The drum kit is an instrument of great importance to most forms of popular music ever since its conception in the late nineteenth century. The bass drum pedal is key to bringing the drum kit together; utilizing the player’s foot gives freedom for both hands to be used elsewhere. This device is considered to have been invented for the first trap drummers, and it is true that the drum kit was truly born when the bass drum pedal became adopted amongst early percussionists. However, this article presents a history of the bass drum pedal that predates the drum kit far earlier than previously considered.

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Drummers, in providing a cohesive role in a group setting, are generally valued by other instrumentalists depending on their ability to accompany sensitively and supportively; while important to all forms of popular music in which the drum kit features, the part itself is usually not created to exist independently. In recent times of lockdown and enforced isolation during the first half of 2020, drummers have found themselves deprived of the ability to make music with other people in a traditional live setting. This article examines the drummer’s reliance on the group, the value that this gives the drum kit, and the implications for identity and purpose of the drummer. In reflecting on the author’s own situation of musical ‘standstill’, and in conversation with other drummers, this article discusses the consequences this has for the drum kit (creative autonomy as an instrument) and for the drummer (implications for drummer’s self-identity), in how it may be taught, learned and viewed in the wider context of music making.

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