Welcome to the second Marching Orders! blog. Here's a run down of what's been happening at the Marching Division at British Drum Co. over the past month. The Marching Family Grows The British Drum Co. is pleased to announce that Peter Vulperhorst is the latest Marching Division artist to join our artist family. Peter started drumming from the age of 7 where he was taught by his father-in-law, Sjoerd Westra, a musician in the Dutch Marines, Tamboers & Pijpers. At the age of 12, Peter started a high-quality classical percussion program with his teacher, Johan Faber, one of the best percussion teachers in Holland at that time. In 1993 he graduated Cum Laude (UM) at the Utrecht Conservatory where Johan Faber was still his teacher, mentor and coach. It’s exciting to bring in another amazing drummer into the traditional side of the division and Peter is very well known in the traditional drumming world. I’m delighted to be able to bring Peter onboard and I feel honoured he’s chosen to join British Drum Co. I look forward to seeing where this journey takes us. See more info here Old Friends, New Drums I did manage to escape for a few days and head down to The Royal Hospital Chelsea, London to present some emblazoned RS1 Drums to the in-pensioners so their drummers could use them on their drum duties. Their current drums were looking old and tired, so we decided to gift them some new drums to them for future use. I was greeted by Maj. Phil Shannon MBE (Captain of Invalids) where I was taken in for coffee and biscuits, always a great start to any day! I was then given a full tour of the hospital and all its facilities followed by lunch in what can only be described as the perfect setting to enjoy some great food and conversation. Following a delightful lunch, the official presentation of the drums took place. It was nice to see our drums being worn by the heroic pensioners who have the privilege of wearing the legendary scarlet coats. I was presented with a framed picture as a gift to go up on the wall at BDC HQ. The Royal Hospital Chelsea does an amazing job but like most places, at the moment, is struggling because of COVID-19. If you can spare the price of a cup of coffee then please click the link below and help these veterans out. The Chelsea Pensioners https://www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk/howdonationhelps Product Updates Regimental Series Practice Pad Since the launch of the Regimental Practice Pad last month the demand has been extremely high. The look of the pad has stood out amongst others and the high-grade materials of this pad have proven to be popular with drummers regardless of your marching scene. We’ve now decided to add an aftermarket option for all those wanting to personalise their pad with their own or band name. This option will be limited to a maximum of 30 characters including spaces. The custom plaques can only be ordered direct from British Drum Co. on our online store. The current plaque is easily removed and the new plaque added by removing the two screws holding them in place. 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 Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube If you'd like to be among the first to here about the latest Marching Division news from British Drum Co., sign up to our newsletter by clicking the link at the bottom of the website, and make sure the "Marching" checkbox is ticked. Until next time…. Stay Safe Stu

The British Drum Co. is pleased to announce that Peter Vulperhorst is the latest Marching Division artist to join our artist family. Peter started drumming from the age of 7 where he was taught by his father-in-law, Sjoerd Westra, a musician in the Dutch Marines, Tamboers & Pijpers. At the age of 12, Peter started a high-quality classical percussion program with his teacher, Johan Faber, one of the best percussion teachers in Holland at that time. In 1993 he graduated Cum Laude (UM) at the Utrecht Conservatory where Johan Faber was still his teacher, mentor and coach. From 1987-1992 he studied Orchestral Percussion, Classical Snare Drum, Marimba, and the Teacher degree at the Sweelinck Conservatory Amsterdam. Peter says “teaching students on community level, International Masterclasses for semi-professionals and professionals always has been my life work, inspiration and motivation to continue as a musician”. His highlights include teaching at the National Conservatoire in Lisbon, The Royal College of Music London, Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester UK and the Sweelinck Conservatorium Amsterdam and in several colleges in Asia. After many successful years in the Marching band scene as teacher, arranger and composer, Peter was appointed Jury-Adjudicator at various international percussion festivals and marching band competitions such as: WMC World Music Competition Kerkrade Holland DCE Europe Drum Corps Indonesia WAMSB Copenhagen PAS Italy International Competition TPAA Taiwan World Percussion Championships In 2015 he started a new Drum Corps in Holland called Traditional Collective Fife & Drum Corps., a high quality (semi) professional rudimental Drumline/ Fife and Drum Corps. Commenting on the new addition to the Marching Artist Family, British Drum Co. Marching Division Manager, Stu Warmington, said “It’s exciting to bring in another amazing drummer into the traditional side of the division and Peter is very well known in the traditional drumming world. I’m delighted to be able to bring Peter onboard and I feel honoured he’s chosen to join British Drum Co. I look forward to seeing where this journey takes us. Peter Vulperhorst commented, “I can’t express how rewarding it is for me to be part of the artist team of British Drum Co. The past couple of years have been very turbulent for many companies, however British Drum Co. attracted my attention as they spent this time developing new and enhancing current products. Having visited the factory, I was blown away by the ambition of this team of specialists. The care and craftsmanship they put into their products is just stunning. Joining as an artist is a very exciting prospect and I look forward to working with fellow BDC artist Russell Piner and Marching Division Manager Stuart Warmington. I feel humbled to be able to represent British Drum Co. during my tours and clinics. BDC stands for excellence in sound, projection and comfort. Peter will be using the Regimental Series RS1G snare drum in Military livery and the Axial Series snare drum in Cosmic Blue Sparkle Burst.

