In my drumline there used to be a "rule" that freshman got bassdrum. This was because freshman who didnt know how to march could handle and easier part. Well last year we got a new Band Director and now there are actual try outs. Still freshman hate the fact of getting bass drum. What can we do to motivate them to actually wanna play bass instead of just hating it?

Two ideas that immediately come to mind:

1) Show 'em a good bass line. There are plenty of videos available online that should make their jaws drop. You could start with the "In the Lot" and I&E videos from vicfirth.com . Bass drum seems like a lot more fun when you realize it doesn't have to be quarter notes like it was in elementary and junior high school.

2) Make sure that parts are written to challenge the players. Stock bass parts can be boring, but good bass parts that challenge the players a little bit can be a blast to play.

we have the same rule at my school and no one has ever complained about it. sitting down with them and asking them why they dont want to play bass is a good start. work out the kinks as to why they DONT want to play. then as skydog said show them some cool vids and stuff and maybe they will be turned on to bass drumming. hope i was of help.

at my hs, if they're good they go on a better instrument. i played bass drum my first year but halfway through the summer schedule got moved to snare because they knew that i was good. it pissed a ton of upper classmen off so they moved me back. i could care less if a frosh got on snare line as long as they can play.

Write awesome bass parts. When I got put on bass my freshman year, I was pissed. I mean, my Dad was in the drumline in high school, and at his school at the time, bass was for losers who couldn't play. So I had this misconception that the basses were bad. When I got on it, though, we had runs up the wazzoo. And it was fun. Write runs and good parts. Also, like stated, show them some good bass lines.

Maybe you could get your line together and go to a local DCI show. You could check out some lines in the lot. Then u can go watch the same line in action on the field. Watching a DCI line up close is what first made me realize the bass drum is no joke.

I agree with many others here in saying that you must show them somehow what a bass line CAN do. You must also let them know that there WERE tryouts and the current configuration is the best for the whole band. Also try telling them that the harder they try at bass the more likely they are to be moved up onto a harder piece.

hmm...write a really cool cadence with a rock feel to it so the bass drums can get the "rock" feeling. I think freshmen, who choose to do drumline because they want to be "rockstars", sometimes need to see that they can have fun on a bass drum. Making them watch bass drum ensembles is good, but it could also backfire.

i dont understand why people hate bass drum so much, it can be just as cool as tenors or snare. Bass is the heart beat of the band