The Beginner Drummers Handbook

7/21/2019 The Beginner Drummers Handbook

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Every question you’ll ever ask

after buying your rst drum set – Answered!

By Rob Brown



The Beginner Drummers Handbook 2

About the Author

My name is Rob Brown. I’m a session drummer, clinician

and educator from the Toronto, Canada area. I started

playing the drums when I was 17 and bought my rst

ofcial kit in 1987, which was a metallic burgundy 5 piece

set of Pearl Forums, which I loved and spent countless hours

on! Over the next several years I have invested an endless

amount of time playing and learning everything that I could

about drums and working on my craft. In 2004 I got a

job working in the drum department of a major musical

instrument retailer and for the next 6 ½ years I’ve seen,

played on and repaired drums of all types and answered

a million questions from old drummers, young drummers,

experienced drummers, new drummers and parents of newdrummers. Of the many questions red at me in the course

of an 8 hour shift, day after day, I’ve noticed that many of

these questions, typically from beginner drummers and their

parents, were asked quite frequently. So one day I made

the decision to write down all of the most frequently asked

questions and compile them all in one book. The purpose

of this handbook is to help educate you after obtaining yourrst set of drums. In this book is every question you will

most likely ask within your rst year of playing – already

answered! Its mainly to give you a bit of guidance before

making one of your many trips to the drum shop to pick up

that next pair of sticks, cymbal, drum head or accessory.




Table of Contents

Drumsticks 4

Drumheads 16

Snare Drums 27

Cymbals 36

Drums 49

Bass Drum Pedals 62

Stands & Hardware 73

Accessories & Gadgets 82




DRUMSTICKS

What’s the difference between all these

drumsticks on the wall?

Drumsticks, as you may have noticed, come in

all kinds of lengths and thicknesses. The main

difference is diameter. Your preferred diameter will

be determined by your playing style. If you play

metal or hard rock – you may prefer a thicker ‘beeer’

stick. If you play swing jazz – you’re probably going

to want something lighter. Chances are that you are

going to go through a few different sizes before you

nd the one you’re comfortable with. Just start withone that feels good in your hands. For the average

size new drummer, if you’re unsure where to start,

a pair of 5As are your best bet. As far as size goes,

those are pretty much in the middle. From there

you’ll decide if you want to go heavier or lighter.




How do I know what sticks to use?

Pick up a pair of 5As and see how they feel. 5A

sticks are pretty much in the middle of all available

common sizes. Sticks are like shoes. Every drummer

uses a size most comfortable to them. You may

eventually even get used to a couple different sizes

and keep them in your bag. If a pair of sticks camewith your rst kit, don’t get too used to them. They

are not usually in mass production and were just a

cheap pair thrown in with your package. So if you

fall in love with them and they break, you most likely

wont nd the same pair on any shelf. But you will

denitely be able to nd an equivalent from a majorstick manufacturer.




What ‘s the difference between wood

tips and nylon tips?

That is really a personal preference. Nylon tips

produce a ‘brighter’ sound on cym-bals. Wood tips

tend to rebound or ‘bounce’ better on hi-hats. Neither

will make your drums sound any different to an

audience. When you’re rst starting out, it doesn’treally matter what you use. As far as durability goes,

on higher quality sticks, nylon tips will surely last

longer than wood tips because they wont wear down

to pencils over time. But on some lesser quality sticks,

sometimes they may y off while you’re playing.




Does the size/shape of the tip matter?

Depends. On the drums? No. On cymbals? Sometimes

signicantly, particularly on ‘ride’ work. The sound

of your ride cymbal will take on a different tone

depending on the size of the tip hitting it. There

are diamond shapes, barrel shapes, teardrops, balls;

some sticks, like Zildjian’s Absolute Rock sticks,don’t even have a tip. Both ends are butt ends. Try

some out and see which ones you like.




What about the taper of the stick?

(Bonus Question)

I threw this one in there because most beginner’s

wont recognize the taper on a drumstick. The length

and severity of the taper (towards the tip) makes a big

difference in how it feels in your hand while you’re

playing. Many of the thicker and heavier stickshave a very short taper towards the tip, allowing

more weight at the end and producing more power.

Medium tapers are found on most general purpose

sticks, particularly in 5As and 5Bs.

And long, sleek tapers are common on thinner sticks,giving them a much lighter feel while you’re playing.

If you’re into jazz, you’ll like that.




Are there sticks I can use to play

quieter?

Yes. Multi-rod sticks are probably the best for

situations when you need something quieter than

sticks but louder than brushes. The most common

types are Pro Mark’s Hot Rods, Cool Rods and

Thunder Rods and Vic Firth’s Tala Wands. The onlydownside is that because the stick is softer in its

construction, you won’t get the same volume out of

your ‘cross sticking’ (playing across the rim).