The British Drum Co. welcomes Marillion drummer Ian Mosley to their family of artists. Ian Mosley, drummer with the iconic UK progressive rock band Marillion, has joined the growing British Drum Co. family of artists. Ian is a well-respected “drummer’s drummer”, earning accolades from peers worldwide. With an impressive CV which includes Darryl Way, Gordon Giltrap and Steve Hackett, Ian has been with Marillion since 1984 and has just finished recording the band’s 20th studio album on his new British Drum Co. drum kit. Mel Stewart, Brand Development Manager at British Drum Co., says, “It is my pleasure to welcome the legend that is Ian Mosley to our British Drum Co. artist family. Ian has a formidable reputation as a player and is revered by drumming fans worldwide. I am delighted that Ian has selected BDC as his drum brand of choice. I can’t wait to see and hear what he does with his new Legend drum kit.” Ian is thrilled with his decision to join BDC. “In recent years, the British Drum Co. brand has been grabbing my attention more and more. I’ve seen and heard some amazing things about these drums and at the start of our new album writing sessions, I decided it was time to see what all the fuss was about. I visited the factory and was blown away by the culture and attitude to the craft of drum making that Keith has instilled there. The drums that BDC have made for me are out of this world and are sounding great in the studio. I cannot wait to get out on tour and bring these drums to life!” Keith Keough, CEO of British Drum Co. is delighted that Ian has chosen to join the BDC artist family. Keith explains, “I would like to welcome Ian to the BDC artist family. Ian is a world-class drummer with an enviable reputation amongst musicians worldwide and it is fantastic to see him playing a British Drum Co. drum kit.” British Drum Co. Managing Director, Al Murray, added, “I have seen Marillion play many, many times but to now be in a position to say that Ian is playing a British Drum Co. drum kit makes me incredibly proud. What can I say - he’s a drumming Legend playing a drumming Legend!”

The British Drum Co. welcomes Manic Street Preachers’ drummer Sean Moore to their family of artists. Sean Moore, drummer with the legendary Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers, has joined the growing British Drum Co. family of artists. Sean is a founding member of the Manics and has played on every single and album release, since the band began in 1986. Mel Stewart, Brand Development Manager at British Drum Co., says, “Everyone here at BDC is thrilled at the announcement that Sean has chosen to play our drums. The Manics are a legendary band with a reputation for excellence and we cannot stress how cool it is that Sean wants to be part of our artist family”. Sean is delighted with his decision to join BDC. “I have been watching the growth of the brand and been hugely impressed by the quality of the drums. I have heard so many good things about British Drum Co. so I thought it was time to check it out for myself and I have been blown away by the exceptional build quality, the awesome sound of the drums, and the attention to every detail. I am very happy with my new Legend kit!” Keith Keough, CEO of British Drum Co. is equally proud of Sean joining the BDC artist family. Keith explains, “Sean is a fantastic guy with a stellar reputation as the powerhouse drummer with one of the most instantly recognisable bands around. It is an honour to have Sean on board with BDC.” British Drum Co. Managing Director, Al Murray, added, "It is such a thrill to be able to welcome Sean Moore to the British Drum Co. artist family. What can you say about the Manics that hasn’t already been said? Powerful, emotive anthems with an authenticity, integrity and poetry that resonate with all generations - great to have you on our team Sean!”

