Week 4 Theory

Acoustic Drums

Drum kits have different numbers and diameters of drums. The basic components are the kick, snare, and one or more toms. Larger size tomes produe more volume and deeper tone. Many drummers have additional snare drums to use depending on the style of music and situation.

Read Sweetwater's Acoustic Drum Buying Guide. It covers the parts of drums including their shells, cymbals, and what to look for.

Cymbals

Cymbal sets usually have an upper and lower hi-hat, ride, and crash and are usually purchased separately from the kit. Specialty splash and China cymbals and rivets can be added to offer more effects. Brass cymbals are the cheapest, bronze cymbals usually blend copper and tin.

Shells

Most shells are constructed out of two or more layers (plies). Usually the more plies, the brighter the tone is. The type of wood changes the resonance and therefore the resulting tone. Maple is the most popular wood for drums. Birch is very dense and produces a brighter tone. Like electric guitars, drums come in a variety of finishes. Some are wrapped with vinyl.

Heads

There are many different types of drum heads and vary by the thicknesses, coatings, number of layers, if they have reinforced centers or edges, etc. The tuning can be changed by changing the tension with a drum key. The head on the side you play is called the batter, the bottom side uses a resonant head.

Hardware

Stands come with most complete drum kits. If you already have hardware you can save money by buying "shell" kits that only have the drums. Some players use a rack instead of individual stands.

Drum seats are called "thrones" and are purchased separately. There are many different models, some with backs, some more cushioned than others.

There are lots of choices for kick drum pedal.

Sticks and Brushes

The type of music often influences the choice of stick. Heavier sticks such as 2Bs are good for the volume required for rock and R&B. Lighter stickes like 7As are often used for jazz and acoustic styles. The number indicates the circumference, and the letter for the application, like "S" for marching band, "B" for symphonic band, "A" for orchestra. The tips of the sticks can be wood or nylon. Wood gives a warmer sound, plastic is more durable and plays more clearly on cymbals.

Brushes are generally used for ballads and some acoustic styles. The bristles can be made of metal or plasic.

World Percussion

See Musicians Friend's buying guide covering djembes, congas, cajons, and shakers.

Hybrids

Adding drum triggers to your acoustic drums lets you play on an acoustic set while doubling the drum sound with an external source, like a recorded drum sample. There are two types of triggers:

Read the InSync guide about adding triggers to a kit.

Adding electronic drums or multipad controller to an acoustic setup increases the sonic options. They are connected to drum modules that output a line level sampled sound each time the pad is hit.

Electronic

Electronic drums kits have many advantages over acoustics. They are lighter, have additional types of sounds, are easy to amplify, efficient to use in music production, interface with computers and/or MIDI ins and outs, and can be played at low or silent volume levels for practicing and to conserve one's hearing.

Pads or triggers are plugged into a drum module. The modules generates the electronic sounds, which are then sent out at line level to an amplifier. Many have auxiliary inputs so you can plug in a CD or MP3 player and listen through headphones to both the recorded music and what the drums are generating.

Multipad controllers can be added to an acoustic or eletronic set, or used by themselves. Examples:

There are also pads that can be played by one's hands as well as sticks.

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