For swing drummers of the 1930’s and 40’s, the foundation and centerpiece of the time
was the high hat and bass drum. For the new wave of be bop drummers, the focal point
became the ride cymbal. The drum set up into this point in history was viewed as the
main time keeper in the band. The drummer was the leader of the time and the rhythm
section. Be-bop drummers utilized the drum set to change color and textures within an
arrangement by playing fills and adding rhythmic comments. The time feel was also
much lighter and the drum sizes were smaller. A typical be bop drum set consists of an
18” bass drum, 12” mounted tom, and a 14” large tom.
A very important innovation that took place in the mid 1950’s that changed the sound and
feel of the drum was the advent of the synthetic drum head. All recordings made before
1957 feature the sound of drums with calfskin heads. After Remo Beli invented the
plastic head, most drummers switched due to the difficulty in keeping calf in tune. On a
hot, humid day, the tuning of the drum would be lower because of the moist air affecting
the heads. During the winter when it was dry, the heads would become very tight forcing
the player to wet the heads in order to play on them. Calf tends to respond with a slower
rebound with a stick and can feel softer and less abrasive than plastic. With calf, if the
temperature and humidity are just right, you can get a thud sound from the bass drum that
is unrivaled. Brushes also sound great when played on calf heads. The sounds of the wire
as they sweep across the head feel different than plastic. The heads, if cared for, tend to
last longer too.
The 1950’s also saw new developments and improvements in hardware design. In 1959,
Rogers Drum Company developed a tom holder with a ball and socket design called the
Swiv-O-Matic permitting a player greater flexibility when positioning mounted toms on
the bass drum.
The nylon tip drum stick was also invented in the late 1950’s by Joe Calato. This advance
helped a player increase their stick definition producing an articulate sound on a thinner,
low pitched cymbal. Like plastic drum heads, some drummers switched to nylon tip
sticks while others continued using wood on calf skin heads. Buddy Rich for example
loved the sound and consistency of plastic heads but preferred the sound of wood tip
sticks. Mel Lewis loved calf skin heads and used them on his snare drum and bass drum
but favored nylon tip sticks on his thin K Zildjian Cymbals.