vyacheslav
Senior Member
Greetings,
I play a lot of jazz in lounge/restaurant type atmospheres where the band is "wallpaper" to people eating and talking. I play thin cymbals and use thin sticks, so I don't have a problem playing softly nor am I "holding back" from my normal playing motion/style.
I do use a lot of brushes on these gigs (typically the first time through the melody and then during the bass solo or trading). I'll use sticks during the piano and horn solos for the most part. I will sometimes use sticks for the entire tune. I have to do a lot of "quick change" acts between brushes and sticks. I use a clamp on stick holder all the way to the right of my floor tom (off a cymbal stand) for easy stick access, but brushes at full spread really don't fit very easily. (I use the "On Stage" clamp on stick holder that's a soft, neoprene "bag". I like it because it's easy to fold up and toss in my cymbal bag accessory pocket).
For these quick changes, I have sticks ready to go on the floor tom before we start the tune, and I just toss my brushes to the floor to my left near my hi-hat when I'm ready to pick up the sticks. When I need the brushes again, I have to lean over and pick them up off the floor with my left hand, while keeping my hi-hat and right hand going. I keep thinking "there has to be a better way to do this". I can't really put the brushes on the floor tom obviously. Putting brushes at full spread in any kind of stick holder/stick bag would require them to be put in handle side first (so the wires are sticking out up top). That would necessitate flipping the brush around in my hand both prior to and after taking it in/out of the stick holder/bag. So my question to the fine folks here is:
Where do you keep your (fully spread) brushes and sticks for quick changes?
I know I have seen a "Drummer's Palette" plastic accessory tray that clamps onto the rim of the floor tom/snare drum that keeps the tray level at the approximate height of the rim (see images below). I don't know if I like that idea. I don't like anything hanging off of my drums (I don't hang a stick bag off the floor tom for this reason), I just don't like how it looks aesthetically, and it slightly decreases the "playing area" of the drum although it's a good idea. But at nearly $50 on Amazon..............
I just picked up a Peter Erskine Free Standing Stick Bag (the original Yamaha version) with the "tabletop", so I might try that, although that takes up precious floor space.
Let me anticipate a few questions from the group:
1. Why don't you keep your sticks in the stick holder instead of on your floor tom for the quick change?
A fair point, but depending on the room, how full it is etc. I like to keep about 4 different pairs of sticks for small sonic choices (slightly different weights, different tips etc.). In the change over from brushes to sticks I only have a few seconds, and grabbing a matching pair, even if they are labeled, during those few seconds would be very tricky.
2. Why don't you just keep your brushes and a pair of sticks on top of your bass drum?
Another fair point, but I don't like doing this because:
1. They rattle while playing. Maybe no big deal in a loud stage environment, but it is a definite issue in a small restaurant at low volumes.
2. The constant rattling and picking up/putting down can damage the finish of the drum over time (I've seen it happen)
What say you, wise drummer family?
I play a lot of jazz in lounge/restaurant type atmospheres where the band is "wallpaper" to people eating and talking. I play thin cymbals and use thin sticks, so I don't have a problem playing softly nor am I "holding back" from my normal playing motion/style.
I do use a lot of brushes on these gigs (typically the first time through the melody and then during the bass solo or trading). I'll use sticks during the piano and horn solos for the most part. I will sometimes use sticks for the entire tune. I have to do a lot of "quick change" acts between brushes and sticks. I use a clamp on stick holder all the way to the right of my floor tom (off a cymbal stand) for easy stick access, but brushes at full spread really don't fit very easily. (I use the "On Stage" clamp on stick holder that's a soft, neoprene "bag". I like it because it's easy to fold up and toss in my cymbal bag accessory pocket).
For these quick changes, I have sticks ready to go on the floor tom before we start the tune, and I just toss my brushes to the floor to my left near my hi-hat when I'm ready to pick up the sticks. When I need the brushes again, I have to lean over and pick them up off the floor with my left hand, while keeping my hi-hat and right hand going. I keep thinking "there has to be a better way to do this". I can't really put the brushes on the floor tom obviously. Putting brushes at full spread in any kind of stick holder/stick bag would require them to be put in handle side first (so the wires are sticking out up top). That would necessitate flipping the brush around in my hand both prior to and after taking it in/out of the stick holder/bag. So my question to the fine folks here is:
Where do you keep your (fully spread) brushes and sticks for quick changes?
I know I have seen a "Drummer's Palette" plastic accessory tray that clamps onto the rim of the floor tom/snare drum that keeps the tray level at the approximate height of the rim (see images below). I don't know if I like that idea. I don't like anything hanging off of my drums (I don't hang a stick bag off the floor tom for this reason), I just don't like how it looks aesthetically, and it slightly decreases the "playing area" of the drum although it's a good idea. But at nearly $50 on Amazon..............
I just picked up a Peter Erskine Free Standing Stick Bag (the original Yamaha version) with the "tabletop", so I might try that, although that takes up precious floor space.
Let me anticipate a few questions from the group:
1. Why don't you keep your sticks in the stick holder instead of on your floor tom for the quick change?
A fair point, but depending on the room, how full it is etc. I like to keep about 4 different pairs of sticks for small sonic choices (slightly different weights, different tips etc.). In the change over from brushes to sticks I only have a few seconds, and grabbing a matching pair, even if they are labeled, during those few seconds would be very tricky.
2. Why don't you just keep your brushes and a pair of sticks on top of your bass drum?
Another fair point, but I don't like doing this because:
1. They rattle while playing. Maybe no big deal in a loud stage environment, but it is a definite issue in a small restaurant at low volumes.
2. The constant rattling and picking up/putting down can damage the finish of the drum over time (I've seen it happen)
What say you, wise drummer family?
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