![Four to the floor bass dru](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Four_to_the_floor_bass_dru.png)
The bass drum is a large
drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
that produces a note of low definite or
indefinite pitch
Pitch is a perceptual property of sounds that allows their ordering on a frequency-related scale,
or more commonly, pitch is the quality that makes it possible to judge sounds as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodie ...
. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The heads may be made of calfskin or plastic and there is normally a means of adjusting the tension either by threaded taps or by strings. Bass drums are built in a variety of sizes, but size does not dictate the volume produced by the drum. The pitch and the sound can vary much with different sizes,
[ Del Mar, Norman (1981). ''Anatomy of the Orchestra''. .] but the size is also chosen based on convenience and aesthetics. Bass drums are
percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
s and vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished.
* The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum (in Italian: gran cassa, gran tamburo). It is the largest drum of the orchestra.
* The kick drum, a term for a bass drum associated with a drum kit, which is much smaller than the above-mentioned bass drum. It is struck with a beater attached to a pedal, usually seen on
drum kit
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player ( drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsti ...
s.
* The pitched bass drum, generally used in marching bands and drum corps, is tuned to a specific pitch and is usually played in a set of three to six drums.
In many forms of music, the bass drum is used to mark or keep time. The bass drum makes a low, boom sound when the mallet hits the drumhead. In marches, it is used to project tempo (marching bands historically march to the beat of the bass). A basic beat for rock and roll has the bass drum played on the first and third beats of bars in common time, with the snare drum on the second and fourth beats, called backbeats. In jazz, the bass drum can vary from almost entirely being a timekeeping medium to being a melodic voice in conjunction with the other parts of the set.
Etymology
Bass drums have many synonyms and translations, such as ''gran cassa'' (It), ''grosse caisse'' (Fr), ''Grosse Trommel'' or ''Basstrommel'' (Ger), and ''bombo'' (Sp).
History
The earliest known predecessor to the bass drum was the Turkish
davul
The davul, dhol, tapan, atabal or tabl is a large double-headed drum that is played with mallets. It has many names depending on the country and region. These drums are commonly used in the music of the Middle East and the Balkans. These drums ...
, a cylindrical drum that featured two thin heads. The heads were stretched over hoops and then attached to a narrow shell.
[Blades, James (2005). ''Percussion Instruments and Their History''. Faber and Faber LTD: London. .] To play this instrument, a person would strike the right side of the davul with a large wooden stick, while the left side would be struck with a rod.
When struck, the davul produced a sound much deeper than that of the other drums in existence. Because of this unique tone, davuls were used extensively in war and combat, where a deep and percussive sound was needed to ensure that the forces were marching in proper step with one another. The military bands of the
Ottoman Janissaries
A Janissary ( ota, یڭیچری, yeŋiçeri, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops and the first modern standing army in Europe. The corps was most likely established under sultan Orhan ( ...
in the 18th century were one of the first groups to utilize davuls in their music; Ottoman marching songs often had a heavy emphasis on percussion, and their military bands were primarily made up of davul,
cymbal
A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...
and
kettle drum
Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally ...
players.
Davuls were ideal for use as military instruments because of the unique way in which they could be carried. The Ottoman janissaries, for example, hung their davuls at their breasts with thick straps.
This made it easier for the soldiers to carry their instruments from battle to battle. This practice does not seem to be limited to just the Ottoman Empire, however; in Egypt, drums very similar to davuls were braced with cords, which allowed the Egyptian soldiers to carry them during military movements.
The davul, however, was also used extensively in non-military music. For example, davuls were a major aspect of Turkish folk dances.
[McGowan, Keith, "The Prince and the Piper: Haut, Bas and the Whole Body in Early Modern Europe. Early Music, Vol. 27, No. 2, Instruments and Instrumental Music (May 1999), pp. 211-216.] In Ottoman society, davul and
shawm
The shawm () is a Bore_(wind_instruments)#Conical_bore, conical bore, double-reed woodwind instrument made in Europe from the 12th century to the present day. It achieved its peak of popularity during the medieval and Renaissance periods, after ...
players would perform together in groups called davul-zurnas, or drum and shawm circles.
