Why you need to learn more Double Drags
How many double drag beatings do you know? How much do you know about double drag beatings? If you re-enact or portray an 18th or 19th century British and/or American…
Spice Up Your Three Camps Solo With Historic Variations
Did you know there are 8 unique historic variations on Three Camps? The modern version comes from Strube (1869), but earlier manuals show a Three Camps with different rolls (7s,…
Bâton Méle: Le Rigodon d’Honneur
The term “Rigodon” refers to a popular dance style of the 18th century and was used interchangeably with the single drag version of La Diane. This probably stems from the…
Ave Maria: The Origin of The Retreat
The Retreat, or La Retraite for the French, is the opposite of the Reveille. Whereas the Reveille is beaten at the break of dawn to signal the sentries to cease…
Evolution of Drummer’s Call in the American Army
The American army, quite understandably, took most of its original drum music (and military tradition!) from the British. Thus, it’s no surprise that the American’s original Drummer’s Call was taken…
Talking to the Public: Interpreting While Drumming
A music demo – formal or informal – is not complete without a bit of actual music. But how do you keep your audience engaged while you’re playing? If you’ve…
The Long March: The Perfect Rev War Cadence?
At American Rev War events, the most common marching cadence is The Long March as seen in Ashworth (1812). This tradition might have started after the beating was included in…
Roll Skeletons and Why You Should Understand Them
Even though rolls seem to be just quick, alternating double strokes, they have underlying rhythm. If you want to develop your rolls and gain more control over your musical knowledge,…
The Rolls in Reveille: Where Do the Long Rolls After The Dutch Come From?
By the American Civil War, we see a fairly fixed sequence of tunes for the American Reveille. To transition from one tune to the next, manuals instruct the drummer to…
The Alarm: A Long Roll or To Arms?
For a long time, Revolutionary War re-enactors have assumed that the Long Roll was used as a signal to ‘sound the Alarm’. This assumption is referenced in multiple drum manuals…