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Marching snare with a sling.


jonnyboy

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I playing with using slings for a parade, just for the fun of it. Although I've been drumming since the 80s, I've never worn a sling and really don't know the best way to go about it. Years ago I put on a drum and it flopped all over, but I didn't have a leg rest. So my question is, what do I need? I'm assuming I'll need a sling (and a clip to hook it to the drum) and a leg rest. Will I need a belt to keep the drum from banging around? Any recommendations on gear would be greatly appreciated.

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I playing with using slings for a parade, just for the fun of it. Although I've been drumming since the 80s, I've never worn a sling and really don't know the best way to go about it. Years ago I put on a drum and it flopped all over, but I didn't have a leg rest. So my question is, what do I need? I'm assuming I'll need a sling (and a clip to hook it to the drum) and a leg rest. Will I need a belt to keep the drum from banging around? Any recommendations on gear would be greatly appreciated.

The sling and leg rest is really all you need. Drape the sling over your right shoulder and clip it near your left hip. If you don't have what they called a "multi-angle carrying hook," which was the flat strip that went between two lugs with a series of holes you could use to balance the drum better, you can clip it to one of the tension rods. The weight of the drum holds it on the leg, but you DO have to modify your marching style a bit to keep it from banging around (if you look at the old videos, that's why the snares & tenors marched the way they did). Sounds like fun!

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Also because of the drum now being on an angle going left to right its a bit different than playing flat ie: with a carrier. Stick angles and positioning will differ a bit.

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Or...

You could do like The Ohio State Univ Marching band...

Shorten the strap to about 3 feet long. Over the right shoulder, under the left armpit, and hook the two ends together at about the level of your heart and carry the drum up high so you can still march "chair style" ("Point your toes!")

This method does stop the drum from swinging and lets you hold it steady while making sharp turns.

(It also cuts off the circulation to the left part of your body, burns a nasty rash on the right side of your neck, and virtually destroys any left-hand technique you've developed. But hey, anything in the name of TRADITION!)

:tongue:

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Or...

You could do like The Ohio State Univ Marching band...

Shorten the strap to about 3 feet long. Over the right shoulder, under the left armpit, and hook the two ends together at about the level of your heart and carry the drum up high so you can still march "chair style" ("Point your toes!")

This method does stop the drum from swinging and lets you hold it steady while making sharp turns.

(It also cuts off the circulation to the left part of your body, burns a nasty rash on the right side of your neck, and virtually destroys any left-hand technique you've developed. But hey, anything in the name of TRADITION!)

:tongue:

I could NEVER understand that "BIG TEN" style of marching and drummimg!!!!!!!!!!!!

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(It also cuts off the circulation to the left part of your body, burns a nasty rash on the right side of your neck, and virtually destroys any left-hand technique you've developed. But hey, anything in the name of TRADITION!)

Several friends mine marched the line at OSU, never heard a complaint anywhere near that extreme, not even after finishing the Rose Parade

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I could NEVER understand that "BIG TEN" style of marching and drummimg!!!!!!!!!!!!

The other Big 10 schools do not do this, they've all switched to harnesses

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Several friends mine marched the line at OSU, never heard a complaint anywhere near that extreme, not even after finishing the Rose Parade

Hey, I wasn't complaining at all. I did the parades and marched the whole season (as a rookie). The rash was a mark of pride in "Ji-row". The left-hand technique? Well, they sacrificed that for the visuals of marching, but they also wrote parts that let you grab the drum and swing it around while playing 16ths, too.

Those who never had to march a "flat" drum didn't complain much. But my first love was drum corps. And, yea, I lost a year of development when I marched TBDBITL.

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Hey, I wasn't complaining at all. I did the parades and marched the whole season (as a rookie). The rash was a mark of pride in "Ji-row". The left-hand technique? Well, they sacrificed that for the visuals of marching, but they also wrote parts that let you grab the drum and swing it around while playing 16ths, too.

Those who never had to march a "flat" drum didn't complain much. But my first love was drum corps. And, yea, I lost a year of development when I marched TBDBITL.

Fair enough!

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The sling and leg rest is really all you need. Drape the sling over your right shoulder and clip it near your left hip. If you don't have what they called a "multi-angle carrying hook," which was the flat strip that went between two lugs with a series of holes you could use to balance the drum better, you can clip it to one of the tension rods. The weight of the drum holds it on the leg, but you DO have to modify your marching style a bit to keep it from banging around (if you look at the old videos, that's why the snares & tenors marched the way they did). Sounds like fun!

Yup, it’s that simple.

My ROTC band used leather “leg aprons” to eliminate wear on the uniform trousers and a strap around the leg connected to the ends of the leg rest to tie the drum to the leg. The apron was white and a pain to keep clean and the strap was useless. (The bass drummer had a full apron, talk about much too much time spent keeping it clean.

We didn’t use aprons or leg straps in Reading. You had to anticipate the drum movement. After a while, it became second nature, although windy days could make life interesting.

Edit - Dang! I actually found a picture of a leg apron: !B3-!K9Q!mk~$(KGrHqIOKkIEyNeR-9w!BMoIkslREw~~_12.JPG

Edited by The Oz
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