How To Customize A Drum Set

Download Article

Download Commodity

Customizing a drum prepare is non only a fashion to give information technology a personalized look, just tin also change the way it sounds to accommodate your personal playing style. First with a standard iv- or v-piece drum kit and customize the heads and shells to alter its look and sound, then update the hardware to match, add new pieces to play more than sounds, and customize your drumsticks to consummate your personalized drum prepare and play the manner of music you want to.

1
Cull drums with shells made of birch for a loud, balanced audio. Birch drums are oftentimes used for recording because of their balanced sound, meaning that they provide a good mix of high and low frequencies. This is one of the most pop and mutual types of wood used to make drum shells.^[i]
- Y'all have the option of buying each part separately to customize your commencement drum set, but information technology will be more expensive. If y'all just want a skillful base for customizing, and then buying a complete kit is the virtually economical choice.
two
Get drums with shells fabricated of maple for warm brilliant, tones. ^[2] Maple is another popular and mutual forest used for making pulsate shells. Maple drums accept slightly more emphasis on the low frequencies than birch drums but all the same have a very balanced audio.^[iii]
- If you are torn between birch and maple, then you should effort to play on a pulsate set of each type at a music shop and decide which one you lot like best.
Advertisement
3
Purchase drums made of poplar for the most economic option. Many less expensive and starter drum kits are made out of poplar or other cheaper types of wood. These kits are still perfectly playable and have enough of room for customization and comeback.^[4]
- Keep in mind that cheaper kits may have more than flimsy cymbals and hardware, but y'all can replace these as you customize your drum set.
4
Go your drum shells professionally refinished to complete the new wait. Update the advent of your pulsate shells to create the on-stage look you want. Become the drum shells refinished with wood stain for a natural wait, painted to make them whatever color you desire, or wrapped with a glue-on finish if you lot desire to add more complex graphics.^[5]
- Refinishing drum shells is non a task for amateurs. Attempting to remove an existing finish carries the risk of damaging your drums. E'er take your drums professionally refinished unless y'all take experience refinishing drum shells.
- Because the drum hardware will need to be completely removed to refinish the pulsate shells, consider updating the hardware as well to go with the new finish.
Advertizing

1
Supplant the drum heads with single-ply mylar heads for lighter types of music. Single-ply mylar heads are great for playing bright tones and lighter music like jazz. Keep in heed that they are as well less durable than other types of heads because they are the thinnest.^[vi]
- A single pulsate head will price you lot anywhere from $x USD to about $50 USD.
2
Swap the drum heads for double-ply mylar heads for heavier types of music. Double-ply mylar heads are all-time for heavier music like stone. They are besides more durable than single-ply heads, so they volition last longer with all that hard playing.
- All kinds of mylar drum heads come in either clear or coated models. Articulate heads generally audio brighter and more open than coated heads.
- If you lot use black or colored drum heads, the colored coating will gradually rub off onto your drum sticks. This coating tin deposit onto drum heads that are white or clear, and then avoid using your drum sticks on another drummer'due south kit.
- Specialty heads, such equally faux calfskin heads, are available to create more specific tones and feels.
three
Update your pulsate hardware to match the finish of your drum shells. Lugs, hoops, tension rods, tom mounts, snare strainers, and leg brackets are all available in a range of different metal finishes from major drum manufacturers. Pick a colour that y'all like that goes with your new pulsate shells and heads.^[seven]
- Gold, chrome, white, and black finishes are the most mutual metal finish colors available. Some parts, such every bit drum hoops, can be fabricated from woods as well.
4
Refinish your electric current hardware if you are on a upkeep. Remove all the electric current hardware and give it a new coat of metal-safety spray paint to change the finish. Let it completely dry before you reattach it to your drums.^[eight]
- Bronzing dips are an culling to spray paint that y'all tin use to requite your drum hardware a new finish.
Advertising

1
Add new drums to your drum prepare to play a bigger variety of sounds. Add dissimilar sized snare drums to provide you with a new range of tonal opportunities. Place additional toms adjacent to your existing tom to allow you to reach a new depth of pitch.^[9]
- For instance, a snare pulsate with a smaller bore or depth (often called a piccolo snare) can be placed next to your existing snare.
- Adding an 18 in (46 cm) flooring tom to the right of an existing 16 in (41 cm) floor tom is an instance of an additional tom yous can play for different bass sounds.
- Await at the drum kits of professional drummers, like Neil Peart or Terry Bozzio, who are known for having huge sets consisting of many dissimilar drums and other elements. The possibilities are countless!
2
Get additional cymbals to play bigger and smaller crash sounds. Add how-do-you-do-hat cymbals for a foot-operated set of cymbals. Use large crash cymbals to create a loud crash audio, or small-scale splash cymbals to play the smallest kind of cymbal issue.^[10]
- Other pieces you lot can add to your setup to create other not-drum sounds are drummer tambourines and cowbells.
3
Change the pulsate pedals to make them more comfortable for you to play. Choose a pedal with a footboard that fits your pes size more comfortably. Use chugalug-bulldoze or direct-drive pedals for increased response, power, and control.^[11]
- Most entry-level pulsate kits come with concatenation-drive pedals. They are less responsive than chugalug-drive or direct-drive pedals because there is not a direct connection between the footboard and the beater.
- Pedal footboards come in all shapes and sizes. A longboard pedal is more than comfortable if you accept big feet. They are likewise helpful if you lot want to utilize heel and toe rocking techniques to play fast double strokes with the pedal.
Advertisement

1
Choose thick, heavy drumsticks if y'all play heavier styles of music. Hickory and oak are 2 types of wood that make durable drumsticks. Drumsticks made out of these types of forest are very shock absorptive, responsive, and allow you to play loud sounds.^[12]
- If yous are playing heavy music like hard rock, so make sure to go a few sets of drumsticks for when you inevitably intermission a stick!
2
Select thinner, lighter drumsticks if you play lighter music like jazz. Maple drumsticks are a pop lighter and more than flexible type of drumsticks. Keep in mind that they are less durable than oak or hickory drumsticks.^[13]
- Ever audit drumsticks for imperfections when you lot are shopping for new ones. Check the shaft for cracks, splinters, and snags. Wait for drumsticks that are perfectly directly, shine, and sculpted. Roll them on their side on a apartment surface to check for roundness. Adept drumsticks will roll in an even, straight line.
iii
Personalize your drumsticks to make them unique and suit your playing style. Society custom-printed or engraved drumsticks with your proper name, band name, or personalized artwork to brand them truly personal. Get different colors of plain drumsticks that go with your drums if you want to keep it simple but classy.^[fourteen]
- There are all kinds of drumstick personalization services online. You tin likewise find tons of different styles at local music supply stores.
Advertisement

Add together New Question

Question

I accept a Mapex drum ready. How do I add more toms?

Information technology will definitely be hard to find actress toms for a brand like Mapex. There'due south the option of going to another make, but I personally wouldn't do that. You can endeavor a site like eBay or Reverb to observe something. (I'd start off an expansion by having 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and maybe 18 inch toms.)
Question

Which drumstick is most preferred for drummer?

American hickory is the most pop forest for crafting drumsticks. 85% of all sticks from the brand Vic Firth are fabricated from hickory. The most popular Vic Firth stick is the American Classic™ 5A.