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out of the box thinking: bass drum pedal

The OFF-SET Bass Drum Pedal division of The Point Technologies continues to think outside the box with the introduction of the first ever free-standing, height-adjustable cocktail bass drum pedal, dubbed the OFF-SET Second Base Cocktail Pedal.

The unit employs a primary and secondary drive unit which allows the beater mechanism to be raised and supported on a "second base" to an elevation of 18 inches. With this unit only one can turn a standard set of drums into a Cocktail configuration in either the set-down or the stand-up mode. The unit is patent-pending, and can be seen at booth 747 at the summer NAMM show. For more information visit pointtremelo.

read more.

guiness world record of longest drumming session

from drum magazine:

The Magnolia High School drumline, in New Martinsville, West Virginia, will be attempting to drum for 53 hours to break the Guiness World Record for longest drumming session. The drumline is conducting a "drum-a-ton" around the record breaking to raise money to buy new marching drums. They are asking for pledges for every hour drumming or just general donations. If you would like to contribute to their success contact Fred Channell at 1-304-455-1900. The drumline will be performing in the auditorium of Magnolia High School between the dates of June 12th and June 14th and it is open for the public to watch them attempt to break the record.

ahead laser sticks

add a little extra to your show with the ahead laser drumsticks.

on ebay: 1960s ludwig silver sparkle

now for sale on ebay:



HERE'S A SUPER NICE ORIGINAL CONDITION EARLY 1960'S LUDWIG JAZZ DRUM KIT IN A BRIGHT SILVER SPARKLE FINISH. IT IS ALL ORIGINAL STOCK LUDWIG FINISH. NO RE-RAPS.

SIZE:8X12,14X14,14X20 W/RAIL CONSOLETTE AND CYMBAL L-ARM MOUNT & FOLDING SPURS. EXCELLENT CHROME ALL AROUND WITH FACTORY COB HOOPS ON THE TOMS AND FRESH BLACK GLOSS LACQUER ON THE BASS HOOPS. BASS TOP HAS SLIGHT FADE IF ANY BUT HARDLY NOTICABLE. TOMS ARE PRE-SERIAL# AND THE BASS IS #131983. ALL WHITE INTERIORS ARE EXC AND BEARING EDGES ARE STOCK AND IN GOOD/EXC ORDER. NO CRACKS OR SHELL DAMAGE,NO FINISH CRACKS OR SEEM LIFTS. ALL SHELLS IN ROUND AND FLOATING REMO HEADS FINE. 8X12 HAS BOTH ORIGINAL WEATHER MASTER HEADS (WORN) AND THE BASS ALSO HAS THE ORIGINAL OUTER SMOOTH WHITE HEAD WITH PORTED HOLE AND PERFECT SCRIPT LOGO. THE KIT HAS BEEN COMPLETELY DETAILED POLISHED AND CLEANED AND COMES READY TO GO. NO RESTORATION WORK NEEDED. ALL STOCK FACTORY PARTS WITH NOTHING MISSING OR BROKEN. + THEY SOUND GREAT TOO! JUST LIKE YOU REMEMBER.

go here.
End time: Jun-23-06 11:22:59 PDT

on drum heads

prof sound talks about drum heads:

Coated heads
will be warmer and minimize high frequency tones. The stick slap has a very bright element to it, much like sandpaper rubbing together, but the main element is darker in tone. Coated is probably required if doing brushwork. What follows are general observations and you should try them all to see if you hear or experience and differences? Coatings vary depending upon manufacturer. Some manufacturers have created heads which give then a very unique sound and wear characteristic. By way of example, REMO offers the Renaissance™ or Suede™ series which gives the head sort of a less resonant but midrange presence to the sound, whereas the FiberSkyn™ heads have a much more mellow tone to them. Coatings from brand to brand not only offer a sound that separates one brand from another, but wear characteristics are affected as well. In most cases, REMO will be a warmer coating at the expense of faster wear on normal WEATHERKING™ drum heads like that found of the Diplomat™, Ambassador™, Emperor™, etc. However heads like the FiberSkyn™ may potentially last less or longer because a lot of this has to do with your style of play. Heads like the REMO Suede™ series and Evans J1™ have an embossed textured surface, thus longer life and do not chip like normal coating would. To my ear, Aquarian is on the brighter end of the scale for presence but their coating will outlast most everyone else’s and is also thinner and a bit smoother. Evan’s sort of strikes a medium balance between REMO and Aquarian. Keep an open mind because manufacturers are improving their lines all the time.



