I chose to write this essay on the drums, which is an instrument that I play myself. The drum is one of the oldest instruments known to man and has been used by many cultures around the world. Primitive tribal societies used drums to celebrate victory in battle as well as in ritual dances and worship of deities. The battery (also known as the battery or trap), however, is an American invention whose rise was seen in the late 19th century. This is an instrument that has taken the work of several percussionists and transformed it into something that can be mastered by one; a phenomenal machine that has only gotten better with time and continues to develop over the years. The drum kit has no definitive inventor but, on the contrary, many pioneers and innovators in the field. As the name suggests, drums are a set of various drums and cymbals played by a single drummer using his hands and feet. The first recognizable ancestors of modern drumming arose during the Vaudeville era. Financial and spatial considerations demanded that fewer percussionists cover more percussion parts. Porter/Hullman/Hazel (1993). This was also seen in early North American marching bands; Whenever the need arose for these bands to perform "indoors", they needed a way to save space and therefore found it impractical to have more than one drummer . From there, ingenious innovations began to flourish. Two such examples are the creation of the snare drum stand and the bass drum pedal, where previously the snare drum was either hung around the drummer's neck or placed on a stool and the bass drum was played with a stick. The very first bass drum pedal was created in 1909 by William F. Ludwig Sr., percussion...... middle of paper ...... drum playing has long been a male-dominated field time . However, drummers like Nikki Glaspie and Cheryl Muchapondwa inspired me to achieve great heights. Many other female drummers have made a huge impression on the drumming world. Such examples are Gene Krupa (1909-1973) who encouraged a drum company to develop tom-toms with tunable upper and lower heads (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Krupa, accessed 04/ 09/2013). ). Another example is Buddy Rich (1917-1987), billed as "the greatest drummer in the world" and known for his virtuoso technique, power, groove and speed. Yanow, Scott. “Buddy Rich” (2007).The drum kit is a very versatile mix of percussion instruments. It truly is a phenomenal machine that has only gotten better with time and will hopefully continue to progress to greater heights..