What sticks can I buy that won’t break?

None, really. At least none that are worth buying. If

you’re going through a whole lot of sticks, it’s not a

stick issue. Its a technique issue. Playing with proper

hand technique saves you a fortune on sticks! As far

as which wood makes the strongest drumstick...that

would probably be Oak. But that would also make itmore brittle and prone to snapping and also, because

it’s such a hard and dense wood, they will vibrate

more in your hands. Maple is the lightest wood that

sticks are made of. They absorb dings well but heavy

hitters will snap them in no time.

So if you’re a metal banger – avoid Maple. Hickory

is the most widely common. There are other sticks

made from various high impact plastics and even

aluminum, but are usually heavier in feel and clunky.

And quite honestly, an unnecessary replacement for

proper technique.




One of my sticks broke after

just three songs.

Unfortunately, that’s the gamble. The odd stick might

just have a weak spot in the grain and if struck in

just the right spot...boom! Toast. Most stores can’t

really warranty sticks so you may not have much

luck getting your cash back. Not that common. Butit happens.




What do the numbers on

the stick mean?

They determine the diameter of the stick. They’re

like shoe sizes in a way. 7A, 5A, 5B and 2B are the

standard sizes and also serve as templates for about a

thousand offshoot sizes. 7A is the thinnest. 2B is the

thickest. The letters are also an indication of the therecommended application. The ‘A’ could be thought

of as ‘all purpose’. It indicates a smaller diameter.

‘B’ actually stands for ‘band’ and indicates a medium

diameter, identifying the stick as ideal for studio and

live applications. There’s also ‘S’ which stands for

‘street’ applications like drum corps and marching.They’re generally thicker for more volume.




Are rubber dipped sticks good?

Well, they denitely work. Rubber dipped ends

improve grip while playing. But they can also

sometimes cause blistering in your ngers.




Will aluminum sticks last longer? How

much are they?

Technically , yes. They are stronger than wood.

But they’re not completely indestructible. Plenty of

drummers still snap aluminum sticks in half. The

Ahead models feature changeable sleeves and tips,

which is good because they’re cheap to replace.Depending on your area, aluminum sticks are about

$45 to $50.




What’s that thing that attaches to the

oor tom? You put all your sticks in it…

It’s actually a drumstick bag. When it folds out it

can clip on to the tension rods on your oor tom and

stand upright.




DRUMHEADS

I just bought a starter drum kit How

long should the drum heads last?

The life of any drumhead depends on how often its

played. They don’t particularly put great heads on

starter kits under $500 and they’re generally quite

thin and ‘tinny’ sounding so you might nd yourself

changing them within the rst few months, either

our of necessity or by choice. Swapping them out

for a good set of Remo or Evans heads will denitely

improve the sound of your drums. Figure on spending

between $120 and $140 to outt a typical 5pce kitincluding the bass drum and excluding the bottom

(resonant) heads.




I need to change my drumheads How

do I know what to get?

There are many different types of heads available

from single ply, double ply, clear, coated, black

heads, heads with built in mufe rings, dots for

reinforcement and even double ply heads with drops

of oil between the two plies. All were designed forspecic applications – some for all purpose, some

for a very specic sound result. Choose your heads

according to what style of music you play. For all

around applications, Remo Pinstripes or Evans G2s

are great choices, clear or coated.




What’s the difference between clear and

coated heads?

Clear heads give you more ‘attack’ on stick impact.

Coated heads are ‘warmer’ sounding and sustain

longer, popular with jazz drummers.




What’s the difference between single ply

and double ply heads?

Single ply heads will give you more ‘projection’ and

are good heads for live applications. But they’re also

harder to control on larger toms. Double ply heads

are more controlled, more durable and easier to tune

on bigger oor toms than clear heads.




I’ve noticed an indent where my beater

hits the bass drum headWhat should I do?

You can put a bass drum ‘patch’ on the head to

reinforce it where it’s played. They’re available for

single and double bass drum pedals. You can triple

the life of a bass drum head just by putting a patchon it.




Is there a difference between Remo and

Evans heads?

Only in selection. Each company makes some unique

drumheads, experimenting with ply thicknesses and

combinations, rings, dots and even vent holes, but

quality wise? The same. They are arguably the top

two drumhead manufacturers in the world.




How do I know when my heads

need changing?

You’ll either hear it, see it, or both. The obvious

signs are if your heads look as if they’ve endured a

severe hailstorm – chances are it’s time to toss them,

or if they’ve lost their sound just from regular wear.

For snare drums in particular, you can also tell by theheight of the head compared to the rim or ‘hoop’. A

very small gap or even a head that’s sitting almost

ush with the top of the hoop is an indication that

it’s been stretched to capacity and it’s time to change

it. You’ll know for sure once you take it off and it

concaves or ‘dips’ in the middle.




