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What is fife and drum anyway? 

Fife and drum refers to a traditional musical ensemble—common from the 16th through the 19th centuries—in which a small, high‑pitched woodwind instrument called a fife plays melodies while rope‑tension snare and bass drums provide rhythm. Historically, these groups served practical military purposes: fifers and drummers relayed commands on the battlefield, regulated soldiers’ daily routines in camp, and boosted morale during long marches. Because their piercing sound carried over gunfire and great distances, they became essential to armies in Europe and early America, eventually evolving into ceremonial units and modern reenactment corps that preserve the music and drill of the past. 

What do I need to get started?

That depends on your interests. 

Fifes can range from very inexpensive starter models (~$20) all the way up to expensive professional models costing hundreds of dollars. Some advanced fifes come in separate corked pieces and have a tunable resonant cork while others are single piece construction. Fifes come in many different varieties. Traditionally fifes were in the key of C, however in modern times nearly all fifes played in the United States are keyed to Bflat. Most fifes played have six holes, however there are many exceptions. For a starter, look for a cheap plastic or maple 6-holed Bflat fife. The Cooperman fifes seen below are perfect.

Rope tension drums are generally more expensive and much less accessible. Typically your corps. might own them or you might borrow one from a friend. Eventually you might by your own if you really get into it, but costs for a decent used drum can be in the $500-$1500 range. That's not to say that you can't start now. A typical practice pad and pair of approrpriate sticks is all you need to learn and is even adequate for informal jamming. Traditional rudimental drumming uses the traditional grip, double stroke rolls, and very heavy marching sticks. 18th centruray style revolutionary war drums are longer and more cylindrical while 19th century civil war era drums are not as deep. Suffice it to say you can definitely start learning for around the same ~$50 investment as a fifer for a pad and sticks. While there are "correct" sticks that you can pick up later, if you are just trying to get started now look for a cheap pair of very heavy sticks weighing 70-90 grams per a stick, and ~17" in length. These may be similair to a modern 2B sized stick. Once you get into it, an instructor can help point you to proper sticks. 

Where do you practice? 

The SC Fife and Drum Association is not intended to be an individual corps. but rather a supporting and promoting organization. That said, as we are just starting out most of our members are directly involved in a single adult distributed group throughout the state. We hold a few occasional rotating practices in person and hold somewhat regular virtual practices. The virtual practices require specialty low-latency hardware and software.