The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1883-11-10
About Bass Drums.

There are bass drums and bass drums.
A well-developed drummer looks with
contempt upon a bass drum OF only
twenty-four inches diameter. He might
give such one to his boy, and even the
boy, If he inherits his fathers spirit,
would scorn it and shy the stick at the
domestic cat. Nothing short of a thir-
ty-six inch diameter will satisfy the am
bition of drummer to the drum born.
With such drum his range is extended
from a sullen thud to thunder storm.
THE bass drum said dealer who
knows all about these Instruments, to a
Sun reporter the other day, ais one of
the few band instruments which are not
imported. They come in two styles
the old-fashioned and the new-fashioned.
The shell of the old-fash:oned kind is of
wood maple, mahogany or walnut
and the heads are tightenel by strings.
she'll of brass, sometimes plain, some
tines plated. Its heads are frightened
by rods turned by key"
g Which are most popular? '
That depends. The old-fashioned
ones are the most practical. They are
easier to carry becsuse they are lighter.
Besides, the brass rods are apt totear
the clothes. The old-fashioned drums
are the most popular with bass drum
mers in the baads in large cities. But
in country bands they like the bright
metal drums"
g Are bass drums as heavy as tsey
look P"
mo. / doubt if the heaviest made
nowadays weighs more than fifteen
pounds. y
" Was the weight greater formerlyP"
Decidedly. The drums were made
much wider, because it was thought
ttat greater width would insure greater
volume of sound. But that theory has
been upset. l don't think that any bass
drums made now are wider than fifteen
| inches.n
What are the prices of bass drumsP'
They vary, according to size and
fineness of make, from about twelve to
thirty-five dollars.
"What determines the grades of fine
ness P"
"The heads. The cheaper have one
calf-skin and one sheep-skin head. The
calf skin head is that which is
beaten upon, the sheep-skin head not
being strong enough. The fine drums
have two calf-skin heads, so that If a
drummer in a moment of enthusiasm,
breaks one of them the other can be
used.
care the skins frightened by the rods
or strings, for the purpose of changing
the note ?"
"Oh, no. There is no tuning bass
drums. The orchestral part of this in-
strument are written all in one note,
not because that note is produced, but
simply to indicate the rhythm and
where he is to beat the drum. There is
no music in bass drum. Its sole OBJ
iect is to produce noise. The sound is
more penetrating if the head is very
tight.
al suppose you can decorate the
| wooden or metal shells to suit all
tastes P''
;" Certainly. Most bands have Amer
flags crossed and an eagle. Some
b"nnoI Aelonging to societies have the
Da a;..o5 ~ emblems of the society
band without d. near Vi a nrs'-cl"ss
Never. It woJGfrIm e.
without a foundation. pc IKE a mouse
boys couldn't tell when ties b sne sin nan
, about to begin to play. oano was
lib n1 tho c .~ 30 'ually
l "Yes. One cymbal is attached
the drum. With one hand he wielo
the stick, with the other the secon
cymbal. Formerly when the drum an
fife were in vogue, they had a separat
E man to play the cymbals, who ais
PLAYED the fife. He clashed the Gym
Z balls with the band and played the fl
: with the drum corps. But about te
: years ago the fife began to go out
e fashion"
n What is the length of life of a ba
0 drum ? +"
p I'm the hands of German fifty yea
at least. If he breaks head he has
J new one put in; if the shell or Il
d hoops around the head break he h
d them repaired. By the end of fif
n years he may have new heads, ne
a hoops, new shell, and new string
ID but it's the old hole IN, 7. Sun.