Having launched the Regimental Series in March 2019 and the Axial Series in August of the same year, the British Drum Company Marching Division was firing on all cylinders and ready to roll… that was until the world was hit by a global pandemic and we were forced by the government to stop production, close the doors and lock up the factory. In May this year we reopened our doors and the production lines started to flow again. This is not how I expected to start off my first marching blog for British Drum Co!
For those of you who do not know me, let me introduce myself. My name is Stu Warmington and I have the distinct pleasure of being the Manager for the Marching Division here at BDC HQ. I spent 22 years in the Corps of Drums of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines and was extremely lucky enough to meet some amazing people along my journey, as well as getting the opportunity to perform in some amazing venues all over the world. I can only describe it as a paid hobby, however it was due to that job that led me to BDC. (That’s a story for another blog!)
We have two series of drums in the marching division. The first is the Regimental Series which is our range of traditional marching drums. These have been taken on by the Royal Marines and the British Army, as well as many bands in the UK, Europe & China.
The Axial Series is our Pipe band range and was co-designed with BDC and our International Marching Specialist, Jim Kilpatrick. Over the past 18 months, the Axial Series drums have been despatched to the UK, Europe, USA, Australia and New Zealand, to name but a few countries, and have been taken on by Grade 1 Police Scotland & Federation Pipe Band (formally Glasgow Police). We have also attracted a plethora of marching artists to join our BDC artist family.
Product Updates
Regimental Series
Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at British Drum Co. We have been working closely with the Corps of drums of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines as they use our RS1 snare drums, gaining insights as to how we could improve and develop our instruments to be certain we are on top of our game. The first result of this collaboration is the new top snare mechanism which will appear in all RS1 & RS1C drums moving forward. Precision engineered using the highest-grade components, this new streamlined mechanism offers a more efficient user experience that is easy to use and inspires confidence in the player.
After all, in the world of marching drums, if you’re not moving forward, you’re just standing still!
Axial Series
The pandemic has caused many supplies issues for companies across the world and we’re no different. Earlier this year one of our supplies went under so we had to reassess our situation. While we’d already started working on new ideas this was the ideal time to bring them forward 12 months. The biggest visual change will be for the tenor and bass drums. The claws have changed to compliment the X-Frames on the snare drums. The new claws are made from steel and have a wider mass area to help give a more even tension across the hoops. Georgian Oak hoops will come as standard on both tenor and bass drums and feature our new head stress management system which sees the metal flesh hoop of the drumhead completely disappear from view. The new design massively strengthens the hoop as it now has a metal ring inside due to the drumhead flesh hoop. The bass drum also features a chamfered edge thus giving it a smaller profile.
New Products
The Regimental Practice Pad is a 10” practice pad with premium high-grade silicone playing surface for clear, articulate stick response.
Features:
Portable table-top practice pad which can also be used with snare drum stand
Non-slip high-density foam base with stylish inner plaque
Distinctive styling with traditional Regimental livery
Available from 1st October 2021
Here at BDC HQ we are constantly striving to innovate to try and find better ways to improve all our products without comprise. To keep update to date with everything here at British Drum Co please make sure follow or subscribe to our social media platforms
I also write a drumline article for Rhythm Magazine so if you’d like to know a bit more about marching drumlines and personalities within them then why not check it out.
Until next time…. Stay Safe
Stu