Drumset for the Non-Percussionist presented by Mike Wendeln Leon High School, Tallahassee, FL mike@leonperformingarts.org FMEA Convention Tampa, FL January 11th, 2013 Drumset Instruments (stuff you MUST have) -Bass Drum (with foot pedal) -Snare Drum (with stand) -Toms (tom-toms) -mounted to the Bass or with legs (known as a Floor Tom ) -Hi-Hat (includes the stand AND a pair of cymbals) -Crash Cymbal (with stand) -Ride Cymbal (with stand) Setup (follow these steps) a. Bass Drum should have support legs that extend from sides: these legs should be setup to extend down and slightly forward, so that the far edge of the Bass Drum is an inch off the ground. The Bass Drum Pedal should clamp snugly on the lower rim of the near side and sit flat on the floor. b. The Snare stand should be setup with the Snare Drum sitting relatively flat. (The Snare wires go on the BOTTOM). The seat or throne should be setup and everything arranged so that, while seated, the player s RIGHT foot is on the Bass Pedal and the Snare is sitting between the player s knees. The legs should make approximately a 90 angle between the thigh and lower leg. c. Next, remove the Clutch from the Hi-Hat post. Attach the Upper Hi-Hat Cymbal to the Clutch, thread the Bottom Hi-Hat Cymbal (upside-down), thread the Clutch on top. Tighten the Clutch so that the cymbals almost touch. The Hi-Hat goes where the LEFT foot is sitting. d. Next add any Toms to your setup. This includes the SMALLEST drum on the LEFT and progressively they increase in size down to the Floor Tom, it sits on the floor just to the RIGHT of the player s RIGHT leg. Setup the Toms with a flatter angle tilting slightly toward the player. e. Lastly, place Crash and Ride Cymbal on their stands. Use two felt washers on each Cymbal Stand, one below the Cymbal and one above. Tighten the wing-nut, but DO NOT restrict movement of the Cymbal when hit. The Crash cymbal traditionally is on the player s LEFT side above the drums, and the Ride is traditionally on the RIGHT. Both (or more) Cymbals should be mounted fairly flat, with a slight tilt in toward the player. Be sure the player can comfortably play the Cymbals, not too high! Drumset for the Non-Percussionist - 1
Sounds/Tuning Tuning for dummies Get a drum key for turning the tension rods (the little screws around the rim). The idea is to keep all those rods tightened evenly. This way the head vibrates with a steady, clear tone. Detach the drum from the drumset and while muffling the bottom head, tap lightly about 1 from each tuning rod to hear the pitch. Try to match these pitches around the drum. It helps to apply some pressure to the head after an adjustment to help it settle in (drum CPR). Tuning a drum consists of three total steps: 1. Even the tension between all rods. 2. Repeat on the Bottom Head. 3. Check/Adjust the relationship between the two heads. Sounds Bass: should be low pitched, and a little thud y, short sustain. A blanket or pillow inside! the drum resting against the heads will help you cut down the sustain. Snare: should be tight sounding with short sustain. Toms: should ring with clear tone, the toms should sound good when played together. Drumset for the Non-Percussionist - 2
Hi-Hat: played with Shoulder of stick on the edge of the cymbals. -closed: press cymbals together with foot- tight short sound -open: longer crunchy-er sound, made by loosening the foot pedal SIGHTLY -a tight chick sound, made by using left foot to quickly clamp the cymbals together Ride Cymbal: played near outer edge of cymbal, with Tip of stick, articulate attack and! somewhat ring-y. Bell of Ride: strike the dome of the cymbal near the center with the Shoulder of the! stick, produces a clear, piercing sound. Crash Cymbal: played with Shoulder of stick on the edge of the cymbal, produces an! explosive sound with long sustain. Thoughts on Tuning: Don t be afraid to tune the drums! Make little adjustments every day and you ll quickly learn the skill. Even if you don t know what you re listening for... Ask yourself: do I like the sound or not? If not, change it back, try something different. REMEMBER: make small adjustments! Notation For a hardcore legend of sounds see: http://web.mit.edu/merolish/public/drums.pdf Thoughts on Notation: Unlike most instruments, drumset music varies wildly between composers writing out specifics, and giving only a vague description of style. Try to decipher what the composer wants, and balance that with what your drummer can do realistically. Sometime you need to simplify the pattern while trying to maintain the flavor of the original. Try to take into consideration what is most IMPORTANT elements of the groove and try to conserve those things. Drumset for the Non-Percussionist - 3
Beats / Grooves / Styles / Patterns Rock: Jazz: Island Grooves (Caribbean, Steel Band): Latin (Cuban, Afro-Cuban): Drumset for the Non-Percussionist - 4
Samba (Brazilian): Drumset Practice Tips!!! -It s ALL about coordination. You are mostly practicing uncomfortable actions until they are more comfortable. When having trouble with a certain groove, break it down to the basic coordination. Try two limbs at a time (RH & LH, RF & LF, LH & LF, RH & LF, etc...). You ll probably discover which combination is trouble... work on it, then add the other limb parts in one by one. -Once grooves are solid...the player can begin to add fills and the hits. Fills are just a variation of the main groove, which should add to the musical line. Typically at the end of phrases, they usually include a Crash at the beginning of the new section. The Hits refer to the drumset player hitting an accent sound on a certain rhythmic beat... In fact, often drumset parts will simply show slashes for the continuing groove, and a rhythm figure above the staff. The hits outline where the drummer should place emphasis. See below: Drumset for the Non-Percussionist - 5
Other stuff you ll need! -Drumset Sticks! typically on the lighter (thinner) side (NOT marching sticks!)! recommendations:!! Vic Firth - 5A or 5B (medium), 7A or 7B (thinner)!! Vater - Fusion model! Tips of sticks should be WOOD, not the plastic nylon tip! -Drum Heads! -It s a solid idea to stick with classics:! Snare top: Remo Ambassabor (coated), Evans Genera (coated)! Snare bottom: Remo Ambassador (snare side), Evans Genera Resonant! Toms top: Remo Emperor coated or clear, Evans G2 (coated or clear)! Toms bottom: Remo Ambassabor (clear), Evans Genera (clear)! Bass playing side: Aquarian Super Kick I or II, Remo Powerstroke 3! Bass front: any head is fine, I prefer it with a small hole cutout (a ported head) -Cymbals! Crash: usually 15-18 : look for a nice big explosion of sound! Ride: usually 20-22 : look for a good ping as well as a good bell sound! Resources (more detailed info on these company s websites) Drumset Manufacturers Pearl Yamaha DW Gretch Tama Cymbals Zildjian Sabian Paiste Textbooks/Teaching Materials www.vicfirth.com/education/drumset A Fresh Approach to Drumset -Mark Wessels Drumset for the Non-Percussionist - 6