AUSTRIA: Introducing the Big Boom, the world's biggest drum kit

Record ID: 656312

  • Title: AUSTRIA: Introducing the Big Boom, the world's biggest drum kit
  • Date: 1st May 2012
  • Summary: VIENNA, AUSTRIA (MAY 1, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WORKERS ASSEMBLING GIANT DRUM KIT (SOUNDBITE) (German) DRUMMER MARKUS WARSCHER, SAYING: "In the background you can see the Big Boom, the biggest drum kit on Earth, which is 6.5 meters tall, eight meters wide, and weighs about 1.5 tonnes. It is not just a gimmick, we can also produce wonderful songs out of the miraculous thing." WORKERS ASSEMBLING DRUM KIT (SOUNDBITE) (German) DRUMMER MARKUS WARSCHER, SAYING: "Operating this thing is very challenging. There are four of us who operate it. What is normally done by a single drummer, the four of us are doing here, and that's the crucial thing here - we can't see each other, we can't hear each other, and we don't know what the others are doing. Of course, we feel some uneasiness, but we are well prepared, we will give our best and we are looking forward to a great show." RIDES AT AMUSEMENT PARK GONDOLA ON FERRIS WHEEL
  • Embargoed: 16th May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Austria
  • Country: Austria
  • Topics: Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVAAIP930WIKQZQEYOPTOSIFTAEY
  • Story Text: The world's biggest drum kit, nicknamed Big Boom and weighing about 1.5 tonnes, was unveiled on Tuesday (May 1) at the Prater amusement park in Vienna, Austria.
    The giant drum kit, complete with cymbals, and operated by a four-man percussion ensemble called Drumarctic, measures 6.5 meters in height and eight meters in width and is fully playable. During the day on Friday (April 27) the ensemble played short 10-minute drumming performances every hour, hoping to attract a portion of the estimated 300,000 visitors the park usually receives on May Day, a public holiday in Austria.
    "In the background you can see the Big Boom, the biggest drum kit on Earth, which is 6.5 meters tall, eight meters wide, and weighs about 1,5 tonnes. It is not just a gimmick, we can also produce wonderful songs out of the miraculous thing," drummer Markus Warscher said.
    The Big Boom is played by a team of four drummers who must use considerable physical effort to use two huge drumsticks each. An additional challenge for the musicians is staying synchronized with each other in spite of not being able to see what others are doing.
    "Operating this thing is very challenging. There are four of us who operate it. What is normally done by a single drummer, the four of us are doing here, and that's the crucial thing here - we can't see each other, we can't hear each other, and we don't know what the others are doing. Of course, we feel some uneasiness, but we are well prepared, we will give our best and we are looking forward to a great show," Warscher said.
    "You have to feel the beat in your heart. And you have to communicate, because you don't see each other. It's very... Much practice, we have to practice a lot," drummer Peter Lindsberger said.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register