Considering it takes only about 15 seconds or less to remove a 24-inch heavy ride cymbal using our patented and award winning Swing Nut swivel system, the choice is easy to make. You can now replace your traditional wing nuts on 8mm cymbal stand tilters with our brand new Swing Nut Rocket, or opt for our beautiful line of full stands with the swivel system built-in.

For those who don’t fully understand our revolutionary Swing Nut system yet, drummers just need to press down on the spring, swing the built-in nut upward, and mount or remove their cymbal, simple and easy. No more threading delays with wing nuts and washers. You just pop your cymbal off and back on again. It’s a huge time saver.

That brings us to Gibraltar’s Turning Point 9709-TP boom cymbal stand, which is simply one of the premier booms on the market today. This baby extends cymbals safely with the boom rod set straight up to about 77 inches from floor to top of tilter. It weighs only 10 pounds thanks to Gibraltar’s lighter L-Bar Aluminum Arrowlite leg tripod design, but with even more strength than double braced legs. It’s an engineering coo. Another cool design feature about these cymbal stand legs is the traditional parallel double sides are twisted pointing upwards, which provides an interesting new architectural dimension as well as enhanced strength. With oversized rubber rounded feet, a boom arm that extends about 19 inches out, and two sets of memory locks at each hinged height adjustment, you just can’t find a better option out there today.

What we also love about the Turning Point 9709-TP boom cymbal stand is its intelligent design. We placed a third memory lock under the tripod leg’s top collar. That means no more fussing around with adjustments among other stands’ legs. There are no gears inside the Swing Nut mechanism so drummers can position the cymbal brake tilter at almost any angle with a drum key. Folks can also hang all sorts of auxiliary gear off of this very durable stand, including another tom-tom, tambourine, cowbell, drum pads, and additional splashes. You name it.

And if you desire a gearless positioning boom arm that offers 180 degrees of instant maneuverability, be sure to check out the 9709’s sister, the 9709UA-TP. Sweet!

Our other new Swing Nut-centric medium weight boom stand, the 6609-TP, offers you a few less options than the 9709-TP, but with the same versatility with spring tension adjustment. The 6609-TP weighs in slightly more at about 12 pounds due to its more traditional double braced tripod leg design, but its mechanics are all 21st century applications. Full height length from floor to tilter measures about 74 inches without a boom arm angle, there are still two different memory lock positions on the upper shaft height adjustments, and the boom arm extended length is about 16 inches. It’s the perfect cymbal stand for almost any musical application.

For those more horizontal cymbal angle crashers, we designed a no boom extension Swing Nut stand as well that measures about 61 inches from floor to tilter top. The 6610-TP is medium weight at about 10 pounds, with the same tripod heavy-duty base, offers a 3-tier stand with two hinged height adjustments, and two different memory lock positions.

And did we mention that all of these stands contain cast metal parts with ABS inserts for no metal-to-metal contact?

We did now.

Possibly related posts:

• November 14, 2011 -- Cool Things from Gibraltar
• September 12, 2011 -- 4600 Hardware Series Standing On Its Own
• August 12, 2011 -- It’s In The Bag

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For most working class drummers – and even practicing ones – we have to compartmentalize our various sized drum kits to fit the intended stage dimensions. Having a 12X12 stage dimension is gravy for bands these days. More often than not, however, we face strange L-shaped stages situated flat against bar walls, no stages at all leaving us to create one around tables and chairs, or an actual elevated stage that a ventriloquist could barely fit on.

So how do we adapt to ever-changing stage sizes? First, Gibraltar Hardware and other drum hardware companies got smart years ago and innovated the use of drum rack systems, which saves tons of space and lessens set-up time and energy. If you don’t own one and play out regularly, you should definitely at least consider purchasing one.

Before anything else, don’t screw yourself over to accommodate guitar amps. What I mean is if you don’t fight for your rights as a musician, you will lose them. Guitarists sometimes forget that drummers also need to hear the music in order to play well. Unless you have a sound man who understands how to mix all the instruments and vocals into a good monitor for you and you alone, then setting your drum kit up behind everyone else is a mistake.
I have yet to meet a sound man who can mix everything together effectively that way.

My point is guitarists rarely stop to adjust control knobs on their amplifiers while playing songs. Most use their effects pedals and guitar dials to control and change sound. So why must guitarists and bassists set up their amps in front of the drums? The audience will still hear everything fine if the amps are placed against the wall to the left and right beside your drum throne.

My advice is for drummers to get to shows and new practice spaces early and own your space first. Your carpet is king. Let the band build their gear around you, and strongly encourage them not to fear placing amps back in alignment with the rear of your drum set. It will help the mix immensely and provide more actual playing space for musicians. If you are unsure of the stage size, call the club or venue earlier in the week to inquire or go check it out ahead of time.