*Long drums
At its peak, the Ottoman Empire stretched from Vienna down to northern Africa and most of the middle east. This long reach meant that many aspects of Ottoman culture, including the davul and other janissary instruments, were likely introduced to other parts of the world. In Africa, the indigenous population took the basic idea of the davul – that is, a two-headed cylindrical drum that produces a deep sound when struck – and both increased the size of the drum and changed the material from which it was made, leading to the development of the
long drum Long drums are a loose category of tubular membranophones, characterized by their extreme length. They are most common in Africa, Thailand, and in Native American traditions. Long drums can be made out of entire tree trunk
In botany, the trunk ...
.
The long drum can be made a variety of different ways but is most typically constructed from a hollowed out tree trunk. This is vastly different from the davul, which is made from a thick shell.
[Lundstrom, Hakan and Tavan, Damrong, "Kammu Gongs and Drums (II): The Long Wooden Drum and Other Drums." ''Asian Folklore Studies'', Vol. 40, No. 2 (1981), pp. 173-189.] Long drums were typically 2 meters in length and 50 centimetres in diameter, much larger than the Turkish drums on which they were based. The indigenous population also believed that the tree from which the long drum was made had to be in perfect shape. Once an appropriate tree was selected and the basic frame for the long drum was constructed, the Africans took cow hides and soaked them in boiling hot water, in order to stretch them out.
Although the long drum was an improvement on the davul, both drums were nevertheless played in a similar fashion. Two distinct sticks were used on the two distinct sides of the drum itself. A notable difference between the two is that long drums, unlike davuls, were used primarily for religious purposes.
*Gong drums
As the use of the long drum began to spread across Europe, many composers and musicians started looking for even deeper tones that could be used in compositions. As a result of this demand, a narrow-shelled, single-headed drum called the
gong drum was introduced in Britain during the 19th century.
This drum, which was 70-100 centimetres in diameter and deep-shelled, was similar to the long drum in both size and construction. When struck, the gong drum produced a deep sound with a rich resonance. However, the immense size of the drum, coupled with the fact that there was not a second head to help balance the sound, meant that gong drums tended to produce a sound with a definite pitch. As a result, they fell out of favour with many composers, as it became nearly impossible to incorporate them in an orchestra in any meaningful way.
*Orchestral bass drums and drum kits
Because they were unable to be used by orchestras, music makers began to build smaller gong drums that would not carry a definite pitch. This smaller version of the gong drum is today called orchestral bass drum, and it is the prototype with which people are most familiar today. The modern bass drum is used primarily in orchestras. The drum, similar to the davul and long drum, is double-headed, rod tensioned and measures roughly 40 inches in diameter and 20 inches in width.
Most orchestral bass drums are situated within a frame, which allows them to be positioned at any angle.
Bass drums are also highly visible in modern
drum kit
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player ( drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsti ...
s. In 1909,
William Ludwig William Ludwig may refer to:
* William Ludwig (screenwriter)
* William Ludwig (baritone)
William Ludwig (born William Ledwidge) (15 July 1847 – 25 December 1923) was an Irish operatic baritone who rose to fame in the second half of the ninete ...
created a workable
bass drum pedal
The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...
, which would strike a two-headed bass drum in much the same way as a drumstick.
[Nichols, Geoff (1997). ''The Drum Book: The History of the Rock Drum Kit''. .] During the 1960s, many rock ‘n’ roll drummers began incorporating more than one bass drum in their drum kit, including The Who's
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon (23 August 19467 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Moon grew ...
and Cream's
Ginger Baker
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...
.
Classical music
In classical music, composers have much more freedom in the way the bass drum is used than in other genres of music. Common uses are:
*Providing local "colour"
*Climactic single strokes
*Rolls
*Adding weight to loud tutti sections
Apart from the standard beaters mentioned above, implements used to strike the drum may include keyboard percussion mallets, timpani mallets, and drumsticks. The hand or fingers can also be used (it. con la mano). The playing techniques possible include rolls, repetitions and unison
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
s. Bass drums can sometimes be used for sound effects. e.g. thunder, or an earthquake.
Mounting
![ImprovisedDrumLondon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/ImprovisedDrumLondon.jpg)
Bass drums are too large to be hand held and are always mounted in some way. The usual ways of mounting a bass drum are:
*Using a shoulder harness so that the heads are vertical
*On a floor stand as part of a
drum kit
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player ( drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsti ...
. The heads are always vertical when mounted in this way.
*On an adjustable cradle. In this situation, the heads may be adjusted to any position between vertical and horizontal.
*It is possible for the bass drum to have a single
cymbal
A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...
mounted on it
Strikers
Bass drums can have a variety of strikers depending on the music:
*A single heavy felt covered mallet (Fr. Mailloche; It. Mazza).