I’m changing my tom heads Do I need

to change the bottom ones too?

Normally, no. The bottom or ‘resonant’ heads can

stay on there longer because they generally don’t

suffer the same wear as the top or ‘batter’ heads.

Now they do stretch over time from just the down

forces of air inside the drum each time it’s hit but notenough to render them unusable. They can stay on

there much longer than batter heads.




Are the bottom heads important?

Absolutely! That’s where you get all of that tone and

sustain from. The resonant head does most of the

work after the batter head is hit, helping to control the

movement of air inside the drum. What about concert

toms, you ask? Well, put it this way – there’s a reason

why you can’t nd a major drum manufacturer thatmakes concert tom drum kits anymore!




What kind of head should I use on the

bottom of my toms?

Single ply clear. That’s it. Double ply heads are too

thick to use as resonant heads because they can’t

vibrate at the same rate as single ply heads, causing

the drum to sound thick and muddy.




Do I need a hole in my front

bass drum head?

Only if you plan to mic it. That’s what the hole is for

– to stick a mic in it. Bass drums actually sound fuller

without a hole in the front head. With both heads

resonating freely, you’ll get more low end ‘woof’ out

of it and it sounds much bigger, particularly if you play it open or ‘off the head’. But a 5” or 6” hole

makes the bass drum punchier for those that bury the

beater into the head when they play.




SNARE DRUMS

What size skin do I need for my

snare drum?

14”. All full size starter and intermediate drums kits

come with a 14” snare drum. Junior drum kits, which

are considerably smaller, would come with a 12”

snare drum.




My snare drum rings a lot when I hit it

How do I get rid of that?

There are a few different ways, actually. The simplest

way is grab what’s called an ‘O-Ring for it. It’s

just a 1” to 1.5” wide mylar (same material as the

drumhead) ring that you just sit right on top of the

snare. This cuts down on the ringing signicantly.They’re about $3 and they make them for toms as

well. Another way is to change the head and grab one

with a built in o-ring or ‘mufe ring’ underneath the

head. Moon Gel’s are also great. There are aftermarket

internal and external dampening pads available, too.

In emergency situations, a couple strips of duct tapeworks. But save that for emergency situations. Duct

tape residue is hard to remove.




Whenever I play my bass drum, my

snare drum kind of ‘rattles’Can I x that?

‘Fix’? Not really. Snare buzz, as it’s known, is natural

and unless your snares are in the off position, you’re

going to get snare buzz. But you can adjust the snare

tension by turning the little knurled knob on the snarethrow-off. If you still get excessive buzz even when

your snare wire tension is really tight – that could be

a sign that your snares are overstretched and it’s time

to change them. But this happens over time. Try and

remember to throw your snares ‘off’ when you’re not

playing.




I want to replace my snare drum and get

a better one How much are they?

Assuming that you just want a good sounding and

affordable upgrade, gure on spending anywhere

from $160 to $250 for a good quality snare drum.

These snares are generally the ones that are included

in many of the major manufacturer’s intermediatekits. (Pearl, Tama, Yamaha, Sonor, Mapex, etc.) The

typical size is 14x5.5”.




I want to replace my snare drum What

size should I look for?

Depends on what sound you’re going for, really. Shop

for a snare drum that will cater to your preferred style

of music. Just keep in mind that the more extreme the

size, the less versatile that snare will be. So if you’re

the type that likes to play many different styles ofmusic and your budget allows for just one snare,

13x3 is probably not a wise choice. Neither is a 14x8.

Look for something in either a 14x5.5, 14x6 or 6.5 or

even a 13x7 is cool. These sizes will offer the widest

tuning ranges.




What’s the difference between wood and

metal snare drums?

The honest answer is that the sound difference is not

that noticeable to the ears of your average listener.

But generally, wood is warmer and more ‘full

bodied’ sounding than metal and metal snares are

much harsher and louder than wood.




My snare wires rattle no matter how

much I tighten them Why?

They’ve most likely been stretched to capacity. It’s

probably time to change them.




A couple of tension rods on my snare

keep coming loose after playingCan I x that?

Yes. You might nd that the ones closest to where you

actually hit the snare, particularly if you’re a rimshot

kind of player, keep coming loose. The impact is

just knocking them loose a little at a time. First off,don’t use ‘Lock Tight’. Save that stuff for plumbers

and mechanics. You can get these little white plastic

things called ‘lug locks’ that snap right on to the

tension rod which keeps them from loosening. Or

you can actually buy specially designed tension rods

that are self locking as well. They’re a little moreexpensive, but they do work. Ask your local drum

shop about them.




I want to add a second snare drum to my

kit What can I get?

