Marching Bass Drums: The Ultimate Tuning Guide

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  • Опубликовано: 3 ноя 2024

Комментарии • 204

  • @spike6192
    @spike6192 3 года назад +356

    OMG THANK YOU, IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR A WHILE. THE BASS DRUMS AT MY SCHOOL SOUND TERRIBLE

    • @gavin_bigred
      @gavin_bigred 3 года назад

      Lets go, update us on how that goes

    • @vectorjiu-jitsu955
      @vectorjiu-jitsu955 3 года назад +1

      @@gavin_bigred a

    • @gettingittogether424
      @gettingittogether424 3 года назад +1

      I had a music teacher with a masters degree who didn't know you had to put whatever that muffling stuff (I'm a brass guy so I don't know what that is called) on the head and when the bass drummers would hit it'd resonate for legit like 3 seconds and our whole drumline was denied putting that stuff on the heads, and they just did it anyway lol

    • @spike6192
      @spike6192 3 года назад

      @@gettingittogether424 moon gel is a possible one

    • @gettingittogether424
      @gettingittogether424 3 года назад +3

      @@spike6192 nah it's like a foam padding that goes around the head close to the rim

  • @kmforst
    @kmforst 3 года назад +93

    FWIW, in the DCI corps I marched and later taught, the horn staff were KEENLY aware of the bass drum and concert bass tuning, to the point where notes would have to be taken out if they were dissonant with the contras, or the overall tuning of the drums changed. To be honest, you could tell, it did make a difference. If only it were feasible to have an entire chromatic octave of concert basses in the front.....(well, there was that one year Crown could have pulled it off....)

    • @johntviviani3783
      @johntviviani3783 3 года назад +6

      Yea I agree. I feel like bass drums should be tuned in relevance to the horn line. At the high school I teach at I have the drums tuned to the power chord (we only march 3 drums) in the key of our show. A lot of the judges comment on the bass drum tuning saying how it makes the ensemble feel complete

    • @detailing_dog
      @detailing_dog 3 года назад +1

      don't give eric ideaas

    • @SeanLaMontagne
      @SeanLaMontagne 3 года назад

      Its definitely a nice bonus if you can tune your drums to ar least be in thr ballpark of the keys your show uses.
      However it's not a huge difference between doing that and just tuning your drums to sound good together in general.

    • @fleur444
      @fleur444 10 месяцев назад

      I know im late, but does such complex tuning mechanics in the bass drums apply when there is no hornline? Like WGI

  • @David_Drums
    @David_Drums 3 года назад +54

    The group I teach has received comments about our tuning being very nice this year from multiple judges. Idk if it's comparing us versus the competition's tuning but at nearly every show, we've had comments about snare, quad, and bass tuning being good.
    We follow a similar spacing for basses as you covered with the additional step of finding the most used chord in the show and rolling with that as a key for which notes to tune to.

    • @micropwutak
      @micropwutak 2 года назад

      i know i’m really late but how did u tune your snares because i want to tune my snare pretty good but i don’t know how to tune it tbh 😭

  • @Guitarnivore
    @Guitarnivore 3 года назад +21

    As a fellow Marine, but an untrained musician, I have no idea what you're doing in a lot of your videos, but I love it and I'm trying to learn.

  • @jaydgreen1
    @jaydgreen1 3 года назад +10

    The tuned and no effects sounds amazing, the tuned with the effects sounds so full and punchy! So good!

  • @thematthewyoung
    @thematthewyoung 3 года назад +3

    Still blows my mind when you do those double stroke runs all by yourself on different recordings. You are built differently!!!

  • @ItsPandaaa
    @ItsPandaaa 3 года назад +13

    my percussion teacher said we should tune our bass drums today after school and, what do you know, we got a guide on how to do it. thanks eric!

  • @bigversion5122
    @bigversion5122 Год назад +1

    Thank you EMC. This helped a lot, my school’s basses 2, 3, and 4 were the exact same pitch while bass one was as high as a spock drum.

  • @Paul-kx1iu
    @Paul-kx1iu 3 года назад +86

    I just changed my line’s heads and got them tuned up. I usually just go with what sounds good, but I’m gonna try these intervals. Thank you very much!!! Additionally, we started using Pearl Mallet Stations for our front ensemble. I’m an old school no electronics kinda guy. Learning the software is challenging. Any recommendations? Preferably something that can stack voices and split the board to better utilize the advantages of these electric thangs…

    • @gryd3461
      @gryd3461 3 года назад +5

      mallet stations are made for practice, not to replace real marimbas and vibes

    • @alphaex9124
      @alphaex9124 3 года назад

      @@gryd3461 agreed, and for sound affects

    • @Paul-kx1iu
      @Paul-kx1iu 3 года назад

      I agree, but we don’t have the players yet :/

    • @RyanJonkerMusic
      @RyanJonkerMusic 3 года назад +3

      Mainstage is the program you want. You can get any sound you want out of Malletstations. They are used in performances all the time!

