Will the bass drum of big diameter, for example 24″ or even 26″ suit you? By the account how well big bass drums sell recently, many drummers will answer this question in the affirmative. But what to do, if it is better to have a sound of deeper than standard 16″ х 22″ drum for your musical needs? And what to do with 18-inch bass drums? There are many such small drums. Can they give a hundred and ten per cent?

Let’s return to the beginning of the 20th century. At that time “bass drum” meant either an orchestral or marching drum, and both of them had modest depth, but much bigger diameter, than modern bass drums have. First rather practical pedal for a bass drum was devised and mounted in 1909. Bass Drums as a part of drum kits remained big and shallow during following 40 years for a variety of reasons. First of all, in the first half of the 20th century musical styles were not casted into the melting pot, which were in the second half of the century. That’s why trying to get various sounding was not the main motive power of drums designing. Secondly, drummers did not use microphones, and big drums were needed simply for high level of loudness.

But all changed after the Second World War, when big dancing bands, which were popular earlier made way for small musical groups. Longing to be heard as a member of big orchestra ceased to be a need of paramount importance. At the same time those drummers, who especially loved experiments and played in bebop collectives, searched for a new sounding. They found this sounding in smaller bass drums with diameter 18″ and 20″, which can be tuned up on a strong and penetrative sound.

When on a musical Olympus rock music started to dominate, all drum kits were completed with these small bass drums. But soon drummers began to want great variety of sounding and, probably, more attractive look of the bass drums. So, diameters 22″and 24″ became a standard. It is interesting that during all these changes it made little account of depth of a bass drum. Till the middle of 70-ies the majority of bass drums had depth 14″, no matter, what diameter it had. Some time later standard drums had a depth 16″, this standard was valid during next twenty years.

So, what do we have as a result? It seems to be that now evolution simultaneously goes in two directions: both double bass drums, and small bass drums risersare popular. But size 16″ х 22″ inch is still used for the majority of kits «for beginners».

Different dimensions of bass drums show existing tendencies in music world, and skilled drummers understand that there are no standards any more and this is good! Now drummers use everything that suits music and corresponds to a certain manner of playing.

Now assortment of bass drums is very wide: diameter can be from 16″ to 26″, and depth can be from 14″ to 20″. So, you only need to choose from this variety a suitable drum.

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