Bass Drum with the 1st Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Battle Honours (World War I only) and badges. The royal crest (King's Crown ' Dieu et Mon Droit" and the Seaforth cap badges are shown. A bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. Bass drums are percussion instruments and 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 (in Italian: gran cassa, gran tamburo). It is the largest drum of the orchestra. The kick drum, a term for a bass drum associated with a drum kit. It is struck with a beater attached to a pedal, usually seen on drum kits. The pitched bass drum, generally used in marching bands and drum corps. This is tuned to a specific pitch and is usually played in a set of three to six drums.