Drum kit - A musical instrument?

[callumacrae]

I am a drummer and I am having this big debate with my family about whether a drumkit is a music instrument or not. You CAN tune a drumkit and so I think it is a musical instrument.

 

[voice]

I'm going to agree with you that, yes, a drumkit is an instrument; I disagree on why, however. A bugle can't be tuned (as far as I know), but it's still a musical instrument. A car can be tuned, but it's not (traditionally) a musical instrument.
I think a drumkit is a musical instrument becasue it produces an element of music, and rhythm is an oh-so important element. In the application of percussion and rhythm, anything can become an instrument. Even the odd cannoneer finds himself to be a percussionist when someone gets it into his head to play the 1812 Overture like it ought to be played. Percussion, and by extension the drumkit, is an essential, beautiful element in music that crosses the boundaries of language and culture. It is the oldest and simplest form of music, and second only in purity to the musical qualities of the human voice. By playing the drumkit, you are celebrating the collective memory of your species spanning from the time man first beat on a hollow log with a rock.
See what you family thinks of that!
-J

 

[Jesse]

Drum Kit is a Musical Instrument...
It is used in creating cool/rock musics

 

[otherside]

If you listen to Tom Waits (and if you don't you should), your view on musical instruments go way beyond drums.

 

[callumacrae]

I'm going to agree with you that, yes, a drumkit is an instrument; I disagree on why, however. A bugle can't be tuned (as far as I know), but it's still a musical instrument. A car can be tuned, but it's not (traditionally) a musical instrument.
I think a drumkit is a musical instrument becasue it produces an element of music, and rhythm is an oh-so important element. In the application of percussion and rhythm, anything can become an instrument. Even the odd cannoneer finds himself to be a percussionist when someone gets it into his head to play the 1812 Overture like it ought to be played. Percussion, and by extension the drumkit, is an essential, beautiful element in music that crosses the boundaries of language and culture. It is the oldest and simplest form of music, and second only in purity to the musical qualities of the human voice. By playing the drumkit, you are celebrating the collective memory of your species spanning from the time man first beat on a hollow log with a rock.
See what you family thinks of that!
-J

They think that because each drum cannot change pitch while it is playing, then is is not a musical instrument. It is several instrument combined (even I agree with that).

I agree with the percussion being a musical instrument. I also play the glock, which cannot be tuned.

Bugles can be tuned. They are tuned with the lips while playing. Thats what the bugle player I convinently know said.

 

[roctronic]

why wouldnt a drum be an instrument,

it plays loud nosies that sounds cool and works

pretty well with other weird sounds

 

[BentFX]

In my estimation a solid beat is the basis that all decent music is built on. One of the local high schools has a great percussion group... They play some awesome stuff, including a dueling kettle drums bit that you just can't sit still through.

 

[mattura]

depends on who's playing!

 

[callumacrae]

depends on who's playing!

Yes, I suppose so.
Someone like Dave Macintosh wouldn't play a 'musical' drumkit. He is the drummer of dragonforce and he just hits the drums, and doesn't use dynamics mostly.

Someone like Neil Peart, on the other hand, who uses all the kit and percussion as well, would play a 'musical' drumkit. I saw him live a few months ago, and he was amazing.

 

[bigjoe4]

Of corse it's a musical instrument it makes music

 

[callumacrae]

It doesn't make music. It makes something to build music on, according to my family. They are all wrong