Disclaimer: The views expressed here are my own. If you have a system that works for you, then good for you!! This is just what has worked in my experience.
The Big One
DUCT TAPE IS NOT FOR DRUMS!!! As a general rule, your drums are supposed to resonate. It’s what makes a drum . . . well . . . a drum! If you don’t like it, you might as well play on trash cans.
That being said there are three points I’d like to hit: Tuning, Cleaning, and Playing
Tuning
Tuning is really the single most important skill a drummer can have. Seriously, even if you can’t play a single groove, if you can tune, you have a job. There are people who will pay you VERY well if you can tune well. I won’t go into this one too much (mainly because there already a great site on drum tuning) so for a more in depth study on tuning check out the Drum Tuning Bible ). I, personally use a tuning system very much like this. If you don’t know how to tune, read this 3 times, put it down and meditate on it, then read it again twice for good measure.
Cleaning
If you don’t have a wrapped finish and have never taken the hardware off and waxed/polished your drums, YOU ARE WRONG. If you can’t sit for half an hour and polish your cymbals, or you can’t take five minutes out of your day to take a feather duster and take the 3 months worth of dust off your set, please turn in your stick and go play the flute. Drummers have a reputation for being very, VERY proud of the drums. Take a little pride in your craft and give your equipment a little loving care. Seriously, is it that hard to dust your drums off once every week or two?? Most drum wraps clean up very easy with soap and water or a non-abrasive window cleaner. In those 2 hours you’re watching the game on TV, give them a good cleaning. For cleaning chrome, I use a simple wheel polish every 6 months or so, and dust everything off before I put everything in their cases. A little extra time goes along way.
Playing
Technique is an issue a lot of new guys get into trouble with. They go out and get the huge Morgan Rose sticks and pound there drums like cavemen. They take pride in broken heads and broken sticks. This is cool accept for one thing: You are Not Morgan Rose and you actually have to pay for your stuff!! In 15 years of playing I have learned one very important thing; it sucks to buy stuff you don’t need. I hate having to spend money I was saving to buy a new toy with to replace heads, sticks and other assorted things. But no one tells the young guys this. Hell, no one told me!! I learned it the hard way. No one told me when I started that you had to keep your cymbals loose between the felts so you don’t crack them. No one said to loosen your grip so that you don’t hurt yourself (Oh and as general rule, Pain is typically a bad thing). Spend some time working on your technique. Watch some of the older drummers and ask some questions. It will help you down the road.
One of my favorite teachers is Dom Famularo. Why?? Because he is a technique guru. Everything about his playing and his teaching is based on proper technique. Even his studio, the “Wisdom woodshed”, is designed so that the use of proper technique is not stressed, but preached like “Fire and Brimstone”. Check out the
Vic Firth education site and study on it a little. Doing a few rudiments or Stone’s Stick Control with proper technique will not only reduce your chances of injury but will great reduce the needless expenses of your drumming past. If you work on technique, your body and your equipment will thank you.
If you don’t have a wrapped finish and have never taken the hardware off and waxed/polished your drums, YOU ARE WRONG. If you can’t sit for half an hour and polish your cymbals, or you can’t take five minutes out of your day to take a feather duster and take the 3 months worth of dust off your set, please turn in your stick and go play the flute. Drummers have a reputation for being very, VERY proud of the drums. Take a little pride in your craft and give your equipment a little loving care. Seriously, is it that hard to dust your drums off once every week or two?? Most drum wraps clean up very easy with soap and water or a non-abrasive window cleaner. In those 2 hours you’re watching the game on TV, give them a good cleaning. For cleaning chrome, I use a simple wheel polish every 6 months or so, and dust everything off before I put everything in their cases. A little extra time goes along way.
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