Could you hurt your back or something if you march with a bass drum or tenors? I heard some people got hurt badly at another school.

it is just a matter of back strength, which you can build as you wear the drum more often. after a full day of marching, your back will hurt, but the pain will go away after a few days of just living with it and not complaining. suck it up and you will get stronger. hope that helps

odds are you will twist your ankle before anything crazy happens with your back. like the guy above me said, it's all about making your muscles stronger and then the drum will feel like nothing.

the only other two problems------
1. you have really screwed up posture....as crooked as a question mark (for those who saw forrest gump).
anyway, if you don't stand up straight, like, alot a lot not straight that could cause problems

2. if your carrier doesn't have enough padding on it that can cause bruises or numbness. might want to check that out.

oh thanks.

And dont trip backwards with a snare.

You can get back braces if you are really that worried about it. Our 5th bass player is a pretty small guy, and he wears a brace. I think it helps more with the soreness than any actual damage you your back.

Another thing is that you have to be cautious when you march. I play bass, and we were crabbing to the left and transitioning to the right, and there was wet mud in front of me, and I didn't see it, and I totally slipped on the mud and twisted my leg. Not fun.

Our first bassdrummer tripped on an orange cone while marching out of the football field at an away game. She bruised herself and cracked(severed) one of the rims... the night before a competition. Somehow our 3rd bass managed to jerry rig that thing before we left for the comp. So yeah, you can hurt yourself and the drum while marching. The funny thing is that those orange cones are designed for you to be able to see them since they have reflectors on them.