*When the drum is mounted vertically, the mallet above may be held in one hand and a
rute
Rute is a municipality in the province of Córdoba, Spain. It lies between Iznájar to the South East, and Lucena to the North West. Its primary economy centres on the extensive production of foodstuffs including dozens of different makes of ...
held in the other.
*2 matching bass drum mallets or a double headed mallet are used for playing drum rolls.
*When used as part of a drum kit, a variation of the mallet described above is mounted on a pedal and called a beater.
Kit drumming
![Alex Van Halen - Van Halen Live](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Alex_Van_Halen_-_Van_Halen_Live.jpg)
In a drum kit, the bass drum is much smaller than in traditional orchestral use, most commonly 20 or 22 inches (51 or 56 cm) in diameter. Sizes range from 16 to 28 inches (41 to 71 cm) in diameter while depths range from 12 to 22 inches (30 to 56 cm), with 14 to 18 inches (36 to 46 cm) being normal. Vintage bass drums are generally shallower than the current standard of 22 in × 18 in (56 cm × 46 cm).
Sometimes the front head of a kit bass drum has a hole in it to allow air to escape when the drum is struck for shorter sustain. Muffling can be installed through the hole without taking off the front head. The hole also allows microphones to be placed into the bass drum for recording and amplification. In addition to microphones, sometimes
trigger pad
A trigger pad is an electronic sensor on a drum that produces a certain sound assigned from a sound module once the head has been struck. This device allows drummers to play at a constant dynamic regardless of the physical force used.
Triggers a ...
s are used to amplify the sound and provide a uniform tone, especially when fast playing without a decrease in volume is desired. Professional drummers often choose to have a customized bass drum front head, with the logo or name of their band on the front.
The kit bass drum may be more heavily muffled than the classical bass drum, and it is popular for drummers to use a pillow, blanket, or professional mufflers inside the drum, resting against the batter head, to dampen the blow from the pedal, and produce a shorter "thud".
Different beaters have different effects, and felt, wood and plastic ones are all popular. Bass drums sometimes have a
tom-tom
A tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between in diameter, though floor toms can go as la ...
mount on the top, to save having to use (and pay for) a separate stand or rack. Fastening the mount involves cutting a hole in the top of the bass drum to attach it; "virgin" bass drums do not have this hole cut in them, and so are professionally prized.
Bass drum pedal
![2006-07-06 dw5000 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/2006-07-06_dw5000_2.jpg)
In 1900, Sonor drum company introduced its first single bass drum pedal.
William F. Ludwig made the bass drum pedal workable in 1909, paving the way for the modern drum kit.
[Nichols (1997), p. 8-12.] A bass drum pedal operates much the same as the hi-hat control; a footplate is pressed to pull a chain, belt, or metal drive mechanism downward, bringing a beater or
mallet
A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. The term is descriptive of the overall size and proport ...
forward into the drumhead. The beater head is usually made of either felt, wood, plastic, or rubber and is attached to a rod-shaped metal shaft. The pedal and beater system are mounted in a metal frame and like the
hi-hat
A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist o ...
, a tension unit controls the amount of pressure needed to strike and the amount of recoil upon release.
Double bass drum pedal
![Thin Lizzy (15)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Thin_Lizzy_%2815%29.JPG)
A double bass drum pedal operates much the same way as a single bass drum pedal does, but with a second footplate controlling a second beater on the same drum. Most commonly this is attached by a shaft to a remote beater mechanism alongside the primary pedal mechanism.
[Hardware]
", ''PearlDrum.com''. Accessed 2004.[Marshall, Paul and Radcliff, Mike (1999).]
, ''DrumDojo.com''. One notable exception to this pattern is the symmetrical Sleishman twin bass drum pedal.
![Sleishman 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Sleishman_2.JPG)
Alternatively, some drummers opt for two separate bass drums with a single pedal on each, for a similar effect.
Drop-clutch
When using a double bass drum pedal, the foot which normally controls the
hi-hat
A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist o ...
pedal moves to the second bass drum pedal, and so the hi hat opens and remains open. A closed hi-hat sound can be more useful for some genres of music, so drummers use a
drop clutch
A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock music, rock, popular music, pop, jazz, an ...
to keep the cymbals closed without use of the pedal.