Clear heads
are bright with overtones, the stick slap does not have bright sandpaper like characteristics as found on coated heads, but the overall presence of the slap is very bright in the upper register and carries through the mix very well.

Ebony
is in between the coated and walks that balance of properties between coated and clear and the stick slap does not have bright sandpaper like characteristics as found on coated heads. It produces a less of a high frequency overtone resonance (“darker” tone).

2-ply
These aid in durability and can also limit high pitched overtones. Often referred to as “muted” in tone, when they do not have a control ring adhered to them do produce lingering resonance and bright overtones the higher they are tuned. These come in multiple film weights depending upon the manufacturer.

Snare Side Heads
are specifically designed to be thinner and should be the only style head used on the snare side of the snare drum. Thin heads enhance sensitivity and are brighter whereas thick heads are exactly opposite. The most common weight is a 300 weight.

Hazy heads
are generally both "bright" and have a stronger "midrange presence" to the sound.

Glass heads
are both brighter and drier than Hazy or other pigmented heads.



Thickness
In all cases thicker heads will be mellower and less sensitive than that of the exact same thinner counterpart. For example, a REMO Diplomat Clear will be brighter and more sensitive than a REMO Ambassador Clear, the Ambassador being thicker than the Diplomat and both being single ply.

Etched
The finish of the film has rough sort of embossed surface and does not chip away as does true coated surfaces. Good examples of this are the Evans J1™ and REMO Suede™ series of heads. These are favored for Jazz like applications.

25 best drum books

here's the top 5 of modern drummer's top 25 best drum books:

1. Stick Control - George L. Stone
2. Syncopation - Ted Reed
3. Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer - J. Chapin
4. Accents and Rebounds - George L. Stone
5. Master Studies - Joe Morello

read more.

ear training software

Earboost will improve your musical hearing ability. Whether you are a keen amateur or paid professional keeping your listening skills in shape is vital. With EarBoost your ear will be trained to distinguish between different intervals, chords and scales.Using EarBoost you will improve your overall musical hearing ability in a short time with persistent practice. It also includes excellent reporting information showing your progress as a musician. Simple, affordable and effective.
Free trial here.

drum tabs, lots of them

drumbum has an amazing collection of links to drum tab websites. go here.

a peek inside a compressor

A compressor can be a drummer’s single most valuable signal-processing component in any amplified performance or recording situation. Essentially an automated volume control, a compressor attenuates an audio signal when it rises above a predetermined level. For drummers, this means that the difference between your loudest and softest kick, snare, tom, or cymbal hits can be slightly or dramatically reduced, thus producing a more consistent, controllable, and – especially for drums – “meatier” sound.
read more on drummagazine.

the cheapest double bass drum pedal ever

click below to see a video of the cheapest double bass drum pedal ever.
link

report: 2006 chicago custom & vintage drum show

drumsmith has a pictoral report of the 2006 chicago custom & vintage drum show. we pick out a few highlights.

A rare kit produced by the famous Italian cymbalsmith Roberto Spizzichino:



The lens distortion doesn't show it but all of these shells were conical - very cool:



very nice snare:



William F. Ludwig II AKA "The Chief" visits the show:



Ed Shaughnessy Clinic - mpeg videoclips on this page
Don Osborne Clinic - mpeg videoclips on this page
Mike Semarau Clinic - mpeg videoclips on this page

read all here.

on drum woods

Sound is subjective. The marketing concept used by manufacturers, coupled with finish and function leads all of us to believe that more expensive is better. In reality the manufacture puts together a package designed to being a drum to market at a price point.



The purchase price is a function of manufacturing cost relative to market value (demand). What this article should do is help understand why some drums are more expensive. Much like furniture, it often has little to do with function, but sometimes a big impact on sound and finish.

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prof sound also talks about the sound and characteristics of the different drum woods (albasia falkata, maple, mahogany, birch, poplar, basswood, luan). here.