You have a couple of options here. The most common

is called a ‘piccolo’ snare. A piccolo snare is 13” or

14” in diameter, no more than 3.5” deep and available

in wood or metal. Very high pitched and loud. Then

there’s the ‘soprano’ snare. These guys are 12” andnormally 5” deep. They have a smaller diameter than

piccolos but a deeper shell to add a little body and

projection. There’s also the ‘popcorn’ snare. These

little guys are only 10” in diameter, normally 6”

deep and really loud!, especially the metal ones.

You’ve noticed that as the diameter gets smaller,the depth increases. This is to make up for the loss

in body as the shell gets smaller. A 10x3 snare, for

example, would probably sound like crap. Finally,

on the extreme end, Drum Workshop (DW) makes

something called a ‘ballad’ snare. This beast is 16”

in diameter, 10” deep and sits on legs, like your oor

tom. It is a full edged snare drum, throw-off, snare

wires and all! It’s designed for that huge, thick, snare

sound usually heard on rock and R&B ballads.




CYMBALS

My drum kit came with hi-hats and a

crash/ride I want to add a cymbal to my

kit What should I get?

Typically your minimum set up should be hi-hats, a

crash and a ride cymbal. Chances are that your crash

ride is thin enough to use as a crash – so shop for an

affordable ride cymbal.




How much is a crash? Does the stand

come with it?

Crash cymbals come in all makes and sizes and

typically start at 14”. So before you head into your

drum shop and ask the person behind the counter this

question, it’s good to have an idea of what you might

want or at least narrow it down for them. “How muchis a good sounding, affordable 16” crash?” would

be a better question. Your rst crash could be 14”,

16” or even 18” and you should be able to nd one

between $40 and $90, depending on the size. The

stand is always sold separately and usually starts at

around $40-$45.




I’m looking for a ride cymbal

What’s a good size?

20” and 22” are the norm for ride cymbals. The

beginner rides are usually one weight or ‘thickness’.

Professional lines offer more choices in the same

series. Rock ride, Medium Ride, Heavy Ride, etc.

You should be able to nd a good intermediate ride between $99 and $140.




What’s the difference between a ride and

crash cymbal?

Purpose. Rides are more for ‘color’ whereas crash

cymbals are more for accents; punctuation. Your ride

cymbal is typically the largest cymbal on your kit and

is played differently than crash cymbals, although

these days, thinner rides are popular because theyalso make fabulous crashes – and were probably the

inspiration for 19” and 20” crashes for a really big

sound.




I want to add a splash cymbal to my

setup What size should I get?

Splash cymbals range from 6” to 12”. If you’re

starting with just one – 8” or 10” is normally a good

place to start. 6” and 12” make good additional

splashes to compliment the ones you already have.




What’s a ‘china’ cymbal?

Chinese crashes or ‘china’s as they’re popularly

known, are those interesting looking cymbals with

their identifying ‘upside down’ appearance that

you’ve surely seen and denitely heard before. The

ange of the cymbal is turned up (or down, depending

on how you look at it) and produce a very dark, harshand trashy sound, originally modelled after the old

Chinese gongs. Although they were originally larger

in size, various companies have since introduced 14”,

12” and even 10” models with names like ‘trash’,

‘kang’ and ‘pang’.




How can I mount my new

splash cymbal?

You don’t need an entire cymbal stand for a splash

cymbal. You have a few options, actually. You can get

a ‘grabber arm’ which is just a boom extension with

a clamp built on to it, allowing you to clamp it on to

one of your existing cymbal stands. You can also just‘piggyback’ it, upside down, on top of one of your

cymbals (a great space saver), or you can put it on a

cymbal ‘stacker’ which is just a little extension, 4” or

6” long, that replaces the wing nut on your cymbal

stand allowing you to mount one cymbal on top of

another. Looks cool, too!




I want to add a cool effects cymbal to

my setup What can I get?

These days? Lots! There are chinas, mini-chinas,

splashes, trashes, pangs, kangs, stacks, choppers,

ice bells, cymbals with jingles, cymbals with rivets,

cymbals with holes in them, cymbals that ring and

cymbals that warble – you name it! Check out somemanufacturers websites like Zildjian, Sabian, Meinl,

Hammerax, Factory Metal, Soultone, etc. There are

some very cool and unique cymbals out there!




I’ve noticed that some cymbals have a

really shiny nish Is that just for looks?

Actually, no. It serves a purpose. There are two main

nishes applied to cymbals. ‘Traditional’, which is

the most common, and ‘Brilliant’. There’s a high

speed bufng process added to some cymbals after

the lathing/hammering process which results in avery ‘bright and shimmering’ sound.




What can I use to clean my cymbals?

Proper cymbal polish. There are many different

brands of cymbal polish out there. Some are all

purpose and some are specic to the type of nish on

the cymbal. Crazy John’s, for instance, was developed

specically for brilliant nish cymbals. Using this

stuff on traditional cymbals will have you scrubbingfor hours! Groove Juice has proven to be the best

cymbal cleaner for most common cymbals, brilliant

or traditional. Paiste cymbal owners are encouraged

to use only Paiste brand polish, especially on their

high end Rude and Giant Beat series. This is because

of the special coating they use on many of their lines.




