Drums Fundamentally, most drums are simply cylinders with some sort of
membrane stretched over their open ends. Of course there are exceptions, like single-headed North drums, with their distinctive horn shape, and Staccato drums, whose shape simply defi es description. Both were fi rst depicted in 1977 issues of MD. But overall, the evolution of drums has mainly involved variations of
material, size, and construction method. Shells have been made of wood, metal, acrylic, fi berglass, PVC, and even glass—and sometimes combinations thereof. “Traditional” diameters and depths of the 1950s and ’60s gave way to “power” sizes in the ’70s and ’80s, only to return to shallower and smaller “fast” sizes in the ’90s. We’ve even seen completely shell-less drumkits, like the PureCussion RIMS Headset, which was introduced in the April 1993 issue of Modern Drummer. “Specialty” drums hit the market big time in the late ’70s. These included Remo’s Rototoms,
Octobans were a telltale sign of Stewart Copeland’s ’80s setups with the Police. Stewart was also an early proponent of Paiste’s raw, aggressive Rude series cymbals.
The Dunnett Titanium snare
which saw their fi rst MD mention in April of ’77, as well as Tama’s Octobans and gong bass drums (both seen in the October ’78 issue). These unique instruments became signature kit components for stars like Terry Bozzio, Billy Cobham, Stewart Copeland, Bill Bruford, and Simon Phillips. Variations on all these themes are available in astounding abundance today, from major
manufacturers and custom craftsmen alike. It’s now possible to obtain virtually any size, look, and sound of drum imaginable.
Cymbals When Buddy Rich appeared on the fi rst
Modern Drummer cover, in January 1977, his cymbal setup included one ride, one set of hi-hats, two crashes, a small splash, and a “swish” cymbal. Some rock drummers of the day used more crashes, but Buddy’s confi guration was pretty typical. The ensuing years have seen tremendous
experimentation when it comes to rides, crashes, and hi-hats. Rides have ranged from pingy and clear to dark and washy, and with a big or small bell—and sometimes none at all. (Zildjian’s Flat Top ride appeared in MD’s inaugural issue. The company went to the other extreme two decades later with its Z series Mega-Bell ride.) Hi-hats have swung between small and large diameters, with mixed or matched top and bottom, and with crimped edges or holes in the bottom cymbal to prevent airlock (examples include Paiste’s Sound Edge hats and Zildjian’s Quick Beats, respectively, both introduced in August of ’79). Crashes have ranged from
Manu Katché’s stylish use of splash cymbals helped defi ne hit records by Peter Gabriel, Sting, and Robbie Robertson.
paper-thin to ultra-heavy. And some- times—as in the case of Sabian’s eight-sided Rocktagon, launched in the September ’85 issue—they’re not even round. But again, these are all essentially
variations on an established theme. It’s in the area of special eff ects that the most striking innovation in cymbals over the past forty years has taken place. In the ’70s and ’80s, Stewart Copeland,
Manu Katché, Phil Gould, and others brought splash cymbals into the rock pantheon, often mounting several diff erent sizes and weights around their kits. Variations followed: Paiste Bell cymbals, which were essentially thick splashes, debuted in the May/June ’79 MD. China cymbals gained popularity in the
mid-’80s, largely due to their use by drummers like Neil Peart and Billy Cobham. Wuhan Lion cymbals and LP Rancan Chinas were heavily advertized beginning in the December ’85 issue. China models were subsequently developed by all the major manufacturers. In March of 1989, Zildjian
introduced the EFX Piggyback. This 12" ultra-thin cymbal had a China-style profi le and was expressly designed to be stacked on top of another cymbal. Sabian’s B8 Pro China splashes (September ’91) were thin and quick when played on their own and featured inverted bells to make them stackable. By August of ’92, we saw
48 Modern Drummer January 2016
drum. The company is at the forefront of independent
drum manufacturers that have played an important role in drum design evolution.
The changing shape of bronze: Sabian’s Roctagon and Meinl’s Soundwave lines are examples of a rethinking of cymbal design that continues today.
entire special-purpose lines, like Sabian’s El Sabor series for Latin players. Hard-rockers got Z Oriental Trash Chinas (October ’93) and Z Oriental Trash Hats (August ’94) from Zildjian. These were joined by Sabian’s Rocktagon splashes in December of ’94, Meinl’s wavy-edge Lightning crashes in April of ’95, and Zildjian’s Zil-Bels in December of ’95. Special eff ects entered a new age in
November 2001, when Meinl’s Generation X series introduced pairs of cymbals, including the Safari crash, designed to be stacked atop each other. And in April of 2002 Dave Weckl and Sabian combined to create the HHX Evolution series, which included the O-Zone crash—the fi rst cymbal to have holes cut in it to produce a special sound. Since then we’ve seen China-profi le cymbals riddled with small holes (Meinl’s Filter China, August ’02), cymbals with slots as well as holes (Zildjian’s EFX models), and Paiste’s recently introduced Swiss series, which appear to feature more air space than metal. Who knows what’s next?
Rick Malkin
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