2nd floor tom

jimdonovan66

Junior Member
I changed my kit from having 2 rack toms to 1 rack tom, a 16x16 and an 18x16 floor tom. I'm doing ok incorporating it into my playing but I was wondering if anybody knows any good exercises/songs, etc., to help me transition to this setup?
 
Uh, I thought this was gonna be all crazy with some kind of bunk floor tom arrangement.

Bad day to stop sniffing glue.
 
Welcome to your first post :)

IDK, you just have to get used to playing them where they sit.

But songs? Anything with jungle toms like Krupa's "Sing Sing Sing". I don't think he used 2 floors, but that to me doesn't matter. You just need to get comfy with them off to the side, which translates into time spent, like everything else. Invent ways to use them, that's the fun stuff.

You could use the 18 like a tom...and also like a 2nd bass drum. It can do double duty. Doing singles between a bass drum and the 18 is always a good syncing exercise. So it can convincingly cross over into bass drum territory, in addition to using it for tom stuff. Linear fills could also be a good thing to get comfy with the new tom positions. Linear fills, where only one note at a time per limb is played, and the bass drum is used like a tom. Like "Bonham" triplets. (I didn't know what the term linear fill meant for the longest time, so forgive me if I'm stating the obvious)
 
Just start with Bonham. That will get you playing some fast and or intricate fills across the gap and fills that skip the tom and move from the snare straight to the FT's. A lot of drummers have played this configuration, but he is easily the most recognizable contemporary. After that go for Buddy Rich and good luck with that one ;) Buddy excels at crushing other drummers.
 
Make sure you don't position the second floor tom too close to you. Common mistake.
 
I know most ridicule the Gibraltar Catapult pedal but in this application it serves well. Because the bass drum sits further forward with a catapult dragging the floor toms forward as well so not as much twisting around to the 18" .. How do i know? coz i got one and get a towel rack or one of those hands free hand dryers for goodness sake.
 
left hand on 16
right hand on 18
foot on bass drum

(Triplet feel)
LRB LRB LRB LRB

LBR LBR LBR LBR
(quarter notes)
LRBB LRBB LRBB LRBB

Play around with variations of that for some cool double-kick sounding fills.

or start on your right hand if it's easier for you
(Triplet feel)
RLB RLB SLB RLB
 
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