I have some brass cleaner in the house

Can I use that to clean my cymbals?

That’s debatable. Some have used it with good

results. Others, not so good. You might hear of many

home remedies for cleaning cymbals – Brasso, soap

and water, even ketchup. Yes. Ketchup! My personal

opinion? Protect your investment, keep it on the safeside and stick with the proper cymbal polishes.




My cymbal has a crack in it

What should I do?

Unfortunately, once a cymbal is cracked, there’s not

a whole lot that you can do to save it or stop it from

eventually getting bigger. First of all, if it’s still under

warranty, take it back and get a new one, of course. If

not, some might suggest drilling a hole at the end or both ends of the crack, but it’s a temporary x at best.

This doesn’t mean that your cymbal is trash, though.

Get creative with it. Pop some rivets in it or turn it

into a stack with another cymbal.




I want to get a good cymbal bag What

should I look for?

Most of the cheaper nylon bags are just a plain 22”

bag with no extra pockets and usually under $24. If

you have a lot of cymbals, stay away from the thinner

‘shiny’ nylon bags. The stitching is normally not able

to handle lots of weight, the straps aren’t padded andit’s probably going to rip on you eventually. Look for

a nice sturdy nylon bag with nice padding a few extra

pockets for things like extra tuning keys, dictation

and songbooks, pencils, etc. and thick, strong

stitching. A padded shoulder strap is important, too.

A reinforced bottom is available on the better bags.Leather cymbal bags are great and some, you’re able

to carry ‘backpack’ style. Figure on spending $50

to $95 on a really good bag that will protect your

investment.




DRUMS

How long should it take me to

learn drums?

That totally depends on the person. Some take to it

very easily, others much longer. But as with anything

– you get out of it what you put into it. The more

seriously you take it and the more time you invest

in developing the physical and mental aspects to

playing the drums, the faster you’ll improve.




Do you have to tune drums?

Many people are surprised by the answer ...but yes.

Who woulda’ thought? Learning how to tune your

drums is as important as learning how to play them.

There are many resources available to you from

YouTube to instructional DVDs dedicated to tuning.

It’s important and highly recommended that you takeadvantage of them!




How often should I tune my drums?

Well, as often as they go out of tune, really. There are

a few factors that will affect a drum’s tuning. Extreme

humidity, extreme cold, or just neglect. You’ll know

when a drum needs a ‘tune up’ when you hit it and

it just doesn’t sound good. It could possibly be xed

with a quick turn of the right tension rod or it couldneed a full tuning from scratch.




What’s the hole in the front bass drum

skin for?

The hole is there to accommodate the bass drum mic.

Unless you’re going to be playing on stage, you don’t

really need a hole on the front skin.




My bass drum sounds hollow and

‘ringy’ How can I get rid of that?

Its almost always necessary to mufe a bass drum to

control all of that air moving around in the shell. The

best home remedies are either a pillow or a blanket.

Take a pillow and position it lengthwise in the shell,

so that one end is touching the front head and theother end is touching the back. You can strap it down

to the shell with two strips of duct tape just to keep

it from moving around during transport and that

should work very well. A folded blanket laid across

the bottom of the shell works well, too. There are

plenty of cool products for bass drum mufing thatyou can pick up, too. Evans and Remo offer some

really good solutions for bass drums, including some

great sounding pre-mufed bass drum heads like the

Remo Powersonic, Evans EQ series drumheads and

the Evans Emad pad.




I need to replace all my drumheads

What sizes are my drums?

With most starter drum kits under $500, your bass

drum is 22”, your toms are 12”, 13” and 16” and your

snare is 14”. Your conguration could also be a set

of what ‘s sometimes known as ‘fusion’ sizes which

include a 20” bass drum, 10”, 12” and 14” with a14” snare drum. Get to know your kit. If you’re

measuring for size, measure the inside diameter of

the drum. Don’t include the hoop.




I want to replace all of my drum skins,

including the bass drum How muchwould it cost me?

Figure on spending about $120 to $140 on a set of

skins for a 5pce kit, excluding the bottom (resonant)

skins.




My drums are really loud Is there a way

that I can make them quieter when Ipractice?

Yes. They’re called ‘sound off’ or ‘mute’ pads. Vic

Firth makes them as well as HQ percussion. They

are just oppy rubber discs, cut to diameter for your

toms. You just throw them on the drums and theycut down at least 90% of the noise. You can buy

them individually or in a set, which includes pads for

cymbals as well.




I want to dampen the sound of my

drums How can I do that?