Enough of my drummer discrimination rant, though I’ll conclude by adding that stringed instrument players should leave their cases and back-up guitars back stage or in the cars just like drummers do. Big space saver. And there’s no need to display five guitars on stage unless you intend to play them all.

Then there’s actual stage sound variations to consider. I’m no soundman, but have found better success with my own band setting up our amps somewhat blowing across stage at each other rather than directly pointing out into the audience. You can control the mix better that way. In very small venues, I have even seen a band leader turn all the amps inward toward the stage to control maximum sound output decibels. Obviously, in that case setting up amps behind the drum kit would be a moot point.

Some bands also run everything through the PA system regardless of stage or venue size. I can’t advise you one way or the other on that front; I only add that for most small to mid-sized clubs – unless you are live recording -you can get away with having only three mics on the drums for your kick, snare and an ambient overhead. That will save a lot of on-stage clutter and time. In many cases, you don’t need any mics and neither do guitarists.

The very worst thing you can do as a drummer is to try to cram a 12-piece Gretsch Renown series into a space not made for it. For one, it will take you twice the amount of time as normal to re-configure your cymbal stand spans, and you’ll end up with too tight an area in which to play. Less is more in that case. Leave half the kit in your car and go basic.

- Tim Kane is a freelance drummer, instructor and writer living in Massachusetts. He writes a regular blog for Gibraltar Hardware.

Possibly related posts:

• November 17, 2011 -- Getting The Biggest Bang Out Of Your Bass Drum Pedal
• August 2, 2011 -- Gibraltar Rack Supports 200 lb. “Drum”
• December 20, 2011 -- Rack it up with NO LEG hi-hat and cymbal boom stands

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Gibraltar Hardware introduces at this years NAMM 2012 the Swing Nut Rocket. The newest addition to the Turning Point hardware line. For the fastest cymbal mount ever the Rocket Swing Nut attachment fits onto any 8mm geared tilter. This will change the way you set up your drum kit.

Most Commented Posts

• June 1, 2009 -- GRS-850DBL Double Bass Rack Kit: Custom Rack for Double Kick Setup
• September 26, 2011 -- How to Build a Custom Keyboard Stand
• August 10, 2009 -- The Drummers of Michael Jackson

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How frustrating is it mounting your hi hat cymbals to your hi hats stands… especially when you’re being rushed? Or how many times has your bottom nut loosened up during playing?

Gibraltar Hardware has created a solution for drummers to make that a lot easier and way faster. At the NAMM 2012 show we Introduce the Quick Release Hi Hat Clutch. This is a hi hat clutch quick release, replacing any standard hi hat clutch on hi hat stands, giving drummers the fastest cymbal mount ever.

Gibraltar is the only single focused hardware company in the music industry. All we think about is hardware and how to make it better. From stock to custom we strive to give drummers nothing but options.

Most Commented Posts

• June 1, 2009 -- GRS-850DBL Double Bass Rack Kit: Custom Rack for Double Kick Setup
• September 26, 2011 -- How to Build a Custom Keyboard Stand
• August 10, 2009 -- The Drummers of Michael Jackson

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Luckily, I was taught to sight-read musical notation live as a young student in grammar school when I played trombone. That early Bass clef knowledge carried over to drums and continued on straight through my college jazz band years. But not everyone is a schooled musician, or even wants to be. The fact is drummers really don’t need to sight-read in most musical settings today, unlike wind, string, piano and brass musicians. After my college band experiences ended, I did not read a single note for more than a decade. I played everything by ear.

My point is not so much having to learn to sight read in order to play in a successful band – unless of course you plan to enter the music industry professionally and attend college where sight reading is a pre-requisite. For most part-time and hobbyist drummers out there – and many full-timers, too – you probably will never be asked to read a chart or define how a 5/4 time signature breaks down.

I stress with my own students that learning how to sight read has a lot more to do with opening up new avenues of musical expression across the entire drum set; discovering cool new rhythms and patterns you would never have played without sight reading them first; and providing yourself with an instant framework to focus yourself during practice. In my opinion, learning to sight-read is as important as playing along to your favorite bands and songs or performing live with other musicians. Your ears and eyes are intrinsically connected.

HOW TO LEARN SIGHT READING

The easiest and best way to learn to sight read, if you don’t want to go out and hire a private drum instructor, is to buy a good music theory and composition book or CD, and definitely check out national drum magazines such as DRUM! and Modern Drummer. Those publications always carry great how-to-read exercises and notation breakdowns in each edition.

