The Bass Drum - The Heartbeat Of The Marching Band

The first kind of percussion instrument was anything hit together to make a loud sound. Drums developed from this and are recognized to have existed from around 6000 BC. They were used by all major civilizations throughout the world (and probably those civilizations we are not familiar with). Percussion instruments (bass drums) have important ceremonial or symbolic links almost everywhere. Certain drums represent and defend tribal royalty in much of Africa. They were also used to send communication over long distances. Drums also played an important role in medieval and Renaissance Europe. The snare drum (part of the percussion groups) was used in the infantry to send coded messages to the soldiers.

A percussion instrument is characterized as instruments made of booming material. A pulsation produces sounds of definite or indefinite pitch when or struck. The sound is made in many different ways. It is accomplished through the tightness of the stretched material for indefinite pitch instruments. The sound is ascertained by the size of the objects in definite pitch instruments. Striking the instrument at certain places makes notes.

Setting the criterion for power and resonance, The Challenger bass drums are fashioned for today's modern marching bands and drum corps. Intended to drive a drum line, all multiple pitched bass drums are manufactured with 6-ply Birch shells that have high-tension long lugs. Cortex l coatings are incorporated into the casting process of shells and hoops for amplified strength and reduced weight. Laminate hoops boost outward show while heat-treated claw hooks and key rods are made for power and sturdiness. All bass drums include one pair of Ludwig aluminum shaft bass drum mallets.

The term bass drum has been used to identify two unique drums:

The first had a small shell with a wide head. It can be followed back to the 14th century in Europe. This drum was recognized to the West as the Turkish drum until the 19th century.

The other bass drum was a long drum. The length of its canister was about twice the width of the diameter. This drum was altered until it matched the other one during the course of the 19th century. Its shell was abridged and widened, and the shell was substituted with brass.

A cord was previously used to fasten the head of a drum to the shell. Wrapping a cord around the edge of skin that hung over the shell did this. This was later substituted when the hoop was added to the head in the region of where the excess skin was lapped. Twines were used to increase the tension of the heads. Lacing a cord in a W or Y pattern around the shell did this. This technique was superseded with the development of a top hoop. This hoop had tension screws, which could modify the tightness of the drumhead.

The bass drum was first introduced into European music in the 18th century. It came from the Turkish military music being created at the time. The bass drum is made from two heads connected to either side of a shell. The body is low in relation to the heads because the diameter is always greater than the length. The smallest diameter for an orchestral bass drum is 32 inches. The bass drum is set with its head facing sideways. The shell is produced of brass or laminated wood. The head is normally made of animal skin or plastic. There are two hoops for each head. The lower hoop is in the region of the edge of the head. It is connected to the shell by tension screws with to the top hoop placed over the head. This top hoop puts pressure against the bottom hoop to hold the skintight.

Sound is created when the player makes a pulsation by hitting the drumhead with a padded stick. The bass drum is hit close to the rim. When this happens, it causes the skin of the drumhead to pulsate. The resonating chamber is the wall of the drum.

The Bass drum is the lowest-pitched member of the family of drums (or any other family of instruments or voices). Bass also refers the lowest part in a piece of music.