Drumline
Encyclopedia
A drumline is a section of percussion instrument
s usually played as part of a musical marching ensemble. High school and college marching band
s, drill and drum corps, drum and bugle corps
, indoor percussion ensemble
s, and pipe band
s usually incorporate drumlines; however, drumlines can exist independent of these ensembles. Drumlines call the stationary percussion within a marching ensemble the "front ensemble
" or "pit." This also describes the area where those percussion instruments are set stationary on the field.
Drumlines use the term "battery" to refer to a specific part of the drumline. The battery is the drum section that marches on the field as a group. The battery usually consists of snare drums, bass drums, tenor drums, and cymbals. In the past, marching timpani
were common before the adoption of the front ensemble
, as were marching keyboard percussion instruments such as glockenspiel
s and xylophone
s. A relatively small number of bands, mostly at the college level, continue to field such traditional marching keyboard instruments; however, most bands have phased out their use. Marching steel pans are rarely part of drumlines due to issues with volume and durability. In modern marching band and drum corps- snares, tenors, bass drums, and sometimes cymbals march on the field and are generally referred to as the battery, while the pit (or front ensemble) is stationary in the front of the field. In other cases, marching units may place the pit in the back or behind the band because the band may be too small for them to station the pit in the front. Sometimes, due to the charts set by the marching band's show, the front ensemble may have a certain position on the field in order to create a certain visual effect.
Marching snare drum
s have high-tension heads that manufacturers typically make out of Kevlar
or PET film
. In the past, snares were typically carried with slings. Due to the discomfort of this angle for the left hand, a new grip was created- traditional grip
. The traditional grip is used by the right hand in the matched grip and the left hand holding the stick with the two fingers and the thumb above the stick and two below. Most modern snare drums have rigid over-the-shoulder harnesses that hold the drum with the playing surface parallel to the ground, which affords the option of performing with matched grip. Percussionists call this grip "matched grip" because both of the hands are in the same position (matched). There are, however, many groups that are returning to a slight tilt playing style in order to make using traditional grip
more comfortable for the players.
Snare parts are typically unison and provide the center rhythm of the drumline. The snares are the center of tempo in the ensemble. The center snare player (a position typically held by the most experienced snare drummer) is responsible for maintaining the tempo. When rehearsing or performing, the center snare may "tap off" the ensemble, setting the tempo with a solo rhythm.
During a performance the snare line is the metronome for the band. Everyone relies on them, including the Drum Major, who gets the tempo from the snare line’s feet. Subdividing, otherwise known as "Dutting", or "verbal checks" are a common way for the drumline to keep time and help enter a phrase together. More often than not, the section leaders will subdivide (give verbal checks pronounced "dut"), however sometimes the whole line will. The purpose of dutting is so that everyone knows when to enter and stays on time. The first "dut" will always be on beat one, and usually conists of 4-8 "duts" before an entrance, although some times they may dut for multiple measures or counts, depending on what the drum captain or percussion section leader feels is necessary. An example of hearing a drumline "dut" would be to watch any drumline from a Drum & Bugle Corps, like The Cavaliers, Phantom Regiment, or any other corps, when their drumline performs "in the lot" this is usually just some practicing of excerpts or cadence
s, and are just played to a group of people as a sort of crowd-pleaser. A lot of the time, one will hear one or more people on a snare line "dut" just before they play. Usually, while dutting, they are also preparing their sticks to play again from the set position. Usually on the last 4 (or only 4, as the case may be) "duts" said, on the third (or second-to-last) "dut" they go from set position to playing and on the fourth dut, are in playing position and usually lifting the stick to play just after it.
