Bass drum

The Bass drum is a member of the struck drums (Hornbostel–Sachs 211.212.1). Learn how it makes its sound and explore related instruments.

How the Bass drum makes its sound

In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the Bass drum belongs to the struck drums: a stretched membrane (drumhead) is struck with hands or beaters.

More broadly it is one of the membranophones (drums), where sound comes from a vibrating stretched membrane.

Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.

From Wikipedia

The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The heads may be made of calfskin or plastic, and there is usually a way to adjust the tension, either by threaded taps or by strings. Bass drums are built in a variety of sizes, but size does not dictate the volume produced by the drum. The pitch and sound can vary significantly with different sizes, but the size is also chosen based on convenience and aesthetics. Bass drums are percussion instruments that vary in size and are used in various musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished.

The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum (in Italian: gran cassa, gran tamburo). It is the largest drum of the orchestra.