DAvery Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Good points, but:I still think it would be better if the battery were tuned to be compatible with the brass and keyboards, even if this meant limiting the keys that can be played. I think there should be more basses relative to tenors. Why have duplication on the tenors and not basses? If you can have 12 contras, why not 12 basses? Visually, I like the way snares and basses look on the field. Tenors I'm not so sure. It's just a personal thing. Maybe if the drums were mounted differently so it didn't look like people were carrying a dinner table. Just some thoughts. Try not to get bent out of shape. Percussion has evolved over the past 50 years. There's nothing sacred about the current battery configuration. Maybe it's time for a change. For what it's worth, I've played mellophone, trumpet and G soprano and I have absolutely no problem with drummers suggesting changes in the brass line. Interesting idea. I don't think the chromatic tuning would work with existing sizes. Assuming you use 10 bass drums, you could use the following: 32", 28", 26", 24", 22", 20", 18", 16", 14" & 13" combined, 12" & 10" combined. I haven't tuned BD's to pitches in years and I can't even remember what pitches I could get. For example, if you tuned the 32" at a low G (if that's even possible) the 28" would need to be about a 5th higher, a D. The 26" could be an F# and the 24" an A. The 22" a C, the 20" an E. Here's where it could get tricky, I'm not sure you could go up a third for every 2" increase in the drum diameter. With the 18" you could maybe go with another G and the 16" a B. Maybe the 14" & 13" at D and E. The 12" & 10" at a F# and A. The note inventory would be: G, D, F#, A, C, E, G, B, D, E, F#, A. Works out great if you are playing in G major. Some of the doubled notes could be lowered or raised 1/2 step to get more pitches. Of course you could still tune the existing tenors to pitches and not use the additional BD's. This would still give you 10 pitches. 30 years ago I used to tune my basses to pitches. I liked the way it sounded, but it was a real headache. If you pitch the drums, then the writing becomes easier, i.e. more harmonically limiting. And you may have complete songs or large sections where one or two drums do not play. Harmonically it may not be feasible to do this. If the harmony moves around the circle of 5th's too much you find yourself without any pitches to use. Unless of course you have a completely different set of drums for every key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nation of Bass Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Having twelve basses would make them sound very undistinct. That is why most of the time, basses are limited to 4-6. They just don't sound distinct enough if they are tuned closely, which does happen if there are many together. Percussion instruments have overtones, so they never really sound exactly like a note. Why would you waste members on a bunch of extra basses and tenors? I would prefer to give them a worthwile job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAvery Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 (edited) Having twelve basses would make them sound very undistinct. That is why most of the time, basses are limited to 4-6. They just don't sound distinct enough if they are tuned closely, which does happen if there are many together. Percussion instruments have overtones, so they never really sound exactly like a note. Why would you waste members on a bunch of extra basses and tenors? I would prefer to give them a worthwile job. I agree with tuning the drums at a half or whole step would not work. It would just sound muddy. "Percussion instruments have overtones, so they never really sound exactly like a note". Huh? All acoustic sounds have pitches and all acoustic sounds have overtones. Including drums. They may have less overtones than say a brass instrument and it may be more difficult to hear the fundamental pitch, but it's still there. Edited August 24, 2008 by DAvery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nation of Bass Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Yep, listen to this man, he knows what he is talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAvery Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Yep, listen to this man, he knows what he is talking about. Hmmmm.....I smell sarcasm..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nation of Bass Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 No, no sarcasm intended my friend. You have earned my respect so therefore I am trying to show it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAvery Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 No, no sarcasm intended my friend. You have earned my respect so therefore I am trying to show it. Ok, thanks! I think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nation of Bass Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 I'm trying to say you know more than me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caliquads Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Thought: Why not combine basses and tenors into one section?The basses and tenors are the only drums in the battery that are "tuned" to specific pitches. But it seems kind of random. Typically, you have 5 basses and each tenor has 5 drums. So that's 10 distinct pitches. How are they tuned? Also, you have 5 individuals playing more or less the same part on tenors, but only one individual per part on the basses. Is it necessary to duplicate the tenor parts? And the tenors have one horizontal head per drum whereas the basses have 2 vertical heads, so the basses and tenors have much different timbres. Wouldn't it make more sense to combine the basses and tenors into one set of drums, tuned chromatically, and all with 2 vertical heads? With 10-12 individuals, you could get a full 12-tone chromatic scale (for the smaller drums, one person could carry 2 or more mounted on a single carrier). You might even be able to get 1.5 to 2 full octaves. Musically, this would give you the ability to play melody/harmony to complement the hornline and keyboards. Also, it would reduce the difference in timbre between the basses and tenors. Visually, it would get rid of the horizontal multi-tenors, which, frankly, do not look good on the field. This would give the battery a much cleaner look. I think Im going to log off DCP now, that was the worst thought out and most ignorant idea I have heard for drum lines in a long time. Thanks for wasting my time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAvery Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 I think Im going to log off DCP now, that was the worst thought out and most ignorant idea I have heard for drum lines in a long time. Thanks for wasting my time. Wow... I mean it's not my idea but why not respond with specifics? Why is this "the worst thought out and most ignorant idea" you have heard? The OP is a brass player and states his ignorance in the percussion area. Why be so negative? How are people to learn if people dismiss ideas as "worst" and ignorant? Tell the OP why YOU think it will not work. By the way, you probably already were wasting time when you logged on to DCP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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