Qualitative evaluation of physical effort in bass drum pedal drive by thermography

Abstract

The bass drum is driven by a pedal that promotes muscle fatigue and can cause injuries. In order to provide engineers with valuable tools, this research aimed at analyzing the use of the drum pedal and to evaluate qualitatively the muscle groups involved and their possible relationship with any injuries resulting from fatigue. Through the analysis, it was found that striking the drum pedal provides health risks; therefore, some actions were suggested to avoid injuries to drummers. All data collected can be used as parameters for the development of products that would prevent health problems or improve the drummers´ performance.