Snare vs Tenor vs Bass

[wvu80]

Snare drummers are the fighter pilots of the drum line.(wvu80)

Which is why hearing a great bass drum lick always does me in. The snares may be the fighter pilots, but without the bass drummers, those fighter jets have no fuel to take off.

wvu80's idea of a great drum line:

Michael Boo's idea of a great drum line:

Edited February 16, 2013 by wvu80

[kickhaltsforlife]

Generally, I prefer snare licks. There have been too many too count, but Cadets 2003 snare work in Malaguena is one of my all time favorites. Madison Scouts "Funny" in 1992. And of course the "flamenco" plastic drumming from BD in 1994.

For tenors everyone mentions Cadets 2000 (justifiably), but Cadets 1993 has some awesome tenor runs.

Bass runs don't usually do much for me, but the Blue Devils bass line at the conclusion of their 2002 show is one of the best things I've ever heard.

Of course, as Garfield (?) posted earlier, interplay between the battery sections is always best. Madison Scouts "La Danza Pasillo" in 1995 is my favorite of these.

First time I heard this... I freaked out. That is the stuff I love to hear... it's just so cool sounding to me. Lol

And Cadets 2003 is up there on my favorites.

[SFZFAN]

I only ever played snare so I lean that way but I am in awe of what DCI bass lines pull off.

[jonnyboy]

Is it safe to assume that snares are the glory boys, tenors are cool and smooth......but basses have a mystery and uniqueness that holds many in awe. So basses rule. Close of topic.

<edit: Lighten up Francis. My comment was tongue-in-cheek, but keep blasting away with the negative votes>

Edited February 17, 2013 by jonnyboy

[soccerguy315]

as I brass player, I am most impressed by the bass drums, just because each player only has 1 note

[corpsband]

as I brass player, I am most impressed by the bass drums, just because each player only has 1 note

concur.

1 instrument with the chart split up between 5 players each with a single piece of the instrument is REALLY impressive.

[maestro!]

It's one thing to get a bunch of snare drummers to play the exact same thing, but it's another thing to get a bunch of bass drummers playing a number of different parts so that they sound like one person is playing the lick.

...somewhere along those lines, it makes you wonder why Cymbal Lines weren't included in the poll. Although their splits occur less frequently, they are still just as impressive to watch.

[MotoSurfBass]

What is a squib?

Think of it as a trill of sorts... a fast passage of alternating notes (32nds, triplet 16ths, etc), usually between the top two basses. Crazy tough for the person playing the upbeats, but when it hits...

[DrumManTx]

I have played one squib on my high school bass line. Of course it sucked because I wasn't very good yet (sophomore), but in finals at our LAST competition, by some act of God, we NAILED it. They are so freakin cool.

It was a 32nd note one between bass 2 and me (bass 1). Like UP drumline said, it's basically a trill between two bass's.

I could go on and on about how much I love bass. lol

[garfield's_kid]

I'm a born and raised snare player. I've been around drum corps all my life. I can't play matched, and I own my own snare. But I think the tenors are a combinations of the rudiments and technique of a snare with the different tones of the bassline. My vote goes to the tenors.