Snare drums and tuning – Part 3
Hello grubs,
Well, once again I would like to add a few thoughts to my past posts on snare drums and tuning. A few weeks back I broke a snare cord! I know, I was as shocked as you are;-). So, I had to tie both pieces together and finish the jam session that way. At least it was only practice, and I wasn’t on stage or anything. It just goes to prove an emergency kit is a drummers best friend!
On that note, let’s talk about components of an emergency kit that no gigging drummer should be without!
1) A roll of duct tape or Gaff tape (if you can find it, and want to pay the price for it). This is used for easy fixes, drum head cracks and dampening as well as many other things!
2) Extra snare cord (wire and/or straps) & and extra snare wires (or snare drum to make life easier) It’s easier to pull another snare drum onto your snare stand, then try and swap snare wires in the middle of a show.
3) Tools: A multi-tool. This is the best invention ever I think. Get one that has assorted screw driver heads, cutting implements (knife/scissors), pliers, bottle opener (for beers…), and anything else you can imagine. These are light weight and don’t take up a lot of room in the gig bag. A set of Allen keys as well, these can adjust pedals and weird things that you thought had a drum-key head. And of course a drum-key! Man, what would you do without this!! I keep mine on a lanyard around my neck during setup, and I have yet to lose it.
4) Hardware: metal washers (that fit your stands or standard bolts/screws on your kit), some extra tension rods and lug screws (if needed). I have an old 70’s kit with cast aluminum lugs, and have broke a few here and there during shows. I actually keep some replacement lugs on me, in case I need to swap one between sets….I like to make life hard for myself – Ha!
5) Extra bass drum beater, cymbal felts and a small roll of thin braided nylon cord. The cord can be used in case a chain breaks on your pedal, for a snare cord in a pinch, or for anything else you need to lasso!
Well, that’s pretty much it, but it depends on the drummer. You can add anything you want, this is just the basic necessities I think. Preparation is important, so early-on put together a kit and pack it with you every time you gig. You’ll need it at some point!
Peace, The Worm ~
June 15, 2009 at 4:03 pm
[...] on the heels of the very informative Snare Drums & tuning – Part 3 article by some random, drunken Ottawa drummer, I thought it would be a grand idea to outline what [...]
June 15, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Nice!, you bassists need to be prepared too you know! And damn it!, I forgot about the squishy apple…I got one too, it’s awesome!!….oh ya, I’m not drunk all the time you know….only when I play!!-bitch!
mXm