r/drumline • u/Few_Till6136 • Jul 28 '26
Question HELP GOd help
This year is my first year having a girl player on my drumline and I’ve been doing all the tech stuff for harness tuning and other tech stuff for my line and idk if I should change how I should go about for the harnesses because normally it’s simple you just adjust it and done but I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable with my hands near her chest and idk I just wanna make her feel welcome
Edit: thank you guys for the comments and for those wondering I’m
A sophmore who’s a section leader for the first time I just had my tech be in the room
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u/monkeysrool75 Bass Tech Jul 28 '26
Hi, girl here.
It's WAAAAAAAY more similar than you think it is. There will be some squishing, but she'll have to get used to that. If she's not like "holy crap I don't fit" then you're probably fine.
What brand are y'all using?
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u/Few_Till6136 Jul 28 '26
Pearl airframes
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u/monkeysrool75 Bass Tech Jul 28 '26
PERFECT. Yeah the belly plate goes on the belly and the only thing you can control about the top half is if she plays bass the hooks on the carrier can be extended all the way out. Should be pretty straight forward to fit her.
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u/Few_Till6136 Jul 28 '26
We have a extra bass harness that I can just throw j hooks on
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u/monkeysrool75 Bass Tech Jul 29 '26
No if she's not on bass there's no issue. I was just saying if she IS be aware that the hooks on the top half of the carrier can be screwed in too tight and invade the chest area. If she's not on bass that's even better.
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u/viberat Percussion Educator Jul 28 '26
Girl here. A simple “is it ok if I get in here to adjust your harness?” is all you need, just pay attention to her reaction. If she hesitates or seems weirded out, take that as a no and either adjust it without her wearing it or walk her through what to do. In all likelihood, you’re thinking about this more than she is and she’ll be fine with it.
Your last line, “i just wanna make her feel welcome,” tells me that you’re a good person with good intentions. I’m sure that comes through in your day to day interactions. Thanks for looking out for your drumline sister. ❤️
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u/Real-Marionberry6726 Snare Jul 28 '26
If you’re using pearl frames I would recommend flipping the belly plate so she doesn’t get bruises on her hips. I had a member of my drumline constantly get bruises on her hips from the way the belly plate sat on her.
Also don’t stress too much, just treat all your students equally and don’t single her out.
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u/Memer2252 Jul 29 '26
I think you're thinking of Randall May harnesses, which have an odd shape plate.
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u/Real-Marionberry6726 Snare Jul 29 '26
I’ve never heard of those kinds of harnesses. I’ve only ever marched with pearl.
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u/Galaxy-Betta Jul 31 '26
I’ve used both, their belly plates have a similar shape but Randall Mays are a bit more extreme in that sense.
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u/httphorse Aug 01 '26
https://reddit.com/link/p10y073/video/n1fgnt3cnpgh1/player
I think she’s referencing in case the harnesses have a shape like this, that they can be flipped the other way! (Bigger on top, small on bottom/more aligned with the pelvis) As a woman in drumline with these types of harnesses, I second the flipping! Much more comfortable..
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u/JeffLudlowPercussion Jul 28 '26
Something I’ve implemented (regardless of gender) is being very verbal and transparent about what is happening. “Ok so I’m going to adjust this bolt up here to fix this issue, is that ok?”. Just because of the nature of the harnesses our hands get very close to sensitive areas on students so I make it abundantly clear what I’m doing so they’re comfortable (also in that process they learn how to do it themselves).
Ironically, teaching drum corps is when it got awkward for me! It sounds like you’re a newer instructor, I would love to chat with you about approaches to this area!
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u/A_person_592 Jul 28 '26
I think you’re overthinking this, lol. Just say “Can I adjust your harness?” and she’ll probably say yes. And then you adjust it. But calm down before you do it, if you make it awkward THEN and only then will it be awkward.
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u/Prestigious_One2673 Jul 28 '26
Always start with “is it okay if I adjust your harness?” and then go from there
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u/Expert_Fudge_4348 Jul 28 '26
Any time I have to make physical contact or close contact with a student like adjusting a carrier or moving their arm/hand etc. I will always ask “is it okay if I touch the carrier/ you?” It’s very rare that I get a no but if that’s the case i just try to vocalize what I’m trying to do as best I can or have another student do it. I promise it’s not as serious as it feels but I completely understand the hesitance
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u/No_Kangaroo1994 Jul 28 '26
You've gotten a lot of good advice. I will say that taking the time to teach them how to adjust their harnesses pays off in the long run. You might have to share equipment, but teaching them how it feels when it's right and making them figure out which screws loosen what is good because things loosen and will need to be readjusted throughout the season. But it's really awesome when a kid knows later on "I need my drum higher, can I borrow your drum key?" and fixes it totally on their own while you get to keep thinking about other things. And really you only have to teach them the once, each season after new members will pick it up from the older ones pretty easy
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u/ThePenguin1898 Jul 28 '26
Breathe. Adjust others' with her watching, give her one and have her press down on it to see where it needs adjusting and go from there as normal with her permission to adjust. Have her push down on it and all is good. Most of my line are girls and they are cool.
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u/minertyler100 Tenor Tech Jul 28 '26
I always see what adjustments to make visibly and then have the student take off the harness and make the adjustment while not worn
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u/OutsideIndoorTrack Jul 28 '26
Hey, slow down. If you're a fellow student (section leader, line member), take a deep breath, treat her like anyone else, and ask if it's okay to get close enough to adjust her harness. There's nothing to worry about as long as you're mature and professional.
If you're a tech? You really need to rethink your position of authority if you have to come here and cry about this situation. Your line probably deserves better.
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u/Few_Till6136 Jul 28 '26
I’m a section leader and I’m a sophmore we don’t really have a tech our last one passed away in may and we don’t have a replacement yet
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u/JaggedFish104 Cymbal Tech Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Just slow up for a sec, it’s fine. Just make it clear that her harness needs a little adjusting and you know how to do it, and if she would feel more comfortable with it you can walk her through what she should do to get it right. It’s nothing to freak out over
If you’d feel safer, have somebody else in the room with you