bass drum
5
3.0
- noun
- /beɪs drʌm/
- Specialized
:
bombo
- During the performance, the bass drum provided a powerful rhythm that everyone could feel.
- playing a bass drum
- bass drum and cymbals
My first bass drum I ever got is Ludwig at Manny's.
- My first bass drum I ever got is Ludwig at Manny's.
- And so I can kind of ride the snare and bass drum and then ride the fills like that.
- Drummers appear seated with snare and bass drum, cymbal and wood blocks and other special effects.
- Like what would would people be using double bass drums the way they do today because Rob doesn't exist?
- This huge dose and that's the big old bass drum and they're just crushing the whole brain circuitry to suppress hunger.
Examples
-
Tom is trying the position of his bass drum, and Allen plays a few notes on the synthesizer.
Fiction book (1992) -
The teacher might say, "Is there a musical motive that would work well with Ashley's 'frightened heartbeat' played on the bass drum?"
Academic text (2011) -
I just worked the bass drum with my foot.
-
I want to feel the bass drum, come on.
-
The guy's got the fastest bass-drum foot in the county.
-
We see the name Powermad on the bass drum.
Fiction book (1990) -
No one pays attention as a bass drum is carried past the guards and up the loading dock ramp.
Fiction book (1999) -
Both groups utilize Spanish guitars, drums, and bass drums.
Academic text (1998) -
Performed alone, the frightened heartbeat on the bass drum makes a distinct musical impression on the listener.
Academic text (2011) -
Drummers appear seated with snare and bass drum, cymbal and wood blocks and other special effects.
Synonyms
275
1.0
A hollow cylinder with a tight skin that you hit to make a beat
A musical instrument like a drum that makes sound when you hit a stretched skin
How Low
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning of 'bass drum' is transparently composed from 'bass' (low-pitched) modifying 'drum' (a percussion instrument); a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer it denotes a drum producing low, deep sounds. This noun+modifier compound follows a very common cross-linguistic pattern (modifier specifying a quality of the head noun), so the sense is immediately predictable from the parts.
Etymology
The name bass drum comes from the sound it makes. Here bass means 'low' or 'deep' and drum is the instrument, so the words paint a picture of a big drum that gives a deep, powerful beat you can feel, which is why it means the large drum that makes low sounds.