Marching bass drums weigh between 13 to 27 pounds depending on the size of the drum, brand, and material the drums are made from. The carrier harness will add an additional 8 to 10 pounds and any accessories such as music lyre or mallet holders will add additional weight.
Marching bass drum carriers will help distribute the weight of the drum, but it still requires a strong back and a lot of energy to march and play with so much weight sitting out and in front of you.
This chart shows the sizes and weights of the most popular brands of marching bass drums, NOTE: marching bass drums have a universal depth of 14 inches.
| Size (Diameter Inches) | Ludwig (in Pounds) | Yamaha (in Pounds) | TAMA (in Pounds) |
| 14 | — | 13.3 | 13.1 |
| 16 | 14.4 | 14.4 | 14.2 |
| 18 | 15.6 | 15.4 | 17.2 |
| 20 | 18 | 18 | 18.1 |
| 22 | 18.9 | 19.1 | 19.3 |
| 24 | 20.5 | 20.3 | 20.9 |
| 26 | 21.4 | 21.6 | 21.9 |
| 28 | 22.5 | 22.5 | 24.7 |
| 30 | 25.3 | 25.5 | — |
| 32 | 26.6 | 26.9 | — |
Why Do The Same Sized Bass Drums Weigh Different Between Brands?
Luckily for marching bass drum players, different brands of marching bass drums are pretty close in weight across the sizes…I mean, the 20-inch marching bass drum is almost universally 18 pounds. But there are slight weight differences brought on, in part, by:
- Hardware
- Drum Material
- Harness
- Mallets
Hardware
The tension lugs that surround a drum came in various styles and various materials. Since weight is a factor most use light aluminum, but other models will use steel. Since steel is much denser (250% denser) than aluminum, it tends to be a little heavier but stronger.
Drum Material
Of the three brands listed on the chart above, Yamaha uses a birch/mahogany ply while the Ludwig and TAMA drums are made from maple.
Mahogany is a dense but very strong wood, so it is layered with birch to lessen the weight a little bit. Maple is slightly heavier than birch but lighter than mahogany, making it a popular choice for drum makers.
For reference a 2 x4 x 12-inch piece of each of the woods weighs:
- Birch = 2.33 lbs.
- Maple = 2.44 lbs.
- Mahogany = 2.50 lbs.
Harness
While the harness is designed to carry and distribute the weight of a marching bass drum, it still adds more weight that you have to carry.
Marching bass drum harnesses are built using extremely strong and lightweight materials to minimize extra weight, but you can still expect one to add 5+ pounds that you have to support.
Mallets
This one is very minimal and doesn’t add any strain to your back or shoulders since you’ll be holding them almost the entire performance.
Mallets themselves will only weigh a few ounces, but don’t discount the fact that you will be moving your arms around…sometimes quite vigorously…while you’re playing. While this doesn’t add any extra weight, it will add extra fatigue and is another reason to build up some endurance.
A Little Bit About Marching Bass Drums
A marching band will typically have 3 to 5 (and sometimes up to 8) bass drums, all of different sizes. A common set up is to have an 18-inch, 22-inch, and 26-inch drums for a three-member marching bass drum section. Larger groups will add a 16inch and possibly 20- and 24-inch models…but it’s up to the organization and band director.
The number of players and different drum sizes serves a few purposes, volume, and tuning. Marching bass drums are tuned based on the instructions labeled on the marching bass drum part.
That’s just a quick overview of marching bass drums, I wrote an article talking about the differences between Concert Bass Drums, Drum Set Kick Drums, And Marching Bass Drums over here.
Some Things To Consider If You’re Planning To Play Marching Bass Drum
First and foremost you’re going to be marching…a lot…to a choreographed routine. Performing in the drum ensemble of a marching band takes a lot of strength and even more stamina.
The larger marching bass drums are also going to hinder your line of sight so learning the proper steps is very important since you won’t always be able to see where you are going.
You may end up banging your knee into the bottom of your drums too if you high step…well, too high. All instruments bring challenges to their musicians when used in a marching band, but bass drums introduce extra strain on the low back, blocked sightline, and a potential hazard for your knees.
Many marching bass drum players use instruments provided by the school they attend. This means not being able to practice from the comfort of your home whenever you’d like, you have to make the extra effort of going to the music department and checking the instrument out.
However, most drummers will practice without the drum or just use a smaller drum so they can work out the music.
Marching Bass Drums Don’t Seem That Heavy For Their Size
Marching bass drums are deceptively light for their large size, the lighter materials and carrying harness help with that. But remember, this weight is out in front of you pulling out and down, so it does take a lot of strength and stamina to play a marching bass drum.
Another thing to note is that bass drums are big…even the small ones…and your vision will be blocked so step lightly. A majority of the time you will be moving to a choreographed routine so you shouldn’t have any worries about where you step, but when you are moving into formation or the player next to you doesn’t quite know the routine yet you might want to use caution so you don’t throw in ankle.