If you want to make a living at being a drummer, then you should know that there are a lot of things you can do that will help bring in more work. Having the right attitude, always showing up to the session or gig on time, and having the music you will be playing either memorized or charted out are just a few things you can do. But what about your gear? Having the right gear is really just as important as any of those other things. Giving your client, producer, or band the best sounds to choose from will go a long way toward keeping those phone calls coming in. When you impress a client with the right vibe, feel, and gear, you will be remembered. That is key for building relationships.
As far as your drums are concerned, you don’t have to have a semi-truck full of stuff. You just need a good choice of instruments and the knowledge of how to manipulate what you have in order to make different sounds. Below is a list of gear tips and tricks that have been a tremendous help to me over my career.
Multiple snare drums
The snare drum is the focal point of your whole drum kit. It’s the backbeat to most popular music, so you need to know what snare sound would go well with whatever style of music you may be playing or recording. For a professional drummer, it isn’t uncommon to show up to a session with as many as five to ten different snares. That may not be a feasible option for everyone, so a good starting point is to have a metal snare, in brass or steel, and a wood snare. Great metal options include the Ludwig Black Beauty or the DW Collector’s Series Stainless Steel, and a killer wood snare is the Sugar Percussion Eastern Black Cherry snare — a beautiful drum that’s very versatile.
Multiple snare drum sizes
I strongly recommend having a variety of sizes in your snare drum collection. A 14″ x 6-1/2″ drum is a great middle-of-the-road size, but it will never sound like a piccolo drum or a drum that is 12″ in diameter. Different size drums are a fast way to get a different sound.
Different drumhead combinations
You may love clear double-ply heads on your drums, but the producer may want a more open sound, so having the option to put other kinds of heads on your kit will save you some headaches in the studio. It’s easy to “dull up” a drum sound, but not as easy to brighten it up if you don’t have the right heads.
Accessories
Have a bit of everything in your bag of tricks. Moongel, gaff tape, and dampening rings can all work well in taming a ringing drum, but even a little bit of cotton lying inside the drum on the bottom head is a great way to keep the attack of your drum while taking away some of the sustain. It especially works well with big floor toms. Different beaters for kick drum pedals are a great way to get a different sound. A fantastic system for this is the Ahead Switch Kick System — easily change out up to eight different beaters with just a twist.
Percussion
A little percussion can go a long way in adding life to a track. Hi-hat or mounted tambourines, cymbal chains to get that sizzle, woodblocks, and of course a cowbell are all excellent percussion options to have in your gear bag.
Drum tuning
There are as many different ways to tune drums as there are drummers, but you have to at least know the basics and grow from there. A drum kit of any price can have a bunch of different tones if you know how to manipulate the drumheads. Start with getting the wrinkles out of the head first, and then slowly go around to each lug and raise the pitch of the drum to where you want. Make sure each lug is the same pitch. When you find a good spot, then do the same with the head on the other side and match the tone. That should get you in the ballpark. At that point, try going really high, middle, and low pitched. Find where it sounds best, and experiment with taking it somewhere different.
The key to all of this is to experiment before you get to the gig or session. Building your reputation as someone who can get the job done, along with bringing good energy and creativity, is a big part of what it takes to be a pro musician.