s (also called quads, tom-toms
or multi-tenors) are single-headed tonal drums. Typically, they are referred to as tri-toms if there are three drums, quads if there are four, and so on for quints, and sextets. Modern tenor configurations usually have four to six drums, but there can be as few as one or as many as seven. Tenor players add pitch variety to the drumline with drums of different sizes. Tenor players use matched grip
and generally play with mallets with plastic disc-shaped heads, though traditional drumsticks and softer mallets are commonly used to achieve different timbre
s. Tenor drummers typically play in unison. Recently, multiple percussion programs have experimented with "split" parts, meaning that the parts are not in unison. Some examples include Rhythm X's quad feature from 2007, The Cavaliers' quad features from 2000 and 2008, The Reading Buccaneers tenor solo from 2009, and many others. There are also single head tenor drums. They are typically used on the same drum form as a snare drum only without the snares on the bottom. Single tenor drums can also be tuned to have a high pitch so that a line of tenor percussionist can run split parts amongst them. Single head tenor drums are highly popular amongst the ranks of HBCU(Historically Black Colleges and Universities)drumlines where they are used on either the bases of being knee tenors(how snare drums are played) or upright tenors(how bass drums are played). For example, The South Carolina State University(SCSU)Marching 101's Bongo Brothers Incorporated(more commonly known as BBI)tenor section used the knee style single head tenor drums while their rivals, The North Carolina Agriculture and Technical University(NCAT)Marching Blue Machine's Cold Steel tenor section incorporates the upright single head tenor drums. It is also widely known the HBCU percussion sections used both multiple and single head tenor drums.
s are typically pairs of crash cymbal
s ranging anywhere from 16 to 22 inches in diameter (which are commonly used, though other sizes are also utilized) and are played in a variety of ways. Cymbals are usually bronze
and most often held with leather carrying straps. Players in a cymbal line may all carry the same size and type of cymbal, or a variety of instruments may be used. It is not uncommon, however, for each player in a cymbal line to have a different sized pair of cymbals than their peers because it is an efficient way to carry out different sounds and tones depending on what the music and/or percussion director calls for. Cymbal players usually play cymbals by holding and striking them together in front the body, in unison or in split parts. In addition to being played by the cymbal player, snare drummers may play on the cymbals as ride cymbal
s or like hi-hat
s, thus there is typically a minimum of one cymbal player for every two snare drummers. Cymbals are also used for visual effects due to their reflectiveness while twirling or spinning them. Some tricks include creating letters or shapes and even the "viper," a move in which a center cymbal player jumps and ducks as two cymbal players on each side swing cymbals above and below the jump. Many contemporary field ensembles do not utilize a cymbal line, instead having cymbals played within the front ensemble.
. High school and Drum Corps drumlines typically consist of four or five members to ensure enough for a melody while College lines can have eight or more bass drummers. Sometimes, in smaller bands, one may see only 2 or 3 bass drummers perform.
Each drummer plays a unique part, though the entire bass drum part is conceived as a whole. This allows for a melodic passage to be carried throughout the bass drum line, having runs of notes that flow up or down the drums and in pitch. In addition to these "split" parts, bass drummers will also have unison
notes, where everyone plays at the same time. In addition to the unison parts, a good bass line can often split 16th notes and even translate that into 32nd notes with the split.
(also called the pit) can include any percussion instrument
. Typical front ensembles include mallet instruments such as marimba
s, xylophone
s, glockenspiel
s, vibraphone
s, timpani
, cymbals, concert bass drum
s, bongo
s, conga
s, cowbells, claves
, tambourine
s, gong
s, tom-tom drum
s, chimes, wind chimes
, and in some cases drum sets. They may also include a variety of concert and world percussion instruments. Instruments may be mechanically or electronically amplified
. Some competitive circuits also allow electronic instruments such as synthesizer
s and bass guitar
s, which are typically part of the front ensemble. This wide selection of instruments allows for great timbre
variety. Most front ensembles are centered in front of the front sideline of an American football field. However, for aesthetic purposes, some bands choose to put the front ensemble elsewhere on the field to better to suit the shows theme.
In indoor drumline competitions, however, various groups may not necessarily place the front ensemble at the "front" as the name suggests. Rather, the show designers determine placement of the front ensemble by where they would get the best sound quality, depending on the music being played.
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
s usually played as part of a musical marching ensemble. High school and college marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
s, drill and drum corps, drum and bugle corps
Drum and bugle corps (modern)
A drum and bugle corps, also known as a drum corps, is a musical marching unit consisting of brass instruments, percussion instruments, and color guard. Typically operating as independent non-profit organizations, drum corps perform in competitions, parades, festivals, and other civic functions...
