Marching drummers

[k3ng]

Ok I'm not a marching drummer. But I do know a whole lot of em. One of my friends in particular was a really good snare drummer and guided me basically throughout my hand technique development. One day, I got to see him behind his kit and was stunned. He was awesome. He told me he owed alot of it to his training in snare drumming.

I think there are quite a number of you guys out there who play in marching bands. I think. So just wanted to ask you guys how marching bands have inspired/affected/helped/expanded/etc your playing behind your kit. Did you do kit drums first or marching drums firs? How was the crossover in the beginning? Did you find it incredibly easy or otherwise?

I'm writing an article on this, preparing it for my next little 'workshop' with my school marching drummers, so they can help relate between the kit drummers and the marching drummers.

[voldak]

When I first started (10 years ago) I was going into the 7th grade. I had already completed one year of Middle School band (as a trombonist) and wanted something more. I bought my first drumset that summer and started playing snare drum at school at the same time. Throughout High School I was the main Jazz trap player and Section leader of the Percussion line. Playing snare in High school definitely helped my technique while playing the kit. It also did inspire me. I'd take home our cadences we practiced on and apply them to the kit. Also, think up new cadences and take them back to the guys. It was a load of fun and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world....Good luck with your article.

[PreppieNerd]

Marching technique can open up to different drumset ideas. I tend to use swoops more often between my toms since I play tenors. However, you must bear in mind that marching drums are different instruments from drumset and not everything is directly applicable. I know plenty of marching drummers who play drums, and they tend to be harder hitters. A guitarist friend of mine commented that one of those guys was one of the loudest drummers he's played with, and this drummer uses Peter Erskine Signature sticks (very thin, small tips).

[PureRockFury]

Being in drum corps (NOT marching band) since 1993 has opened up possibilities I didn't even think were possible. I don't have an ego, nor am I cocky, but I have a fantastic sense of time because of drum corps. Rehearsing for 12 hours a day almost every day in 100+ degree weather with 30 pound multi-tenors off your back, listening to Dr. Beat (Metronome on steroids) will make you have solid time no matter what. If you don't get solid time through marching in those conditions at tempos ranging from 70bpm to 200bpm, then I don't know what will.

That doesn't mean I'm stiff like a robot either. I love the groove and prefer to sit back on the beat slightly, compared to being on top of the beat in drum corps. I'm flexible when it comes to such subjects.

My rudiment background has allowed me to explore possibilities on the kit that some can't that don't have a strong fundamental in rudiments. Applying them between drums, i.e. toms to snare, snare to bass, or even rudiments on the bass alone makes for some interesting playing.

Because of drum corps I learned proper hand technique, proper movement technique. Fundamentals are everything in drum corps. All the small things are what make up the entire package. All those basic rudiments and grouping of rudiments is basically what your show music is. If you can't do the basics, you certainly can't do the fancy stuff. It just isn't going to happen.

Tempo integrity, stroke integrity, and musicianship are key elements to being a strong drum corps drummer. Taking this to kit can only help your playing more than you can imagine.

Example...accents to taps and being consistent between the two. You must commit yourself to the tap (inner beats) as much as you do an accent. This would fall under stroke integrity. You can't just let your taps fall and hope they come out with the utmost clarity. It just doesn't happen that way. You have to give the taps as much energy as the accent, but lower in stroke height.

Flam control is also another huge issue. Flams in a drum line have to be as tight as possible without them sounding like double stops. If you have a 9 man snare line and 5 man tenor line and you are all playing open flams it will sound like garbage. If you close the flam up, tighten it a bit then you have clarity.

It's all these small things that I apply to kit daily. I don't know what I would do or what kind of kit player I would be like without drum corps. I owe it all to the wonderful instructors I've had over the years including Sonor's Product Manager and Canadian Artist Relations, Scott Atkins (currently touring with Benny Greb), Jason Parent (DCI snare drum individuals winner) who lurks around here, Mike Sharpe, Marc Ducharme, Spike, Lee Beddis (only for about a month or two), Don Dean, Bill McGrath, and Jeff McKay.

Whenever you listen to anything Steve Gadd has played on, remember he marched drum corps. He marched with the Rochester Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps to be exact from Rochester, NY.

[maddrummr]

Marching definitally gave me some speed and stamina. Being out in 96 degree weather playing eights at 180. Man it just doesnt get better lol. Marching also teaches discipline and repetition. Before playing on the line i really didnt know how to learn (teaching myself on the set) But after my first couple weeks in 8th grade trying out for high school drumline. I learned the meaning of starting slow and doing reps till everything gets crystal clean.

