47100
W. Britain
The life of a Guardsman is demanding, and the standards required for the many ceremonial duties are not achieved without constant practice. Drummers are also required to be competent on the bugle and able to sound the correct calls to order. In addition to the specialized skills as a musician, each drummer is also highly trained as a professional soldier, often with other specialist military skills. The drums carried in 1953 were still the traditional brass shelled, rope tensioned drums that first came into style in the 1790s, replacing the earlier wood shelled drums. Ropes are threaded through leather tabs so that when the tabs are pulled down, they put pressure on the ropes, which pull the counter hoops (rims) onto the drum, which press down on the drum heads and make them taut and playable.