, indoor percussion ensemble
Indoor percussion ensemble
An indoor percussion ensemble or indoor drumline consists of the marching percussion and front ensemble sections of a marching band or drum corps. The only exceptions are in concert divisions where the marching line is absent and the ensemble consists entirely of a pit...
s, and pipe band
Pipe band
A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term used by military pipe bands, pipes and drums, is also common....
s usually incorporate drumlines; however, drumlines can exist independent of these ensembles. Drumlines call the stationary percussion within a marching ensemble the "front ensemble
Front ensemble
In a marching band or drum corps, the front ensemble or pit is the stationary percussion ensemble. This ensemble is typically placed in front of the football field, though some groups will work the front ensemble into a tight pod onto the marching field...
" or "pit." This also describes the area where those percussion instruments are set stationary on the field.
Battery
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
were common before the adoption of the front ensemble
Front ensemble
In a marching band or drum corps, the front ensemble or pit is the stationary percussion ensemble. This ensemble is typically placed in front of the football field, though some groups will work the front ensemble into a tight pod onto the marching field...
, as were marching keyboard percussion instruments such as glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
s and xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
s. A relatively small number of bands, mostly at the college level, continue to field such traditional marching keyboard instruments; however, most bands have phased out their use. Marching steel pans are rarely part of drumlines due to issues with volume and durability. In modern marching band and drum corps- snares, tenors, bass drums, and sometimes cymbals march on the field and are generally referred to as the battery, while the pit (or front ensemble) is stationary in the front of the field. In other cases, marching units may place the pit in the back or behind the band because the band may be too small for them to station the pit in the front. Sometimes, due to the charts set by the marching band's show, the front ensemble may have a certain position on the field in order to create a certain visual effect.
Snare Drum
Snare drum
The snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
s have high-tension heads that manufacturers typically make out of Kevlar
Kevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
or PET film
PET film (biaxially oriented)
BoPET is a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate and is used for its high tensile strength, chemical and dimensional stability, transparency, reflectivity, gas and aroma barrier properties and electrical insulation.A variety of companies manufacture boPET and other...
. In the past, snares were typically carried with slings. Due to the discomfort of this angle for the left hand, a new grip was created- traditional grip
Traditional grip
Traditional grip is a technique used to hold drum sticks while playing percussion instruments. Unlike matched grip, each hand holds the stick differently. Commonly, the right hand uses an overhand grip and the left hand uses an underhand grip...
. The traditional grip is used by the right hand in the matched grip and the left hand holding the stick with the two fingers and the thumb above the stick and two below. Most modern snare drums have rigid over-the-shoulder harnesses that hold the drum with the playing surface parallel to the ground, which affords the option of performing with matched grip. Percussionists call this grip "matched grip" because both of the hands are in the same position (matched). There are, however, many groups that are returning to a slight tilt playing style in order to make using traditional grip
Traditional grip
Traditional grip is a technique used to hold drum sticks while playing percussion instruments. Unlike matched grip, each hand holds the stick differently. Commonly, the right hand uses an overhand grip and the left hand uses an underhand grip...
more comfortable for the players.
Snare parts are typically unison and provide the center rhythm of the drumline. The snares are the center of tempo in the ensemble. The center snare player (a position typically held by the most experienced snare drummer) is responsible for maintaining the tempo. When rehearsing or performing, the center snare may "tap off" the ensemble, setting the tempo with a solo rhythm.
During a performance the snare line is the metronome for the band. Everyone relies on them, including the Drum Major, who gets the tempo from the snare line’s feet. Subdividing, otherwise known as "Dutting", or "verbal checks" are a common way for the drumline to keep time and help enter a phrase together. More often than not, the section leaders will subdivide (give verbal checks pronounced "dut"), however sometimes the whole line will. The purpose of dutting is so that everyone knows when to enter and stays on time. The first "dut" will always be on beat one, and usually conists of 4-8 "duts" before an entrance, although some times they may dut for multiple measures or counts, depending on what the drum captain or percussion section leader feels is necessary. An example of hearing a drumline "dut" would be to watch any drumline from a Drum & Bugle Corps, like The Cavaliers, Phantom Regiment, or any other corps, when their drumline performs "in the lot" this is usually just some practicing of excerpts or cadence
Drum cadence
In music, a drum cadence is a work played exclusively by the percussion section of a modern marching band , descended from early military marches, primarily as a purposefully emphasized means of providing a beat to marchers and often using patterned rhythmic drum strokes to produce a drum beat.A...
