Premier and Hosbilt announce partnership

Premier Music International has announced that it has formed a new partnership with the Canadian based Hosbilt Company.

Premier has entered into a new licensing agreement with Hosbilt to continue to exclusively manufacture, distribute and sell worldwide a range of Hosbilt Bass and Tenor drums for Pipe Bands. The design and specification of the drums will remain the same and will continue to support the change in ensemble sound for the modern day pipe band.

“I’m excited to have the range of drums into a new agreement.” Said Craig ‘Hoss’ Colquhoun, founder of Hosbilt and internationally recognized virtuoso pipe band bass drummer. “It’s important that Premier and Hosbilt move into the future with drums that sound and look amazing. This allows bands a chance to continue in their advancement in sound.” He continued. “With Premiers new high quality control and manufacturing programs I have confidence that together we can provide quality instruments to these bands the World over.”

The size ranges of Hosbilt’s bass and tenor drums have been specifically selected to allow a drum to be tuned to every note on the highland bag pipe. This flexibility allows bands to chose and create their own ensemble effect. Functional tuning in pipe band ensemble is only available when you can play all of the nine notes on the chanter. The Premier Hosbilt range of seven tenor drums is the only range on the market with which this is possible.

“We are thrilled to renew our partnership with Craig and the Hosbilt Company,” added Karen Whitelam, Premier’s director of marching and orchestral percussion. “Premier is the recognised world leader in pipe band drums and the very exclusive sound and capabilities of the Hosbilt range are an essential component of Premier’s offering to today’s modern pipe band drummer.”

I just can't quite work out how that improves flourishing....

In a time where Premier have relocated manufacturing and have quality issues I wonder if this is good news for Hossbilt ??

True_Blue_Piper wrote:I just can't quite work out how that improves flourishing....

Well you wouldn't would you??

Nine notes of a tenor drum pretty soon you won't need the pipers

Pipes????????ohhhh, those guys! :D

I want one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! a Hosbilt drum that is, not a piper....or a Claymore. Either would do, I'm not fussy.

One of the bands at a recent gathering, had a very large Hosbilt Bass. I'd never be able to get my arms around it to play it.

When hosbilts first came out there were a lot of issues with the sound and tuning wise but now I would say these issues have been sorted. The sound that is meant to be made is that along the way of the sound that could only come from a free floating shell like the old rope drums, but rope drums are very difficult to maintain tension on. Craig came up with the idea of a turnbuckle to draw the counter hoops together evenly without a drum key.
The manufacturing demands got to the point where it was too much for Craig to handle so he joined up with Premier.

A mine of information our Fiona? where would we be without her?

I had the good fortune to attend a practice of Canada's newest Grade 1 band, Triumph Street, when I was in Vancouver a couple of weeks ago. They play all Hosbilt tenors and bass. I think Annie said they are playing 5 different sizes of tenor this year, but since only 3 of the 6 tenors were at the practice, it wasn't so obvious.

What's the sound gonna be like? Some bass drums IMO are too sharp. No depth to the sound.

Can recall a good point JK made years ago, he said he got the band to tune the bass to the bass drone.

Redneck wrote:What's the sound gonna be like? Some bass drums IMO are too sharp. No depth to the sound.

Can recall a good point JK made years ago, he said he got the band to tune the bass to the bass drone.

Thats the way it's supposed to be done, tenors to low 'A' and snares to High 'A', Bass to bass drone

Something along those lines anyway, I can't remember the specifics,

Anyone brave enough could pose this very question on BDF, I am quite sure there will be someone who could bore you to death with the answer

I was at a Seminar a few months back and was told that Shotts way back had a deep Bass sound because they tuned it to LOWG !!!!!

Voice of Drum in Midsection	Note (concert pitch)
Bass Drum (28'' or 26")	Bb (octave below bass drone)
Baritone Drum (18'')	Bb (octave of bass drone)
Tenor Drum (18" or 16")	D (3rd of the chord of the bass drone)
Alto Drum (16" or 15'')	F (5th of the chord of the bass drone)
Soprano Drum (16" or 15")	Bb (octave above bass drone, octave of tenor drone)

think of it like this... I use this to express tone to the youngsters. If you have a ruler and put one end hard against the edge of a table and ping the other end what happens when you make the ruler shorter. It gets sharper. Vice versa when you lengthen the ruler it gets lower. Hense the drums the smallest or soprano as we now have this year will be sharpest down to the bass drum. Think of the scale as the three blind mice or hot cross buns. Anyways the bass drum is down to what kind of dampning you use, what frame you have i.e. wood or crome etc all projects the sound in different ways. Bands don't always stick to the scale and often tune to the ear. I heard before shotts write the scores out Rab gets them all to stand in a line in order of pitch and will play the tune and tell each player where they would like to come in. Then when the scores are written they can then specify which tone plays where. Hope this helps.

Very succintly put Fiona, and the simple way of explaining it, No Bull? just simple explanation

wee_fee-Fee wrote:

Voice of Drum in Midsection	Note (concert pitch)
Bass Drum (28'' or 26")	Bb (octave below bass drone)
Baritone Drum (18'')	Bb (octave of bass drone)
Tenor Drum (18" or 16")	D (3rd of the chord of the bass drone)
Alto Drum (16" or 15'')	F (5th of the chord of the bass drone)
Soprano Drum (16" or 15")	Bb (octave above bass drone, octave of tenor drone)

think of it like this... I use this to express tone to the youngsters. If you have a ruler and put one end hard against the edge of a table and ping the other end what happens when you make the ruler shorter. It gets sharper. Vice versa when you lengthen the ruler it gets lower. Hense the drums the smallest or soprano as we now have this year will be sharpest down to the bass drum. Think of the scale as the three blind mice or hot cross buns. Anyways the bass drum is down to what kind of dampning you use, what frame you have i.e. wood or crome etc all projects the sound in different ways. Bands don't always stick to the scale and often tune to the ear. I heard before shotts write the scores out Rab gets them all to stand in a line in order of pitch and will play the tune and tell each player where they would like to come in. Then when the scores are written they can then specify which tone plays where. Hope this helps.

Thanks Fiona
I Kinda understood the mechanics but its good to see it written down,
What i was saying that McCallister when he was at Shotts had the Bass tuned not to the Bass Drone which is tuned to Low A but to Low G it made it stand out more !!, was looking back my records of the seminar and i think it was for a particular MSR but stoopid me didnt write the tune names down, Ime always interested in the wee tips n tricks from these kinda guys,
I was in the company of Don Bradford after the Europeans and he gave Iain and myself a wee tip to try with regards to the tuning of the Bass drone using a tuner, the theory was good but unless you have 18 pipers blowing steady in a G1 band it was a dead loss, i couldnae tune the bass drones for luaghing at the next practice , I ended up tuning them to a mean average reading and using my ear thereafter lol

....these tenor and bass drummers really do put us all in a catch 22 situation.
Much as we love them (don't laugh) apparently it's now politically unacceptable for them to wear leopard/tiger/lion skins when in uniform.
I was at that stage whereby I was about to open my huge mouth and say something, but pished as I am, I decided that Redcliffe, Queensland isn't really that far distance, nor is Ulster....and subsequently decided that cowardice has a lot going for it....

Open it m8, never stopped ya before................love a good ole stirrin'.