Drum (Ger. trommel; Fr. tambour, a modification of tabour; timbral and tambourine are other forms of the word tabour or tambour), an instrument of percussion, in which a skin of parchment, stretched on a frame of wood or metal, is beaten with an instrument called a drumstick. There are three varieties of the drum: the kettle-drum, the side-drum, and the bass-drum. The first is the only one which can really claim to be a musical instrument, playing a definite note in harmony with the music it accompanies. The kettle-drum (Fr. timbale, Ger. pauke, Ital. timpano) consists of a kettle, or shell, of brass or copper, generally hemispherical, over the month of which the skin is stretched by means of an iron ring, which is also provided with screws and keys for tightening the skin to tune it to any note within its compass. Two (and sometimes three) are required in a full orchestra; the larger should have a compass from F to C, the smaller from B♭ to F on the bass stave; and they require to be tuned to the proper notes, as indicated in the music. They are played upon with whalebone sticks, having at one end a wooden button covered with sponge or other soft material. The roll, a most effective part of its music, is performed with single alternate and very rapid strokes of the sticks, about one-fourth of the diameter from one side. The only military use made of the kettle-drum is in cavalry bands, which carry two, possibly because two are more easily balanced on a horse's shoulders than one, rather than from any musical reason.
The side-drum, or snare-drum, is more essentially a military instrument, though sometimes also used in orchestras. It consists of a brass or wood cylinder, with a skin head at each end. These are tightened by means of hoops over the heads, laced with an endless cord passing zigzag-wise from head to head, and braced with leather braces, or more usually with rods and screws. Across the lower end several catgut cords, or snares, are tightly stretched in contact with the skin, causing a rattle when the other end is beaten. When anything is put between these snares and the skin to prevent the rattle, the drum is said to be muffled, and is so used at funerals. It is played upon on the centre of the upper end by means of two hard wood sticks with a knob at one end. The roll for the side-drum consists in striking two blows alternately with each stick. It is called daddy-mammy, from the sound. The side-drum was formerly used as a signal instrument, and the drummer is still an army institution (see BAND); but the Bugle (q.v.) does the signalling, the drum only being used with the music in marching.
The bass-drum (Ital. gran tamburo or gran cassa, Fr. grosse caisse) is of similar construction, having two heads, played with a stick having a soft round knob, the centre of the head being struck. The side and bass drums being only used to mark the rhythm of the music, are not tuned to any particular note. The orchestral bass-drum is very often made much larger in diameter than the military instrument, and with a shorter cylinder.
A Drum-head Court-martial, so called because originally held round the big drum, is a hasty council or court-martial held in the field when it is necessary to punish an offender on the spot and without delay. By the Army Act of 1881 a Summary Court-martial was instituted to take its place in the British army.
The Tambourine (q.v.) is another species of drum. The ancient Romans used small hand-drums—some resembling tambourines and others kettle-drums—in their religious dances; and the Parthians are said to have used them in war to give signals. They are believed to have been first introduced to western Europe by the Crusaders.