Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Player Profile: Ronnie's "Big Drum"
As drummer/percussionist for The Mighty Bohunks, Ron is always seeking out a bigger sound. A bigger sound certainly can be achieved with a bigger drum. Being a hobby scientist Ron took an entirely logical approach to constructing the BIGGEST DRUM THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN! What are the basic requirements? A large resonant chamber struck with a mallet. We don't have a larger "drum" at our disposal than the Earth itself! An added bonus is that The Mighty Bohunks perform exclusively on Earth, so we don't have to transport it. Brilliant! For a mallet, it has to be managable. Perhaps the densest element, Osmium, sized like a medicine-ball.
Here are laboratory photos, time-lapsed, of Ron's assistant François Henri LaLanne slamming the "mallet" onto the "drum" with terrifying force. Hard enough to distort the Osmium ball:
The resulting sound was fairly loud, but described as a "blap" or "thud". One thing Ron didn't plan for was being able to use this drum more than once an hour, as it requires a Bobcat to dredge it up. Another problem: Ron can't lift the mallet, and Francois is often unavailable. Back to the drawing board! We look forward to hearing Ron on a traditional drum kit soon, with The Mighty Bohunks!
Here are laboratory photos, time-lapsed, of Ron's assistant François Henri LaLanne slamming the "mallet" onto the "drum" with terrifying force. Hard enough to distort the Osmium ball:
The resulting sound was fairly loud, but described as a "blap" or "thud". One thing Ron didn't plan for was being able to use this drum more than once an hour, as it requires a Bobcat to dredge it up. Another problem: Ron can't lift the mallet, and Francois is often unavailable. Back to the drawing board! We look forward to hearing Ron on a traditional drum kit soon, with The Mighty Bohunks!
