using percussion instruments made from objects that weren’t conventional drums. This practice grew even more common in the late 20th and 21st centuries as percussionists began to use everyday objects such as cannons loaded with blanks, water bottles filled with varying amounts of water, hammers, saws, and even garbage cans.

Most bands today are made up of a drummer and a percussionist. The drummer provides the rhythmic pulse for the music, while the percussionist adds a wide variety of sounds. For example, a rock band’s typical drum kit might include a bass drum, snare drum, hi-hats, and a few other toms as well as some cymbals. Then, the percussionist might add in tambourines, cowbells, woodblocks, and other hand percussion instruments to make the sound more interesting and distinctive.

While it’s common to think of a drummer and a percussionist as being the same, it is important to realize that they aren’t. Drummers and percussionists both play drums, but a percussionist can specialize in any of the many different types of instruments that make up the percussion family including cymbals, marimbas, xylophones, rattles, and gongs.

Drummers and percussionists both play a very important role in creating music, but they are not the same. Depending on their specialty, a percussionist may be held to higher standards than a drummer by other musicians and music teachers because they focus on concepts like rudiments that aren’t always taught to drummers, but are often taught to percussionists. Moreover, a drummer may not understand music theory as well as a percussionist that has been through a music school or program like Berklee College of Music. Nevertheless, both drummers and percussionists must be proficient in drums as well as other percussion instruments to be successful. For this reason, most drummers learn how to play a variety of different percussion instruments.