Drum Sticks

Drumsticks are used to hit percussion instruments. These are ideal for marching bands, orchestral work, jazz and rock bands.

Usually made from hard maple, oak, hickory or ebony wood, a typical drumstick is approximately 16.3 inches in length, 0.635 inch in diameter and has a round tip. Beginners, Intermediates, advanced, expert and professional players all use drumsticks. Most professional drummers are particular about the weight, shape, balance, size, grain and density of the sticks. Thick, heavy sticks are used to play street drums in marching bands and drum corps. They can produce a high quality sound.

A typical drumstick has a tip, shoulder, shaft and butt. The tip, also referred to as bead, is the top-most part that strikes the drum. Traditionally, the tip is made of the same hard wood as the rest of the stick. Drum sticks with plastic nylon tips are also available. Tips come in many shapes -- round, barrel, acorn or oval. Below the tip is the shoulder of the stick. It is used to strike crash cymbals. The remaining part of the stick is known as the shaft, and the butt is immediately below the shaft and opposite to the tip.

Available in pairs, you can select from a wide range of colors such as metallic red, metallic silver, black, metallic green, metallic wine red and metallic blue. Colorful sticks with metallic logos are great for live performances.

Electronic drum sticks have built-in speakers and pre-recorded tunes. When they hit any surface, they create a unique, crashing sounds. A cool red LED (Light Emitting Diode) is placed at the tip of each drumstick. Using these drum sticks, you can create fine music without a full set of drums. Electronic drumsticks are very popular among kids who love the sounds they produce.

Assembling Drum Sets

A drum set includes a number of drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments which are arranged in such a way that a solo drummer is able to play them quite easily. Drum sets can be bought at local music stores or can be ordered online. When a drum set is bought, the drums and other musical components arrive in pieces, packed in one or more boxes. Hence, it is essential to have a good idea about how to assemble a drum set. It is recommended that the first step before assembling drum sets is that all the pieces of instruments should be taken out of the boxes and be arranged on the floor.

All About Drums: A Fun and Simple Guide to Playing Drums

The assembly of any drum set always starts with the bass drum, as it is the biggest amongst all the pieces of the drum set. It is important to distinguish between the front and back of the drums. There are two large drumheads that come with every drum set which need to be seated on each of the two brass drums. This seating should start with the back head followed by the front head. After the seating of the heads, the brass drum lug screws should be fitted properly and subsequently the tom toms have to be mounted. While assembling the different toms, it is important to consider the lengths of the lug screws as larger toms require longer lug screws and smaller ones require smaller screws. The other pieces that have to be assembled include the bass pedal and stands such as high hat stand, cymbal stands and snare stands.

It is important that a drummer or buyer of drum sets is aware of how to assemble them properly. Unless assembled in the right way, chances are that the drums will not sound correct, and the drums themselves could be damaged. Drum sets usually come with step-by-step instructions on how to assemble them.

Electronic Drum Sets

Electronic drums simulate acoustic drums produce acoustic drum sounds that can sound like drums or emit sounds that don’t sound like a drum at all. These sounds can also be any other instrument sounds including keyboard, guitar, bass, horns, etc.

Electronic drums simulate acoustic drums produce acoustic drum sounds that can sound like drums or emit sounds that don’t sound like a drum at all. These sounds can also be any other instrument sounds including keyboard, guitar, bass, horns, etc.

A set of electronic drums usually has four drum pads, on hi-hat pad, two cymbal pads, a hi-hat pedal, a sound module and a bass trigger or pad. A bass petal has to be purchased separately, as well as a sound module. Cymbal pads are shaped like a real cymbal and are made of a rubber coated material. They usually come with a sensor that senses when you squeeze them to stop the sound.

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There are some obvious reasons why people often prefer electronic drum sets. They can be silent when practicing anywhere, and you can play as loud as you want using headphones. You can add digital effects that sound rich and offer a concert like feel to your performance. Most Electronic drums offer hundreds of percussion sounds and drum sounds or you can plug in a CD, play with it and record your performance. Finally, electronic drums are lightweight, compact and portable. What's more, the cost of electronic drum sets are quite affordable, as the supply and demand relationship between electronic drum sets and enthusiasts has leveled off over the years since their inception. Buy the best you can, at your price range.

Everything is Rhythm

As a Tabla player for more than eight years and as of a few years now, a player of several other drums stemming from Africa to Asia, South America to Australia, I feel that the label “multi-percussionist” has been used on me by many, rather than just a “Tabla player” and so I want to explore more and find out exactly what percussion is to me.

Complete Idiot's Guide? to Playing Drums

Percussion is a huge, unwieldy topic; looking at every type of drumming in every culture on Earth at once is an impossible undertaking. However, the wonderful thing about our chosen instrument family is, everything rhythmic is relevant to what we do.

The world of percussion is truly amazing. Drum kit players can learn from congueros, Bodhran enthusiasts from Dumbek dance accompanists, rudimental drummers from the rhythms of African tribes. It can go on and on. Just take the amount of dances we can learn with our fingers on the Tabla and the variety of beats that come through.

Today we have an unprecedented opportunity to explore the instruments, rhythms and concepts of a variety of cultures and incorporate those ideas into our own playing, regardless of genre. As an Asian multi-percussionist, I believe in learning from all the generations of drummers who applied stick, hand, or other implements to skin, stone, wood, metal or plastic before me.