Pedal techniques
There are 3 primary ways to play single strokes with one foot. The first is heel-down technique, where the player's heel is planted on the pedal and the strokes are played with the ankle. This stroke is good for quiet playing and quick syncopated rhythms. The next technique is heel-up, where the player's heel is lifted off of the pedal and the strokes originate from the hip. The ankle is still flexed with each stroke, but the full weight of the leg can be used to add additional power for louder playing situations. Lifting the heel allows access to the several double stroke techniques as well. The third primary technique is the floating stroke where the heel is lifted off the pedal as in heel-up, but the stroke is played primarily from the ankle as in heel-down. This motion can allow greater speed and higher note density at louder volumes but is not efficient for slow tempos or sparse rhythms.
[Bloom, Ryan Alexander. The Complete Double Bass Drumming Explained. NY: Hudson Music, 2017.]
Drummers such as
Thomas Lang
Thomas Lang (; born 5 August 1967) is an Austrian drummer. He is the founding member of the Los Angeles-based progressive/avant garde metal band stOrk and is known for his international session work on a wide variety of genres such as rock, ...
,
Virgil Donati
Virgil Donati (born 22 October 1958) is an Australian drummer, composer and producer. He holds the drum sticks in the Traditional grip, traditional style and is also proficient at the Keyboard instrument, keyboard. Donati formed Planet X (band), ...
, and
Terry Bozzio
Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950) is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and seven albums with Missing Person ...
are capable of performing complicated solos on top of an
ostinato
In music, an ostinato (; derived from Italian word for ''stubborn'', compare English ''obstinate'') is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces include ...
bass drum pattern. Thomas Lang, for example, has mastered the heel-up and heel-down (single- and double-stroke) to the extent that he is able to play dynamically with the bass drum and to perform various
rudiments
In ''rudimental drumming'', a form of percussion music, a drum rudiment is one of a number of relatively small patterns which form the foundation for more extended and complex drumming patterns. The term "drum rudiment" is most closely assoc ...
with his feet.
In order to play "doubles" on the pedal, drummers can employ 3 main techniques: slide, swivel, or heel-toe. In the slide technique, the pedal is struck around the middle area with the ball of the foot. As the drum produces a sound, the toe is slid up the pedal. After the first stroke, the pedal will naturally bounce back, hit the toe as it slides upwards, and rebound for a second strike. In the swiveling double, the pedal is struck once in the normal manner for the first note, then the heel is immediately rotated around the ball of the foot to the side of the pedal while simultaneously playing a second stroke. This rotation can be to the inside or outside, either will work, and results in a faster second stroke than is ordinarily possible.
In the
heel-toe technique
Heel-toe technique is a foot technique that drummers use to be able to play single strokes or double strokes on the bass drum, hi-hat, or other pedals.
Origin
The heel-toe foot technique was pioneered by drummers of the big band era. the foot is suspended above the foot-board of the pedal. The entire foot is brought down and the ball of the foot strikes the pedal. The foot snaps up, the heel comes off the footboard, and the toes come down for a second stroke. Once mastered either technique allows the player to play very fast double strokes on the bass drum. Noted players include
Rod Morgenstein
Rod Morgenstein (born April 19, 1953) is an American drummer and music educator. He is best known for his work with the rock bands Winger and Dixie Dregs.
He also played with Fiona, Platypus, the Steve Morse Band, and Jelly Jam. He has also ...
,
Tim Waterson
Tim Waterson is a Canadian drummer who holds the world record for the fastest number of double strokes on a bass drum using a double pedal, with a record of 1,407 in one minute (January 22, 2002).Bathroom Readers' Institute. Uncle John's InfoMani ...
(who formerly held the world record for the fastest playing on a bass drum, using double bass),
Tomas Haake
Tomas Haake (born 13 July 1971) is a Swedish musician and the drummer of the extreme metal band Meshuggah.
Known for his polymeters and technical ability, Haake was named the fifth best "Modern Metal" drummer by MetalSucks.net in 2012. In the Ju ...
,
Chris Adler
Christopher James Adler (born November 23, 1972) is an American musician, best known as the founder and longtime drummer of heavy metal band Lamb of God from 1994 to 2019, and of Megadeth from 2015 to 2016.
Adler played drums on Megadeth's f ...
,
Derek Roddy
Derek Roddy (born August 28, 1972) is an American drummer and snake breeder, originally from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. His ability to record entire drum tracks in one or two takes earned him the nickname "One Take".
Derek has gained a reputa ...