    • @Someone-hx5cr
      @Someone-hx5cr 3 года назад +1

      Main stage is a great option. I’m center marimba but our xylo also gets to use a malletstation. I originally started on synth and the program we used was mainstage. I got familiar with mainstage pretty quickly. There are tutorials on RUclips, too. Mainstage also easily allows multiple synths. In your case it will be multiple malletstations AND you can do separate sounds on each instrument and stack multiple sounds on one instrument. Mainstage is definitely the program you’ll want. Another advantage is their “concert” feature. You can create a set list of multiple patches so that, for instance, one malletstation makes the sound of a marimba in bar 19, but (once the person in charge of the computer, typically synth, changes the patch), after switching it will make the sound of an organ at bar 20. Also look up tutorials on RUclips and you’ll be set. Good luck!

  • @stephenbyrnes7205
    @stephenbyrnes7205 3 года назад +27

    Video 40 of commenting until EMC makes an entire battery percussion section out of spocks and 8 inch splash cymbals

  • @wileyiscool9630
    @wileyiscool9630 3 года назад +8

    Loved this! Incredibly easy to understand, even for a bass player 😂

  • @graysonhayhurst9464
    @graysonhayhurst9464 3 года назад +8

    As a bass drummer, I thank you for speaking in Bass Language

  • @christinashelby6083
    @christinashelby6083 3 года назад +53

    So does this mean you'll be keeping an eye out for bigger bottom drums? Kinda cool you have your own set now!

  • @beaumartin366
    @beaumartin366 3 года назад +3

    Yes 100% do a bass head change video. Would be a good tool to have a recent well done video.

  • @fuzzylightning
    @fuzzylightning 2 года назад +1

    Thanks for making this! I like this tuning scheme as well. I have no bass experience - I was a snare drummer my whole life lol.

  • @VanPelt408
    @VanPelt408 3 года назад +4

    I’ve always preferred lower bass drums that actually has some bass in lieu of a tenor drum hung off your chest.
    As always, your videos are super informative.

  • @bait-cz5uj
    @bait-cz5uj 3 года назад

    Where was this 20 some years ago when I needed it.

  • @BoomerMusicCompany
    @BoomerMusicCompany 2 года назад +5

    Be careful about pushing your finger on the middle of the head. Hardly anyone uses consistent touch/feel and hardly anyone places their finger in the exact same spot which alters the harmonics. Moon Gels or anything like that work great for this application; consistent pressure and surface area coverage. Great video!

  • @jacobsmithjr
    @jacobsmithjr Год назад

    This was very informative for me. I'm starting to arrange for high school marching band and I have no idea what I'm doing for percussion because I'm a horn player lol.

  • @christianfreehill9954
    @christianfreehill9954 3 года назад

    I was looking for a bass tuning video the other week and couldn’t find one. Emc comin in clutch

  • @yslsaintlaurent
    @yslsaintlaurent 3 года назад +9

    The HS drumline that I teach at has this exact bass drum size line minus the 22 inch. The only thing I do differently is instead of a major triad for the top drums, I tune a minor third instead.

  • @Prof.CheeseDog
    @Prof.CheeseDog 3 года назад +1

    This is the quintessential bass tuning. So many drum corps use this

  • @aaronwalther9552
    @aaronwalther9552 3 года назад

    Have a good morning, I'm watching this from germany and it is 8 Pm

  • @jaydgreen1
    @jaydgreen1 3 года назад +2

    Yes, please make a head change and tune-up video.

  • @met-andre6007
    @met-andre6007 3 года назад +1

    Never opened a notify so fast

  • @adamferguson2344
    @adamferguson2344 3 года назад

    Kinda needed this a week ago, but better late than never!

  • @timothykarth7012
    @timothykarth7012 2 года назад

    Thank you so much for this. It has helped me with my brand new marching drum line.