s, and are just played to a group of people as a sort of crowd-pleaser. A lot of the time, one will hear one or more people on a snare line "dut" just before they play. Usually, while dutting, they are also preparing their sticks to play again from the set position. Usually on the last 4 (or only 4, as the case may be) "duts" said, on the third (or second-to-last) "dut" they go from set position to playing and on the fourth dut, are in playing position and usually lifting the stick to play just after it.
Tenor Drum
Marching tenor drumTenor drum
A tenor drum is a cylindrical drum that is higher pitched than a bass drum.In a symphony orchestra's percussion section, a tenor drum is a low-pitched drum, similar in size to a field snare, but without snares and played with soft mallets or hard sticks. Under various names, the drum has been used...
s (also called quads, tom-toms
Tom-tom drum
A tom-tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snare.Although "tom-tom" is the British term for a child's toy drum, the name came originally from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala; the tom-tom itself comes from Asian or Native American cultures...
or multi-tenors) are single-headed tonal drums. Typically, they are referred to as tri-toms if there are three drums, quads if there are four, and so on for quints, and sextets. Modern tenor configurations usually have four to six drums, but there can be as few as one or as many as seven. Tenor players add pitch variety to the drumline with drums of different sizes. Tenor players use matched grip
Matched grip
Matched grip is a method of holding drum sticks and mallets to play percussion instruments. In the matched grip each hand holds its stick in the same way, whereas in the traditional grip, each hand holds the stick differently. Almost all commonly used matched grips are overhand grips...
and generally play with mallets with plastic disc-shaped heads, though traditional drumsticks and softer mallets are commonly used to achieve different timbre
Timbre
In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...
s. Tenor drummers typically play in unison. Recently, multiple percussion programs have experimented with "split" parts, meaning that the parts are not in unison. Some examples include Rhythm X's quad feature from 2007, The Cavaliers' quad features from 2000 and 2008, The Reading Buccaneers tenor solo from 2009, and many others. There are also single head tenor drums. They are typically used on the same drum form as a snare drum only without the snares on the bottom. Single tenor drums can also be tuned to have a high pitch so that a line of tenor percussionist can run split parts amongst them. Single head tenor drums are highly popular amongst the ranks of HBCU(Historically Black Colleges and Universities)drumlines where they are used on either the bases of being knee tenors(how snare drums are played) or upright tenors(how bass drums are played). For example, The South Carolina State University(SCSU)Marching 101's Bongo Brothers Incorporated(more commonly known as BBI)tenor section used the knee style single head tenor drums while their rivals, The North Carolina Agriculture and Technical University(NCAT)Marching Blue Machine's Cold Steel tenor section incorporates the upright single head tenor drums. It is also widely known the HBCU percussion sections used both multiple and single head tenor drums.
Cymbals
Marching cymbalCymbal
Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
s are typically pairs of crash cymbal
Crash cymbal
A crash cymbal is a type of cymbal that produces a loud, sharp "crash" and is used mainly for occasional accents, as opposed to in ostinato. The term "crash" may have been first used by Zildjian in 1928....
s ranging anywhere from 16 to 22 inches in diameter (which are commonly used, though other sizes are also utilized) and are played in a variety of ways. Cymbals are usually bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
and most often held with leather carrying straps. Players in a cymbal line may all carry the same size and type of cymbal, or a variety of instruments may be used. It is not uncommon, however, for each player in a cymbal line to have a different sized pair of cymbals than their peers because it is an efficient way to carry out different sounds and tones depending on what the music and/or percussion director calls for. Cymbal players usually play cymbals by holding and striking them together in front the body, in unison or in split parts. In addition to being played by the cymbal player, snare drummers may play on the cymbals as ride cymbal
Ride cymbal
The ride cymbal is a standard cymbal in most drum kits. It maintains a steady rhythmic pattern, sometimes called a ride pattern, rather than the accent of a crash...