,
Danny Carey
Daniel Edwin Carey (born May 10, 1961) is an American musician and songwriter. He is the drummer for the American rock band Tool. He has also contributed to albums by artists such as Zaum, Green Jellö, Pigface, Skinny Puppy, Adrian Belew, Carol ...
and
Hellhammer
Hellhammer was a Swiss metal band from Nürensdorf, active from 1982 to 1984. Although the band's sound and style were heavily criticized and poorly reviewed during their active years, they have been widely praised in retrospect and are often re ...
. The technique is commonly used in death metal and other extreme forms of music where
triggers and double bass are typically employed. Double strokes can only properly replace single strokes for long runs of evenly spaced notes when using triggers or sample replacement as the sound is inherently uneven. Some tempos are only possible with double strokes, however.
Double bass drum
![Double bass drum beat](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Double_bass_drum_beat.png)
In many forms of
heavy metal and
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
, as well as some forms of
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
,
fusion
Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole.
Fusion may also refer to:
Science and technology Physics
*Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...
, and
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
, two bass drums are used, or alternatively two pedals on one bass drum. If two drums are used, that is often to give a more impressive appearance on large stages, but sometimes, the second drum is being pitched differently to provide some variety in the notes, thus creating a more nuanced sound. The first person to use and popularize the double bass drum setup was jazz drummer
Louie Bellson
Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...
, who came up with the idea when he was still in high school. Double bass drums were popularized in the 1960s by rock drummers
Ginger Baker
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...
of
Cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
,
Mitch Mitchell
John Graham "Mitch" Mitchell (9 July 194612 November 2008)In his book about the Experience, Mitchell states he celebrated his 21st birthday while on tour on 9 July 1967, which makes his birth year 1946.Mitchell's obituaries in ''Billboard' ''T ...
of
the Jimi Hendrix Experience
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
,
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon (23 August 19467 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Moon grew ...
of
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
and
Nick Mason
Nicholas Berkeley Mason, (born 27 January 1944) is an English drummer and a founder member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He is the only member to feature on every Pink Floyd album, and the only constant member since its formation in ...
of
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
. After 1970,
Billy Cobham
William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian Americans, Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
He was indu ...
and
Narada Michael Walden
Narada Michael Walden ( ; Michael Walden; born April 23, 1952) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He acquired the nickname Narada from Sri Chinmoy.
He began his career as a drummer, working primarily in the jazz ...
used double kick drum with the jazz fusion project
Mahavishnu Orchestra
The Mahavishnu Orchestra were a jazz fusion band formed in New York City in 1971, led by English guitarist John McLaughlin. The group underwent several line-up changes throughout its history across its two periods of activity, from 1971 to 1976 a ...
,
Chester Thompson
Chester Cortez Thompson (born December 11, 1948) is an American drummer best known for his tenures with Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, Weather Report, Santana, the progressive rock band Genesis and Phil Collins as a solo artist. Thomp ...
with
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...
and
Weather Report
Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian virtuoso keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer and vocali ...
,
Barriemore Barlow
Barrie "Barriemore" Barlow (born 10 September 1949, Birmingham) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and percussionist for the rock band Jethro Tull, from May 1971 to June 1980.
Christened Barrie, 'Barriemore' was an affectation ...
with
Jethro Tull, and
Terry Bozzio
Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950) is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and seven albums with Missing Person ...
with Frank Zappa. For these genres the focus was 'odd-meter grooves and mind blowing solos'.
[Nyman, John (2009).]
Double Bass Legends: A Short History
", ''DrumMagazine.com''. Retrieved 29.01.2012 Double bass drumming later became an integral part of heavy metal,
as pioneered by the likes of
Les Binks
James Leslie Binks (born in Portadown, Northern Ireland), is a Northern Irish heavy metal drummer. He was the drummer for Judas Priest from 1977 to 1979.
History
Previously working for Eric Burdon, Binks was a drummer on Roger Glover's album ' ...
,
Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice ( , born December 15, 1946) is an American rock drummer. He is best known for his associations with Vanilla Fudge; Cactus; the power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice; Rod Stewart; King Kobra; and Blue Murder. He is also Vinny Appice's ...
,
Ian Paice
Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and last remaining original member of the rock band Deep Purple.
He is often cited as one of the greatest drummers of all-time. He remains the only member ...
