FOR GREAT DRUMMING
RESOURCES
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The RIGHT KIT
IS THE KIT THAT FITS YOUR NEEDS
- What size drum set do I need?
- Do I choose an acoustic drum kit or electric?
- Will my neighbors complain if I choose acoustic?
KITS FOR KIDS: Junior Drum Sets
For 5-10 year olds, DDrums makes some excellent starter drum kits that are smaller in scale for little kids. One challenge younger children may have is reaching the foot pedals. Having a smaller drumset that is more accessible will allow them to reach the pedals and have more fun being able to experiment with their feet. The last thing you want to do is have this gigantic drum kit that takes up all the space in your living room! The other great point about DDrums is the price point. You can find a new beginner kit anywhere between 200 to 350 dollars.
BEGINNER KITS: 12 TO ADULT
Another great beginner option is the Pearl Forum series drums. These are more full scale drums so will be more appropriate for 12 years and up. They can be extremely versatile as well. Use them to learn Jazz or Rock! While you can generally play any style on a forum series drum set, what will really make the difference in the styles you want to play are the drum heads, tuning, and the cymbals choices.
ACOUSTIC OR ELECTRIC?
If you live in an apartment and have neighbors, an acoustic drum set might not be an option for you. In this case there are things you can do to keep the volume down. An electric drum kit might be the best option. Electric kits can be a lot of fun! Not only can you experiment with the various sounds and programs but many electric kits come equipped with metronomes and/or various playback tracks which you can play along with. The technology of electric kits today is quite good and prices can range anywhere between $800 to $5000 dollars! The disadvantage of electric drum sets is usually the “response” or “feel” of the drums is never the same as an acoustic kit. That being said, with proper technique and training anyone can easily make the change from electric to acoustic and vice versa. It really is up to you and what your options are. For some people going the electric route is the best solution to apartment living.
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ThAT QUIET PRACTICE
WAYS TO MAKE IT WORK
In addition to electric drum sets, there are a number of ways to achieve a quieter acoustic practice set for drumming at home between lessons. Quiet practice has been a sought after commodity by all drummers, especially city dwellers in apartments and condos.
For those of us without a studio, garage, or basement, sometimes becoming a drummer can feel like an impossible task. But fear not! Quieter acoustic practice is possible! I have lived in every type of situation. I was even able to practice in my college dorms!
DRUM MUTES
The easiest way to mute any acoustic kit is to simply pick up tom, snare, and kick drum mutes from your local music store. The great thing about these mutes is they can be removed or added within seconds and they maintain the tone of the drum so you still feel like you’re playing music.
The disadvantage is the “feel” of a mute. Tom snare and kick drum mutes have little to no rebound at all making it very difficult to practice rolls.
MESH HEADS
For an alternate way to quiet your toms, snare and kick drums, you can install mesh heads on your drums instead of using removable mutes. Mesh heads have a high rebound response so you will get a more realistic drum set feel from these than you would with drum mutes.
The disadvantage of mesh heads, however, is that you cannot simply remove them to play your regular drums again as they must be installed like a regular drum head.
CYMBAL MUTES
Rubber cymbal mutes can be tricky because you have to “aim” for the rubber mute every time you strike the cymbal. The best cymbal mutes I have found are from a company in England called Cymbomute. These mutes usually have to be special ordered but it is well worth the investment! Rather than having to aim for the mute, the stretchy rubber film wraps around the entire cymbal allowing you to strike it normally. Not only do you get the “real feel” of the cymbal but you no longer have to aim for the rubber pad.
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SO MANY CYMBALS
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
If you are a beginner, cymbal choice probably doesn’t make too much difference yet. As you begin to progress, however, you’ll probably want to upgrade. There are literally thousands of cymbal choice combinations you could make.
At the end of the day the best way to choose a cymbal is to go into a music store, hit every cymbal, and find one that you like. While cymbal choice is largely subjective, I do have a few general guidelines that I believe can help you out.
ROCK AND METAL
If you are going for Rock or Metal then you want loud cymbals that cut through all the sound. Washy cymbals have very long sustain and are a popular choice. They will continue to make sound long after they’ve been struck. Pingy Cymbals have a “sharp attack” sound I like to equate almost as a bell sound. In general, the choice is up to you. Try out cymbals and pick the ones that sound good to your ear.
JAZZ
If you are going for more of a Jazz style, picking a Ride is the single most important thing. Many Jazz Cats swear by the “Dry” and “Dark” Ride. This is a ride cymbal that has very low sustain, dies out quickly, but still has a very good stick definition. In general, very washy and pingy rides are quite bad for jazz as they tend to “wash out” The definition of the skip beat and are usually too loud. By studying jazz you will quickly learn the importance of having good “swing time” and having the other musicians and audience be able to hear the definition of that skip beat is the most important part of being a Jazz drummer.
JAZZ HI HAT
The second most important part of Jazz style drumming is having a consistent “Chick” sound on the 2 and 4 with your hi hat foot. When choosing a Jazz Hi Hat, pick a cymbal that has a very solid definitive “Chick”. If you are a beginner and want a general upgrade option hi hat that gives you a good chick sound while still being able to play other styles, the Zildjian New Beat Hi Hat is a good versatile choice. For a truly superb and brilliant hi hat, I recommend the 14”inch HHX Legacy hats.
ONE OF A KIND...
One last thing. No two cymbals are alike! Even if they are the same model. Cymbals are usually hand made and through the process of hammering and molding each cymbal is truly unique, similar to a snowflake.
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KICK PEDAL CHOICE
A FEW POINTERS
Should I play a Tama Iron cobra? A DW 5000? 3000? What about a standard Yamaha single chain drive? At the end of the day, choosing pedals is very similar to choosing cymbals and all comes down to personal preference. With that in mind I do have a few pointers.