You can get what’s called ‘O-Rings’ for your toms

and snare to control the ringing or ‘overtones’.

They’re made by Evans and they work well. Cooler,

still, are MoonGels. These things work great on

toms, snares and even cymbals. Talk to your localdrum shop about these options.




I want to add more toms to my kit

Can I do that?

Well, yes and no. Yes you can add extra toms to

your setup, but it’s unlikely that you can order extra

drums to actually match your starter kit. The reason

being that most starter drum kit manufacturers don’t

make component drums for their kits. What you getis all you get. If you have a black kit it’s possible to

order extra drums from a different and more popular

manufacturer like Pearl or Yamaha in an intermediate

line.




What are ‘roto-toms’?

Roto-toms are an inexpensive way to add extra drums

to your rst kit. It’s a set of three drums, which have

no shells, that all sit on a single stand. Each drum is

basically a single head that sits in a rotating aluminum

frame. The pitch of each drum can be increased or

decreased by rotating it on a threaded spindle. Thesizes are usually 6” 8” and 10” for the inexpensive

sets and usually sell for under $180.




My drums stay in my garage Is this OK?

It’s not particularly ideal just because of the normal

year ‘round temperature changes in a garage.

Especially in the summer and winter months.

Room temperature is best for drums. If the garage

is your only option then just make sure your drums

are covered when you’re not playing them and tryto move them inside the house if the humidity gets

crazy during the summer.




What can I use to clean my drums?

New kits will generally stay clean out of the box.

They just get a bit dusty so as long as you stay on top

of that, even with a regular household duster, they

will stay looking great. As far as actually polishing

them, you can get drum shell polish. Although its

mainly for lacquered nishes it still works great onwrap nishes and chrome. A damp cloth and a little

soap works ne, too.




BASS DRUM PEDALS

My bass drum pedal is cheap How

much is a better one?

Figure on spending anywhere between $50 and $80

on a decent upgrade to your stock pedal.




I want a double bass drum pedal How

much are they?

Double pedals usually start in and around the $200

to $250 mark. It’s well worth while looking into

pedals from the more popular manufacturers like

Pearl, Tama and Gibraltar. Many of the lesser known

companies will probably make a cheaper pedal, butthat will probably mean lesser quality as well. If your

local drum shop accepts trade ins, you’ll also get a

better return on the better makes if and when you

decide to trade up to a more expensive pedal.




Is there a real difference between the

cheaper and more expensivebass drum pedals?

Yes. There is, actually. The biggest differences will be

noticed in feel and adjustability. The more expensive

(and very expensive) pedals feel noticeably smoother

and faster, have plenty of customizable adjustmentsand there are more ne details in the construction,

not to mention that they all come with a carrying

case. Cheaper pedals under $250 normally don’t.




My bass drum pedal feels stiff when I

step on it Can I adjust it?

Yes. The spring on the side of the pedal is for the pedal

tension and it can be adjusted for a light or heavy

feel. Now keep in mind that a lighter feel going down

means slower coming up. And a heavier feel going

down means faster coming up. Because the springis tighter, it means that the beater will spring back

much faster. So if speed is what you’re after, tight is

your thing.




My bass drum beater is worn out

Can I replace just the beater?

You sure can. There are many different beaters

available from felt to wood to plastic to even

skateboard wheel beaters. You can probably get the

same one again, one from a competing manufacturer

or you can get an aftermarket beater. The diameter onall of these different shafts are universal so any one

of them will t on your pedal.




The beater on my pedal has a felt side

and a plastic sideWhat’s the difference?

The initial sound of the beater hitting the head.

Harder beaters like plastic and wood give you more

denition at the initial strike of the head. Drummers

that are fast with the double footwork like this because it gives those notes more denition.




What’s the difference between straps

and chains on bass drum pedals?

Feel, mainly. The strap has a faster feel going down,

which double bass drummers like, but they also have

a bit more lag on the upstroke. Chain drive pedals are

just more durable and provide a fairly even feel on

both the down and the upstroke.




What’s a ‘direct drive’ bass drum pedal?

Direct drive pedals feature a metal bar in place of the

strap or chain, directly connecting the pedal to the

drive shaft and are probably the best feeling pedals

available, providing superior feel on both the down

and the upstroke with virtually 0% lag. There’s little

to no maintenance to these pedals but they’re also a bit more expensive.




Is there a difference between a single

chain and double chains on a pedal?

Mainly in durability. The double chain also provides

a smoother and more solid feel than the single

chain, which is found mainly on the entry level to

intermediate level pedals.




My double bass drum pedal ‘clicks’

when I step on the left pedalHow can I x it?

This will require some close inspection. The answer

could be in a loose tension rod on the connecting bar,

or it could be that one of the tiny, and sometimes

hard to spot, allan key bolts came loose. Check the beater, the connecting bar and the drive shaft on the

left pedal for any loose rods or nuts. If none of that

works, then the problem could be in the bearings.