Once you understand note and rest values and the mechanics of how they apply to measures, time, dynamics and all of your drum and cymbal “instruments”, the best way to master them is to use your ears. Take several of your favorite recordings and transcribe the drum parts for them on music staff paper (manuscript). Then, ask a musician friend who can sight-read well to grade them. Try to work drum chart transcription – or at least live sight reading – into your regular practice regimen. And if you get stuck when reading music, slow it down to a tempo that’s more manageable or seek help in an online drum forum.

Remember, it’s rare today for a rock band leader to hand you a drum chart at a gig or practice and ask you to sight read it verbatim. Beyond being prepared for something that rarely occurs for drummers outside of recording studios or at more intricate jazz and concert band gigs, learning to sight-read just makes you a more complete and smarter drummer. Happy New Year!

- Tim Kane is a freelance drummer, instructor and writer living in Massachusetts. He writes a regular blog for Gibraltar Hardware.

Possibly related posts:

• November 17, 2011 -- Getting The Biggest Bang Out Of Your Bass Drum Pedal
• November 4, 2011 -- Fuel your drumming technique instead of failing it
• January 27, 2012 -- Size and equality matter when it comes to band stage set-ups

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Possibly related posts:

• January 27, 2012 -- Size and equality matter when it comes to band stage set-ups
• November 14, 2011 -- Cool Things from Gibraltar
• September 12, 2011 -- 4600 Hardware Series Standing On Its Own

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My new Gretsch Catalina and vintage Rodgers drum kits rest in a dark studio shed and directly next to a warm boiler in a dimly lighted garage. These are not exactly the most ideal storage locations to bring out the best in your shells’ tones or lifespan, but they serve as a beginning point in our discussion.

Exposed long-term to either temperature extremes below 32 degrees Farenheit or above 90 could spell disaster for your drum shells, not to mention chronic problems with tuning. Your comfort zone temperature wise for free standing or stored drums, cymbals and hardware hovers around 65 degrees with low humidity – like the preferred climate inside your own home.

First, don’t stack drums from smallest diameter to largest on top of each other like they do in some music stores. While many drummers use this stacking method as a space saver – and it does work well while breaking down gear on stage – over time the weight of the drums will begin a waterfall of bearing edge and drum head warping issues.

The best accessory product you could ever invest in for your drums are hard or soft cases to help protect them in storage and in transport. They are many different case styles and price ranges – I’ve found success with relatively cheap soft bags – including a whole line of products offered here at Gibraltar Hardware as discussed in this archive blog post last August.

Locations such as unventilated attics or beside campfires, woodstoves, direct sunlight, over heater vents, or other extreme temperature areas are not so good for drum storage and even active set-ups. Notice a trend? Heat causes your shell’s wood to expand, ultimately affecting its ply construction and outer wrap laminate. Attics in particular can reach 110 degrees during the summer so unless you want bubble wrap instead of your beautiful green glitter laminate, it would be best to avoid them. Dry sheds can work well, too, only if they have insulated inner walls with sheetrock like mine does.

When my wife doesn’t hide the extension cord, my studio shed’s space heater is actually the perfect way to regulate temperature, so long as it is set on medium low and actively monitored to avoid potential for fires. And the other kit in my basement works fine, too, because I use a dehumidifier during damp times to avoid excessive mold and mildew build-up.

Use of car and truck tow trailers for your drums and band equipment are wise investments as well, so long as the trailer is not a permanent storage location. The same temperature and humidity tips above apply to trailers. Strive for storage at about 50-60 percent humidity. And if you have to leave drums, hardware and cymbals in either real cold or hot, humid areas, be sure to clean and inspect them regularly.

If you don’t own cases, the best long-term storage location is a dry walk-in closet with your drums wrapped in heavy moving blankets and then sheet plastic. I do not recommend taking the actual wrap covering off of your drum shells before storing them for long period of time, however. The wrap acts as a layer of protection for your shells and in most cases requires a heat gun to remove, which is best left to a professional.

- Tim Kane is a freelance drummer, instructor and writer living in Massachusetts. He writes a regular blog for Gibraltar Hardware.

Possibly related posts:

• January 27, 2012 -- Size and equality matter when it comes to band stage set-ups
• November 17, 2011 -- Getting The Biggest Bang Out Of Your Bass Drum Pedal
• November 4, 2011 -- Fuel your drumming technique instead of failing it

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Younger drummers are playing louder and more intricate kick drum/pedal patterns than ever before in today’s age of speed metal-driven music. Even the older players are rediscovering the wanders of double kick playing versus the traditional bass drum-hi-hat pairings. First, though most of us should already know this, it is imperative that drummers never take their feet off the pedal board while playing. I recommend a heel-up on pedal board approach for younger players, using only the ball and toes of their feet to power pedal strikes. More advanced drummers tend to use both heel down and up methods to achieve a full range of different dynamic stylings. Heel up for younger drummers, at least in my opinion, allows for more volume and ability to develop long-term muscle memory.

