AY Honors/Drumming & Percussion/Answer Key
- This article is about the marching percussion unit called a drumline. For the 2002 film, see Drumline (film)
A drumline is a group of percussionists who play a variety of marching percussion instruments. A drumline may be an incorporated section of a high school or college marching band, a drum and bugle corps or indoor percussion ensemble, a pipe band, or a pep band, but also can exist independent of these larger ensembles. Indoor percussion ensembles serve as the most common outlet for stand-alone drumline performance.
Most drumlines can be divided into two sections; the back battery and front ensemble. However, the term drumline is frequently used to refer to just the battery. Dividing the battery further are the sub-sections of snare drums, tenors, bass drums, and sometimes cymbals.
The marching percussion instruments of a battery section features high tension drumheads so as to produce a loud, short, and articulate sound, ideal for the intricate passages played by contemporary drumlines. Marching snares are either 13 or 14 inches in diameter, depending on whether the line is playing indoors or outdoors. The circumference of the rim is lined with 12 evenly spaced lugs, designed to maintain the high tension of Kevlar or PET film heads. Tenor drums are sets of multiple drums worn by one marcher, usually in sets of 3 to 6 drums. Plastic and synthetic heads are most common in tenors and are tuned with a lower tension than snares, providing the drums with a more resonant, tonal sound which gives the drums a midrange, or tenor pitch support to the line. Marching basses consist of groupings of 4-6 individually carried bass drums. They are marched sequentially according size, with drum 1 being the smallest in diameter and weight and drum 4, 5, or 6, known as "bottom bass" being largest in diameter and weight. Marching cymbals are generally marched in groups of 2-8, though the range is simply by convention. Cymbals are held by each member of the sub-section and are either played by the individual holder, by a snare or tenor player, or used for visual purposes because of their reflective surfaces. A specific example is the well known "V" formation formed by the cymbal line of the Santa Clara Vanguard drum and bugle corps.
The front ensemble (also pit or frontline) can include any percussion instrument. This wide selection of instruments allows for the front ensemble to produce the greatest timbre variety in a marching ensemble. Front ensemble instruments are typically stationary during performance and are therefore not bound to the limitations of being mounted to the player. Instruments usually played in the front ensemble include marimba, vibraphone, bells, xylophone, and chimes. Oftentimes, in order to add special sounds to a piece, many auxiliary percussion instruments will also be implemented by the frontline ensemble.
External links
- Drumline Discussion Board
- http://www.marcusdrumline.org/ 9-Time National Champion Marcus High School Drumline
