In the 19th century, the bass drum in military bands was essential. The use of bass drums continued into the earliest days of recording, but then something happened around the middle 1900s that rid bands of this long-standing tradition. Until then, all the famous bands of the era used hefty bass drum parts: Sousa, Gilmore, the Marine Band, and even small groups like Frank P. Banta’s orchestra. What was it that made the record executives make this decision?
On many records in the late 1890s into the early 1900s (particularly discs), the bass drum can be heard whacked on 1 and 3, or sometimes more eccentrically on 2 and 4. Depending on the director’s preference, the drum was placed either close to the horn or farther away. Most often this was used to emphasize the beat of the bass brass, whether it be tuba or trombone. This made for some especially rhythmic and rather full toned recordings. When played on modern electric turntables, records with this effect can sound almost as though they were recorded with a microphone.
There seemed to be an especial trend for the bass drum effect on recordings around 1900 to 1904, with dozens of band and orchestra recordings including the romping rhythm. This is a sound that we often don’t associate with the era, but at the time it was
