About the Cover

A drum is an instrument that creates sound by striking an object against a stretched membrane. Drums date back to 6000 B.C. Cylindrical drums, like the Tom Quad pictured on the cover, originated in ancient Mesopotamia.

In 1995, a machine was developed that calculated the number of strokes in a 90-second time span. This invention paved the way for speed drumming competitions. In January 2005, Mike Mangini set the current world record with 1,203 single stroke rolls in one minute, or 20.05 strokes per second.