,
Cozy Powell
Cozy Powell (born Colin Trevor Flooks; 29 December 1947 – 5 April 1998) was an English rock drummer who made his name with major rock bands and artists such as The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Gary Moore, Robert Plant, ...
,
Phil Taylor and
Tommy Aldridge
Tommy Aldridge (born August 15, 1950) is an American heavy metal and hard rock drummer. He is noted for his work with numerous bands and artists since the 1970s, such as Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Whitesnak ...
. American
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
band
Slayer
Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...
's former drummer
Dave Lombardo
David Lombardo (born February 16, 1965) is a Cuban-American drummer, best known as a co-founding member of American thrash metal band Slayer. He is currently playing drums with Testament, Fantômas, Suicidal Tendencies, Dead Cross, Mr. Bungle ...
was named "the godfather of double bass" by the magazine ''
Drummerworld
Drummerworld is a Swiss drum website created by Bernhard Castiglioni in 1997. The site focuses on the biographies of prominent rock and jazz drummers and drum lessons, along with a discussion forum.
Popularity and awards
Half of ''Drumme ...
''. Later metal genres including
death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...
use double kick drumming extensively often with
blast beat
A blast beat is a type of drum beat that originated in hardcore punk and grindcore, and is often associated with certain styles of extreme metal, namely black metal and death metal,Adam MacGregor, ''PCP Torpedo'' by Agoraphobic Nosebleed rev ...
techniques, whilst focusing on precision, 'endurance', 'speed' and 'rapid footwork'.
Double bass drumming can be achieved with a number of techniques; most commonly, with simple alternating single strokes. However, in order to increase the speed, some drummers use the
heel-toe technique
Heel-toe technique is a foot technique that drummers use to be able to play single strokes or double strokes on the bass drum, hi-hat, or other pedals.
Origin
The heel-toe foot technique was pioneered by drummers of the big band era. ; these are essentially double strokes where the drummer can perform two hits with one foot movement, which causes less fatigue at higher tempos.
Notable names that have a hand in raising the bar for double bass drumming, include:
Terry Bozzio
Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950) is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and seven albums with Missing Person ...
,
Simon Philips,
Virgil Donati
Virgil Donati (born 22 October 1958) is an Australian drummer, composer and producer. He holds the drum sticks in the Traditional grip, traditional style and is also proficient at the Keyboard instrument, keyboard. Donati formed Planet X (band), ...
,
Derek Roddy
Derek Roddy (born August 28, 1972) is an American drummer and snake breeder, originally from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. His ability to record entire drum tracks in one or two takes earned him the nickname "One Take".
Derek has gained a reputa ...
,
Gene Hoglan
Eugene Victor Hoglan II (born August 31, 1967) is an American drummer, acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including use of abstract devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms. Though his pla ...
,
George Kollias,
Bobby Jarzombek
Bobby Jarzombek is an American musician of Polish and German ancestry who is currently the drummer for country music legend George Strait. Bobby also has been a drummer for: vocalist Sebastian Bach, and progressive metal band Fates Warning. ...
and
Tomas Haake
Tomas Haake (born 13 July 1971) is a Swedish musician and the drummer of the extreme metal band Meshuggah.
Known for his polymeters and technical ability, Haake was named the fifth best "Modern Metal" drummer by MetalSucks.net in 2012. In the Ju ...
. Bozzio introduced the
ostinato
In music, an ostinato (; derived from Italian word for ''stubborn'', compare English ''obstinate'') is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces include ...
in his "Melodic Drumming and the Ostinato" educational DVDs, playing various
drum rudiment
In ''rudimental drumming'', a form of percussion music, a drum rudiment is one of a number of relatively small patterns which form the foundation for more extended and complex drumming patterns. The term "drum rudiment" is most closely associa ...
s on the feet, while freely playing with the hands, creating
polyrhythm
Polyrhythm is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rhyth ...
s. Donati is regarded as the first drummer to successfully use inverted double strokes with both feet, in addition to complex, syncopated ostinato patterns. Roddy, Hoglan and Kollias are acknowledged as the leaders of extreme metal drumming with their use of single strokes at 250+ beats per minute, while, Jarzombek and Haake's double bass drumming influenced the
djent
Djent () is a subgenre of progressive metal characterised by its use of off-beat and complex rhythm patterns. Its distinctive sound is that of high-gain, distorted, palm-muted, down-tuned strings. The name "djent" is an onomatopoeia of this s ...
genre.