Take it back to your drum shop and ask them to look

at it.




On my double bass drum pedal, the left

side feels slower than the right? What’swrong with my pedal?

Most likely? Nothing. It’s just the nature of the

construction of the pedal. The left pedal is now

about 10” to 14” away from the actual beater and

the connecting rod will add lag and naturally slow itdown a bit. The right pedal is directly under its beater

and will obviously feel faster than the left. On much

higher end double pedals like Pearl’s Demon Drive,

DW’s 9000s, Axis’ Longboards and Trick’s Pro-V,

the Lamborghini of double pedals, this problem is

given much more attention to in their design and thelag on these pedals is far less noticeable if it even

exists at all. Of course, these pedals are also in the

$650 to $1000 price range! If you paid under $200

for your pedal, it will be even more noticeable. But

it’s not a defect. It’s just what it is.




STANDS & HARDWARE

I want to add a cymbal stand to my kit

How much are they?

Figure on spending anywhere from $40 to $65 for a

beginner lightweight stand and between $45 to $75

for a good lightweight boom stand.




What’s the difference between a boom

stand and a straight stand?

A boom stand has a ‘boom’ extension on it to allow

for more exibility and more reach for positioning a

cymbal. A straight stand is basically what it sounds

like – straight up, no boom and is more for close

positioning.




Is it OK to use a cymbal stand without

the plastic sleeve on it?(Bonus Question)

NO! Your cymbals should never make direct contact

with the stand. The constant force and friction

created when you hit the cymbal will cause the hole

to bend, crack or develop what’s called a keyhole.Keyhole’ing happens when the bare metal thread post

wears right up against the hole as the cymbal moves

up and down after you hit it. Not good! It can void

the warranty on your cymbal as well. Always make

sure there’s a plastic sleeve on the stand. If yours

wears out, replace it. You can get just the sleeve itselfor a sleeve with the cymbal seat attached. Both are

available in packs of four for around $10 per pack.




I want a new hi hat stand

How much are they?

You can gure on spending between $70 and $85

for a good affordable hi hat stand upgrade from your

starter hi hat stand.




I just picked up a double bass pedal and

now I can’t set up my hi hat stand rightWhat can I do?

Unfortunately there’s not much you can do with your

current stand. Here’s why. On most inexpensive hi

hat stands, especially the ones included with the

starter kits, the legs are xed and don’t move. Youronly real option is to upgrade to a better stand. On

most good quality aftermarket hi hat stands, the legs

rotate 360 degrees. This allows double bass users

to simply move the leg out of the way of the left

bass pedal. There are also some very good two leg

design hi hat stands available from companies likePearl, Yamaha and Tama which eliminates the need

to move anything. The two legs are completely out of

the way of the left pedal. Two leg hi hat stands start

around the $145 range and go up from there.




I just picked up a splash cymbal What

kind of stand should I get for it?

You don’t need a whole stand for your splash cymbal.

You can just get what’s called a ‘grabber arm’. It’s a

boom arm with a clamp attached to it. You can just

clamp the arm off of one of your existing stands and

put your splash on that. Grabber arms are generallygood for any cymbal up to 12”.




My hi hat stand is broken When I step

on the pedal, it goes right to the oorand the hi hats don’t move!

Don’t fret just yet. Your stand might not be broken.

The hi hat pull rod simply may have come detached.

Try removing the hats from the stand, loosen the the

wing nut in the middle of the stand and remove thetop post. The hi hat pull rod threads in to the bottom

half of the stand and it connects at the middle of the

stand. Sometimes just from repeated up/down motion

of the pedal, the rod starts to gradually loosen until it

just comes out. Just thread it back in and you’re back

in business.




My bottom hi hat cymbal doesn’t sit

straight It’s kind of sitting on a slantHow do I x it?

Actually, you don’t. You might have noticed that on

the underside of the plastic hi hat seat, there’s a little

screw. This is actually an adjustment screw for the

bottom hi hat cymbal to adjust the level of ‘tilt’. The bottom cymbal is actually supposed to sit on a slight

angle to improve contact with the top cymbal when

you play the hats with the left foot. With the top and

bottom cymbals both sitting completely level, you

wont get much of a sound when they connect.




What’s a ‘drum rack’?

How much are they?

A drum rack is a bar based system designed to cut

down on set up time and save oor space under a

drum kit by eliminating the need for multiple cymbal

stands. Whatever you currently have on your kit

that’s mounted on your bass drum or sitting on astand, can all be mounted on a rack system. Popular

companies offering rack systems are Yamaha,

Pearl, Pacic Drums (PDP), and Gibraltar, which is

probably the company offering the most exible and

expandable rack systems for drums. Simple front bar

rack systems start around $150 to $450, dependingon the manufacturer.




