The Drummer's Bass Drum.(the big one with the foot pedal)
I thought you might like a bit of history and use of this important drum in a modern drummer's kit.Used for a long time in marching bands, the bass drum was usualy strapped to the player who would hit both sides with a mallet as he marched. The first use of a foot pedal to play on a kit was around 1909and introduced by well drum maker William Ludwig.Up until the 60's most drummers were using only one bass drum. I remember seeing Louis Bellson on the Ed Sullivan TV show in the sixties using two bass drums and I thought that was fabulous. He also knew how to play them.
There were a few drummers who experimented with double bass drums in the forties and fifties but it never really caught on until the rock generation began using them. The Who's Keith Moon and Ginger Baker of Cream come to mind.
Today a drummer can get the double bass drum sound with only one bass drum but using a double pedal system. The pedal has two beaters that work back and forth as the drummer activated the beaters with both right and left feet. All of the basic rudiments can now be played with the feet as well as the hands. The beaters, by the way often have a felt side and a hard wood or plastic side allowing for softer or harder punches.
The size of the bass drum has changed over the years. You may have seen shots of bands from the 30'swhere the drummer's bass drum was huge. Today the most popular bass drums are those with a 22 inch diameter, but you can also get them from 18 inches up to 26 but packing around a 26inch bass drum is not something most drummers want to do. I myself have three kits two with 22 inch and one 20 inch.
Most drummers today prefer to have a “thud” sound rather than a “boom” sound from their bass drum.One way to obtain is sound is to muffle the inside of the drum with a pillow or blanket placed against the beater head. You can also buy bass drum heads that have a built in damper attached right on the skin. You may also notice a hole in the front head of the bass drum. This limits the sustain of the note as the air gushes out. Often, the name of the drummer or band will be written on the front of the bass drum head and the hole is convenient for placing a microphone inside the drum.
As with all the drum heads from snare to tom toms to bass drum, the tighter or loser you have the head to higher or lower will be the tone of the drum. In general terms it would be safe to say that most drummers have the batter head (where the beater strikes) loser than the front head for a deeper tone.
Hope this has been helpful. Please pass on my name to anyone you think may be interested in taking drum lessons and if they mention your name I will give them the first lesson FREE and if they sign up for a month – I will give you a free lesson.
Contact me at bcasson@speakfilm.com or at 250-721-2113 or at Tempo-Trend Music at 250-384-2111 and please check out my new website at www.drumboy.ca
