Tenor is the softest in a cadence? Because I can't hear much tenor in a cadence. LOL~ anyone can give me advice on this? Thanks alot

What exactly is your question?

It really depends on the cadence you have.

What I feel that is bass and snare is so much louder than tenor No one can hear the tenor yet its so much harder to play compare to bass and snare

In an ideal situation, the balance between sections should be perfect. However, 90% of drumlines everywhere never get past the stage of seeking rhythmic clarity, so balance of volume and intensity is rarely touched.

With that in mind, tenors typically project LESS than modern snare drums and bass drums. Bass drums have the luxury of being oriented sideways, so ALL of the sound is projected outward. Snare drums, while pointed at the ground, have lots of tension in the top head, making them cut above most other sounds on a marching field. The tenors/quads get the worst of both situations - they have relatively low head tension, and they are still pointed at the ground. Naturally, they'll be the hardest to hear.

Another idea to think about is the writing style of this cadence. If the composer primarily uses the tenors to double-up one the snare drum part with tonal direction, the tenors will be harder to distinguish from the mix, especially to the young/untrained ear. If the composer uses the tenors as a unique voice with rhythmic/dynamic contrast from the other sections, the tenor voice should stand out and be easy to identify/hear.

Cheers,
Zach

So its normal? Im feeling so bad because people can't listen to my tenor. I shouldn't feel this way?

As Glassmen said, it is normal in some styles of music and in some ensembles due to instrument design, composition style, and ensemble ability/level/focus.

In my (sometimes not so) humble opinion, unless you are a part of a very small line that consists of only 1 tenor, people should never hear YOUR tenor exclusively (solos excepted). Your playing should compliment the overall ensemble and help them to achieve the sound that was intended by the composer and your instructor. Playing loud just to be heard is detrimental to the piece and the success of the group. I'm not saying that you do this, it just strikes me as something you may be or might have been considering.

If you have reached a point in your playing that rhythms are solid, and your instructor tends to not give you issues to focus on, you may consider asking him/her what you could do about balance. He/she may be willing to go over the score with you and elaborate on whatever dynamics are already given. However, if the rest of the line is playing at a bajillion inches all the way through, it isn't really going to matter what you do. The tenors won't be easily distinguishable (for the reasons already outlined).

Sorry I basically repeated what Glassmen said, but you didn't seem to follow when he said it.

As several people have said above that it depends on the cadence/style of music. I find thinking about instruments or sections in terms of importance creates disparities in the way you think/treat them and between members of a drum line The way I like to think about it is kind of like a rhythm section or a jazz band. I find the metaphor is useful in finding creative ways to think about the drum line The bass drums are like your bass line and drum set player. The very basic thing that everything is built on. They set up the melody and really help to keep the time. If you want to have a solid line then you need a solid bass line. The cymbals are kind of like your trumpets, adding interesting textures and punches at the right moment. The snare drum line is like your sax section. They generally play busy rhythmically interesting stuff. The tenors are like your guitar/piano player. They reinforce what all the sections are doing and bring their own uniqueness to the parts.

I find when I think about things this way I don't tend to think of some sections or people as more important or necessary but together as a really cool groove machine.

Are you talking about show-style tenor drum or the multi-tom setup used in corps-style ensembles? The above comments are all valid, but I think there might be a little confusion still as to what your actual question is :3

I feel that even though you can't hear tenors as clearly as the snares or basses, the voice of the tenors are important. In cadences, (though it depends on the cadence) the tenors' parts are pretty much the same as the snares, just on different drums, and the added pitches/tones from the tenors makes the cadence more musical and adds color and dimension. If you listen to a cadence with basses, tenors and snares, and then listen to a cadence with just basses and snares, you'll probably find that you can hear the tenors better than you think.