National Drummer Day
National Drummer Day is a holiday that’s observed every November 15th. As its name implies, this is a holiday that’s dedicated to drummers and the percussive pleasure that they give us all. There have been drums and drummers since the 6th century B.C, but the modern drum set as we know it today has only been around for a little bit over a century.
Over that 100-year period, drummers have breathed life into some of the greatest songs in the world. Just imagine what your favorite song would be without the drum part and you’ll soon understand why drummers are being celebrated on this holiday.
The History Of National Drummer Day
We’re going to refrain from digging into the ancient origins of drumming for this article, and instead are going to focus on the invention and evolution of the modern drum kit. The modern kit was developed in the 1910s and 1920s during the Vaudeville Era in New Orleans, Louisiana. This is also the time when many professional freelance drummers began to gain recognition. Drummers that include Zutty Singleton, Baby Dodds, and Ray Bauduc.
Unfortunately, we currently don’t know who invented National Drummer Day or even when it was invented. We’re pretty sure that this holiday is only a couple of years old, but at this time, we can’t verify that information to know if it’s correct. We’ll continue to try the research the origins of this holiday, but at this moment, it doesn’t appear to be anything else we can find out about.
Interesting Facts About Drums
Before we explain how National Drummer Day is observed, give us a few moments of your time to check out some interesting facts about drums and drummers. We uncovered the following facts while we were doing all of the research for this holiday. So, let’s take a few moments and look at them before we finish up here.
- A drum made from alligator hides was found in Asia. This drum was used in Neolithic China and was made back in 5,500 BC.
- The first workable bass drum pedal system was made in 1909 by Ludwig Drums.
- 30 minutes of drumming burns more calories than 30 minutes of hiking, cycling, or even weight lifting.
- The world’s largest drum kit took 36 years to build and featured 813 pieces.
Observing National Drummer Day
There are about 101 different ways for people to observe this holiday. They can take drumming lessons, listen to the work of their favorite drummers, or buy a new drum kit. They can also spread the news about this holiday using the hashtag #NationalDrummerDay on social media.