The British Drum Co. welcomes drummer Andy Edwards to their family of artists. Andy Edwards, respected drummer for Robert Plant, IQ, Frost and Quill, has joined the ever-expanding British Drum Co. family of artists. Mel Stewart, Brand Development Manager at British Drum Co., says, “We are delighted to welcome Andy Edwards to the BDC family. Andy has enjoyed an exciting career playing clinics and performing alongside many of the drumming world’s icons, as well as possessing a CV bursting with experience, including the drum chair for Robert Plant! It is great to have Andy on board as he joins our artist family.” Andy is similarly enthusiastic about his move. “I immediately picked up on the passion that everyone at BDC has, not only for their products, but also for the industry and the drumming world, as a whole. The craft and attention to detail that goes into their instruments is breathtaking - I’ve never seen anything like it! Once I started to play my new kit, I was amazed - it sounds absolutely incredible! It’s so responsive, I can do things on this kit I’ve never been able to on other drums. That’s just one of the many reasons I chose British Drum Co.” Keith Keough, CEO of British Drum Co. is just as excited to welcome Andy. “I have seen Andy playing many times and have always been blown away by his drumming. It is brilliant to be able to welcome Andy to the BDC family and I am thrilled at the prospect of what we can all do as we continue to build our brand together.” British Drum Co. Managing Director, Al Murray, added, “I am very pleased that Andy Edwards has chosen to join our artist family at British Drum Co. Andy is an awesome drummer who also brings his valuable skills and experience as a clinician and educator to the table. He keeps some pretty good drumming company too! Welcome on board Andy!”

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 Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube 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

The British Drum Co. welcomes drummer Jim McDermott to their family of artists. Jim McDermott, respected independent drummer with one of the most enviable CVs in the business, has joined the growing British Drum Co. family of artists. Jim’s reputation as a stellar session drummer is assured when you see the list of artists he has played with including Del Amitri, Simple Minds, Justin Currie, GUN, Deacon Blue, Lulu and Kylie Minogue. Mel Stewart, Brand Development Manager at British Drum Co., says, “We are immensely proud to announce the addition of Jim McDermott to the British Drum Co. artist family! Jim has been a long time friend of BDC, offering support from the earliest days of the company. We are now really happy to welcome him aboard as a BDC artist”. Jim is exremely excited at the prospect of playing his British Drum Co Legend Series drum kit., exclaiming, “These drums are absolutely spectacular. The build quality is unlike anything else I’ve ever played and the tone is out of this world. I can’t wait to get out there and see how the kit sounds on stage and in the studio.” Keith Keough, CEO of British Drum Co. is equally proud of Jim joining the BDC artist family. Keith explains, “Jim and I have known each other for a long time and I have admired his playing for years. I am really excited to finally welcome Jim as a BDC artist after all this time.” British Drum Co. Managing Director, Al Murray, added, “We are delighted to welcome Jim to the BDC family of artists. He’s a spectacular player who has played with such an eclectic range of artists in so many musical situations, and we are very lucky to have Jim on board.”

