Tom drum

A tom drum (also known as a tom-tom) is a cylindrical drum with no snares. It got its name from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. Tom drums became part of the drum kit in the early 1900s. Most toms are between 15 and 50 centimetres (6 and 20 inches) wide, but special kinds like floor toms can be as wide as 60 centimetres (24 inches). These drums are popular in music because they add depth and rhythm to different styles of playing.

Design history

The drum called "Thammattama" was played by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka in Buddhist rituals. It was often heard in Theravada Buddhist temple Vihāras together with a reed instrument called horanava. The name might come from a Tamil word, but the Western tom-tom drums look more like the Sri Lankan version.

When British colonists heard these drums in South Asia, they called them "tom-toms." The name likely started in Sri Lanka (called Ceylon back then) or South India. Sometimes people thought the name came from China, but that is not correct. The first American tom-tom drums had no rims and were called "Chinese" toms. In 1936, the Slingerland company made fully tunable tom-toms with rims, tension rods, and lugs, working with Gene Krupa. These drums came in different sizes and were either attached to the bass drum or stood on the floor. The sizes Krupa chose became standard for many years. Later, deeper mounted toms called power toms were made, but very deep ones never became popular. All these drums had two heads.

Modern versions

Many different setups of tom drums exist and are used by musicians.

Classic rock setups

Standard diameters

In the 1950s and early 1960s, it was common to have just one hanging tom that was 13 inches across and one floor tom that was 16 inches across.

A basic rock setup usually includes 12-inch and 13-inch hanging toms, plus a 16-inch floor tom. The size of the drums is given as diameter × depth in inches. For more details about these sizes, see drum size conventions.

A basic fusion setup has toms that are 10 inches, 12 inches, and 14 inches across. These terms do not tell us how deep the drums are. For example, the 14-inch drum in a fusion setup might be 10, 11, or 12 inches deep, or it could be a 14×14 floor tom.

The words "fusion" and "rock" were created by drum companies for marketing. They do not have strict meanings but are commonly used to describe these setups.

Standard depths

From the 1950s to the 1980s, the usual sizes for rack toms were 12×8 and 13×9. This "classic" setup is still liked by many. Concert toms became popular in the early 1970s. Ludwig made single-headed toms in sizes like 6x5.5, 8x5.5, 10x6.5, 12x8, 13x9, 14x10, 15x12, 16x14, and others, mounted in pairs on a stand.

"FAST" sizes are 10×8, 12×9, 13×10, and so on. This term was used by DW but other drum makers used it too. The "New standard" sizes — 10×9, 12×10, 13×11, etc. — are 2 inches deeper than the standard sizes from the 1950s. "Power" toms are one inch deeper than standard, with sizes like 10×9 or 10×10, 12×11, 13×12. These became more popular than the classic setup in the 1980s. Square toms — 10×10, 12×12, 13×13, etc. — were common in the 1980s and 1990s. Hyperdrive toms have shallow depths and were first popularised by Tama in sizes like 10×6.5, 12×7, 13×7.5, and others.

Variations

Single-headed tom-toms, also called concert toms, were used in drum kits but are less common now. They have one head and are a bit shallower than double-headed toms. They are easier to tune because they don’t have a bottom head to adjust.

Rototoms are different because they don’t have a shell—they just have a single head and a steel frame. Their pitch can be changed by rotating the head, making them useful for specific musical notes.

A gong bass drum is a large, single-headed tom that sounds similar to a bass drum but with a longer, more open sound. It is often mounted at an angle next to other drums.

A floor tom is a double-headed drum, usually as deep as it is wide, and is placed on three legs to the right of a right-handed drummer. It has a deep, resonant sound.

Construction and manufacture

A tom drum is made of a shell and metal parts that hold the drumhead in place. The shell can be made from wood layers, solid wood, or even man-made materials like fiberglass. The metal parts are designed to hold the drumhead tightly and allow the drum to be attached to a stand or another drum.

The shell's shape is very important for the drum's sound. Many types of wood and other materials are used to make the shell, and they can be painted in many colors and styles. Different systems are used to attach the drum to stands or other drums, making it easy for drummers to position and play the tom. Some systems attach to the shell directly, while others use clamps to hold the drum without affecting its sound.

Sound