  • @ricek.l9973
    @ricek.l9973 3 года назад +1

    6:30 thats funny in my first year of indoor a judge called out our bass tuning

  • @stephenbyrnes7205
    @stephenbyrnes7205 3 года назад +1

    I just tuned my school's basses last night, same intervals except I did it in D major

  • @LunarTFM
    @LunarTFM 3 года назад +1

    I use Power Chords when I can, it’s a great thing to practice

  • @UnknownSpooky
    @UnknownSpooky 3 года назад

    Following the overtone scale is just a good idea in general

  • @s.Goldman
    @s.Goldman 3 года назад +1

    When I was the bass captain at my school I actually did the tuning for our section we decided to tune the top three to a minor triad to fit with our theme better

  • @caige_baum
    @caige_baum 3 года назад

    I’m a Bassline captain at my school and I play a 32 inch, with 6 basses who don’t know how to tune so this helped out so much! Ive been waiting for a tuning video to come out on RUclips! Can we get a video on changing bass heads/ wraps next????

  • @tdubasdfg
    @tdubasdfg 3 года назад

    Yes to the bass drum maintenance video

  • @plant_trees_kg
    @plant_trees_kg 3 года назад +1

    Do a separate maintenance video, please! That would be super helpful! :)

  • @CubingMonkeyMan22
    @CubingMonkeyMan22 3 года назад

    Yes, please, I would love to see a head change video!!!

  • @filistraight9425
    @filistraight9425 3 года назад

    THANK YOUUU I NEEDED THIS IM IN BASS LINE AND THIS IS SO MUCH EASIER NOW

  • @gbassman5341
    @gbassman5341 2 года назад +2

    The interval I ended up liking best for the top 3 drums was also 4ths, but you definitely need a bottom bass that is at least 28" or bigger for it to be feasible

  • @Jack55257
    @Jack55257 3 года назад +1

    Please please please do a maintenance video in the future! That would be so helpful!

  • @BigJuice234
    @BigJuice234 3 года назад

    I’m really enjoin your videos lately keep it up 👍

  • @richardcrouthamel4397
    @richardcrouthamel4397 3 года назад

    Excellent! More like this, please!

  • @relevantinformation6655
    @relevantinformation6655 3 года назад

    Excellent presentation 👍 thanks !

  • @PepeTheJonkler
    @PepeTheJonkler 10 месяцев назад

    Just noticed Fleck Sherman in the credits.
    He taught our bassline at all the audition camps.
    #GoGamecocks

  • @RedDogMamaHD
    @RedDogMamaHD 3 года назад +2

    "New to me": Always good to repurpose! Now, you need to get a college to contact you so you can get a larger set!

  • @Hanslauer
    @Hanslauer 3 года назад

    And right before our first performance!

  • @Placehold2222
    @Placehold2222 3 года назад +1

    a maintenance guide would be great

  • @JerridFoiles
    @JerridFoiles 3 года назад

    As a drummer, video production...ist?, and moonlight audio engineer (jack of all trades, master of none) I was actually surprised at how well that FCP bass boost worked in this application. Kind of like EQ for dummies. LOL
    While I couldn't really hear much difference between untuned and tuned, I'd like to suggest the John Good approach. He believes the tone can and should come from the shell. So you take a chromatic tuner and a soft mallet and give the shell a solid wack and note the tone on the tuner. Then tune your head to that. It's part of DWs artisanal approach to making drums.

  • @JohnKennedy-kh3eu
    @JohnKennedy-kh3eu 3 года назад +2

    damn if only I was allowed a 24" bass drum as a freshmen, playing bottom 5th bass! lol Just checked my broken head of the 2nd bass, it measure 20" (2nd bass). So im guessing we marched 18-20-22-24-26. - Miami, FL.

    • @ProudPapaJD
      @ProudPapaJD 3 года назад +1

      In Scouts we marched 18-20-24-26-30-32, that’s the best sounding bassline ya ever heard!

  • @marktegrotenhuis
    @marktegrotenhuis 3 года назад

    I own 3 custom bass drums. My "bottom" bass is also a 24 inch, because that was the biggest size shell and chrome rims I could get my hands on. The other two are 22 and 20 inch.

  • @milomishler7310
    @milomishler7310 3 года назад

    I marched in a showtime style band in highschool as bass drum. We marched a 22, 2 24s and a 26 inch bass.

  • @StudioRM388
    @StudioRM388 4 месяца назад

    Boom! Subscribed.

