 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2022) |
North Drums are horn-shaped drums that were designed to project their sound outward, so the audience can hear the most direct qualities of the drum. They were used by a number of notable drummers during the 1970s and continued to have limited popularity into the 1990s, well after the drums stopped being commercially sold.
North Drums were invented by then Boston resident and drummer Roger North, while he was a member of band Quill. He was later the longtime drummer of the Holy Modal Rounders and the Clamtones. North created the fiberglass-shelled drums by hand for his own usage in late 1968, and was granted a U.S. patent, #3603194 on the design in 1971. [1]
Starting in 1973, he began producing the original commercial configuration of the drums and began selling them both directly and through retail dealers to various top musicians and drummers as well as to the general public through retail dealers. In 1976, North licensed the patent rights to Music Technology Incorporated (MTI) to manufacture and market the drums in hopes of higher production and distribution volume. Under MTI management, the drum shells were produced first by a fiberglass manufacturer in Long Island, then for a time again by Roger North in his facility in Troutdale, Oregon, and eventually in Italy using an injection-molded polystyrene process.
The drums stopped being commercially sold in the early 1980s but a used market for the drums soon developed. A small though loyal contingent of North Drum players thus continued.
Billy Cobham, Doug Clifford of Credence Clearwater Revival, Alan White of Yes, Joe English of Wings, Gerry Brown, Russ Kunkel, W.S. "Fluke" Holland (Johnny Cash), and Richie Albright (Waylon Jennings) all used North Drums at some point.
The Concord Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps used North Triple drums in 1976. Lucky Lehrer of the Circle Jerks used North tom-toms. The drum set was destroyed by fans slam dancing, but was refurbished by DW’s Louie Garcia, and is on permanent display behind glass at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
The Long Island Sunrisers Drum and Bugle corps used North Triple drums in 1981. Although primarily a Ludwig endorser, Alex Van Halen incorporated a set of North Drum toms in his enormous white touring kit for Van Halen's OU812 album in 1988. Chad Channing was known for using North Drums in the early years of Nirvana. Drummer Ted VanTilburg formerly of Morgue played North Drums from 1988 to 1993. Hana of the Japanese band Gacharic Spin also uses North drums.
The snare drum is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used in orchestras, concert bands, marching bands, parades, drumlines, drum corps, and more. It is one of the central pieces in a drum set, a collection of percussion instruments designed to be played by a seated drummer and used in many genres of music. Because basic rhythms are very easy to learn to play on a snare drum even for children, the instrument is also suitable for the music education for young children and a rhythm band.
A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums.
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and African rhythms and pioneered both jazz fusion and world music.
Alexander Arthur Van Halen is an American musician who was the original drummer and a co-founder of the rock band Van Halen. The band was formed in 1972 by Alex Van Halen and his younger brother Eddie under the name "Mammoth" before adding Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth in 1974 and changing their name to Van Halen.
Classic drum and bugle corps are musical ensembles that descended from military bugle and drum units returning from World War I and succeeding wars. Traditionally, drum and bugle corps served as signaling units as early as before the American Civil War, with these signaling units having descended in some fashion from ancient drum and fife corps. With the advent of the radio, bugle signaling units became obsolete and surplus equipment was sold to veteran organizations. These organizations formed drum and bugle corps of civilians and veterans, and the corps performed in community events and local celebrations. Over time, rivalries between corps emerged and the competitive drum and bugle corps circuit evolved.
Octobans, also known as tube toms, are deep, small diameter, single-head tom-toms. Octobans were originally grouped in melodically-tuned sets of eight, hence the name, in reference to octave and from octo meaning "eight".
Marching percussion instruments are percussion instruments specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness worn by the drummer, although not all marching bands use such harnesses and instead use traditional baldrics to sling their drums.
Rogers Drums is an American multinational drum manufacturer. It was founded in 1849 and originally based in Covington, Ohio. During the twentieth century, their drums enjoyed popularity with musicians spanning from the Dixieland jazz era in the 1920s to classic rock in the 1960s and 1970s, but was particularly associated with big band and swing drummers of the 1940s and 1950s.
