Rhythm! Discovery Center

11/08/2024

Thanks to WISH-TV for having us this morning to invite Hoosiers to !

PASIC 2024, the world's largest percussion event, returns to Indianapolis. Discounted tickets for Indiana residents. Learn more at pasic.org/indiana.

08/13/2024

Alan Abel was a legendary performer, teacher, instrument manufacturer, author, and mentor who performed for 6 years with the Oklahoma City Symphony and 40 years with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He is a member of the PAS Hall of Fame.

This Premier Music International Ltd. Connoisseur Snare Drum has been described by other musicians as Abel’s "go to" snare drum for anything having a dynamic range above a mezzo forte. He sometimes paired it with a Hinger Space Tone model for a full range of dynamics and timbres. As Abel's primary snare for several decades, it appears in countless recordings and broadcasts of the Philadelphia Orchestra, including "Pictures at an Exhibition" and "Scheherazade."

The drum’s chrome-plated, brass-shell drum was significantly modified from its original design, and features diecast hoops, slotted rods that require a Premier key or the use of a coin to tension, a Drumworks snare strainer, 12-strand Patterson snares, moleskin placed at two locations on the top counterhoop, a stick-on label with Abel's name and address, and an internal dehumidifier for use with the calfskin heads.

See this legendary snare drum and thousands of other instruments in the Percussive Art Society's Rhythm! Discovery Center online collection at bit.ly/rdconline.

08/06/2024

This tubola and pedal roto tom were designed by Disney Studios percussionist Chet Ricord. The tubola was originally made for a Disney "Pluto" cartoon around 1945 and was used on the soundtracks of animated and feature films produced at Disney Studios until 1980. The tubola stands six feet tall and is composed of a collection of cardboard tubes wrapped in linoleum and set in a wood frame. The tops of the tubes are struck with flat mallets or the soles of shower shoes to produce a resonant "pop." The tubola has a chromatic range of an octave and a half, from F to Middle C.

The roto drum, which was originally used in the “Herbie” movies, predates the manufacture of roto toms by Remo, Inc. Its simple, inventive design has a pedal near the floor connected to the rim of the drum by a network of cables. When the pedal is depressed, the wires create tension on the drumhead to bend the sound through a range of pitches.

Both instruments were used for the soundtracks of Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Bad News Bears Breaking Training, and Natty Gan.

See these legendary instruments and thousands of others in the Percussive Arts Society's Rhythm! Discovery Center online collection at bit.ly/rdconline.

07/30/2024

The Japanese tsuzumi is a hand drum with a wooden body shaped like an hourglass, with skin heads of a larger diameter than the center wooden cylinder. This Gaku No Tsuzumi has wire rims that are painted black on the overhang with 10 holes evenly spaced around the edge and ornamental stitching. The center cylinder is painted black with gold leaf pheasants and leaves. The tsuzumi’s two drum heads have cords that can be squeezed or released to increase or decrease the tension of the heads, allowing a musician to raise or lower the pitch. This tsuzumi is a gift to the collection from Emil Richards.

See this Japanese hand drum and hundreds of other international drums in the Rhythm! Discovery Center online collection at bit.ly/rdconline.

07/23/2024

This rope-tuned snare drum is nearly 145 years old! According to the label inside the shell, it was made by Boston’s John C. Haynes & Co. in August 1880. The drum has a honey-colored wooden shell with dark rims, calfskin heads, and leather ears on ropes. As you might expect at its age, this snare shows some wear and a few tears, but is a precious example of a drum from this time period. It was a gift to the Rhythm! Discovery Center collection from Tom Lonardo.

See this historical drum and thousands of other instruments in the Rhythm! Discovery Center online collection at bit.ly/rdconline.

07/20/2024

Looking forward to this!

Join us for a day of FREE family fun at the 2024 SoundSport International Music and Food Festival, presented by Jazz Wealth! Experience amazing performances from 20 SoundSport teams and bands, drumline battles, food trucks, engaging exhibits, DCI history displays, merchandise vendors, and much more!

Stop by Rhythm! Discovery Center's booth space to learn more about historical drums and artifacts! Save the date for August 10th, 2024, from 10 AM to 4 PM, across from Lucas Oil Stadium!

07/15/2024

Ed Shaughnessy was a swing and jazz drummer who worked with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, and many others throughout the 1950s and 1960s. And he played in other ensembles, including in the house band at Birdland in NYC and as a member of the “Sesame Street” orchestra! But Shaughnessy was best known as a longtime member of The Tonight Show Band under Doc Severinson, most notably during the Johnny Carson years. He spent 29 years behind the kit at The Tonight Show.

This floor tom is a gift to the collection from Shaughnessy himself. It was made by the Ludwig Drum Company around 1963. The top head is signed by Shaughnessy with black marker and reads, "Played on over 5,000 'Tonight' Shows / 1963-1992".

See this legendary drum and thousands of other instruments in the Percussive Arts Society’s online collection at bit.ly/rdconline.

07/12/2024

Join us today at SPARK on the Circle in downtown Indianapolis for an open drum circle from 12-1! We'll be doing this every other Friday this summer with . Try your hand and learn a few rhythms. Brought to you by Indy's own Percussive Arts Society.

07/09/2024

In 1933, Clair Omar Musser, an employee of the J. C. Deagan Company, assembled a group of 100 musicians to perform as a "marimba orchestra" on the steps of the Hall of Science building for the Chicago World’s Fair. The World’s Fair Marimba Band performed twice a day from August 19-26, 1933.

For these performances, Musser designed a unique Century of Progress marimba that was
symmetrical in appearance in keeping with the art deco designs utilized throughout the fair. Decorated in green mother of pearl, the 100 marimbas were built for and purchased by their designated players, each one bearing a triangular plaque with the player’s name. Of the 100 instruments, 25 had a range of 4 1/2 octaves (C-F), while 75 had a range of 3 1/2 octaves (F-C). This marimba was built for Rudolph Robert Willmann with a range of 4 1/2 octaves and the owner’s plaque lists it as serial number 55. The symmetrically designed art deco resonators split apart for transportation.

See this marimba and thousands of other instruments in the Rhythm! Discovery Center online collection at bit.ly/rdconline.

07/02/2024

We have a special one for you this 4th of July week: This rattle was used at public meetings in the 19th Century to keep the assembly quiet— Proving that percussion is essential to democracy! It is a block of varnished wood, in the middle on one side there is a varnished curved handle fastened by a long square head bolt. See more historical "instruments" and instruments in our online collection at bit.ly/rdconline

06/28/2024

Join us today at SPARK on Monument Circle for a drum circle from noon-1 pm! We do these every other Friday this summer - open to all ages and complete beginners!

06/25/2024

This Marimba Grande de Guatemala shows some wear and tear, but even with some missing and damaged carvings, it’s still a beautiful example of Guatemalan craftsmanship. This marimba grande covers 6 1/2 octaves with bars made of hormigo wood. Each resonator is separate from the others -- 78 individual pieces. The marimba can be separated lengthwise and parts can stand independently. It’s designed so that four performers can work together to coax melodies from the instrument. They can play different parts of a song: two playing the melody, with others on harmony and bass, all using three mallets. The sound is created by striking bars causing vibrations that are amplified by the resonator, the rectangular chamber below. This marimba was a gift to the collection from Emil Richards.

See the Marimba Grande de Guatemala and thousands of other instruments in the Rhythm! Discovery Center online collection at bit.ly/rdconline.