Functional Guide to the Drum Set

In the beginning, hominids hit random things in order to make a pleasing noise, possibly something they could dance to. Human cleverness soon invented drums and, eventually, cymbals. Both became so important to early societies that the various roles of the instruments were often formalized and systematized. This meant that individual instruments had specific tasks and the players had certain duties. In the drum set, we have many of these classic percussion components, and we frequently pay tribute to their traditional purpose and inspiration.

Bass Drum
The bass drum is the original time keeper. Troops marched and dancers danced to the tempo set by the bass drum, plus it provides a robust bottom end to the sound. Today the bass drum serves the same basic role thanks to the invention of the bass drum pedal. In addition to 'four on the floor', the bass drum’s function has evolved to augmenting the bass line and reinforcing figures. In jazz, it’s often treated as an additional tom.

Snare Drum
The snare drum sets both the rhythm and the mood. As the foremost and most exciting voice, its job is to ensure everything stays on track. A solid back beat keeps contemporary music jumping; a mellow brush pattern sets the stage for a more pensive mood; rapid fire snare strokes can add excitement and impel the music forward.

Ride Cymbal
In the first half of the 20th century, the ride cymbal took over the role formerly held by short rolls on the snare. That change freed the snare drum to take on other duties, and the ride cymbal is now used to define and carry the rhythm.

Crash Cymbals
The first cymbals served two purposes: to help celebrate events and to intimidate the enemy. That remains little changed today. We use our crash cymbals to punctuate and to celebrate making music. And we use them to get people's attention.

Hi-hat
The hi-hat was invented to replicate the sound of 'clash' or symphonic hand cymbals, but the device turned out to be capable of so much more. Stomping on the pedal gives us a ‘chick’ sound. Or we can stomp and let ‘em ring. Play them closed and you have a snare-like sound. Open just a bit and you have a sizzle cymbal. The hi-hat can also give us slosh, bark, pea-soup, and a few others. With so many tonal variants, you can use the ‘hats’ to add a lot of texture.

More is More
Given that the hi-hat can function like a snare, a crash cymbal or a ride cymbal, it’s reasonable to assume we can get similar versatility from the other instruments. Indeed you can play a ride pattern on the snare, bass drum, tom, whatever. You can play a back beat on a tom or on a cymbal stack. Yes, we've preserved the traditional functions, but nowadays we prefer to do more with our instruments.

 

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Blast from the Past

There’s a drum stick maker not far from where I live that’s been raising eyebrows for a number of years now. The Headhunters “Stick with the Groove” has been a staple for drummers for decades. But Dave Rundle, the brains and energy behind Headhunters Sticks & Creations, has a knack for pushing the envelope quite a bit further.

Three recent additions to the Headhunters already-loaded roster of tools caught my attention and I just had to see which, if any, would earn a place in my stick bag. To be honest, in the past I’ve looked at some of Dave’s creations and thought, “I’ll never have a need for that” only to discover that they gave me exactly what I’d been looking for.

My Favourite Brushes of All Time
The new Vintage Jazz brushes take the original Jazz Brush and swaps out the 16-mil wires for 13-mil wires. This results in more individual wires with roughly the same weight and balance as the Jazz Brushes. The thinner wires give the brush a somewhat gentler sound, with delicate texture, but still with authority. I found the balance and feel to be excellent, and these things don’t rattle like many of the brushes I’ve used over the years. (After my “field test”, I went back and bought two more pairs.)

Unique Interpretation
Bullets are the original Headhunters Jazz Brush with a unique addition. At the business end of the grip, just shy of the brush wires, you’ll find a wedge-shaped nylon band. I jumped at this one as I tend to be a bit hard on brushes. The nylon “bullet” lets me do accents and rim shots without killing the aluminum handles. The bullet also gives you more options when playing on cymbals.  A definite winner for brush enthusiasts looking to expand their sound palette.

 

Tribute to One of the Greats

Billy Gladstone manned the Radio City Music Hall drum chair during the 1930s and 1940s. A very creative fellow, he invented many improvements and innovations for drums, his highly prized snare drums being just one example. In 1949, Gladstone was issued a patent for a unique idea: a double-ended drum brush. The design has finally been brought to life in the form of Headhunters’ Billy Gladstone tribute drum brush.

 

The total length had to be increased to 13.25 inches to accommodate two brushes and also allow for retraction. When packed, a few inches of brush extend from both ends. When extended, the ‘other’ wires mostly disappear into the handle. One end has the 16-mil wires as found in the Jazz Brush and the other end, marked with a white band, has the 13-mil wires of the Vintage Jazz Brush.

I bought these mostly out of curiosity, assuming I wouldn’t have an actual use for them (see above). But after working with them for a bit, I’m really enjoying them. The grip area is slightly longer than most brushes, and this suits me (in the past, Dave has made longer handled brushes for me). The balance and weight are just right, despite the extra material needed. And because the bushes are of the ‘Push-me-pull-you’ design, the playing end stays put better than most. It’s also interesting to use a different end in each hand, though I haven’t tried switching the brushes while playing.

Conclusion
All three of these Creations tools are now in my stick bag.