The Origins of 4 Popular Drum Kit Brands

 

If you are a drummer yourself or at least have interest in this particular musical instrument you are well aware of the few leading drum brands around the world. There are indeed a large number of high quality drum kit brands in the market these days, with many having stories that date back a century or more. 

In this month’s blog article, we’re having a look at the histories of just a couple of these great brands.

Pearl

Pearl, arguably the most recognisable brand name in drumming industry, was founded in Tokyo just after the Second World War. The company started out as a manufacturer of music stands - which seems like quite a specific niche industry - but soon branched out. In 1950, 4-5 years after the founding of the company, he started producing drums and by 1953 all manner of percussion instruments and accessories including kits, cymbals, stands and timpani. 

The rock n’ roll era in the 1960s saw Pearl start selling and distributing products worldwide.

Tama Drums

Tama Drums also originates from Japan, and was originally marketed as ‘Star Drums’. The products were manufactured in the same building as products of the Ibanez brand were in the early days. From its founding in 1965 until the late 1970s, the brand found success in the US selling lower-cost drums that measured up favourably compared to more expensive and arguably lower quality American brands at the time. 

From the 80s till today, the brand has focused on delivering quality and distributes some of the most dependable drums available in the market.

DW Drums

DW Drums has quite an interesting story, dating back to 1972 and coming out of Santa Monica, California. Don Lombardi is the founder however he originally started the company as a teaching studio - true to its name Drum Workshop was just that, with Don offering private lessons and workshopping too. To cover overheads, management was forced into selling some equipment on the side. They struck gold when they put together the height adjustable trap seat, which allows for easier transportation of drums and cymbals. 

The demand for this product took off and DW Drums became a full-time manufacturer of drum equipment.

Gretsch 

 

One of the oldest musical instrument manufacturers, Gretsch started out as a small shop in Brooklyn and was founded in 1883 by a German immigrant of the same name. It was his son, Friedrich Jr. that took the company to greater heights as he moved the shop to a large, 10-story building soon after he took over. In the early 1900s, Gretsch became one of the most trusted names in musical instruments and was producing everything from banjos and guitars to drums and percussion instruments.

Until 1967, the company was run by the Gretsch family - at this time i was sold to a larger music company called Baldwin. Unfortunately, the company faltered over the years that followed and was eventually reacquired by Fred W. Getsch in 1985. Today, the company stands as one of the leaders in the guitars and drums.

These brands certainly have some interesting stories! If you’re in the market for a drum kit, check out the range from these manufacturers and others at Drummers Paradise.

New Study Finds Drummers’ Intelligence Linked to Drumming Patterns

In a recent Swedish study conducted on drummers and their abilities to keep a beat, new findings have emerged to show that drummers may no longer be the butt of band jokes. The study revealed that drummers’ brains have an innate ability to see patterns and shapes that allowed the researches to conclude that drummers are on the whole, highly intelligent beings after all.

The study looked at the ways drummers could keep a constant beat whilst being asked questions relating to an intelligence test. The test comprised of over 60 questions and quizzed musicians on a number of cognitive tests designed to test the entire brain.

The drummers were asked to keep a steady beat throughout the quizzing which was aimed to test if outside factors could influence the timing of the drummers or their ability to think cognitively whilst performing a task. The study found a big correlation between the quiz results as well as the ability to keep time during the tests.

In a recent Swedish study conducted on drummers and their abilities to keep a beat, new findings have emerged to show that drummers may no longer be the butt of band jokes. The study revealed that drummers’ brains have an innate ability to see patterns and shapes that allowed the researches to conclude that drummers are on the whole, highly intelligent beings after all.

 

Pattern Spotting and Drum Fills

For those drummers who did well on the intelligence test, and answered the most questions right, they were able to keep the best timing when it came to their drumming ability. Those who kept poor timing did less well. The study concluded that the drummers’ ability to keep a beat was being driven by a part of the brain that associated patterns and shapes and allowed them to concentrate on the questions.

It is often the case that some people feel as though they are on autopilot when performing tasks that they regularly perform, and with no need to truly think about what they are doing. Most of us take for granted the ability to move our arms or legs, but think for a second what it would be like to have to think about moving each muscle to move just one leg.

 

Like Being On Autopilot

This autopilot mode in drumming is controlled in the part of the brain that also recognises shapes and patterns. This gives us, and more specifically drummers, the ability for their brain to take over the majority of the work when it comes to coordination between fills and concentrate on enjoying the music.

This ability to be able to quickly see patterns, adjust and employ a level of sophisticated creativeness to their drumming means drummers have the ability to apply this in other aspects of their lives. Drummers can therefore be great learners, take on tasks and understand them quicker as well as leaving their brain do all the manual work while they can enjoy themselves at the back of the stage.

 

No Longer the Butt of Jokes

Drumming is an essentially learned-skill that takes years to become accomplished and even more to master. This is probably why many drummers feel they are unfairly treated when it comes to jokes about the band.

But the evidence couldn’t be any clearer; drummers are drastically different from the rest of us, and have an innate ability to be able to keep time and could be the smartest member of the band. No longer being the butt of jokes within the band, it won’t be long before everyone turns to the bassist to blame the timing on.

Image:  prlog.org,jonmccaslinjazzdrummer.blogspot

Tama: A Musical Instrument with a Difference & a Rock drummer's dream

Despite recent declines in the level of popularity enjoyed by traditional musical instruments due to advancements in beat-making software development, drums like Tama and Mapex have somehow managed to remain relevant because of the unique sounds they create.

Tama drums are manufactured by Hoshino Gakki in Japan. Hoshino Gakki started manufacturing these drum sets in 1965, and since then Tama has remained the brand name for their line of drum sets. Even though Tama is a more recent addition to the market, it has already been proved to be very effective drum set and innovative in differentiating their drum sets from the competition.

Innovation in the Tama drums and hardware, such as the floating drum mounting system, called the star cast system, allows the tom toms to resonate more freely and easily.  This is possible because the tom tom supports do not intrude into the drum as it helps to hold the drum in place at the upper rim. And precisely because of this reason, a better sound can be produced on the tom toms.  Pretty neat indeed! isn't it!  Tama is also well known it's super heavy duty hardware on its drum sets. They also have some innovations when it comes to cymbal stands and snare stands.

There are several types of tama drums in the market today that include Star classic bubinga elite and EFX, Star classic bubinga/bubinga EFX, Star classic bubinga omni-tune, Star classic maple, and Star classic performer B/B and B/B EFX.  These drums are mainly made of wood and not really very difficult to play. 

Known for their excellent value, durability and quality, Tama drumsets are used by famous luminaries as Stewart Copeland of The Police and Lars Ulrich of Metallica.