The bass drum is a large drum that creates a low sound, which may be a clear note or not clearly defined. It is usually shaped like a cylinder, with the drum's width larger than its depth. Both ends of the drum have a struck surface, called a head. These heads can be made from calfskin or plastic, and there are usually ways to adjust how tight the heads are, such as using screws or strings. Bass drums come in many sizes, but their size does not always determine how loud they are. The sound and pitch can change depending on the size, but size is also chosen for practical reasons and appearance. Bass drums are percussion instruments that vary in size and are used in many types of music. Three main types of bass drums can be identified.

In many kinds of music, the bass drum is used to keep the beat or mark the rhythm. When struck with a mallet, it produces a deep, booming sound. In marches, it helps set the tempo, as marching bands traditionally move in time with the bass drum's beat. In rock and roll music, a basic rhythm pattern often has the bass drum played on the first and third beats of a measure, while the snare drum is played on the second and fourth beats, known as backbeats. In jazz music, the bass drum can serve as a tool for keeping time or as part of the melody, working with other instruments in the drum set.

Etymology

Bass drums are known by different names in various languages, including gran cassa in Italian, grosse caisse in French, Grosse Trommel or Basstrommel in German, and bombo in Spanish.

History

The earliest known version of the bass drum was the Turkish davul, a drum shaped like a cylinder with two thin drumheads. These drumheads were stretched over hoops and attached to a narrow shell. To play the davul, a person would strike the right side with a large wooden stick and the left side with a rod. When struck, the davul made a deep sound much louder than other drums of that time. Because of this sound, davuls were used in wars and battles, where a strong, rhythmic sound helped soldiers march in unison. Military bands of the Ottoman Janissaries in the 18th century were among the first to use davuls in their music. Their songs often focused on percussion, and their bands included players of davuls, cymbals, and kettle drums.

Davuls were well-suited for military use because of how they could be carried. Ottoman soldiers, for example, wore thick straps around their chests to hang their davuls. This made it easier to move the drums during battles. This method was not only used in the Ottoman Empire; in Egypt, soldiers carried similar drums with cords.

The davul was also used in non-military music. For example, it played an important role in Turkish folk dances. In Ottoman society, groups of musicians called davul-zurnas, or drum and shawm circles, performed together, combining the sounds of davuls and shawms.

At its height, the Ottoman Empire covered areas from Vienna to northern Africa and much of the Middle East. This wide reach likely spread Ottoman culture, including the davul and other instruments, to other regions. In Africa, local people adapted the davul’s design by making it larger and changing the materials used. This led to the creation of the long drum, which is typically made from a hollowed-out tree trunk. Unlike the davul, which has a thick shell, the long drum is much larger, usually about 2 meters long and 50 centimeters wide. Africans believed the tree used for the long drum had to be in perfect condition. They stretched cow hides over the drum by soaking them in hot water. Although the long drum was different in size and material from the davul, it was played in a similar way, using two sticks to strike both sides. A key difference was that long drums were used mainly for religious purposes.

As the long drum spread to Europe, musicians sought even deeper sounds for compositions. This led to the creation of the gong drum in Britain during the 19th century. The gong drum was similar in size and construction to the long drum but had only one drumhead. When struck, it produced a deep, resonant sound. However, its large size and single drumhead made it difficult to use in orchestras because it produced a clear, definite pitch. This limited its use in music.

Because of this, musicians began making smaller gong drums that did not produce a definite pitch. These smaller drums are now called orchestral bass drums and are the most familiar version of the bass drum today. Modern orchestral bass drums are double-headed, tightened with rods, and measure about 40 inches in diameter and 20 inches in width. Most are placed in a frame, allowing them to be positioned at any angle.

Bass drums are also common in modern drum kits. In 1909, William Ludwig invented a working bass drum pedal that could strike a two-headed bass drum like a drumstick. During the 1960s, many rock drummers, such as Keith Moon of The Who and Ginger Baker of Cream, began using more than one bass drum in their kits.

