Marching Snare Drum

This is probably the most demanding instrument musically in the battery. They must line up multiple notes in one beat with each other throughout the entire performance. The center snare drummer, along with the drum major, is responsible for keeping the tempo for the other performers on the field.

Tenor Drums

This instrument consists of five or six drums that are attached together and are played with sticks or mallets. Tenors are the melodic instrument of the battery. Their music is as demanding as the snare drums but must split their targets across many surfaces.

Bass Drums

Four or five performers, each of whom carries their own different drum, perform as one instrument in the bass drum line. The melodic line is separated between four or five people and must be kept track of by each performer. The parts are not always similar to the snare and tenor lines but they must be able to count accurately and play their set of notes in perfect time.

Marching Cymbals

As perhaps the most noticeable instrument on the field (both visually and aurally), upper body strength and timing are of utmost importance. Four to five performers usually make up this section. Similar to bass drums, the cymbal music is split up between the players. When all parts are played together, they combine to make one cohesive cymbal part.

Marimba

The most experienced keyboard players tend to hold these positions. Most the parts are more difficult and often require four mallets. The center marimba player is in charge of keeping time for the front ensemble.

Vibraphone

Vibraphone: The vibraphones are often outside of the marimba players so they can listen in. These parts are often melodic and also require four mallets.

Xylophone and Glockenspiel

The xylophone is the high voice of the front ensemble and usually double all the fast notes in the woodwinds and marimbas. The xylophone player should be able to play everything the marimbas players do.

The glockenspiel is used to color the different sections of the front ensemble. The performer must have good timing and the ability to line up notes with multiple members at different times. These instruments are sometimes attached to other instruments in the front ensemble.

Synthesizer / Piano

The synthesizer players usually have some piano experience and are responsible for a large portion of our electronic output on the field. The synth player usually plays a very important role.

Auxiliary Percussion

Auxiliary Percussion consist of various cymbals, gongs, bass drums, brake drums, and anything else the music requires. These musicians learn to have good timing and counting skills and be able to play many instruments with minimal time to switch in between.

Guitar / Bass Guitar

These musicians provided a unique timbre compared to the rest of the Percussion Section. These musicians usually mimic a melody or bass line found within the ensemble.