I am a masochist. . .advice on various drum issues?

[Mara]

I must have a few screws loose, because even though my husband's practice sessions on his Simmons drum pad tend to drive me batty, I have bought him a Tama Imperialstar kit (used, under warranty, and in great shape) for Christmas. He doesn't play in a band or anything, strictly a hobby drummer, but he really loves it and has tons of fun with the little practice e-pad.

 

It's a 5-piece kit and does have all of the hardware for the drums themselves; bonus is that the previous owner did upgrade from the Tama pedal. Got a great price on it, which is good because I will need money later for Xanax and trips to the ear doctor.

 

So. Neither of us has a clue on tuning, or cymbals(these were not included, plus I spent enough on the kit that he can buy his own), or lots of other stuff. Should we get some matting to put them on? Currently the floor where they'll be is medium-pile carpet. Husband has been very diligent with the rudiments, and I for one am pretty impressed with that degree of dedication. I may buy him a few lessons for anniversary coming up.

 

ANY advice you drummers can give is greatly appreciated. With regards to cymbals - price is a consideration. We aren't looking for top of the line for sure, but I'd like some ideas/recommendations for something decent in a modest price range.

 

One big plus is that it's going to make him de-clutter, as we'll need ample space. He now has the perfect excuse to clean out the spare bedroom!

Edited December 23, 2012 by Mara

[theredtamasrule]

I had my kit on carpet so my opinion is carpet is just fine. Some even hang carpet or heavy blankets on the walls to "deaden" the air and give a more studio sound.

 

Tuning is simple yet complex the first time around. I'd checkout one of the many YouTube videos on the process. As for cymbals, one of Sabian's paragon kits is a good place to start. Paiste cymbals are of very consistent quality so you can't go wrong. Ziljians are obviously very popular but have a tremendous variety of tone from cymbal to cymbal...best to try them in person.

 

To this day I do not know how my parents tolerated the sheer volume that I generated. I wish I had a kit so it's great that you did that for him. I would invest in a set of shooting range earplugs...

[treeduck]

I'm ready for you Mara!

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Cymbal packs are a good way to start. Should be able to find a set with a hi hat, ride and crash for little $$$. Companies like Zildjian, Sabian and Paiste have these in lower price ranges.

 

I am not a fan of muffling or dead rooms, but I record a lot. Dead is not always better. Not sure how my neighbors feel about it but I've had no complaints since I've been in my place for the past 3 years.

 

As for tuning: start with resonant (bottom) heads and no batter (play) side. With the head slack finger tighten until you can't tighten tension rods with your fingers. Then with a key tighten around the drum lightly until you feel resistence. Once all lugs feel even tighten by about 1/8-1/2 turns in a criss cross patern unilt you get close to the desired pitch. You may end up re-turning anywhere from a half turn to 2 full turns (though not all at once- always work in small increments) depending on the drum (bass drums and floor toms are generally looser, snare and small toms tighter). With toms and snares it is easier to achieve a good sound when the batter head is a bit lower than the resonant (bottom) head. Anywhere from a major 3rd to a perect fifth difference though some drums sound best when both heads are the same pitch. This seems to be dependent upon depth of the shell and/or head choice.

 

This is rough but will get you there.

[GrandDesigner]

With tuning, not too tight or too loose is generally a good starting point. And try to exert even pressure on all the lugs or else one side will be wrinkly and the other side will be super-tight. Just remember, recorded drum sounds on albums sound MUCH different and more controlled and "prettier" than in real life so the drums will be loud, brash, sound ugly, and probably ring quite a bit, but it's just the nature of the instrument. Earplugs are a solid investment and make everything sound more "controlled." You can't go wrong with sticking a pillow or small blanket into the bass drum, but I am firmly against muffling any other drums as they should ring out naturally. Try to tune the drums to the tune of Three Blind Mice, where Three is the smallest tom, Blind is the middle tom, and Mice is the floor tom.

 

With cymbals, they can get very expensive so a lower-quality cymbal pack is probably the way to go. The ones below would be good picks for a beginner since they have a pair of hi-hats, 2 crashes, and a ride cymbal, which are the absolute essentials for a kit. The cost is pretty reasonable too for 4 cymbals. And don't forget you'll have to buy cymbal stands as well which will jack up the price considerably.

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums-percussion/sabian-xs20-brilliant-cymbal-set-w-free-18-medium-thin-crash

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums-percussion/sabian-b8pro-xs20-mix-cymbal-pack

 

Carpeting is a must or else the drums will slide all over the place.

 

Drums are very tough to make sound good, but you'll eventually get the hang of it.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

A drum should be tuned to it's inherant pitch, which may not correspond to the tune of 3 Blind Mice across the toms. This is why you start with the bottom head to find the right pitch for the drum. Trying to force a drum to a pitch will cause more problems and that's when drums start to sound bad and ring. A well tuned drum will resonate best at it inherant pitch which is why DW drums are marked with their pitch on the inner shell. Every drum has an inherant pitch but only DW seem to put that information on the shells themselves. They shell match for enharmonic pitches on their kits, which is one reason they are so expensive. Finding the inherant pitch is not difficult if you take your time and start with the bottom head only. If you have trouble talk with someone at your local store or a drum teacher. But yeah, it is a learned skill.

[GrandDesigner]

A drum should be tuned to it's inherant pitch, which may not correspond to the tune of 3 Blind Mice across the toms. This is why you start with the bottom head to find the right pitch for the drum. Trying to force a drum to a pitch will cause more problems and that's when drums start to sound bad and ring. A well tuned drum will resonate best at it inherant pitch which is why DW drums are marked with their pitch on the inner shell. Every drum has an inherant pitch but only DW seem to put that information on the shells themselves. They shell match for enharmonic pitches on their kits, which is one reason they are so expensive. Finding the inherant pitch is not difficult if you take your time and start with the bottom head only. If you have trouble talk with someone at your local store or a drum teacher. But yeah, it is a learned skill.

 

I meant using Three Blind Mice in terms of relative pitch between each tom. The distance between each tone in TBM is generally how three standard toms should sound when played in succession. And since it's a used Imperialstar, I'm sure we're not talking any wild tom sizes, it's probably your typical 12/13/16.

[goose]

A drum should be tuned to it's inherant pitch, which may not correspond to the tune of 3 Blind Mice across the toms. This is why you start with the bottom head to find the right pitch for the drum. Trying to force a drum to a pitch will cause more problems and that's when drums start to sound bad and ring. A well tuned drum will resonate best at it inherant pitch which is why DW drums are marked with their pitch on the inner shell. Every drum has an inherant pitch but only DW seem to put that information on the shells themselves. They shell match for enharmonic pitches on their kits, which is one reason they are so expensive. Finding the inherant pitch is not difficult if you take your time and start with the bottom head only. If you have trouble talk with someone at your local store or a drum teacher. But yeah, it is a learned skill.

DW' stamp is such a simple idea. I wish other companies did it.

[goose]

Mara, if you want to work hard you can always try to find a set with cymbals at a great price (Craigslist), then flip the drums, keeping the cymbals. :)