Drums 101 (for you beginners out there)

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So, you have decided to play the drums, good choice. The neighbors love you, right? Personally, my bands practice facility is underground and foam padded so we are pretty sound proof. With that being said, I would just like to give you some resources about drums and welcome you into a world of music, drums are the backbone of any good band, as the drummer goes, so goes the music. I hope you enjoy your drums and stick to it. Don't give up. Quitters never could!! Check out my website by going here http://www.xtspromotions.com.
Also check out this link for a knowledge filled book you can order and get your drumming career started!
http://drums1972.fsn2006.hop.clickbank.net

Alright, I just put new heads on my drum kit last week and man what a difference. I decided to go with Evans EMAD heads again and wonder why I ever stopped using them. The bass drum heads come with two differents sized muffler rings which slide into a sleeve "welded" onto the head and talk about punch. This option gives you versatility in your kick drum sound. I play a double bass set and sometimes it is cool in recording to have that off set sound out of the kick drums. I use remo mufflers internally in the snare, 13", 14", and 16" toms. It is a 5 piece kit currently with an added bass drum. I also use Rtom moongel stickies on the outside and I get serious low end metal thud.
The Evans heads also come with a contact or "slam" pad for the beater contact area, which does not effect the sound of the drum and extends the drum head life. Worth investing in as most of these offered up by different manufacturers are around $5.00 to $10.00. Some are a little better than others, you decide! REMO makes a nice one and they are also available for those of you using slave units (double kick pedals on single kick drum kits)

Now, along with a quality drum head selection, knowing how to properly tune drums is very important. I am sure you have heard many ideas on this. I used to do it by ear and by feeling the tension on the head at each lug. Tuning drums this way can be tedious until you become skilled at it. Even then you can not be assured that your tension is distributed evenly across the drum head. This does not allow for accurate tuning and therefore your drum is not up to it's full sound potential. this also causes the heads to wear much quicker and costs you more cash in the long run. If you are a heavy hitter than it is multiplied even further and you will most certainly destroy a drum head quickly. There is a solution to these issues....

It is called a DrumDial! I bought one a few years ago and have not looked back. Head over to Musician's Friend to get one. $60 gets you a tool you wished you had from the start of you drum playing. Very easy to use and accurate. Wow is all most others drummers can say when i show them on their kit how far off their tuning really was and how much better the drumsets sound. Every drummer and drum tech should have one of these. Tama makes one also, and perhaps some others are available. this thing measures the timpanic pressure at each tension rod, so you can really fine tune your drums, and they will be in tune with each other as well. It comes with a quick chart for a reference on recommended tensions based on type of head or you can come up with your own. The chart also includes the resonant heads which so many drummers forget about. They are also important, folks!

Do you know the proper technique for putting on a new head? Very quickly here, push down firmly around entire rim of head to insure proper seating. there should be no wrinkles. Set your hoop on top evenly and set each tension rod in place finger tight, or just until you feel resistance. Pick a starting point and give a quarter turn. Go directly across the drum to the next tension rod and give a quarter turn. I then go clockwise to the next tension rod and give a quarter turn, then go across the drum again and proceed. Patience is necessary at first to get accurate tuning. the DrumDial really eliminates all the guesswork and makes tuning an absolute breeze once you get used to the tuner. easy to follow instructions are included with the DrumDial. Either way you slice it, get those drums tuned and hear the difference! Peace and have a good jam!