Make Drum Work . Com Skill through struggle and sacrifice

7 Essential Items for the Gigging Drummer

You won't ever realise you need to carry spares until its too late. Realistaion usually sinks in when you get to a gig and something breaks or you realise that you've forgotten something. I know because I've been there. I have learned the hard way that you need to take these items to every gig. If you're still not convinced, here's a great story showing you why you need to be prepared from M. Peer Mohamed Sardhar:

"Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farm hand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, Hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!" The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down.

Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew."

Being prepared takes the worry out of playing gigs

You got enough to think about. Playing a good show... selling merchandise... picking the right outfit... So the last thing you want to be doing is trying to track down a snare drum at 11pm in the middle of a foreign city where you don't know anyone. Being prepared means you can focus on what you do best: Rocking your socks off (more about socks later).

When you're rich and famous you'll have a drum technician who'll take care of all this stuff for you but until then, you're on your own!

How prepared do you need to be?

I've only selected the 7 items that are showstoppers. If you floor tom head breaks its not such a big deal, you'll still make it through the show. But if your snare head breaks... thats showstopping. If you really want to be extra prepared then take spare heads for all your drums. Bring spare cymbal felts. Bass drum beaters. Snare drums. Spare drum mat. Hey, if you've gone that far why not take a spare drum kit? Or a spare guitar player (because you're regular one is in his hotel room getting acquainted with Mr. Jack Daniels).

Its a head ache to go down the road of trying to prepare for every eventuality. Just bring what you need to make it to the end of the show.

Building your drum spares

It may seem like I'm suggesting a lot in this video but you can build all this stuff up as you go along. Drum kits normally come with pretty bad drum heads on them. So when you get new heads for it, keep the ones you take off and use them as spares. They don't have to be in great condition because you only need them to last the end of your gig or until you can get to a music shop.

Its like the spare tyre in your car. You wouldn't ever choose to use it but it'll get you home safely if you need it. I've had my spare snare and bass drum head for about 5 years. You don't ever need to replace your spares. Just replace the broken head.

You can pick all this stuff up from a good music shop. Even the bass drum spring. Keep in mind that music shops usually aren't open at 11pm so you're going to need to buy this stuff before you need it.

Here are those 7 items:

• Sticks. Lots of sticks.
• Earplugs
• Snare drum head
• Bass drum head
• Bass drum pedal spring
• Hi-hat clutch
• Drum key

Unadvertised bonus item just for being cool and reading this blog:

• Pair of socks

I can't explain this one to you. You'll have to find it out for yourself. Next time you play a gig, bring a fresh pair of socks and change into them after you finish. You'll know what I'm talking about!

Alex

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