The drum plays a key role in the ancient rites due to the rite norm. Different drums, namely Shan(鱓) , Tuo(鼍) and Kui(夔) , represent not only the spatial diversity of ethic groups in different regions, but also three phases of the concept evolu-tion of the drum. Both Shan(鱓) are Tuo(鼍) are alligator drums with the former a combination of middle pole rite and the lat-ter a representation of the association between fish and frog and loong. Kui(夔) , to some extent, means the summit of the inte-gration among poem, music and dancing in terms of the music and between rite and music in terms of the rite. The admission of the drum into the top-leveled rite lies in the combination among the witch king, alligator drum and the Way of Heaven. Moreo-ver, the drum admission is associated with the power of the drum in the rite. The drum starts to move out of its superiority as long as it is dominated by the rhyme and exercises changes during the course of the rite. However, it does leave in the following culture a great influence owing to its previous superiority.%鼓在远古因对仪式之舞的规范进入仪式中心，鱓、鼍、夔，既象征各地区族群之鼓的空间多样性，又代表鼓的观念演进的三个阶段，鱓是鳄皮鼓与中杆仪式的结合，鼍是鳄皮鼓显示了鱼与蛙与龙的关联，夔意味着鼓进入远古文化诗乐舞合一的乐之最高级和礼乐合一的礼的最高级。鼓进入仪式的最高级在于巫王-鳄鼓-天道的统一。鼓进入最高级与鼓的威猛形象在仪式中的主导地位相关，当鼓的音律一面占主导时，就从其最高级开始位移出来。鼓在整个仪式中的各方面也起了变化，但鼓因曾为最高级，其产生过的巨大影响仍留存在后来的文化中。
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