Classical music

In classical music, composers have more freedom in how the bass drum is played compared to other music styles. Common ways to use the bass drum include:

• Adding unique sounds or colors to a piece of music
• Playing strong, single hits during important moments
• Creating rolling sounds
• Adding depth to loud sections where many instruments play together

Besides the standard beaters, other tools used to strike the bass drum may include keyboard percussion mallets, timpani mallets, and drumsticks. The hands or fingers can also be used (Italian: con la mano). Possible playing methods include rolls, repeated hits, and synchronized strokes. Sometimes, bass drums are used to create sound effects, such as thunder or an earthquake.

Bass drums are too large to hold by hand and must always be mounted in some way. Common mounting methods include:

• Using a shoulder harness to keep the drum vertical
• Placing it on a floor stand as part of a drum kit. The drum is always vertical in this setup.
• Using an adjustable cradle, which allows the drum to be positioned between vertical and horizontal.
• A single cymbal may sometimes be attached to the bass drum.

The type of striker used depends on the music being played:

• A single heavy mallet covered in felt (French: Mailloche; Italian: Mazza).
• When the drum is mounted vertically, the mallet above may be held in one hand, and a rute in the other.
• Two matching mallets or a double-headed mallet are used for playing drum rolls.
• When part of a drum kit, a version of the mallet described above is attached to a pedal and called a beater.

Electronic music

In electronic music, bass drums, especially kick drums, are often used. Kick drum sounds are important in many music styles, including American styles like footwork and African styles like gqom.

Kit drumming

In a drum kit, the bass drum is smaller than those used in traditional orchestras. Common sizes are 20 or 22 inches (51 or 56 centimeters) in diameter. Sizes can range from 16 to 28 inches (41 to 71 centimeters) in diameter, and depths can range from 12 to 22 inches (30 to 56 centimeters). The most common depth is between 14 to 18 inches (36 to 46 centimeters). Old bass drums are usually shallower than the current standard size of 22 inches by 18 inches (56 centimeters by 46 centimeters).

Sometimes, the front head of a bass drum in a drum kit has a hole. This hole lets air escape when the drum is hit, making the sound last for a shorter time. Muffling can be added through the hole without removing the front head. The hole also allows microphones to be placed inside the drum for recording and amplifying the sound. Trigger pads are sometimes used with microphones to make the sound louder and more consistent, especially when playing quickly. Professional drummers often have a custom front head with their band’s name or logo on it.

The bass drum in a drum kit is often more muffled than the classical bass drum. Drummers may use a pillow, blanket, or special mufflers inside the drum to reduce the sound’s volume and create a shorter, thudding sound.

Different types of beaters affect how the drum sounds. Felt, wood, and plastic beaters are all commonly used. Some bass drums have a mount for a tom-tom on the top, which saves the need for a separate stand. This mount is attached by cutting a hole in the drum’s top. Drums without this hole are often more valuable.

In 1900, the Sonor drum company made the first single bass drum pedal. In 1909, William F. Ludwig improved the pedal, helping create the modern drum kit. A bass drum pedal works like a hi-hat control. A footplate is pressed to pull a chain, belt, or metal part downward, moving a beater or mallet toward the drumhead. The beater is usually made of felt, wood, plastic, or rubber and is attached to a metal rod. The pedal and beater are mounted in a metal frame, and a tension unit controls how much pressure is needed to strike the drum and how much the beater bounces back.

A double bass drum pedal works like a single pedal but has a second footplate controlling a second beater on the same drum. Usually, the second beater is connected to the first by a shaft. One exception is the Sleishman twin pedal, which is symmetrical. Some drummers use two separate bass drums with one pedal on each for a similar effect.

When using a double bass drum pedal, the foot that usually controls the hi-hat moves to the second pedal. This keeps the hi-hat open. A drop clutch can be used to keep the hi-hat closed even if the foot is removed.

