Brake drums are percussion vessel idiophones of the resting bell type, probably originating in North America in the 20th century. They are repurposed motor vehicle parts used primarily in contemporary American and European percussion ensemble compositions. However, in the steel band music tradition of Trinidad and Tobago, they are part of the ‘engine room’ percussion battery. Professional percussionists active in contemporary music often assemble a collection of variously-pitched brake drums from scrapyards.

The individual brake drums are bowl shaped with a hole at their apex and made of metal. Because they are molded and come in a variety of diameters and thicknesses, the relative pitch of a brake drum varies.

Typically, brake drums are placed on a padded flat surface with their rims facing upward to be struck with hammer-like blows from handheld, metal-headed hammers used as beaters. Sets of relatively-pitched brake drums are assembled by a percussionist as dictated by the directions of the individual composer. The metal-on-metal striking of brake drums produces clear and penetrating sounds.

The incorporation of brake drums into contemporary Western percussion ensemble music can probably be dated to the late 1930s and credited to John Cage (he calls for four brake drums in his 1939 composition First Construction in Metal) and other like-spirited composers of that time including Lou Harrison.