Drum Traditions (especially snare drums)

[sarnia sam]

Here's the thing about Kevlar, you don't have to crank them. Take some time to listen to Optimists this summer if you get a chance.

Regards,

John Swartz

[Jeff Ream]

you can get a nice lower sound with some snare resonation using kevalr...it's in how you tune and how you hoop the bottom. listen to Westshore 95-96

[Percussion827]

Umm... whoever stated that there needs to be a kevlar head that delivers the sound modern corps crave while keeping soft on the hands? There are actually many heads on the market from Remo and Evans that do that. Most specifically, the Remo White and Black Max are weaved entirely different than the well-known Falam II head by Remo. I beleve Evans makes the MX5? snare head (correct me if I'm wrong) that does the exact same thing. I actually like the Max heads, and I prefer to have that batter head on my personal snare drum.

Back to the topic (somewhat, I'm hitting DCI's area with this one): Some drum traditions seem they would last forever. Cadets' classic endings to their solos throughout the late 90's and the 2000 season (THAT was sweet, btw), SCV's tilt and being under Gusseck/Cassella, The Cavies' "zen" way of drumming with just enough to be a nice book, but also light enough to be musical. However, as we have seen in the past... oh I dunno.... 5-ish years? Those traditions have gone to the wayside. It's all about change, people and lines keep improving and wanting more demand. The fans eat it up, try to impersonate the famous warmups (BD Ditty, SCV's Flammus, Electric Wheelchair, etc.) and the arrangers give them more until they have finally written that one book that everone holds the standard to that corps' line for YEARS to come (Thurston's Groovus Maximus with Crossmen is an EXCELLENT example). Only when that happens does a tradition become overshadowed and that is when a new tradition becomes warranted. Now in DCA, I cannot say that I have heard many DCA lines, I have heard a few. However, I know that some traditions that an arranger may have had when they were with a DCI corps or a past DCA corps may be transferred to that current corps. All about the adjustments needed.

Well, this ends my imput on Line traditions.

Edited January 16, 2007 by Percussion827

[Storkysr]

Yeah the MAX heads are much better on the hands/wrists and the sound is much less box-top like.

[MikeD]

In the Cabs Alumni we are using vintage chrome Luwdig snares, but with 15" black Remo Kevlar heads. What we DON'T do is crank them too much. We get the durability and brightness of Kevlar, but the full, gutsy sound of a 15" drum, and they are relatively lightweight. I love the response we get when the bottom heads are tuned properly.

And a GREAT sound they produce...I love watching them warm up out in the parking lot.