The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1883-10-04
about BASS Drums.

There are bass drums and bass drums.
A well-devclopcd Drummer looks with
contempt upon a bass drum of only
twenty-four inches diameter Hemight
give such a one 60 his boy. and even the
boy, il he inherits his fathers spirit,
would scorn it and shy the stick at the
domestic cat Nothing short Of thir-
ty six inch diameter will satisfy the am
bition of a drummer TO the drum born.
With such drum his range is extended
from a sulen thud to thunderstorm.
The bass drum, Y said dealer who
knows all about these Instruments, to a
SIM reporter the other day, els one Of
the few band Instruments which are not
imported. They come III two styles
the old-fashioned and the new-fashioned.
The shell Of the old-fashioned kind is Of
wood maple, mahogany or walnut
and the heads are tightened by strings.
The new-fashioned kind has metal
she'll Of brass, sometimes plain. some
times plated. Its heads are frightened
by rods turned by 4 key
Which are most popular ? y
That depends, The old-fashioncd
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.
{ Are bass drums as heavy as ley
look ? \
No ! doubt If the heaviest made
nowadays weighs more than fifteen
pounds. 7
" Was the weight greater formerlyP"
Decidedly The drums were made
much wider, because it was thought
tnat greater width would insure greater
volume of sound But that theory has
been upset. / don't think that any bass
drums made now are wider than fifteen
inches.
"What are the prices Of bass drumspn
. They vary, according to size and
fineness of make, from about twelve to
thirty-five dollars. ra
What determines the grades of fine
ness p
1.-THE heads. The cheaper have one
ealf-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. z i
/" Are the skins frightened by the rods
or strings, for the purpose of changing
the note " H1
"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. It's sole OBJ
iect is to produce noise. The sound is
more penetrating if the head is very
tight
~ suppose you can decorate the
wooden or metal shells to suit all
tastes ~
Certainly. Most bands have Amer
ican flags crossed and an eagle. Some
bands belonging to societies have the
banners or emhlems of the society
painted on the shells"
Did you ever hear of frst-class
band without bass drum +"
Never. 1t would be like a house
without foundation. Besides the small
boys couldn't tell when the band was
about to begin To play.
!. Does the bass drummer usually
strike the cymbals
(. Yes. One cymbal is attached to
the drum. With one hand he wields
the stick, with the other the second
cymbal. Formerly when the drum and
fife were in vogue, they had o separate
man to play the cymbals, who also
played the fife, He cIashed the Gym
balls with the band and played the fife
with the drum corps. But about ten
years ago the fife began to 60 out Of
fashion" g@
What is the length Of life Of bass
drum y 4-
(" In the hands of German fiftyyears
at least. If he breaks a head he has 4
new one put in; ii the shell or the
hoops around the head break he has
them repaired. BY the end of fifty
years he may have new heads, new
hoops, new shell, and new strings,
but it's the old hole IN Y. Sun.