  • @MattButzen
    @MattButzen 3 года назад

    Great info thanks

  • @willspeck8552
    @willspeck8552 3 года назад +1

    Emc your petition to marry cow bell is almost fully signed

  • @Yes_Alex_Cook
    @Yes_Alex_Cook Год назад +1

    4:11 "That note, E"
    plays the drum: is E - flat
    😆

  • @braydenthibodaux5812
    @braydenthibodaux5812 3 года назад

    yes do a video of changing the heads

  • @BigMadBadLad
    @BigMadBadLad 3 года назад

    EMC should do a custom head competition, like the ultimate tenor wraps

  • @maxbro2911
    @maxbro2911 3 месяца назад

    I march bass 2 and at a comp last year we had a judge who’s only complaint was we needed to tune our drums. We still got 1s but yeah.

  • @i_cam
    @i_cam 3 года назад

    maybe its just my headphones, but the drums did not always sound like the notes you said they were. I trust that you did actually tune it right, probably something with the mic picking up weird harmonics

  • @cjt217
    @cjt217 3 года назад

    Get the Remo Starfire when you change the heads :D

  • @mwm48
    @mwm48 8 месяцев назад +1

    My wife is a band director, I wish there could afford new bass drums they are in dire condition.

  • @BrianLanders
    @BrianLanders 3 года назад

    1989 Santa Clara Vanguard ("Phantom of the Opera") had a section where the tenors doubled the mallets on "Masqurerade", so they had to tune the tenors to the correct pitches for the music. If I remember correctly, they did the same thing in 1988, but without the tenors being tuned, and it didn't sound nearly as good.

  • @ethancrow4815
    @ethancrow4815 3 года назад

    I like how he has 4 Randall may stands and 1 pearl

  • @THEGMH1998
    @THEGMH1998 3 года назад +1

    Thank you so much I needed this! What about muffling? How many of the white foams should I put on the head?

  • @ch4lmi3watches86
    @ch4lmi3watches86 3 года назад

    Hey Eric @EMCproductions, I am a junior and play snare in the Big Walnut Highschool Competition Marching Band and this year we are doing a queen show. In our third song we have a drum feature to the beat of We Will Rock you and our solos are not cutting it for the crowd, the judges called it boring. Could you possibly look over it and do your thing please!!! Just lmk!!.

  • @hiro-mg3vs
    @hiro-mg3vs 3 года назад

    Nice video!! Btw, I want to know about how to tune 4 bass drums (16,18,22,26). I always look forward to your videos from Japan.

  • @bobbarksofficial4335
    @bobbarksofficial4335 3 года назад +1

    Nice

  • @shermanhatch2716
    @shermanhatch2716 3 года назад

    Yes I’d like them to be remo!

  • @jwillydrums9982
    @jwillydrums9982 3 года назад

    Do it eric do it

  • @brianrandol
    @brianrandol 3 года назад

    I marched a 32' in 1993. Are you still serving....are the old videos every coming back.

  • @featherjean6291
    @featherjean6291 3 года назад +7

    So, did you not re-up, or did they give you a discharge?

  • @a.j.mp3
    @a.j.mp3 3 года назад +2

    Can you do an in depth one for snares too!?😅

  • @themoonbubble
    @themoonbubble 2 года назад

    I wondered if during your education there was actual physiology teachings involved as I get older forearms are getting sticky hands are cramping more stretch constantly but it seems my singles not my doubles are starting to suffer from age high sticking used to get rid of all of this with other exercises but I was interested in what knowledge you had to keep away the tendinitis carpal tunnel and cramping

  • @CARLOSGARCIA-wu5bw
    @CARLOSGARCIA-wu5bw 3 года назад

    What should one use to correctly muffle the heads? Is it the 1 inch foam glued to the head near the rim, is it a pillow, or is it something completely different? Please help! Thanks for the great video!

  • @graysonhayhurst9464
    @graysonhayhurst9464 3 года назад

    Can you do a Bass Drum Muffling Tutorial if/when you change the heads?

  • @wrekka8348
    @wrekka8348 3 года назад

    John Meehan of the Blue Devils is coming to my school tomorrow for a clinic

  • @MGNate
    @MGNate 3 года назад +1

    My high School drumline uses the exact same bass drums and the same heads. And for some reason my high school percussion director he likes to tune one head a half step higher than the other. He claims he gets the sound out more I don't know.

  • @chrisdorsey7436
    @chrisdorsey7436 3 года назад

    can you make a video on how to tune snares next? would be very helpful!!

