Pay the Piper
The Drum Kit
Here at Pay the Piper we don't have much expertise in the field of percussion, so Edward Droscher has kindly written this page for us about the most popular type of percussion, the drum kit.
Everyone loves drumming - from tapping your hands and clicking your feet to denting your Nan's saucepans, it's something we've all done, and something many musicians want to keep doing. Some people don't consider a drummer to be a 'real musician', but considering you have at least four instruments to play rather than one, they are either scared or just plain don't know what they are talking about!
General Details
The history of the drum kit goes back to the late nineteenth century. It is actually a merge of two different musical cultures - the drums of the African tribes and the orchestral percussion used by the military in times of war. The original drum kit, or traps as they were known, had wooden frames covered in animal skin. It usually consisted of a bass drum, snare drum and a cymbal embellished with various percussion accessories such as temple blocks and wood blocks.
Mostly played with sticks and brushes (the bass drum was literally 'kicked' which explains its common nickname, "the kick drum") the drums became a permanent part of bands in the bebop and Dixieland jazz eras. During this period a pedal operated cymbal was introduced consisting of two cymbals mounted one on top of the other and operated by pressing the pedal which "splashed" the two together. It has been known by various names such as a 'sock hat' or 'low boy' but nowadays, and with a massive increase in height (the original sat a few inches of the ground, now it is roughly two feet tall), has become known as the "hi-hat".
Today's drum kits have developed greatly. The skins are synthetic and come in a range of different types, the drum 'shells' are manufactured from a vast array of different woods and even plastic, and the size has exploded!
A typical drum kit will consist of …
• a bass drum - between 18 and 22 inches
• a snare drum - between 13 and 15 inches
• tom-toms - small (10 - 12 inches), medium (12-14 inches) or floor (14-18 inches)
• cymbals - hi-hats (13 - 14 inches), crash (16-18 inches) and ride (20 -21 inches)
… and will include a stand for your snare drum, mounting brackets for the two smaller tom-toms, legs for your bass drum and floor tom, two cymbal stands, a stool, a hi-hat stand and a bass-drum pedal. This is a typical set up although there are hundreds of different sizes and extras that you can add.
How it's played
It is advisable to practise holding the drum sticks before sitting down at the drum kit as the temptation to just jump straight in is too great! As on many instruments playing the drums without proper technique and posture can cause serious health problems later on in life, from repetitive strain injury to arthritis.
The drum sticks are held between the thumb and the index finger's first crease. It should be held very lightly and with no pressure as you are looking for a flexible motion - if the sticks fly out of your hands during the first few weeks it is a good sign! Your other fingers wrap around the shaft of the stick again very lightly and are used to control the stick - especially when playing piano (quietly).
The up-down motion should mainly come from the wrists. With the sticks held over the middle of the drum at about 15 degrees, lift one up to 90 degrees with your wrist and let it fall back down onto the drum ending up back at 15 degrees. It is important to keep the sticks central for a normal stroke and make sure you lift the stick off the drum as soon as it strikes to avoid muting (muffling or damping) the sound.
Make sure you sit on the edge of the drum stool with an upright posture. Your feet rest lightly on the bass drum pedal and hi-hat pedal and your sticks are held 15 degrees above the snare drum. Constantly remind yourself to maintain this natural and relaxed position. You should adjust the height of your stool so that your thighs are parallel to the floor, and you should be able to reach all the drums and cymbals without unnecessary stretching.
To play the pedals you must maintain the same flexibility as in the stick strokes. With your foot lightly resting on the pedal about two thirds down from the top, lift your leg upwards whilst leaving your feet floppy until only the ball of your foot is touching. At this point release your leg as if you were trying to stamp on something with the middle of your foot and again, as with the sticks, make sure the beater leaves the drum's surface as soon as it strikes so as not to muffle the sound. However this is not the case with your hi-hat foot as more often than not you will be aiming for a crisp and tight sound from the hi-hat cymbals.
