Home | Contact | About the Band | CCH Pipes | CCH Drums | Multimedia | Merchandise

Introduction to Drumming | Rehearsals | Drumming Links | Equipment

Purpose
Drums in the pipe band support the music played by the pipers. In the higher band grades, drum scores are carefully arranged to accentuate the melody, while at Grade IV (a low grade, Grade I is higher) many of the drum scores are readily available "massed band" arrangements. However, there are many good Grade IV drum scores available for those corps wishing to develop them.

The Scot Alex Duthart was highly influential in redefining the nature of PB drumming, when, after winning a world drumming championship in 1949, he spent the next 40 years working out rudimental stick patterns in the Scottish style. His insistence on rigorous musical interpretation gave the PB drummer a secure foundation and method for study. Like American rudimental drumming, the Scottish discipline has a unique sound, preferred sets of phrases, and the rudiments are best employed in a musical manner, rather than for their own sake. Duthart was an important advocate of employing the Swiss, or Basel snare drum notation.

Technique
Of extreme importance is the function of keeping a solid confident beat, and for this the bass drummer has the dominant drum voice. All the drummers must follow the drum sergeant's lead and watch his/her hands. The drum sergeant and bass drummer in turn are directed by the pipe major, who sets the tempos at all times. All drummers need to remain aware of what is happening musically and should use eyes and ears to sharpen their playing. In Scottish PB music, tunes are stitched together, and there are often changes in tempo and time signature.

Duthart emphasizes in his writing that drummers need to pay close attention to the value of notes, and aside from stylistic interpretation, to remain strictly within the bounds of the written phrases. The drummer who does not read music may learn to play by rote, but will have a much harder time understanding the correct value of notes. Duthart was not a rudimental fanatic. That is, he employed certain rudiments to achieve good control and balance, and to make the drum sound more musical, rather than developing exaggerated rudimental skills to impress peers or a contest judge.

In America, where the opportunity to play pipe drums comes late to most drummers (the Scots and Irish start teaching promising children before age 10) the drummer may have a variety of experience in orchestral, wind ensemble, school band, DCI, jazz, rock, country, R&B, or other styles. The great benefit of playing the pipe band style is that the rudimental yet musical discipline of doing it will improve whatever drumming follows. The hands improve and strengthen, awareness is increased, improvisation and musicality are enhanced. And, some cross-pollination from American music will occur (and has already occurred) to enrich the sound of pipe drumming.

PB drum scores are usually written in the Basel notation, on a single line, with the right hand's strokes written above the line, and the left below. This provides exact sticking information without the need for RL indicators. Rolls are written in an abbreviated fashion, and Duthart's technique books go to great lengths to explain the conventions used. The number of basic or pulse strokes used in a roll is tempo-dependent, as is the case in concert-style snare drumming. It is traditional to play from memory. At the Grade IV level, set drum scores are used as a fall-back method of providing a reasonably good sound for the various time signatures. Once a set of these is learned, it becomes easier for the drum corps to stay in unison. All bands have certain special drum scores which require extra memorization work from time to time.

Only a few of the 40 international rudiments are used extensively, and these few should be mastered thoroughly until they are played as a muscular reflex. Rolls are closed, and should be played with the same pulse as an open roll, but with slightly more pressure to produce more strokes per stick contact. Because Scottish drumsticks are lightweight, the closed roll's sound depends in part on the sticks' resonance. Heavy hickory sticks, which are great for open rudimental rolls, will not make a good Scottish sound. Single stroke rolls are heavily employed at the ends of phrases, adding spice and setting up the sound for the pipers' next musical statement. The drum corps must work steadily to achieve perfect unison on the "singles". Beginners often tend to rush when seeing such runs, as they are unaccustomed to seeing singles written out.

Tap rolls are often used, indicated by an accent where the tap occurs within the roll. Current Scottish style requires a single tap at these points, not a "crushed" accented roll beat with many bounces. Part of the uniqueness of the sound comes from the correct interpretation of the tap roll.
Most of the time, the closed drag, what American drummers might call a "ruff", is played with a dead stick. That is, the hand producing the very tight and subtle grace notes of the drag forces the stick into the drum head and holds it there while the other stick makes the dominant single stroke. This widely used rudiment is a subtlety rarely found in non-Scottish snare drumming. The open drag, more like the American rudimental ruff, but with more buzz, is rarely used.

