Drum Kit Secrets by Matt Dean

Author:Matt Dean [Dean, Matt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Published: 2013-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Secret 29: Essential Equipment

As drummers we have a pretty bad deal when it comes to transporting equipment to a performance. The large and multi-itemed nature of our instrument usually necessitates a car, city road tolls, parking, terrible traffic, and so on. Meanwhile our harmonica-playing friends jump on a train with their instrument in their pocket and turn up at the venue ready to play within minutes. But that was our choice so we must avoid grumbling.

Fortunately many musical scenarios allow for a drum kit to be provided, whether it’s a hire kit from an external company or a house kit at the venue. These kits will be found in a range of conditions from the perfectly tuned and maintained right down to the practically unplayable and everything in between.

As professionally minded musicians, we must be able to do our job on whatever we are presented with, and do so without fuss. This can be difficult when the toms sound like cardboard boxes, the stool is so wobbly that you have trouble using your feet on the pedals, the cymbal stands are without washers and wingnuts, and the hi-hat stand barely lifts the hi-hat when you press the pedal.

Even if we are using great equipment that we are familiar with, we will find each room and each playing situation will present different requirements in terms of tuning and dampening that we must meet.

Some of these difficulties are impossible to overcome, but others are quite easy to circumvent if we are prepared for all possibilities. As the old adage goes, “Fail to prepare and you prepare to fail.”

So here is a list of essential items that allow you to be prepared for whatever equipment and sound difficulties with which you are faced. Whether using your own equipment or a hire kit, always ensure you arrive with these items in your stick bag.

Drumsticks. Obvious I know, but it is wise to keep a variety of sticks to cater for any situation. Keep a range of sizes and weights so you have some heavier sticks for rock, light sticks for jazz, as well as wood tips and nylon tips for different sounds (see Secret 25). For different applications, you should also have some hot rods, brushes, and mallets.

Drum key. Never be without this. You need to be able to keep your drums well tuned and appropriately tuned for each room and playing style. The drums will also detune as you play them, so regular retuning might be necessary. If it is a hire kit, the chance that it is tuned just right for you is slim, so be ready to tune these as soon as you arrive. I also like to keep a torque key, like that produced by Evans, so that I can adjust a detuned drum mid-set without wasting time or banging around (see Secret 26).

Gaffa tape/Moongel. Some kind of strong tape is very useful for many applications. It is a long-standing method for dampening the rebellious drum with excessive overtones, although this might be better treated with accurate tuning.

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