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Drumline
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A drumline or drum line is a section of percussion instruments usually played as part of a musical marching ensemble. Drumlines are usually incorporated into high school or college marching bands, drum and bugle corps or drum and lyre corps, indoor percussion ensembles, and pipe bands, but also can exist independent of these ensembles. The term battery is used to refer to a specific part of the drumline. The battery is the drum section that marches on the field as a group.
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A drumline or drum line is a section of percussion instruments usually played as part of a musical marching ensemble. Drumlines are usually incorporated into high school or college marching bands, drum and bugle corps or drum and lyre corps, indoor percussion ensembles, and pipe bands, but also can exist independent of these ensembles. The term battery is used to refer to a specific part of the drumline. The battery is the drum section that marches on the field as a group. The battery usually consists of snare drums, bass drums, tenor drums, and cymbals. Stationary percussion within a marching ensemble is called the front ensemble or pit. This also describes the area where those percussion instruments are set on the field.
Battery
Drumlines typically consist of marching snare drums, tenor drums, (also known as Quads, Quints, or Quint Toms) bass drums, and – less universally – cymbals. In the past, marching timpani were common before the adoption of the front ensemble, as were marching keyboard percussion instruments such as glockenspiels and xylophones. Marching steelpans are rarely part of drumlines due to issues with volume and durability, and are typically used in large ensembles with only steelpans. In modern marching band and drum corps snares, tenors, bass drums, and sometimes cymbals march on the field and are generally referred to as the battery, while the pit, or front ensemble, is stationary in the front of the field.
Snare Drum
Marching snare drums have high tension heads typically made of Kevlar or PET film. In the past, snares were typically carried with slings, and because of the tilt performers used traditional grip. Most modern snare drums have rigid over-the-shoulder harnesses that hold the drum with the playing surface parallel to the ground, which affords the option of performing with matched grip. However there are many groups that are returning to a slight tilt in order to make using traditional grip more comfortable for the players.
Snare parts are typically unison and provide the center rhythm of the drumline. The snare drum line is the center of tempo in the ensemble, and the "center snare", a position typically held by the most experienced snare drummer, is responsible for maintaining the tempo. When rehearsing or performing, the center snare may "tap off" the ensemble, setting the tempo with a solo rhythm.
Tenor Drum
Contemporary tenor drums (also called toms, quads, quints, or sextets) are single-headed tonal drums. There are usually four to six drums in a set, but there can be as few as three or as many as seven. Tenor players add pitch variety to the drumline with drums of different sizes and tuning. Tenor players use matched grip, and generally play with mallets with plastic disc-shaped heads, though traditional drumsticks and softer mallets are commonly used to achieve different timbres. Tenor drummers typically play in unison. Recently, multiple percussion programs have experimented with "split" parts, meaning that the parts are not in unison. Some examples include Rhythm X's quad feature from 2007, The Cavaliers' quad features from 2000 and 2008, The Reading Buccaneers puff mallet solo from 2008, and many others.
Cymbals
Marching cymbals are typically pairs of crash cymbals played in a variety of ways. Cymbals are bronze with leather carrying straps. Players in cymbal lines may all carry the same size and type of cymbal, or a variety of instruments may be used. Cymbals are played being held before the body, in unison or split parts. In addition to being played by the cymbalists, snare drummers may play on the cymbals as ride cymbals or like hi-hats, thus there is typically a minimum of one cymbalist for every two snare drummers. Cymbals are also used for visual effects due to their reflectiveness while twirling or spinning them. Many contemporary field ensembles do not utilize a cymbal line, as cymbals are played in the front ensemble.
Bass Drum
Marching bass drums are most frequently used as tonal drums split between several percussionists. Each drummer plays a unique part, though the entire bass drum part is conceived as a whole. Marching bass drums, which produce the deepest sound in the battery, are larger drums carried on harnesses with the heads facing the front and back sidelines. The musicians carrying the bass drums typically line up in size order. Bass drummers use mallets with rounded or cylindrical heads often made of hard felt. Small bass drum lines typically consist of four or five members to ensure enough for a melody, and large lines can have eight or more drummers.
Front ensemble
The front ensemble (also called the pit) can include any percussion instrument. Typical front ensembles include mallet instruments such as marimbas, xylophones, glockenspiels and vibraphones, timpani, cymbals, concert bass drums, bongos, congas, cowbells, claves, tambourines, gongs or tamtams, tom-tom drums, and a variety of concert and world percussion instruments. Instruments may be mechanically or electronically amplified. Some competitive circuits also allow electronic instruments such as synthesizers and bass guitars, which are typically part of the front ensemble. This wide selection of instruments allows for great timbre variety. Most front ensembles are centered in front of the front sideline of an American football field.
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