The history and development of double bass (as well as notated playing instruction) can be traced in the books ''Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming '' written by
Bobby Rondinelli
Robert Rondinelli (born July 27, 1955) is a rock drummer best known for his work with the hard rock/ heavy metal bands Blue Öyster Cult, Rainbow, Quiet Riot, Black Sabbath, The Lizards, The Handful, and Rondinelli. In July 2013, Rondinelli wa ...
and
Michael Lauren
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
and ''The Complete Double Bass Drumming Explained'' written by
Ryan Alexander Bloom
Ryan Alexander Bloom is an American drummer, author, and teacher. He is known for being a former member of the Colorado-based thrash metal band Havok, member of death metal band Bloodstrike, and the author of several books including the ''Dou ...
. In addition to these books, ''Double Bass Drumming'' written by
Joe Franco and ''Double Bass Drum Freedom'' written by Virgil Donati are also commonly used resources for double bass instruction.
In marching bands
![Revolution drum corps bass drums](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Revolution_drum_corps_bass_drums.JPG)
The "bass line" is a unique musical ensemble consisting of graduated pitch marching bass drums commonly found in
marching band
A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...
s and
drum and bugle corps
Drum and bugle corps is a name used to describe several related musical ensembles.
* Drum and bugle corps (modern), a musical marching unit
* Drum and bugle corps (classic), musical ensembles that descended from military bugle and drum units retu ...
. Each drum plays a different note, and this gives the bass line a unique task in a musical ensemble. Skilled lines execute complex linear passages split among the drums to add an additional melodic element to the percussion section. This is characteristic of the marching bass drum—its purpose is to convey complex rhythmic and melodic content, not just to keep the beat. The line provides impact, melody, and tempo due to the nature of the sound of the instruments. The bass line usually has from as many as seven bass drums to as few as two. But most high school drumlines consist of between 3 and 5. Bass drums used in such ensembles are usually those that use 2 mallets (formerly scorch bass drums, to distinguish them from those bass drums that formerly used one mallet, known in the 1930s as standard bass drums).
Components
A bass line typically consists of four or five musicians, each carrying one tuned bass drum, although variations do occur. Smaller lines are not uncommon in smaller groups, such as some high school marching bands, and several groups have had one musician playing more than one bass drum, usually small ones, with one mounted on top of the other.
The drums are typically between 16" and 32" in diameter, but some groups have used bass drums as small as 14" and larger than 36". The drums in a bass line are tuned such that the largest will always play the lowest note with the pitch increasing as the size of the drum decreases. Individually, the drums are usually tuned higher than other bass drums (drum set kick drums or orchestral bass drums) of the same size, so that complex rhythmic passages can be heard clearly and articulated.
Unlike the other drums in a
drumline
Marching percussion instruments are instruments specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier or rack) worn by the drummer, although not all marching bands us ...
, the bass drums are generally mounted sideways, with the drumhead facing horizontally, rather than vertically. This results in several things. First of all, to ensure that a vibrating membrane is facing the audience, bass drummers must face
perpendicular
In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the ''perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It can ...
to the rest of the band and so are the only section in most groups whose bodies do not face the audience while playing. Consequently, bass drummers usually point their drums at the back of the bass drummer in front of them, so that the drum heads will all be lined up, from the audience's point of view, next to one another in order to produce optimal sound output.
Playing
Since the bass drum is oriented differently from a snare or
tenor drum A tenor drum is a membranophone without a snare. There are several types of tenor drums.
Early music
Early music tenor drums, or long drums, are cylindrical membranophone without snare used in Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music. They consi ...
, the stroke itself is different, but the fundamentals remain the same. Your forearms should be parallel to the ground and bent at the elbows. The line between your shoulder and elbow should be vertical and the mallet should be held upward at a 45-degree angle. The hands hold bass mallets in such a way as to place the center of the mallet in the center of the head. The mallet shaft bottom should be flush against the bottom part of the hand when playing, differing from other grips typical to percussion instruments.
The motion of the basic stroke is either similar to the motion of turning a doorknob, that is, an absolute forearm rotation, or similar to that of a snare drummer, where the wrist is the primary actor, or more commonly, a hybrid of these two strokes. Bass drum technique sees huge variation between different groups both in the ratio of forearm rotation to wrist turn and the differing views on how the hand works while playing. Some techniques also call for the use of fingers supporting the motion of the mallet by opening or closing, but no matter whether it is open or closed the thumb needs to be close to the rest of the fingers.