s or like hi-hat
Hi-hat
A hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, disco, jazz, rock and roll, house, reggae and other forms of contemporary popular music.- Operation :...
s, thus there is typically a minimum of one cymbal player for every two snare drummers. Cymbals are also used for visual effects due to their reflectiveness while twirling or spinning them. Some tricks include creating letters or shapes and even the "viper," a move in which a center cymbal player jumps and ducks as two cymbal players on each side swing cymbals above and below the jump. Many contemporary field ensembles do not utilize a cymbal line, instead having cymbals played within the front ensemble.
Bass Drum
Drumlines most frequently use pitched bass drums as tonal drums split between several percussionists. Marching bass drums, which produce the deepest sound in the battery, are larger drums carried on harnesses or straps with the heads facing to the left and right of the player. The musicians carrying the bass drums typically line up in drum size order. Bass drummers use mallets with rounded or cylindrical heads often made of hard feltFelt
Felt is a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing woollen fibres. While some types of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to form construction materials. Felt can be of any colour, and made into any shape or size....
. High school and Drum Corps drumlines typically consist of four or five members to ensure enough for a melody while College lines can have eight or more bass drummers. Sometimes, in smaller bands, one may see only 2 or 3 bass drummers perform.
Each drummer plays a unique part, though the entire bass drum part is conceived as a whole. This allows for a melodic passage to be carried throughout the bass drum line, having runs of notes that flow up or down the drums and in pitch. In addition to these "split" parts, bass drummers will also have unison
Unison
In music, the word unison can be applied in more than one way. In general terms, it may refer to two notes sounding the same pitch, often but not always at the same time; or to the same musical voice being sounded by several voices or instruments together, either at the same pitch or at a distance...
notes, where everyone plays at the same time. In addition to the unison parts, a good bass line can often split 16th notes and even translate that into 32nd notes with the split.
Front ensemble
The front ensembleFront ensemble
In a marching band or drum corps, the front ensemble or pit is the stationary percussion ensemble. This ensemble is typically placed in front of the football field, though some groups will work the front ensemble into a tight pod onto the marching field...
(also called the pit) can include any percussion instrument
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
. Typical front ensembles include mallet instruments such as marimba
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
s, xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
s, glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
s, vibraphone
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
s, timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, cymbals, concert bass drum
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
s, bongo
Bongo drum
Bongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
s, conga
Conga
The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
s, cowbells, claves
Claves
Claves are a percussion instrument , consisting of a pair of short Claves (Anglicized pronunciation: clah-vays, IPA:[ˈklαves]) are a percussion instrument (idiophone), consisting of a pair of short Claves (Anglicized pronunciation: clah-vays, IPA:[ˈklαves]) are a percussion instrument (idiophone),...
, tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
s, gong
Gong
A gong is an East and South East Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet....
s, tom-tom drum
Tom-tom drum
A tom-tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snare.Although "tom-tom" is the British term for a child's toy drum, the name came originally from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala; the tom-tom itself comes from Asian or Native American cultures...
s, chimes, wind chimes
Wind Chimes
"Wind Chimes" is a song composed by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks for the American rock band The Beach Boys. The original version of the song was written and recorded for the aborted 1966 album Smile. The band completely re-recorded the song for inclusion on their next album, Smiley Smile...
, and in some cases drum sets. They may also include a variety of concert and world percussion instruments. Instruments may be mechanically or electronically amplified
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
. Some competitive circuits also allow electronic instruments such as synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s and bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
s, which are typically part of the front ensemble. This wide selection of instruments allows for great timbre
Timbre
In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...
variety. Most front ensembles are centered in front of the front sideline of an American football field. However, for aesthetic purposes, some bands choose to put the front ensemble elsewhere on the field to better to suit the shows theme.
In indoor drumline competitions, however, various groups may not necessarily place the front ensemble at the "front" as the name suggests. Rather, the show designers determine placement of the front ensemble by where they would get the best sound quality, depending on the music being played.