Today's battery bears little resemblance to its early ancestors. The trap drum or trap set was initially used for sound effects in vaudeville and for silent films. The pit area for the musicians was not large enough for the whole percussion section (or the salary), so it's a drummer that was playing all the percussion parts needed.

The first drum kits included percussion from around the world as well as sound effects instruments. A bass drum and a snare drum, military or brass bands shaped the central part of the ensemble. A large suspended cymbals, and a few small cymbals from Turkey and China have been added. Also from China, small tom-toms with the skin nailed to them, were attached to the bass drum. Tables have been used to hold a wide range of effects: ratchets, whistles, bird cries, sleigh bells, maracas, wood blocks, bells, and many others. Later, on the base of cymbal also known as lo-hat, lo-boy and charlestown (a small stand with a foot pedal that could be used to ring two small cymbals together) was added, and then replaced by the hi-hat (same idea, but bigger, so that the cymbals could be played with sticks).

The possibilities are now very large for the drummers of the world to adapt their sets to the sounds and styles that they want to create.