If you play drum set long enough, at some point you are going to hear: “You’re too loud – play softer”. Since you can’t just turn the amp volume down, you will need to be prepared for this inevitable situation. The ability to play soft and dynamically balance the ensemble is a must for a working drummer.
There are occasions when the drum set player is called upon to play the castanets. Especially in musicals and pit work. The obvious substitutions would be to play the part on a closed hi-hat or a drum rim. But when those substitutions are unacceptable, you need to mount real castanets.
Here is a list of the cymbals I am currently using for “general” or “multipurpose” drum set applications. They are all Zildjian. I have nothing against other cymbal manufacturers. It’s just that the first cymbals I bought were Zildjian and usually keep going back to them. I frequently change cymbal configurations (just like I do drum sets) for various gigs. But these are my current “go-to” cymbals.
I have been looking for a new snare drum to go with my Witt Percussion drum set which is a steam bent walnut set in 20″ bass drum, 14″ floor tom and 12″ rack tom. It is my jazz combo set. I was looking for a jazz combo snare drum. I wanted a shallow 5″ x 14″ shell. I looked at several manufacturers and shell materials before selecting a Ludwig Supraphonic 400 snare drum.
What is the deal with no internal mufflers on snare drums and toms anymore? I read complaints that they sometimes came loose and rattled and they didn’t allow for ultra-fine tone control. There other alternatives which can eliminate or control drum head overtone ring.
I have been tuning drums by ear for years. I’d like to think I’ve gotten pretty good at it. But it is a little “hit and miss.” Not an exact science to be sure. I have known about Drum Dial for years but never bought one. I decided to get one to try out.