Personally, it has been the Tabla that has driven all my other percussions. Learning both classical and folk Tabla and consistently listening to music all the time, has allowed me to master dozens of beats and rhythms from all around the world mentally before getting out the drums and experimenting on them for the purest sounds.

The real secret to being a great drummer, and something I’ve learnt and have been working on for a long while is essentially really simple. And, I’m not going to say PRACTICE, because that’s pretty obvious anyway. The secret is to listen to music. Listen to all genres of music, be it heavy metal, rock, soft sounds, pan pipes, R&B, hip hop, jazz, soul, funk, folk, classical, etc. By doing this, you develop a rhythmical ear that can adjust to all music and pick up on anything.

Let me share with you a recent example. Back in July 2005, I was recording as a percussionist in the studios for a Latin band called Puro Mambo. I took all the percussion instruments I had; both big and small, however they seemed to only want the Latin instruments. I disagreed and took out my Tabla. Although they first seemed rather sceptical, the final output with the bouncing sounds I produced from the Tabla were much more sweeter and jelled perfectly.

This for me proves that the Tabla is my king of the percussion. I think here I pay tribute to the most important legend that has made music the most important thing in my life and that is Pandit Sharda Sahai, my guru-jee. From the Tabla, I went to other teachers of different instruments and mastered other drums. All other drums have simple beats and rhythms, but with the skills I have from the Tabla, I am able to improvise drastically on simple drums to create juxtaposing sounds.

For those who learn the Tabla, I wish you well and urge you to continue with that before touching upon any other instruments. For those who want to learn the Tabla, I urge you to make your decision quick and advice not to think about other instruments yet. The Tabla will be your guidance into other instruments. Master the Tabla and you can play any instrument just by picking it up. It really is true.

Coming to a close, I’d like to share a great, quick exercise. Find a quiet room, sit quietly and relaxed, and just listen. Listen out for your heartbeat. Place a hand on your chest and feel the rhythm. The heartbeat is the mega-rhythm that connects us all, yet no two heartbeats are exactly alike. Live in that rhythm for a minute or two, and then play it on your knee. Play it, and then play variations on it. Use both hands. Feel the music of your body.

Exciting, isn’t it? A constantly playing percussion instrument right inside you, accessible any time you can be quiet and concentrate on it. Add in the rhythms of your circulatory and respiratory systems, and you have a percussion ensemble playing to the tempo of your life.

Until next time, focus on the rhythms in your body and all around you – traffic, machinery, other people, the sounds of nature. Rhythms are everywhere, and everything is informed by rhythm. Tap into that, and your playing will benefit.

What You Need To Know About DrumsWhat You Need To Know About Drums

What would music be without drums? Drums are responsible for providing the backbone of the song. The drummer holds the rest of the song together by providing the other musicians with a beat to follow. Even if a song doesn’t specifically include drums, more than likely they do include other percussion instruments.

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History of Drums

Percussion instruments have been used since ancient times. Drums especially were popular because they could be made using easily obtainable materials. Generally speaking, drums include a hollowed out body which could be made of wood, clay, gourds, and other materials with some kind of animal skin or membrane stretched over the top. Ancient drums have been found in archaeological dig sites and can be viewed in museums.

Drums Throughout the Cultures

Different cultures have different kinds of percussion instruments. In the west, the drum set is popular. In Latin music, the drum kit includes other items such as shakers and cow bells. In Africa, the djembe and congo are popular drums. Other cultures use steel drums and other drums that are made from different materials such as gourds and animal skins.

Using Drums from other Countries

In today’s society, the media and internet have opened us up to different types of music. As a result of this, more western artists are starting to embrace other percussion instruments. For example, it isn’t uncommon for a song to include different hand drums borrowed from the African or Middle Eastern cultures.

If you are interested in using drums from other countries, your best bet is to expose yourself to the traditional music to get a feel for how the drums are traditionally played. It is fine to borrow an instrument from another tradition, but to get the most out of the experience it is worth it to learn the traditional playing styles.

Starter Drum Sets

A drum set is a collection of drums that are played in sync to achieve melodious tunes. A drum set consists of drums and cymbals. They are arranged in a manner that is convenient for a drummer to play. Drums are percussion instruments that can be used for different genres of music like jazz, rock, pop and other types of modern day music.

Those new to drumming usually begin with what is called a starter drum set. This set is basic and easy to maintain. Parents like the idea of a starter drum set because it allows them to see just how much interest their child has in learning to drum without spending a ton of money. They like the idea that there are reasonably priced starter kits available. The beginner drum kits can be purchased for under $300. They are priced right for a beginner and offer the same equipment that one would find in a professional set.

Drums For Dummies

Like professional drum sets, a starter set consists of a bass drum, a snare drum on a tripod, a small cymbal and other small percussion instruments. A starter drum kit may include what is known as a kick drum. These drums are played with the help of drum sticks or brushes usually made of plastic. In professional drum sets, wooden drum sticks are usually preferred.

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Starter drum kits are designed for children up to the age of 12. They have shells that are made of multi-ply hardwoods and are available in an assortment of colors. The drum settings can usually be altered to facilitate different sounds. They are sold with stands that are usually double braced, making them sturdy. A starter drum kit is the best tool to gauge whether the player is serious about his music or not.