The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder.

The heads may be made of calfskin or plastic and there is normally a means of adjusting the tension, either by threaded taps or by strings.

In jazz, the bass drum can vary from almost entirely being a timekeeping medium to being a melodic voice in conjunction with the other parts of the set.

Because of this unique tone, davuls were used extensively in war and combat, where a deep and percussive sound was needed to ensure that the forces were marching in proper step with one another.

This practice does not seem to be limited to just the Ottoman Empire, however; in Egypt, drums very similar to davuls were braced with cords, which allowed the Egyptian soldiers to carry them during military movements.

[8] This long reach meant that many aspects of Ottoman culture, including the davul and other janissary instruments, were likely introduced to other parts of the world.

Once an appropriate tree was selected and the basic frame for the long drum was constructed, the Africans took cow hides and soaked them in boiling hot water, in order to stretch them out.

[9] As the use of the long drum began to spread across Europe, many composers and musicians started looking for even deeper tones that could be used in compositions.

[3][5] Because they were unable to be used by orchestras, music makers began to build smaller gong drums that would not carry a definite pitch.

In addition to microphones, sometimes trigger pads are used to amplify the sound and provide a uniform tone, especially when fast playing without a decrease in volume is desired.

[12] A bass drum pedal operates much the same as the hi-hat control; a footplate is pressed to pull a chain, belt, or metal drive mechanism downward, bringing a beater or mallet forward into the drumhead.

The beater head is usually made of either felt, wood, plastic, or rubber and is attached to a rod-shaped metal shaft.

The ankle is still flexed with each stroke, but the full weight of the leg can be used to add additional power for louder playing situations.

This motion can allow greater speed and higher note density at louder volumes but is not efficient for slow tempos or sparse rhythms.

[15] Drummers such as Thomas Lang, Virgil Donati, and Terry Bozzio are capable of performing complicated solos on top of an ostinato bass drum pattern.

Thomas Lang, for example, has mastered the heel-up and heel-down (single- and double-stroke) to the extent that he is able to play dynamically with the bass drum and to perform various rudiments with his feet.

After the first stroke, the pedal will naturally bounce back, hit the toe as it slides upwards, and rebound for a second strike.

The technique is commonly used in death metal and other extreme forms of music where triggers and double bass are typically employed.

The first person to use and popularize the double bass drum setup was jazz drummer Louie Bellson,[17] who came up with the idea when he was still in high school.

[18] Double bass drums were popularized in the 1960s by rock drummers Ringo Starr of The Beatles, Ginger Baker of Cream, Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Keith Moon of the Who and Nick Mason of Pink Floyd.

After 1970, Billy Cobham and Narada Michael Walden used double kick drum with the jazz fusion project Mahavishnu Orchestra, Chester Thompson with Frank Zappa and Weather Report, Barriemore Barlow with Jethro Tull, and Terry Bozzio with Frank Zappa.

[19] Double bass drumming later became an integral part of heavy metal,[19] as pioneered by the likes of Les Binks, Carmine Appice, Ian Paice, Cozy Powell, Phil Taylor and Tommy Aldridge.

American thrash metal band Slayer's former drummer Dave Lombardo was named "the godfather of double bass" by the magazine Drummerworld.

[19] Double bass drumming can be achieved with a number of techniques; most commonly, with simple alternating single strokes.

Notable names that have a hand in raising the bar for double bass drumming, include: Terry Bozzio, Simon Philips, Virgil Donati, Derek Roddy, Gene Hoglan, George Kollias, Bobby Jarzombek and Tomas Haake.

[20] Donati is regarded as the first drummer to successfully use inverted double strokes with both feet, in addition to complex, syncopated ostinato patterns.

Each drum plays a different note, and this gives the bass line a unique task in a musical ensemble.

Skilled lines execute complex linear passages split among the drums to add an additional melodic element to the percussion section.

The fourth bass is slightly smaller than the bottom drum (generally two to four inches (51 to 102 mm) smaller in diameter) and can function tonally similar to its lower counterpart, but usually plays slightly more rapid parts and is much more likely to play "off the beat" - in the middle rather than at the beginning or end of a passage.

Achieving a clean turn requires the player to use large core muscles to stop momentum of the drum at the correct time and direction.