The British Drum Co. welcomes Enter Shikari drummer Rob Rolfe to their family of artists. Rob Rolfe drummer with acclaimed UK rock band Enter Shikari, has joined the growing British Drum Co. family of artists. Rob’s drumming reputation as an energetic, powerful player is acknowledged worldwide with exceptional record sales and stunning live performances. As a new British Drum Co. artist, Rob will debut his brand new drum kit with Enter Shikari when they headline the legendary Download Festival this weekend. Mel Stewart, Brand Development Manager at British Drum Co., says, “I’d love to extend a warm welcome to Rob Rolfe into the BDC artist family. Rob’s personality, professionalism and dedication to his art makes him a perfect addition to our growing roster. Enter Shikari have continued to make a splash since their inception in the early 2000’s and they continue to grow as a band and captivate audiences around the world with their intelligent, original, genre-bending music. We are extremely proud to see Rob representing BDC as Enter Shikari headline Download - one of the most prestigious rock festivals worldwide. From a personal point of view, I am delighted to see Rob playing one our iconic drum kits on such an iconic, global stage. Rob is passionately enthusiastic about getting behind his brand new Legend Series kit, as he explains, “I love what British Drum Co. have been doing recently. First and foremost, they make stonking good drums, but it’s the people behind the company that make me so happy to be a part of the BDC family. As a relatively young company, they have positioned themselves at the top of their game and I am happy to be right there alongside them.” Keith Keough, CEO of British Drum Co. is equally delighted about Rob’s decision to join the BDC artist family. Keith explains, “We are thrilled to welcome Rob to the BDC family of artists. We have watched Enter Shikari grow as a band for a while and are really excited at the prospect of having Rob become a part of our brand”. British Drum Co. Managing Director, Al Murray, added, “We are delighted to welcome Rob to the BDC family of artists. Rob is a fantastic drummer who is making a massive impact with Enter Shikari and it’s really cool to have him behind one of our Legend kits”.

We’ve made it quick and convenient for you to manage your blog from anywhere. In this blog post we’ll share the ways you can post to your Wix Blog. Blogging from Your Wix Blog Dashboard On the dashboard, you have everything you need to manage your blog in one place. You can create new posts, set categories and more. To head to your Dashboard, open the Wix Editor and click on Blog > Posts. Blogging from Your Published Site Did you know that you can blog right from your published website? After you publish your site, go to your website’s URL and login with your Wix account. There you can write and edit posts, manage comments, pin posts and more! Just click on the 3 dot icon ( ⠇) to see all the things you can do. #bloggingtips #WixBlog

With Wix Blog, you’re not only sharing your voice with the world, you can also grow an active online community. That’s why the Wix blog comes with a built-in members area - so that readers can easily sign easily up to become members of your blog. What can members do? Members can follow each other, write and reply to comments and receive blog notifications. Each member gets their own personal profile page that they can customize. Tip: You can make any member of your blog a writer so they can write posts for your blog. Adding multiple writers is a great way to grow your content and keep it fresh and diversified. Here’s how to do it: Head to your Member’s Page Search for the member you want to make a writer Click on the member’s profile Click the 3 dot icon ( ⠇) on the Follow button Select Set as Writer

When it comes to design, the Wix blog has everything you need to create beautiful posts that will grab your reader's attention. Check out our essential design features. Choose from 8 stunning layouts Your Wix Blog comes with 8 beautiful layouts. From your blog's settings, choose the layout that’s right for you. For example, a tiled layout is popular for helping visitors discover more posts that interest them. Or, choose a classic single column layout that lets readers scroll down and see your post topics one by one. Every layout comes with the latest social features built in. Readers can easily share posts on social networks like Facebook and Twitter and view how many people have liked a post, made comments and more. Add media to your posts When creating your posts you can: Upload images or GIFs Embed videos and music Create galleries to showcase a media collection Customize the look of your media by making it widescreen or small and easily align media inside your posts. Hashtag your posts Love to #hashtag? Good news! You can add tags (#vacation #dream #summer) throughout your posts to reach more people. Why hashtag? People can use your hashtags to search through content on your blog and find the content that matters to them. So go ahead and #hashtag away!

We have some fantastic news for our British Drum Company family - we’re going to be on TV! British Drum Co. is one of the featured brands on the new series of Made In Britain. We appear in episode 2 which airs at 9pm on ITV4 on Thursday 1 April 2021. We are really excited to see our amazing drums featured on this programme. The show reveals every step in the process of building one of our amazing snare drums on its journey through the factory. It is a rare opportunity for many drummers to get up close and personal with the manufacturing process and see exactly what makes our drums so different. We hope you can tune in and enjoy the programme, as well as engaging and sharing the social media activity which is already building. If you are unable to watch the show live, it will be available to view on the ITV Hub for 30 days after the broadcast. We would love to hear what you think - please let us know on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!