The best drumming I heard at the Music City Drum Show took place at the Bovid Percussion booth. They were only 30 feet away, a couple booths down from mine.
This company makes real rawhide drum heads from various skins. (Calf-Goat-Camel-Steer) I recommend you visit their web site for factual information.
But, as I said, the most articulate, dynamic drumming I heard was at their booth. There was a group of drummers, probably friends that stopped at the Bovid booth. In their booth was a small drumset with various rawhide heads.
They also had an assortment of snare drums with their different drumheads. These were playable by attendees.
These individuals demonstrated beautiful snare drum playing. They played articulate buzz rolls and dynamic cadences. It was great to watch and hear.
A welcome change from the 100+ DB, five-minute “look at me” can I get an endorsement, performances. (Sorry-not sorry)
I have a couple original calfskin heads on several of my drums. (They’re different)
I’ve played calfskin heads and loved them. It makes me think about my snare drum style, more in line with how Baby Dodds (1898-1959) Zutty Singleton (1898-1975) and my teacher Tommy Thomas (1901-1994 / Chicago) played snare drum.
The original style, technique of swing was played on the snare drum, not metal cymbals. Buzz rolls and dragging the bouncing sticks vertically, top to bottom of the drum.
The Ray Bauduc (1906-1988) book, Dixieland Drumming has examples of this style. (Ray’s book was notated by Tommy Thomas) for Ray and WFL. That would be William F. Ludwig. (1879-1973)
Like the drummers above mentioned (Baby Dodds and Zutty Singleton) Ray Bauduc was originally from New Orleans and migrated to Chicago.
Chicago was home for most of the major music manufacturers. Calfskin drumheads were also manufactured there.
Before ending this little post, I did some more research via their website and Youtube videos. They have quite a few respected drummers playing their heads in Youtube videos.
I also discovered info I didn’t know, what I was seeing and hearing at the show. The front drumhead on the drumset in their booth was a goatskin. “I did not know that”
From my booth, 30 feet away I heard it for 2 days.
I also heard other drum kits from other booths. Unfortunately, the Yamaha booth was directly behind mine. Sometimes there were 3 drummers flailing away. I did speak to someone semi-in charge and made a lower the noise request.
Back to the Bovid Goat Skin front head. It had a very unique sound. It sounded great “live” and I can imagine it would sound dry and punchy with a microphone amplifying the sound.
I don’t know how much these heads cost. I’ll check them out. I may be surprised they are affordable or very expensive.
When I was a kid, sixteen years old, I got my first drumset. (1966) We lived in a small Florida town and I played them every day in preparation to be a professional musician. Across the street was a grumpy old man that called the Seminole County Sheriff on me.
A Seminole County Deputy would show up and knock on our door. He was polite and doing his duty. It was a 12-mile drive from the city of Sanford to Geneva, where I lived. There wasn’t anything he could do. I wasn’t breaking any daytime noise ordinance in 1966. He said they got a call, that Gene Krupa kid was “Beating Those Skins”
I prefer the word (playing) “beating” to me implies some Fred Flintstone style of non-musical approach to the instrument.
At age 16, it sounded like I was beating the skins. But I was actually ‘playing” my drumset.
And, they had plastic heads, not skins.
BaDaBoom