Ok just to let you know i am not snaredrummer 12 but his brother so sorry about that...but i recently got 4th bass and today when we had percussion camp after about 5 hours my back got freakin killer sore. what can i do to help with this so it isnt so bad anymore. because i might just die at band camp. oh yea and im kinda small like......5'4.

It'll get better once you build up your back muscles. And honestly, the most effective way to do that is to wear the drum. In the meantime, try to grin and bear it. I was bottom bass my first year in high school and I was smaller than you. It'll hurt for a while, but you'll live.

Whatever you do, make sure you stand with good posture when wearing the drum. Leaning may temporarily make things feel better, but it can cause problems if you keep doing it.

After a while your back just gradually gets numb and you don't feel anymore pain.

Also make sure that you stretch before, after, and during rehearsal. Making sure that your muscles are loose will prevent injury and help ease the stress on your back.

Like SkyDog said, make sure you're standing with good posture. Usually, I've found that my students that complain about back pain are leaning back to compensate for the weight in front. Check it out in the mirror. What is actually straight may actually feel like you're leaning forward a little bit.

You could always get a back brace and wear it when you wear the drum.

I actually just was talking about this today. Our bottom bass this upcoming year is new, and normally he'd have time to build up his core muscles over the summer and be able to do that. However, we have a parade in two weeks, and so he needs to adjust a bit more quickly to say the least. =P My director recommended he use a weight training belt, (you know those weird looking back brace things for power lifters?) to help. It keeps your back straight and you can wear it under a shirt no problem. =D

thanks for the advice ill suck it up untill i get better.

Another way to explain it:

When you're standing correctly, it feels a lot like downhill skiing. On skis, you lean forward in the boots to keep your weight on the front of the skis. If you're wearing tenors or a big bass drum, your weight will be forward on the balls of your feet if you're standing straight up.

I had the same thing happened to me my freshman year except I was playing bass 2. My back hurt really really bad after our first day and my mom embarrassed me (as well as left a bad first impression on the upperclassmen) by lecturing them about making me carry the drum for too long. But the aches went away and I have a perfectly healthy back now that can withstand lots of weight.

You'd be amazed how quickly you will adapt to the weight. After 2 weeks or so of marching tenors (and trust me, we have some of the heaviest tenors on the market), It felt like I was carrying a snare again and it was no trouble at all.

Unfortunately the matter which drum you carry, your back will always hurt almost the same. I marched bass 2 at a half time show this year and it hurt like hell.

But really, if you love playing and your really trying to make an impression you'll suck it up. We had like a parade that was like an hour or hour and a half long, and I marched 5th Bass. Not 4th. 5th.
Even bigger. Freakin ridiculous, but I was so eager to make an impression that the pain just did not matter to me in the least bit anymore. I also got high praised for:
1. Being a freshman and marching his first parade
2. On the biggest drum
3. Not complaining or asking for bass drum relief (the old switch-a-roo)
4. Having energy to jam afterwords

its just like lifting weights when you haven't for a long time you get stronger eventually and so will your back