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…
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,…
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…
And why was the left hand on the top line? Have you ever looked at 18th and early-19th century drum manuals, like Charles Ashworth’s A New, Useful and Complete System…
If you're interested in becoming a drummer for American Rev War reenacting, congratulations! The hobby absolutely needs more dedicated drummers and fifers. It's important to know however that musicians play…
If you want to take your authenticity up a notch and open up your drumming technique, chances are you should be wearing your sling around the neck and not over…
There are some questions whether or not The Tattoo was played in North America. This is an important question to explore as we try to reconstruct the duties of British…
Today, the modern snare drum tends to act as the driving cadence for marching bands and snare drums are still used in some military contexts to keep the soldiers marching…
Are you struggling to make sense of an 18th century or 19th century drum manual and interpret its drum beatings? For example, do you want to understand: how to read…