Since the drums play as much as the pipes, it's important that the drummer remain relaxed at all times. Only diligent daily practice can produce the hand/ear/eye skill necessary to play for a long period with relaxed confidence. One key to relaxed playing is practicing rudiments and musical phrases with alternate hands. This helps the drummer's balance and centers the sound. Even though a lot of scores are written and played "right-handed" for the most part, hand-to-hand practice is always beneficial and strengthening.

Time signatures and forms
Marches may be in 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, 6/8, 9/8, 12/8 or 5/4. It is customary for the drum scores to be written in double time against the pipe tune. Some of the more interesting drum music is found in the compound signatures of 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8, where there seem to be more opportunities for complex phrasing. Since most marching is done at relatively slow (80-90 bpm) tempos, there is usually the opportunity for the drummer to phrase using eighth note groups rather than quarter notes.

Other traditional forms: jigs, hornpipes, slow airs, slow marches, waltzes, strathspeys, and reels provide a rich rhythmic spectrum for the PB drummer. As in a drum and bugle corps, the drum corps' role in the pipe band is large enough so that it's playing constantly, and there never seems to be a dull moment. To add interest, traditional combinations, march/strathspey/reel, or jig/hornpipe are often used. The facility with which the pipe band makes the transitions between forms is a measure of its skill.

Instruments
Marching snare drums have evolved from a standard field drum with plastic heads to today's floating shell designs using high-tension kevlar heads. Pipe drums are fitted with snares on both heads and tend to be 14 inches in diameter and 12 inches deep. The PB snare drummer is able to achieve an ultra-crisp sound using such instruments. Bass drums are typically 22 inches in diameter and 14 inches thick. Snare drum sticks for PB playing are usually tapered throughout their length, are relatively large in diameter, made of maple, and are very lightweight and rebound quickly from the drum head. They are usually of very high quality but are generally unavailable at local drum shops and must be ordered from PB suppliers. Many British players have endorsed drumsticks, so they are generally identified by the endorser.

Tenor drums are usually 15 inches in diameter and 12 inches in depth. Both tenor and bass drums are tuned to resonate with the piper's drones. Both tenor and bass stick are of the soft variety, and great subtlety is required to play these properly. Snare drum sticks for the corps should all be the same, and the snare drums should be tuned alike. This is easier said than done, but the corps should make the effort at each session to tune the drums.

Style
Because Scottish bagpipe tunes rely heavily on the triplet figure, and cut-time patterns (such as dotted 16th - 32nd notes) are interpreted as a triplet form, similar to a jazz interpretation of the same figure, the music has a tendency to "swing" in a unique sense. The musical drummer will quickly adapt to this and be able to enhance the rhythmic effect. There are also times when more or less "snap" is given to the cut.

As in all good drumming, the issue of contrast, sometimes called "light and shade" is often the difference between a mediocre drum sound and musical satisfaction. Accents and flams are to be emphasized sharply, and unaccented strokes are played slightly softer than they would be in a large band. When written, the crescendo is to be played seriously and with force; decrescendos must be distinctly apparent. Dignity of phrasing is rather more difficult to achieve, but it's mostly an issue of stick control, not being overly flagrant with unaccented notes, keeping rolls and drags tight and closed, and keeping good steady time for the band. Clarity and cleanliness of sound is appreciated by audience, pipers, and judges, and should be carefully developed over time.

At times, the method of playing "chips" is used to control the drum corps' volume. Bracketed phrases in the drum score, or "chips", are played by the entire corps, while other phrases are played by one or two drummers only.
Tenor and bass drummers may learn elaborate flourishes to complement their parts. Very little instruction or literature exists for tenor and bass drummers, and the good ones are often inventive and persistent. Every opportunity to take instruction on these instruments should be pursued.