Drum solo

From ArticleWorld

A drum solo is a solo piece or part of a piece that is played on the musical instrument that is classified as a drum kit. A drum solo can be of any length and is typically played with no other instruments, or with ones in the background as support, nothing more. This can be part of a performance with a song or act. The solo may be planned or improvised, many rock and heavy metal bands are famous for this.

As a whole

Unlike most instruments, drum solos are almost always unaccompanied by any other instruments. This is common in the beginning of a song, as an interlude, or the climax of a song.

These have been a major staple of harder music as the drums are among the loudest and more aggressive of all instruments in a typical rack or metal genre band.

Solos in history

Drums played a huge part in various cultures when it came to tradition and ritual. These were either done as drum solos or a group of drums playing union or in succession.

The most well known is the drum lift, this is a passage in which the singing is backed only by the drums. In this passage the drums play a number of solos and are the secondary voice in the piece.

Drum solos in the military

Since the end of the pre gunpowder era, drums have been used in marching and in keeping rhythm in the troops that are moving to a destination. Many of the European forces during this time used this, as did the forces in the United States.

Drums were also used in galleys that had to keep a group of men or slaves in union for rowing their oars.