Did you know that the world’s largest drum is nearly 20 feet tall and weighs over 15,000 pounds?! At CPS, we love learning about impressive feats of human ingenuity and sharing what we know with you! Read on to find out more about this incredible Korean instrument and other record-setting drums around the globe.
The use of drums can be traced back to at least 5500 BC when they were used in religious ceremonies and other celebrations by ancient Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Mesopotamian, and Roman cultures. Over the last several millenniums, the instrument and its uses have significantly evolved, and today, it is played for all different purposes by millions of musicians worldwide.
Here are a few of our favorite world records from recent years set by drummers all around the globe:
Largest Drum
(July 6, 2011) The largest drum in the world is a traditional Korean “CheonGo” drum that Yeong Dong-Gun, Seuk Je Lee, and local government members made. It measures 18’2” in diameter, is 19’6” tall, and weighs a whopping 7 tonnes – that’s over 15,000 pounds!
Guinness World Records – largest drum
Largest Drum Set
(March 21, 2013) Dr. Mark Temperato of Lakeville, New York, is the proud owner of the world’s largest drum set which comprises 813 pieces. It takes four people to assemble in fifteen hours and has increased in size for over 30 years.
Largest Drum Ensemble
(June 29, 2007) To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China, the Hong Kong Federation of Young Groups assembled the world’s largest drum ensemble to play at the “Dragon Jamboree” concert. 10,045 drummers from Hong Kong, mainland China, Macau, and Taiwan gathered for the event at the Hong Kong Coliseum.
Guinness World Records – loudest drum hit by a crowd
Loudest Simultaneous Drum Hit by a Crowd
(May 25, 2019) Organized by Oscar Martinez Escamilla, over 100 drummers gathered in Quintanar de la Orden, Toledo, Spain, to achieve the loudest simultaneous drum hit by a crowd. The sound measured 127.7 decibels (s) (C-weighted), which is approximately equivalent to hearing a jet engine take off 200 feet away.
Longest Drumming Marathon by an Individual
(August 19, 2015) To increase awareness and raise funds for Cardiac Kids in support of the SickKids Foundation, Steve Gaul performed the longest marathon drumming by an individual in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, for 134 hours and 5 minutes.
Longest Group Drum Roll
(May 3, 2014) In honor of the 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines, the Corps of Drums of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Band Service (UK) performed the world’s longest group drum roll by taking turns playing the same single snare drum for a total of 64 hr 27 min 59 sec.
Longest Line of Drums
(February 19, 2019) Composed of 2,020 drums, the Haidong Municipal People’s Government celebrated the Chinese Lantern Festival by assembling the world’s longest line of drums, which measured 1,593 ft 7 in.
While we’re not quite all CPS musicians, we know a lot about drums – storage drums, that is! In fact, drum conditioning is one of our specialties. Check out our drum massagers, and see why they are the best choice for removing hardened processing materials from inside your drums.
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