Slingerland is a United States manufacturer of drums. The company was founded in 1912 and enjoyed several decades of prominence in the industry before the 1980s. After ceasing operation in the early 1980s, Slingerland was acquired by Gibson, who briefly revived it and owned it until November 2019, before selling Slingerland to DW Drums, who have announced the intention of re-launching the brand. Slingerland is strongly associated with jazz drummers, such as Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, who played signature instruments made by the company. Although primarily known for its drums, in the 1930s Slingerland also produced electric and acoustic guitars, violins, mandolins, banjos and ukuleles.
Ludwig Drums is a United States musical instrument manufacturer, focused on percussion. It is a subsidiary of Conn-Selmer.
Simmons is an electronic drum brand, which originally was a pioneering British manufacturer of electronic drums. Founded in 1978 by Dave Simmons, it supplied electronic kits from 1980 to 1998. The drums' distinctive, electronic sound can be found on countless albums from the 1980s. The company closed in 1999 and the Simmons name is currently owned by Guitar Center.
The Snark is a line of lightweight sailboats, the most popular of which is the two-person, lateen-rigged sailboat Super Snark manufactured and marketed by Meyers Boat Company of Adrian, Michigan. The Snark was initially marketed by Snark Products, Inc. of Fort Lee, New Jersey and has been marketed with numerous slight variations, most prominently as the Sea Snark, Super Snark and Super Sea Snark. Other Snark models include the Sunchaser, and the Sea Skimmer. Among discontinued Snark models are the Triumph trimaran, the Mach I, the Sundancer and the Sea Swinger.
The Simmons SDS 5, SDSV, or Simmons Drum Synthesizer was the first viable electronic replacement for acoustic drums. It was developed by Richard James Burgess and Dave Simmons, manufactured initially by Musicaid in Hatfield, UK, and commercially released in 1981. After Musicaid went bankrupt, Simmons set up a new manufacturing company under his name, Simmons.
Hayman drums was an English musical instruments manufacturer established in 1968. The idea was to come up with a drum kit series to compete with the success of the large American companies of the time.
A light commercial vehicle (LCV) in the European Union, Australia and New Zealand is a commercial carrier vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of no more than 3.5 metric tons (tonnes). The LCV designation is also occasionally used in both Canada and Ireland.
Ayotte Drums, a drum manufacturer based in Bedford, Quebec was founded by Ray Ayotte in 1974, and has been manufacturing drums since 1982. Their drums feature wooden hoops, made of Canadian maple. The drums are also known for their Tune-Lock tensioning system, which both protects the drums' tuning, and provides a quick-release when changing drum heads.
Fibes Drum Company was a US musical instrument manufacturing company that produced drum kits. Founded in 1966, it was acquired by guitar manufacturing company C.F. Martin in 1970 which it sold the Fibes assets to Jim Corder in 1979, who subsequently established his own company, Corder Drums. The "Fibes" name was sold to another party, remaining for a brief time as a drum stick brand, which use ceased in 1994.
Trixon is a former German musical instrument manufacturing company, established in 1947 by Karl-Heinz Weimer. Trixon drums were remarkable for their innovations in their construction, including conical and ellipsoidal shaped shells, and unique designs in mounting hardware. Their product line eventually included vibraphones, xylophones, conga drums and many stands and fittings.
A Corps of Drums, sometimes known as a Fife and Drum Corps, Fifes and Drums or Field Music is a traditional European military music formation. In contrast to a military band, a Corps of Drums' primary role is communication. Historically, music was used as signaling device throughout the day for keeping marching tempo and delivering commands. Today, the primary role of a Corps of Drums is ceremonial, performing in parades and military ceremonies. Besides drums, this formation may contain a variety of instruments including trumpets, bugles, and fifes.
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen was an American musician. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he founded with his brother Alex in 1972.