However, the basic stroke on a drum produces just one of the many sounds a bass line can produce. Along with the solo drum, the "unison" is one of the most common sounds used. It is produced when all of the bass drums play a note at the same time and with a balanced sound; this option has a very full, powerful sound. The rim click, which is when the shaft (near the mallet head) is struck against the rim of the drum, either solo or in unison.
Rimshot
A rimshot is a percussion technique used to produce an accented snare drum backbeat. The sound is produced by simultaneously hitting the rim and head of a drum with a drum stick.
The sound and various techniques
The sound of rimshots can be ...
s are rare on a bass drum and usually only happen on the top drums.
[Powelson, Bill.]
School of Drums: Rimshots
, ''HSID''. Accessed 6/23/10.
The different positions of the typical five person bass line each require different skills, though not necessarily different levels of skills. Contrary to the popular belief that "higher is better," each drum has its own critical role to play. Bottom, or fifth bass, is the largest, heaviest, and lowest drum in the drumline. Consequently, it is used frequently to help maintain pulse in an ensemble and is thus sometimes referred to as the "heartbeat" of the group (the bottom bass was also often referred to as the "thud" bass in days gone by, indicating that many of their notes were the last one at the end of a phrase). Although this player does not always play as many notes as fast as other bass drummers (the depth of pitch renders most complex passages indistinguishable from a
roll
Roll or Rolls may refer to:
Movement about the longitudinal axis
* Roll angle (or roll rotation), one of the 3 angular degrees of freedom of any stiff body (for example a vehicle), describing motion about the longitudinal axis
** Roll (aviation), ...
), his or her role is essential not only to the sound of the bass line or the drum line, but to the ensemble as a whole, especially in the case of parade bands.
Fourth bass is slightly smaller than the bottom drum (generally two to four inches (102 mm) smaller in diameter) and can function tonally similarly to its lower counterpart, but usually plays slightly more rapid parts and is much more likely to play "off the beat" - in the middle rather than at the beginning or end of a passage. Third bass is the middle drum, both in terms of position and tone. Its function is usually that of the archetypical bass drum. This player plays an integral role in the actual rendering of complex linear passages. Second bass is known for having a job in the drumline. This player's parts are very likely to be directly adjacent to the beginning or end of a phrase and less likely to be on a beat, which is highly counter-intuitive, especially to a new player. Sometimes this drum can function about the same as the top drum, but usually the second and top drummer function as a unit, playing rudimentally difficult passages split between them.
Top, or first, bass is the highest pitched drum in the bass line and usually starts or ends phrases. The high tension drum heads allow this player to play notes that are just as taxing as those of the snare line, and often the top bass will play a part in unison with the snare line to add some depth to their sound. Some bass lines have more than five bass drums, with the largest being the largest number (bass 7 on a 7 bass line), and the smallest being referred to as first bass.
Marching
![Purdue Drum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Purdue_Drum.jpg)
In a
marching band
A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...
's field show, bass drummers tend to turn to face either goal line. When standing on the 20 yard line, it can become difficult to see the drum major while facing the goal line. Or if the basses can't dress a form facing one direction, they can turn the other way for that section. Turns can take place either in unison, or rippled for a different effect.
For the lower basses it takes a lot more control to turn quickly. Cleaning turns for a bassline can be rather easy. They should lead with the shoulder at the start of the turn and lock the other direction on a specified count. Setting a check-point can help. For instance, one should be flat front on count two of the turn. However, note that the turn should be smooth and not jerky. A common problem may result from not stopping the weight of the drum at the end of the turn and letting the
momentum
In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction. If is an object's mass an ...
get the better of the player. The solution to that problem involves tightening the core (abdominals and back muscles).
As well as marking time as above, in some marching bands, the bass drum is used to give orders to the band e.g.
*One stroke is used to order the band (and associated troops) to start/stop marching
*Two strokes are used to order the band to stop marching
*Two strong strokes (Double Beat) are used when the music is due to cut off (usually a double beat then three beats and finish)
References
External links
Bass Drum Pedal Techniques- lesson on Kick pedal set-up and basic playing techniques
- Tips on recording your bass drum
Double Bass Legends: A Short HistoryEffective Bass Drum TechniquesHow to tune a bass drum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bass Drum
Directly struck membranophones
Drum kit components
Battle drums
Orchestral percussion
Bass (sound)
Unpitched percussion instruments
Musical instruments played with soft mallets
Foot percussion