When did the modern drum kit setup come into use? Why do some drummers use two bass drums? If someone has two bass drums, how does he/she play a hi-hat?
I think the idea of a drum kit (usually “drum set” in the US) surfaced in the early 20th century with popular jazz big bands, not sure if there’s a clear “first set drummer”. This site has lots of references but no actual info. I thought that Ginger Baker was the first one to use a double bass but then I saw one reference that said some jazz drummers like Buddy Rich and Louie Bellson used them too. Obviously you can’t use three foot pedals at once, so they may have alternated between the two basses and one bass and the high-hat.
By the way, hon, are you gewin downy ewshin now that the weather’s gettin’ nicer?
Yeah, we’re gewin downy ewshin in June, after school’s out.
Two bass (kick) drums allow the drummer to produce bass hits in much more rapid succession than cycling a single drum & pedal. This also allows the two heads to be tuned differently, if so desired. When two bass heads are used, one pedal is in the standard position, and one placed adjacent to the hat pedal on the left side, with a mechanical link to a striker in front of the second head. While it is possible to strike both bass heads and close the hat simultaneously, for most music the use of the left bass pedal typically precludes operating the hat at the same time.
-FK
Two bass drums also take up a lot of space, so for someone who doesn’t require the amount of air moved by two bass drums will often look towards a double pedal.
The drumset basically came into being around the turn of the 20th century when a foot pedal was invented to strike the bass drum while playing the snare drum, making play by one person possible. Both drums were usually cast-off marching models, having large sizes such as 28" or greater for the bass drum and 12 x 15" for the snare.
Things quickly evolved, and it’s a safe guess that Gene Krupa was the first drummer to have a drumset that most closely resembles the modern set-up. This is mainly because toms back then had one or both heads tacked on fast instead of being tunable, and Krupa requested a kit from Slingerland having toms tunable top and bottom. Also, floor toms used to be placed in a cradle much like a modern snare drum stand, and, IIRC, his had legs. He also is responsible for innovations such as the “consolette” mount (known as a “tom rail” as well as a “Krupa-style mount”; this is a mini-version of a “console”, an old-fashioned rack on which drums, temple blocks, cymbals, cowbells, etc., etc. were mounted).
Even though you didn’t ask, the hi-hat cymbal had its first incarnation in the “Charleston Snowshoe Cymbals”, a trap (short for ‘contraption’) invented in the 1920’s to add a bit of crispness to the backbeat. These were basically two cymbals: one was attached to a paddle-like board placed on the floor, and the other cymbal was attached to another board hinged onto the bottom board. The drummers foot was then attached by means of a strap to this contraption, and rose his foot up and down to play the cymbals. A stand evolved, and drummers got the idea to play the cymbals with sticks by the early 30’s.
I forgot a link to a picture of a double pedal: http://www.americanmusical.com/item.asp?item=YAP+DFP9410&SRC=Y0202LS0HAMMUSSU