The "Rushin' Collusion"

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

No, this is not political. I'm referring to the Percussion Section in general and specifically the Bass Drummer.
Too many times a conductor admonishes the Bass Drummer if the tempo speeds up or slows down. Here you have a group of muscians who are expected to listen to each other and watch the conductor as they play. And yet when the tempo fluctuates it's the fault of a single person.
I have never heard a conductor blame the 1st Clarinet when the Trumpet section doesn't observe the key signature, or the Concert Master when the Basses don't play at the proper dynamic.

True, when playing marches the bass drum essentially has nothing but downbeats but let's go beyond that.
Some conductors use an amplified metronome during rehearsals which now places the responsibility on each player and section to maintain the tempo. Although this is an effective tool, I find it torture to my ears especially when there is just one constant sound of an electronically produced wood block sound. Tempo along with key signatures, dynamics, time signatures, and every other part of a performance is the responsibility of every performer.

The bass drum can produce intricate rhythmic passages, climactic punctuations and a host of different sound colors. It should be treated as a separate and equal voice in the ensemble.

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A Percussionist's Notebook

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