There are three main ways to play single strokes with one foot. The heel-down technique keeps the heel planted on the pedal, and the strokes are played with the ankle. This is good for quiet playing and fast rhythms. The heel-up technique lifts the heel, allowing the hip to move and adding power for louder playing. The floating stroke lifts the heel but uses the ankle for movement, allowing faster playing at louder volumes.

Drummers like Thomas Lang, Virgil Donati, and Terry Bozzio can play complex solos over a repeating bass drum pattern. Thomas Lang, for example, uses heel-up and heel-down techniques to play dynamically and perform foot rudiments.

To play "doubles" on the pedal, drummers use three techniques: slide, swivel, or heel-toe. In the slide technique, the ball of the foot hits the middle of the pedal, and the toe slides upward as the pedal bounces back for a second hit. In the swivel technique, the heel rotates around the ball of the foot for a faster second stroke. In the heel-toe technique, the foot is lifted, then brought down to strike the pedal, and the heel lifts as the toes strike again. These techniques allow fast double strokes. Players like Rod Morgenstein, Tim Waterson, Tomas Haake, and others use these methods, especially in death metal and other extreme music styles. Double strokes are best for fast,

In marching bands

A bass line is a group of large drums used in marching bands and drum and bugle corps. Each drum produces a different musical note, and together they create a special part of the music. Skilled players perform complex rhythms and melodies by splitting the music among the drums, adding a melodic sound to the percussion section. The purpose of the bass line is to play both rhythm and melody, not just keep time. The line provides strong beats, musical notes, and steady timing because of the sound of the instruments. A bass line usually has between two and seven drums, but most high school groups use three to five.

A bass line typically includes four or five musicians, each playing one tuned bass drum. Some groups may have fewer players, and in some cases, one person plays two small drums stacked on top of each other.

The drums are usually 16 to 32 inches in diameter, though some groups use drums as small as 14 inches or as large as 36 inches. The largest drum plays the lowest note, and the pitch increases as the drum size decreases. Each drum is tuned higher than other similar-sized drums (like those in a drum set or orchestra) to make complex rhythms easier to hear.

Unlike other drums in a drumline, bass drums are mounted sideways with the drumhead facing horizontally. This means bass drummers face sideways to the audience, unlike other musicians. The drums are positioned so that their heads line up from the audience’s view, helping the group produce the best sound.

The way bass drums are played is different from snare or tenor drums. Players hold their arms parallel to the ground, with their elbows bent. Their hands are placed so the center of the mallet hits the center of the drumhead. The bottom of the mallet rests against the hand when playing, which is different from other percussion grips.

The basic stroke can be similar to turning a doorknob (using the forearm) or like a snare drummer (using the wrist), or a mix of both. Techniques vary between groups, and some use fingers to help move the mallets. However, the thumb always stays close to the other fingers.

The basic stroke is just one of many sounds a bass line can make. A common sound is the "unison," where all drums play the same note at the same time, creating a full, powerful sound. Another sound is the "rim click," where the mallet hits the edge of the drum. Rim clicks are rare on bass drums and usually occur only on the top drums.

Each position in a typical five-member bass line has a specific role. The largest drum, called the "bottom" or "fifth" bass, plays the lowest notes and helps keep the rhythm steady, often called the "heartbeat" of the group. The fourth bass is slightly smaller and plays faster parts, often in the middle of phrases. The third bass is the middle drum and plays the most complex melodies. The second bass plays notes near the start or end of phrases, and the top bass, the smallest drum, plays the highest notes and often starts or ends musical phrases.

In a marching band’s performance, bass drummers usually face the side of the field. This can make it hard to see the drum major or other players, so they may turn to face the opposite direction during a show. These turns are done together or in a wave-like motion for visual effect.

Large drums require more strength and control to turn quickly. Players use their core muscles to stop the drum’s movement at the right time and direction.

In some marching bands, the bass drum is used to give commands. For example:
– One stroke tells the band to start or stop marching.
– Two strokes tell the band to stop marching.
– Two strong strokes (called a "double beat") signal the music to end.