I really think that thats an experience that all musicians need to encounter because it is effective. Drumline shows how there are no cheap tricks or shortcuts in drumming. It takes hard work and a lot of it.

[Joel Woody]

I believe that Marching Band helps a whole lot. I am a senior at my school. I am also the section leader. I have full faith in my drumline because they know exactly what they are doing. I myself, being a Quad Toms player know how much pressure we have on knowing our stuff. Marching band came before my kit, so i dont really know if it helped me or not, but i am certain that the Quad Toms did. Having to move all around the instrument. I mean, no offense to the Snare players, but i think that the Quad Toms are far more difficult than just one drum. But without the snares there would be no Marching Band.

GO MARCHING BAND!......and BAND CAMP!

[PureRockFury]

I believe that Marching Band helps a whole lot. I am a senior at my school. I am also the section leader. I have full faith in my drumline because they know exactly what they are doing. I myself, being a Quad Toms player know how much pressure we have on knowing our stuff. Marching band came before my kit, so i dont really know if it helped me or not, but i am certain that the Quad Toms did. Having to move all around the instrument. I mean, no offense to the Snare players, but i think that the Quad Toms are far more difficult than just one drum. But without the snares there would be no Marching Band.

GO MARCHING BAND!......and BAND CAMP!

Snares or tenors aren't harder than each other. They are hard in their own respective way. Because tenor players move around on 5-6 drums doesn't make it more difficult, such as a snare drummer playing more involved rudiments doesn't mean it's harder than tenors.

Even bass drum is hard in it's own right. You have to be dead on tempo and know your parts more than any other section. Losing a bass drummer for a show can be devastating, but losing a snare or tenor for a show wouldn't be so bad. Split parts, enough said. Remember I speak on an Open Class calibure, not marching band. Everything is difficult at this level.

[jangus]

Yeah Joey that's a debate that will never be resolved and it's not worth arguing for the reasons PureRock listed. We all have our own respective difficulties. For example, it's harder to get a group of snares clean because the sound is shorter and more distinct and every misplaced note is noticeable, but for tenors the sound is longer and you can sometimes get away with a little sloppiness. Plus you usually have more snares than tenors.

I'm a junior in high school and I play the tenors but played snare for my freshman and sophomore years. In my opinion, snare is harder to play as a line. As soon as I got on tenors I was comfortable with them. I would say I got my technique and chops from playing snare which definitely carries over to the kit. I did play kit before I started marching band but I wasn't any good until I learned good technique.

[evanj]

i really didn't get into properly learning rudimental/marching technique till high school. I hade been playing about 3-31/2 years going into high school, and I was a fairly decent drum set player/marimbist. Once I started learning rudimental stuff, the possibilites really opened up on the kit. for example, if you learn proper diddle technique, you can double stroke all over the drum set. I play tenors, so im working a little bit on doing scrapes between my toms. so if you really haven't looked into the rudimental side of drumming, consider it, because it will most likely come handing in other areas of your playing

[georgeman]

it all started with 5th grade concert

then 6th grade concert

both playing bass

in 7th grade i missed marching because i was at camp cadet but i played concert

we played traditional marches i played bass snare and cymbals

between 8th and now which is 10th grade i have played the lowest bass drum

we have had 4 or 5 basses

i got my drum set in the end of 8th grade

playing cross handed wasn't a problem

playing bass made me so i could play both

that and i learned some funky bass lines

o and i play snare and quads if needed

-george

[Flamacue]

I marched through Junior high and HS, mostly snare, had one year on Bass. I then went probably about 4 years before I picked up sticks again, I got a Set while I was in the Marines, my old boss was the one that talked me into it. He played guitar and we got it together for a few sessions in the warehouse...I also played as much as I could alone. To be honest, I REALY sucked on the set for a long time. I didn't have rhythm, or groove appeal, and the speed and technique I had previously earned, was a distant memory for a long time. Plus, when we played in school it was a lot more robotic. Also there was always someone to mirror, so that was both good and bad. Good, because it kept you on your toes because of uniformity needs, bad because you always had someone to fall back on, so you weren’t always at the top of your own game.

My experience with both set and marching is so far separated that it’s almost like two different hobbies. But I will agree with most that what I achieved on the line inevitably helped me on the set. I will agree with the point that playing multi toms gives you more of an edge with around the set techniques. Sure, you play a lot of high speed stuff on snare, but being able to move around frequently is so much more ideal as a crossover from marching to set playing.


Anyway, I enjoyed reading what everyone’s written so far…