Question for Marching Band/Drum Corps players

[Mackermanesq]

Does anyone use real drum heads/properly tuned snare drums in marching bands/drum corps anymore? Seems like they all use those heads that are cranked up so tight that they make it sound like you're playing on a table top.

 

[Tornado]

Does anyone use real drum heads/properly tuned snare drums in marching bands/drum corps anymore? Seems like they all use those heads that are cranked up so tight that they make it sound like you're playing on a table top.

Have you seen a band live in person in a stadium recently? They are cranked high for sure, but a line of snares in the proper context sounds quite a bit different than what you might hear in a video. The sound is short, but it does have some depth to it.

 

[bpaluzzi]

Does anyone use real drum heads/properly tuned snare drums in marching bands/drum corps anymore? Seems like they all use those heads that are cranked up so tight that they make it sound like you're playing on a table top.

Those heads are both real and properly tuned.

Apart from that, tuning has come down significantly in the past 15-20 years. The introduction of different fibers (versus the initial Falam / Tendura heads that used only Kevlar) has allowed for softer feeling heads as well.

 

[dtk]

so not corps...but I play in an Italian Marching band. We use normal/ish heads with a bit more muffling than I'd like (a strip of foam like an old bass drum). On my own marching snare I use an O ring.

 

[rikkrebs]

I just retired from 30 years of teaching marching percussion and I think most Marching Bands and Drum Corps use real heads/tuned properly for the context of their performance.

 

[slow larry]

The super cranked thing is more for DCI competitor bands and associated solo competitions. Most other marching bands, even the "corps" style aren't so cranked. And as mentioned when you've got 5+ snares playing their parts properly in an outdoor setting the effect is quite different than a single "tic tic tic" of a single drum.

 

[Pat A Flafla]

I was hoping this would be a real question and not a veiled gripe.

 

[yetanotherdrummer]

It seems like playing on what must be a hard surface, with the heads tuned so tight, would be a killer on the hands. I remember back in the 80's when a local music store got in a set of the then new Simmons electronic drums. The pads were exactly like playing on a counter top. I couldn't imagine playing those for hours at a time.

Of course I am looking at this this as someone who struggles with arthritis in both my hands.

 

[Erik]

IMO... A snare line playing medium-tensioned heads would sound like distortion/white noise/mud... The "cranked" tension is appropriate for the articulation and volume required for complex arrangments in a football stadium...

 

[Tornado]

It seems like playing on what must be a hard surface, with the heads tuned so tight, would be a killer on the hands. I remember back in the 80's when a local music store got in a set of the then new Simmons electronic drums. The pads were exactly like playing on a counter top. I couldn't imagine playing those for hours at a time.

Of course I am looking at this this as someone who struggles with arthritis in both my hands.

The original Kevlar heads were pretty hard, but it was still manageable. Not as hard on the hands as a Simmons pad, IMO I do think that if you're playing an acoustic drum, the immediate connection between your stroke and the volume produced naturally results in hitting less hard. Rimshots had almost no give, but I think that's more a function of the rims than the heads. I haven't played the newer varieties, but they should feel a lot better that the old ones. Also, keep in mind the players are almost all young, with no pre-existing hand issues.

 

[digovii]

The demands of players in recent years (last 30) called for more durable heads that could project through the hornline. Listen to any Paul Rennick drumline and try and tell me that isn't musical in, or out, of context with the full ensemble...

 

[Pat A Flafla]

This thread is kind of like if I were to post the subject:
Question About Bebop
and then asking why they don't just play the right notes instead of making it sound all dumb and dissonant.

 

[bpaluzzi]

This thread is kind of like if I were to post the subject:
Question About Bebop
and then asking why they don't just play the right notes instead of making it sound all dumb and dissonant.