Waltrip Percussion:
Drumline and Pit
A drumline or drum line is a section of percussion instruments usually played 
as part of a musical marching ensemble. Drumlines are usually incorporated into high school or college marching bands, drum and bugle corps or drum lyre corps, indoor percussion ensembles, and pipe bands, but also can exist independent of these ensembles.
Battery – Drumlines typically consist of marching snare drums, tenor drums, (also known as Quads, Quints or Quint Toms) bass drums , and less universally cymbals.
Snare Drum – Marching snare drums have high tension heads typically made of Kevlar or PET film . In the past , snares were typically carried with slings, and because of the tilt performers used traditional grip. Snares parts are typically unison and provide the center rhythm of the drumline. The snare drum line is the center of tempo in the ensemble, and the “center snare” , apposition typically held by the most experienced snare drummer, is responsible for maintaining the tempo.
Tenor Drum - Contemporary called toms, quads, quints, or sextets) are single-headed tonal drums. There are usually four to six drums in a set , but there can be as few as three or as many as seven . Tenor players add pitch variety to the drumline with drums of different sizes and tuning. Tenor players use match grip, and generally play with mallets with plastic disc-shaped heads, though traditional drumsticks and softer mallets are commonly used to achieve different timbres.
Bass Drum – Marching bass drums are most frequently used as tonal drums split between several percussionist. Each drummer plays a unique part , though the entire bass drum part is conceived as a whole. Marching bass
drums, which produce the deepest sound in the battery, are larger drums carried on harnesses with the heads facing the front and back sidelines.
Cymbals – Marching cymbals are typically pairs of crash played in avariety of ways. Cymbals are bronze with leather carrying straps . Players in cymbal lines may all carry the same size and type of cymbal, or a variety of instruments may be used . Cymbals are played being held before the body, in unison or split parts . In addition to being played by the cymbalist , snare drummers may play on the cymbals as ride cymbals or like hi-hats, thus there is typically a minimum of one cymbalist for every two snare drummers .
Pit – The pit can include any percussion instrument. Typical pits include mallet instruments such as marimbas, xylophones, glockenspiels and vibraphones, timpani, cymbals, concert bass drums, bongos, congas, cowbells, claves, tambourines, gongs or tamtams, tom-tom drums, and a variety of concert and world percussion instruments. Most pits are centered in front of the front sideline of an American football field .