Bass Drum
A very deep two-headed drum, stood or suspended either vertically or horizontally. 50cm - 2m diameters.
Beaters: Bass drum mallets range from hard to soft,
as well as rute and other beaters .
Bass Drum:
Bass Drum mallets:
Rute beaters:
Bass Drum rim:
Single hit
Pattern
Bongo Drums
Pairs of small single-headed drums with tapered sides
Beaters: Medium mallets, sticks or hand
Authentically played with the hands, but usually played with beaters in an orchestral context.
Bongos:
With beaters
With hands
Typical pattern
Djembe
North African hand drum, with an extended and outward-tapering resonating column.
Beater: Hands.
Plenty of sounds available on this instrument, and the addition of metal 'wings' add a buzz.
Djembe:
Djun djun
African double-headed drum, but normally played on one head only, with the other hand playing a cowbell attached to the body of the drum.
Beater: Medium bass drum beater.
Djun djun:
Lion's Roar
A single headed drum with a rosined cord through the head. Pulling the cord produces a distinctive roar.
Beaters: Hands.
Snare Drum
Two-headed drum, with metal snares strung on one side and engaged or disengaged by a handle. Usually placed on a stand. Sizes range from 15-18cm for the standard orchestral instrument, to 45-90cm for the field drum and 8-10cm for the piccolo snare.
Beaters: snare drum sticks; brushes; hotrods; rute;
soft vibes mallets.
Snare drum technique provides the basis for most other sticking
techniques in Western music. Be sure to specify snares on or off.
It is a good idea to leave snares off when the drum is not being played,
in order to avoid unwanted buzzing caused by the vibration from other
instruments.
Snare drum:
Hits:
Rolls:
Snares on/off:
Single hit, snared
Rapid., measured hits
Roll
Loud roll
Roll <>,
with snare
Roll <>,
without snare
'Gallop' pattern, with snare
'Gallop' pattern, without snare
Snared roll and pattern
Short flam
Pattern, no snare
Classic
military pattern, snared.
Surdo
Latin American bass drum, single-headed. Hits can be damped, or open, and a typical pattern would include rim hits.
Beater: Small bass drum beaters
The drum can be lifted with the feet to open out the sound.
Surdo:
Talking Drum
An egg-timer shaped drum, with leather cords stretching the two heads. The drum is placed under the player's arm, and the skins struck with a wooden beater. The player squeezes the cords to adjust head tension, thus creating the 'talking' effect.
Beater: wooden.
Tambourine
A slitted hoop of wood, with skin stretched over it to form a head, and with jangles threaded through the slits.
Beater: Hand and any other durm beater.
Tambourine:
Hits:
Rolls:
Rolls <>:
'Wet' and 'dry' sounds:
Played fast, seated:
Played fast and loud, foot up on chair:
Rock tambourine:
Pattern
Faster pattern
Faster still
Pattern >
Single hit
Shake
Jingles only
Tenor Drums
A field drum without snares.
Beaters: bass drum or wooden beaters.
'Muffled' drum = cloth placed on head. N.B. this is not the same as a 'muted' drum.
The central beater depicted is usual. Tam-tams may also be bowed and scraped carefully with metal objects. Never use xylophone or wooden bass drum beaters on a tam-tam.
Tenor drum:
Some patterns:
Pattern 1
Pattern 2
Pattern 3
Pattern 4
Pattern 5