Ease of Playing and Progress
When you begin you will find it hard to coordinate all your limbs and this can certainly be off-putting. Apart from this it's easy to pick up a simple drum beat and drum fill in a short period of time. With regular practice and by practising correctly and constructively your coordination will improve thus allowing your creativity to flow smoothly. You should practise with a metronome so as to constantly develop your inner sense of time - essential for the role of a music theatre drummer or jazz performer.
Another way to progress quicker is to perform with other musicians, especially a bass player. It is easy to find other musicians willing to perform music and you should have no trouble finding musicians that share a similar taste in music.
Finding a Teacher
There are many music teachers available but it is essential for you to find a competent one for your music lessons. Your music teacher will determine the techniques and habits you pick up early on and these must be correct otherwise you risk slowing your progress and even hurting yourself physically. They should also train you in music theory, style awareness and aural perception - essential for all round musicianship and for flexibility.
Here is a good article on how to choose a music teacher. You can also visit Real Music Production to find a drum teacher and book private music lessons.
Using your skills
The drums are a staple instrument for many genres of music - rock, jazz, funk, latin and many more. The role of the drummer is to provide a staple foundation along with the bass player for the rest of the band to work with. In rock music the drums are used to drive the music and add dynamics to certain parts of the music.
In Jazz music the drummer's role is to keep the emphasis on beats 2 and 4, but he also works much more creatively, often engaging in 'trading fours' with other instruments - the process of taking it in turns to improvise 4 bars of music.
Latin music requires the drums to define the pulse or the 'clave' (the Cuban representation of the western four beats a bar).
Opportunities for making music
It will be relatively easy to find a situation where you can perform and practise with other musicians. If you are still in school there will often be school bands you can try out for, and most of them allow two or three drummers to play during a rehearsal. If you can't find any there are likely to be other people interested in music so why not put up a poster or flyer?
There are bands everywhere: visit formingbands.co.uk to find bands in your area looking for a drummer, or post an advert yourself. Local halls or recording studios might offer rehearsal space and the people running them might be able to point you towards musicians you could play with.
Costs
The drum kit is large and complex and can be quite costly, especially if you are tempted into buying lots of cymbals and accessories. It is important from the outset to spend your budget to get good quality drums rather than a large quantity.
Get a bass drum, snare drum, small tom-tom and a floor tom. On top of that you will need a set of hi-hat cymbals, a crash cymbal and a ride cymbal plus all the stands needed to hold them all together! Don't forget a drum stool - it's hard to play drums standing up!
You can expect to pay from £250 upwards, and there are many starter packages available. Have a look at this website and also this one.
It might be worth looking for a second-hand drum kit - sometimes vintage drums sound warmer - but you must be cautious. Make sure there are no cracks in the shells, check for rust on any stands, and if the skins are broken or worn ask for a new set to be provided.
What Can Go Wrong
The most common thing to go wrong is for your sticks to break and it can get quite costly to keep replacing them. It might be worth buying packs of ten pairs or so as you will get a reduced price and will never run out at an inconvenient time (like just before a gig!).
The other thing that can happen, although not so regularly, is that the drum skins will get so worn in a certain area that you will eventually put the stick through the drum. This is fairly costly, especially on the bigger drums, and may also require you paying someone to change them. If you do pay for someone to change them it may be worth getting all of the skins replaced as it will keep the sounds of the drums even and will ensure that another won't break a couple of weeks later.
There are other things that can happen but these are rare, providing you look after your drums. Transport is done in either soft or hard cases and due to the size drums can get knocked about a fair bit. It is important to look after you cymbals as they can corrode and buckle - store them in their bags whenever they are not in use.
A note from Pay the Piper: although we aren't experts on drums, we have supervised youth orchestras and bands for many years, and in our experience the most annoying thing that can go wrong is that the many little clips, screws, nuts and other small parts in the drum kit become detached and get lost in the confusion of a rehearsal or concert. We have noticed that experienced drummers quickly become obsessive about caring for their equipment!
This article is free for reproduction providing it remains in its original form and an active link to Real Music Production is included.
Edward Droscher is the founder of Real Music Production and works to develop music education systems privately and in schools. For more information or details on music instruction please visit Real Music Production or send an email.
