Drumline: Definition and Techniques

September 11, 2017

A Drumline simply refers to a collection of percussion instruments set in array and carried by certain groups of individuals in a marching band or a basic drill. The instruments that often make up the drumline include the bass drum, snare drum, tenor drums, and on some occasions, cymbals. There are some other … kinds of percussive instruments [like xylophone, chime, gongs, keyboards etc.] can be incorporated into the drumline.

Based on the instruments used, a drumline can be set up to have a batterie unit and a front ensemble. While the batterie is more or less, the unit that is usually on the move, the front ensemble is stationary. The instrumental make-up of the front ensemble are majorly the ones played with the mallets, and such include the Tenor drums, bass drums, cymbals, cowbells, gongs and so on.

Techniques used in a drumline

There are several techniques that are employed by percussionists in a drumline. This is not out of reach considering the different kinds of drums available to be played in the drumline. However, we are going to briefly touch on the general techniques which hover around the following factors:

Flow: Drumming requires a lot of concentration hence it is necessary that a particular percussionist create a good balance in order to stay sync with the rest of the drumline. As such, every individual must play with the technique he/she is comfortable with, and also mindfully ensure that he/she breathes more steadily.

Rebound: Rebound involves pushing the drumhead with the drumstick or mallet in an attempt to maximize the 'energy' of the drum. This helps the drummer to flow better as he/she plays the instrument.

Grip: The grip a percussionist gains on the drumstick goes a long way in determining the tone of the sound produced. The more relaxed the drumsticks are held, the more the sound that gets projected- tighter grip gives smaller sound.

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