Purdue University Bands Big Bass Drum

Bass Drum is "World's Largest"

Ever since it was first presented in 1921 by Purdue Bands Director Paul Spotts Emrick, the Big Bass Drum has added its unique voice to the instruments of the "All-American" Marching Band - serving as a reassuring constant throughout the Band's history. The drum strikes the beat of the music, serving as the heart of the band and keeping all the other elements in line and in time.

Standing more than 10 feet high when mounted on its field carriage, the "monster" measures about eight feet in diameter and is nearly four feet wide between its two heads. The drum is still the original instrument built by Leedy Corporation of Indianapolis in 1921.

The first drums sported heads made from mammoth steer hides imported from South America, but now Remo Corporation produces synthetic drum heads which are changed as needed. Over the years it has become a tradition for celebrities to sign drum heads and old heads filled with signatures are kept in the Bands Department. Among the many notables are astronauts Gus Grissom and Neil Armstrong, former president Harry Truman and the famed Kodo Drummers of Japan.

The drum is handled by a crew of four silver-helmeted bandsmen, who are selected for their strength and agility, along with two beaters. They painstakingly rehearse every movement of the "Monster" drum to assure its being in the right place at the right time in accordance with the split-second timing necessary for the fast-paced shows presented by the "All-American" Band.