  • @samuelzackrisson8865
    @samuelzackrisson8865 3 года назад +4

    I don't know if you noticed but you're tuning them to the overtone series skipping the fundamental note

    • @james_subosits
      @james_subosits 3 года назад

      He knows what he's doing, I promise. You don't do the fundamental because you would need a huge drum to get an octave lower than that

    • @samuelzackrisson8865
      @samuelzackrisson8865 3 года назад

      @@james_subosits I forgot a comma after the word "series". I just found it interesting and the tuning makes sense to me but he didn't seem to notice it him self so I just tried to point it out

  • @_prodkada
    @_prodkada 3 года назад

    Can you do a bass drum technique tutorial🔥🔥🔥this is my first season in a marching band and I want to get my technique right

  • @SillyCrilly
    @SillyCrilly Год назад

    As a high school 2nd bass drummer, it was odd hearing those sizes, and now I know why all the other bands have such tiny looking 1st bass drums. I play 2nd bass and it’s a 22”, so it’s not drum corp sized but it’s a little bigger than the average (for HS bands).

  • @NATcha94
    @NATcha94 3 года назад

    Where was this video back when I was teaching in 2014-18😩😩😩😩😩

  • @murmermepickle1575
    @murmermepickle1575 3 года назад

    Now that you have new bass drums you should re do the cavaliers bass feature

  • @MasterZephyr6
    @MasterZephyr6 3 года назад +1

    What interval groupings do you recommend for tuning 6+ marching bass drums?

  • @ajparr0547
    @ajparr0547 3 года назад

    if you do a video on changing bass heads may as well add in how to properly muffle them.

  • @M4RCM0NT31R0
    @M4RCM0NT31R0 3 года назад

    You should try the EMAD heads on the bass drums!

  • @LWMS-band
    @LWMS-band 11 месяцев назад

    For splits and brand new bass drums under a year old. What are the notes best for them. High school drums good as well in the splits and 4 basses. We need to tune them well because ours for some reason are just not jt

  • @zaccsonofjohn1132
    @zaccsonofjohn1132 3 года назад +1

    What’s your favorite flavor of crayon?

  • @saaaraaah97
    @saaaraaah97 2 года назад

    I only have 4 basses, a 24 22 20 & 18, any opinions on tuning? Should I stick with power chord on bottom plus the 3rd on the 18? Or should I start with the 5th on the bottom so that bass 1 is the root of the chord?

  • @benjaminbrockway5998
    @benjaminbrockway5998 3 года назад

    I don't have any relation to the marching arts, and I don't play percussion at all. But for some reason, I am here.

  • @mattc.6526
    @mattc.6526 3 года назад

    I always thought using the major triad on the top 3 drums made it sound too high. Personally, I'd like to try using whole steps on the top 3 for like a do-re-mi effect.

  • @MordasMakesStuff
    @MordasMakesStuff 3 года назад

    Our bassline varies so much, our bass 5 is probably around 28 inches but my bass 1 is literally 14 inches, it is so small

  • @theshenanigoons8110
    @theshenanigoons8110 3 года назад

    Is there a way I can contact you to get you to react to a marching band video? If you haven't seen them I genuinely think you're missing out and they are absolutely top tier. I really wanna hear your opinion on them especially the drumline. Most of them are in dci or wgi or both. If you read your comments PLEASE give this a chance and let me know if you'd be willing to watch the video at least.

  • @resonanttotality8322
    @resonanttotality8322 3 года назад

    Man, I wish I had my own set of Basses...

  • @Salsuero
    @Salsuero 27 дней назад

    The effects definitely increase the tonality of the lower drums. Bass 5 sounds very thin otherwise... much more so than even bass 4 does. That effect definitely brings out the lower drums so they sound more like each other in character.

  • @bhays1917
    @bhays1917 2 года назад

    Could you do a video on a matching snare as well please? I’ve got an older pearl championship snare and keep getting a kinda hollow sound

  • @mastercoolbeansya8388
    @mastercoolbeansya8388 3 года назад

    Thank you I need this can you do ones with snares next XD

  • @subsoar5734
    @subsoar5734 3 года назад

    me, a marimba and front ensemble captain watching a bass drum video: hmm, yes, the drum, of course.

  • @surfer2374
    @surfer2374 3 года назад

    Happy spocktober or gocktober

  • @oscargill423
    @oscargill423 3 года назад

    Is it coincidental that the ideal tuning is equivalent to the 2nd-6th overtones in the harmonic series? Great video as always!

    • @克立张
      @克立张 3 года назад

      not coincidental. Most people tune them with that in mind.

    • @oscargill423
      @oscargill423 3 года назад +1

      @@克立张 Huh, cool. Thanks for the info!

  • @jackchampion990
    @jackchampion990 3 года назад +1

    Hey EMC I have been watching your videos for a while know and I was wondering I'd you could review and give Comments on are high school band performance, It would really nice if you did. I play bass 5 and I can send you a link with a video of it and give you sheet music thanm you.