ACCESSORIES &

GADGETS

I just got my drums Is there a good

book or DVD that I can get for learning?

Plenty! If you’re asking for specic titles, there arethree that you should never be without.

• Syncopation by Ted Reed (book)

• Stick Control by George Lawrence Stone (book)

• Secret Weapons For The Modern Drummer by

Jojo Mayer (DVD)

In the meantime, take advantage of the web as there is

denitely no shortage of free instructional resources

(articles, websites, Youtube, etc) on the internet. You

can search for whatever tip or technique you want to

learn and you’ll be there for hours looking at videos

and reading articles.




What’s a ‘Drum Dial’? Do I need one?

It’s a tuning aid; a little gadget used to measure the

tension directly in front of the tension rod on a drum.

Its a way to ensure that all of your lugs are tuned to

the same tension. Is it necessary? Not really. You can

achieve the same result with two drum keys and a

little practice.




I need a metronome

What should I be looking for?

Depends. Do you want one just for working out on

a practice pad? Or will you be playing the kit with

it? Cheaper metronomes, generally under $40 are

good for pad workouts but don’t provide enough

volume when you start playing the drums, even withheadphones or ear buds on. Professional metronomes

designed for performing and practicing on the drums

are a little larger in size and have more features,

including back-lit display, trigger start/stop and the

option of saving a series of tempos in consecutive

sequence, which is great for set lists. They also provide the appropriate volume needed while you’re

playing the kit. These metronomes or ‘clicks’ usually

start around the $85 mark and can get up to $300.




What are ‘drummers gloves’?

Drummers gloves resemble the batting gloves that

baseball players use. Some drummers use them to

improve grip when their hands start to sweat. The

only drawback to consider is that your hands can

sometimes get hot in those things.




I need a new drum seat What’s the

differences and price ranges?

There are a few different types of drum thrones

available and range from $40 right to about $400.

the cheapest thrones, typically included in beginner

drum kits under $500 are pretty light in construction

and actually have a weight limit. These ones just havea pin setting for seat height and are the cheapest of

the bunch. The next type of throne features a smooth

post for height adjustment along with a collar lock to

keep you from slowly sinking while you’re grooving.

These ones are good intermediate and general duty

thrones for the occasional drummer and hobbyist.Prices range from $50 to $140ish. Serious drummers

looking for something heavy duty will want a good,

double braced, thick seated throne with a threaded

post for ‘swivel’ height adjustment. Most are three-

legged and some are four-legged for superior stability.

Prices range from about $150 to $400. Models with

back support start around $230ish.




I need a good practice pad

What should I be looking for?

Nothing special, really. There is no practice pad on

the market that’s actually bad. But there are some

that are better than others and there are quite a bit

to choose from. There are table top models, strap on

models, pads that can thread onto a cymbal stand, pads that can sit on a snare stand, double sided pads,

pads with simulated snare sounds, multi-surface pads

and even models with removable and re-positionable

pads. Full practice pad kits are available, too. Cheaper

single pads start around $12 and size up around 8”.

These will get the job done ne for general practicing.Larger 12” pads range from about $15 to $45.




What’s a ‘drop clutch’?

A drop clutch is a modied two piece version of a

regular hi hat clutch that allows you to play your hats

in the closed position while playing your double kick

pedal. There’s a little lever that you strike with the

stick; this releases the top cymbal allowing you to

continue to riff on the double kick while playing thehats. To raise the top hat again, you just step on the

pedal again. Drop clutches range from $14 to $20.




I just bought a cowbell

How can I mount it?

Depends on where you want to put it. There’s a mount

available for any situation. You can get a bass drum

accessory mount if you want it beside your leg, or if

you want it to mount off one of your cymbal stands

- there’s a mount for that, too. Some ask if they canmount it off their hi hat rod. Technically, yes. But

keep in mind that it will add weight to the rod, which

is threaded, and it’s most likely going to spin around

on you while you’re playing.




What’s the difference between a cheap

cowbell and an expensive one?

Mainly where it attaches to the mount. Cheaper

cowbells just have a threaded wing nut or key bolt

to attach the bell to the mount, which just pushes

up against the mounting post to keep it tight. The

problem with that is that sometimes with constanthitting it can come loose and your cowbell will

drop down - which can be annoying. Better quality

cowbells have an ‘eye bolt’, which pulls against the

mounting post when you tighten the key, pretty much

eliminating the problem of slippage. They also sound

better.



I hope this helps. There are

probably, and hopefully more

questions that you’ll have

about drums and drumming.

Remember that there is no

shortage of resources for

learning. take advantage of

all of them. Every question

you ask is an investment into

your craft.

Have fun!

www.robbrownondrums.com

The Beginner Drummers Handbook

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Transcript of The Beginner Drummers Handbook