Based upon a traditional military marching band, the 13th Coventry Scout Band plays a mix of Brass, tuned and untuned percussion.
Brass
The band play a variety of different brass instruments with the majority of them pitched in Bb. Ranging from soprano trumpets through to Mellophones through to the Sousaphone the mix of instruments gives the band a strong sound which is apt at performing a variety of different styles.
Mallets
The 13th has a long tradition of using bell-lyras being one of the UK’s first Scout Bands to introduce them. The band originally started with two upright bell-lyras which was increased to five later on. In 1973 the band’s melodic percussion section was revamped by the selling of the uprights and the purchasing of the two flat Premier glockenspiels. One marimba and one xylophone were also bought, which are still used today. The section was then further increased to include a total of six glockenspiels.
Corps of Drums
The 13th drum section comes in four layers of sound, the principal one being that of the traditional marching side drum. These produce the melody accompaniment and marching beat rhythm for all aspects of the music. The drum section also feature as specialists in their own display work and has, with the military precision been mistaken as members of the Royal Marines. Accompanying the side drum sound is that of the multi -drum kits. We have two of these kits, which feature either a four-drum ensemble (quartet) or a five drum (quintet). To these we add the tenor drum section, which in our band features highly complicated visual aspects together with a single bass drum, which determines the metre of the band as well as playing a full part in the accompaniment of the music.