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Snare drum

The most prominent drum is the snare- or side drum. Side drum, since it is usually carried on one side, generally over the shoulder. Snare drum, because of a metal cord runs along the top and bottom of the drum (snare bed). This gives the drum its sharp and crispy sound. They were spotted in the 15th century; Rembrandt portrayed them in the "Nachtwacht". Back then they played the drum with one stick instead of two. The snares moved from the top part to the bottom. The ruffle, a characteristic exercise on the drum, also found its origin in that time.

In the 15th century the blower and the drummer were responsible
for giving orders in the army for the daily activities. Moreover they
provided entertainment and were used during marching. In the 16th
century the Scottish used the drum to march their soldiers into war. In 1533 the Scottish drum was known as "Swasche talbum". In the 19th century the British allowed that the drums were combined with the bagpipes in the 'Scottish regiment or the British Army'. This was a great success and the first military bands were born. Shortly after that the first civilian bands arose. They developed the unique Scottish style drumming.

The reason why the techniques of the Scottish drummer deviate from the drum unions is because they were especially made for music and not for the drums. Since pipers mainly play gracings and trioles it was necessary for the drummer to play with as much 'swing' as possible. New ruffles were developed by means of trioles. The strokes of the sticks and notes make the drum music more melodious and less mechanic. The same goes for the tenor and bass. This distinct way of playing also added to the visual aspect. This mainly originated from the competitions that started. At the end of the 1930's dynamics, accents and techniques were mainly added. I a short period of time the Scottish developed an
exclusive and specialized style.

Tenor

A tenor drum already existed in the Middle-Ages; without snares and deeper then the snare drum. This was also called the Swiss-drum, because the Swiss used it in their army. People also called them kettle-drum. Only late in the 19th century the tenor was considered a drum. The sound is 'deeper'. Around 1834 the British started to use this drum with the snare drums and bagpipes. They developed their own style, also for the visual aspect.

Bass

The bass has the longest history of Scottish percussion instruments. This is and was a lot larger and usually was carried on someone's back or chest. It was mostly use at
ceremonial and religious events. Nowadays it is still carried on the chest
but is lighter and is played by the person carrying it. Around 1700 they
were used by Haydn and Mozart for their military symphony. Around 1900
they appeared in Scottish and British military bands. They are mainly used
to make it easier for the piper to play their melody. Scottish pipe band
percussion instruments are still unique when it comes to the used materials to create the special sound. A Scottish drummer has a style of many techniques and an undeniable dynamic control. This traditional Scottish style has probably become the most desirable style of the world.