HEAVY
If you are playing rock, you can usually play just about any type of pedal. Some of the bigger name brands such as Pearl, Tama, DW, or Axis really design their pedals for fast, loud, and heavy duty drumming. Oftentimes these pedals come with heavy reinforced steal components designed for nonstop touring and heavy metal slamming. I played an Iron Cobra and DW 9000 for years and even tried to adapt it to my jazz drum set. I learned quickly that while good for heavy duty drumming, it’s simply not necessary to have so much pedal for a lighter softer kit.
LIGHT
Lighter Yamaha pedals will do just fine! In fact the speed of your foot comes more from pedal technique than it does from spending hundreds of dollars on a fancy mechanical pedal with loads of features you will probably never use. In all honesty, the factory setup of a kick drum pedal is usually golden. That being said, your body can learn to play any pedal and setting as long as you learn good technique followed by healthy practice habits. Just don’t over tighten the spring tension or have the beater too far or too close to the drumhead and you’ll be fine.
MY CHOICES FOR ROCK AND JAZZ
- For my rock kit, I currently use the DW 9000 and love the feel of it.
- For my jazz kit, I use a Yamaha FP 7210A and it runs for only $70! With this pedal I can get just as much speed and control as I can with my DW 9000 which runs for around $330.
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STICKS
HUNDREDS TO CHOOSE FROM
Stick choice is again largely a subjective option. There are virtually hundreds of types of sticks to choose from, all with various applications. Different sticks make different sounds, especially on cymbals.
Some sticks are designed for marching band—playing very tightly tuned snare drums or Quad Toms. Others are made for concert Band drumming. When you are first starting out, the type of stick probably doesn’t matter too much, but as you hone your skills you may find you want to try different options.
JAZZ
If you want a more natural “earthy” sound, wood tip is the way to go. Most jazz cats prefer to use wood based tips as they have a darker more natural sound. However, the disadvantage of wood tips is their durability. Wood tips tend to chip a lot and they lose their definition over time. Sometimes they will outright break in the middle of a performance!
ROCK
Nylon tips are good for rock, durable, and have a lot of attack or ping in their tone. If you want your ride cymbal to cut through the various sounds in a group, playing with a Nylon tipped stick might be a good choice, especially with a ping ride
MY PERSONAL FAVORITES
GENERAL:
For general drum set playing, I recommend Vic Firth 5A drumsticks nylon or wood tip.
JAZZ:
For jazz drumming, I highly recommend Regal Tip Jazz sticks as they are smaller and produce a lighter sound with less pingy overtones on the ride.
HOT JAZZ AND FUSION:
Another fun stick choice is Peter Erskine’s ride stick. It has great rebound and can be used to play up tempo jazz and fusion grooves.
ROCK:
Finally, my personal favorite stick of choice for Rock would be Neil Peart’s Pro Mark 747. These are wood tips, so I tend to go through a few pairs if I’m playing a lot of shows.
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DRUM RUDIMENTS
AND FOUNDATIONAL DRUMMING PRACTICE SHEETS
DRUM RUDIMENTS - DOWNLOAD PDF
The Percussive Arts Society's 40 International Drum Rudiments are the fine ingredients for building tasty drum licks. Learn them and you can combine them into endless delectable musical treats.
INTRODUCTION TO STROKE QUALITY - Download PDF
The 4 main types of drum strokes used in drumming are High, Low, Up, and Down. Stroke quality for efficiency of motion is critical for developing into an advanced drummer capable of a broad range of dynamics. I’ve included a few examples including the Paraddidle to demonstrate where various strokes can be executed.
SINGLE STROKE WARM UP - Download PDF
One of the top 3 most important drum rudiments, Single Strokes! This should be one of the first rudiments you learn! So much of what we do as drummers is made up of singles.
Keeping time in a groove must come from a relaxed natural motion free of tension. Doing these exercises using the wrists and fingers with a loose and relaxed grip will give you the freedom you need to start developing your creativity.
DOUBLE STROKE WARM UP - Download PDF
Rebound control is one of my favorite techniques. We think of “hitting drums” or “playing drums” but what we are actually doing is dribbling sticks. This exercise focuses on dribbling. The intention is not on “wristing doubles” or “push pull” techniques—also valuable—it is about rebound control. It allows the drummer freedom to execute closed style double stroke rolls with touch, lightness, and finesse. Once rebound control is in place, I encourage open style doubles using the wrists, and/or push pull techniques.
Drum Fills Skeleton Grid - Download PDF
This sheet can help all drummers learn how to better execute fills with intentionality rather then simply fumbling through. In 4/4 time signatures, drum fills can be executed in 1 of 4 primary spots. The drumset skeleton grid guides the drummer through these various spots (beats) using simple and easy-to-read 8th notes and 16th notes. Once proficiency of this fundamental system is achieved, the drummer can begin to replace basic fills with more advanced concepts.
Kick Drum Permutations - Download PDF
Using the Kick Drum Permutation can greatly enhance your ability to improvise the kick drum in rock drumming. In 4 /4 time signatures, there are 16 possible locations where the kick can be played using 16th notes. Learning to play the kick drum on each of these locations will help you to understand the relationship between the kick drum and how it fits within the overall groove. Kick drum permutations can also be applied using the snare drum for beginning funk exercises!
Double Diddle Double Run - Download PDF
Here is a fun drum solo I wrote which uses all open style double stroke rolls! Some double stroke rolls do not alternate the leading hand. To ensure that both hands execute each roll in succession, I use 5 stroke rolls to switch the lead hand. Practice the drum solo slowly with a metronome using a loose and relaxed grip.