Bass Drum

Etymology and Alternative Spellings

Fr: grosse caisse; Ger: Grosse Trommel; It: gran cassa; Sp: bombo

Construction

The bass drum is an orchestral instrument with a range in diameter from 32 to 40 inches, and a wooden shell depth of 18 to 22 inches. Almost always the drum will consist of a batter head and a resonant head. The material that the heads are made of are either calfskin or synthetic vellum and the drum is typically mounted on a stand so that it may be turned at different angles for volume and resonance.