The harder the stick the more prominent the attack and the more precise the note. The softer the stick the more mellow and rich the sound. The center of the head produces a dark, slightly hollow sound with little resonance. The nearer the rim the head is struck the brighter the sound becomes it is extremely resonant and tends toward a definite pitch. The usual striking spot about a hand-width from the center of the head produces a rich, resounding tone. The possibilities range from a solo ppp, which creates an atmosphere laden with tension, to single strokes like a burst of cannon fire which can give the audience a shock. The quality of the sound depends on a number of factors: The bass drum possesses an enormous dynamic spectrum and a huge variety of timbres. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators. Like the timpani’s, the bass drum’s timbre is composed of two elements: the attack, which possesses purely noise-like properties, and the resonance, which has a duration of around 3–4 seconds at mezzoforte. The large resonant chamber means that the tone is very deep depending on the size of the drum it lies somewhere between C and G but is perceived as one or even two octaves lower.
One of the main characteristics of the bass drum sound is its indefinite pitch.
Dark, sonorous, sustaining, full, resonant, soft, mighty, menacing, thunderous, gloomy, eerie, rumbling, thudding, pounding, hollow.