I primarily play flat-footed, and go heel up for speed. But there are subtle differences to the heel up style that drummers should also understand. Heel up with leg thrust strikes creates maximum sound while pedal pivots powered by your ankles are more reserved for faster patterns. Generally, the after strike goal is to get a good bounce off of the bass drum head as the beater positions back to its original resting place – unless of course when you are going for that extra punch enabled by pushing the beater into the head with no initial rebound. A good tip I give my students is to play paradiddles with both their feet. They don’t like it because it’s hard to do RLRR-LRLL with only two feet for five minutes straight at 110 BPM tempo, but the reward is quicker development of bass drum pedal skills.

The main three problems I see with bass drum pedal spring tensioning is my students want to position the beater too close to the head for some odd reason; turn the beater sideways for a heavier punch; and don’t have the beater’s height set in the most efficient location to realize the full tone and resonance of their bass drum. Here’s what I recommend as do most professionals: your beater should be about halfway between your leg shin and the bass drum head when the pedal is not pressed down; use only the front felt side of the beater or its back hard plastic end to strike the drum head – not the sides; and beaters when pressed against the bass drum should hit the exact center of the batter side head. Your pedal board also requires adjusting. Too low a height off the floor and you will lack agility; too high a setting and your beater will be too far back for any type of solid foot control.

A good trick to use when it comes to learning and further developing your bass drum technique is to use a pillow, blanket or damper system inside your shell or head so it is not too boomy and loud. That way, you can closely analyze all the above-mentioned tips on technique.

- Tim Kane is a freelance drummer, instructor and writer living in Massachusetts. He writes a regular blog for Gibraltar Hardware.

Possibly related posts:

• January 27, 2012 -- Size and equality matter when it comes to band stage set-ups
• November 14, 2011 -- Cool Things from Gibraltar
• November 4, 2011 -- Fuel your drumming technique instead of failing it

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Post tags: clamps accessories, drum hardware, drum rack, drummer, drummers, drums, hardware, pedals, tips

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Gibraltar Hardware is continuously innovating new products and upgrading current ones. These short videos highlight some of the products that can help drummers customize their set ups to achieve their own unique sound and style.

Possibly related posts:

• November 17, 2011 -- Getting The Biggest Bang Out Of Your Bass Drum Pedal
• August 12, 2011 -- It’s In The Bag
• February 13, 2012 -- Turning Point Swing Nut Cymbal Stands

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Post tags: clamps accessories, drum hardware, drum rack, drummers, hardware, high hat stands, parts, video

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So where did I go wrong? First of all, I should have known better than to not understand the gig logistics prior to actually showing up with my gear. Come to find out, this particular club didn’t even have a stage area. I helped the bar manager move tables and chairs to open up room. If I had taken just a little more time before the gig to analyze how many tables would actually have to be moved in order to comfortably accommodate a 5-piece band, many challenges that particular evening would have been erased. My bad.

Moreover, the band I was filling-in for on drums did no sound check prior to the first set. We just started playing. If one were held, I would have requested a monitor and more room to maneuver. As drummers, we have just as much right to ask for certain amenities at gigs as our fellow musicians do. My bad.

Getting muscle cramps like I did during the gig is never cool, either. Dehydration and lack of food to power your muscles are the primary causes of cramps. Given bottled water is usually hard to come by in bars, I should have brought five bottles and placed them behind my drum kit. I also should have arrived much earlier at the gig and ordered dinner there. If not, a couple of high-energy bars stuck in your stick bag will do the trick. My bad.

As for floor monitoring and getting proper levels, all I heard that evening was mush from other bandmates (and they actually played well). And with the lead guitarist’s amp placed directly in front of my kick drum, I am sure the audience had trouble hearing me, too. The band ended playing tight against two walls in an L-shape. It was one of the most maniacal stage set-ups I have ever experienced. I should have asked that question well before the gig and also allowed time for readjustment after the sound check that was never conducted. Again, my bad.

This all takes me back to bagging out on the pre-gig band practice (I was teaching drum lessons at the time and should have just rescheduled those students). That dress rehearsal would have been an ideal time to talk about the gig dynamic, my needs, stage set-up, sound levels, and overall expectations. You should have that group discussion well before the gig.

All of this combined into the perfect storm of a third set meltdown for me personally with near exhaustion and frustration. In the end, lack of advance preparation killed my drumming technique at that gig and I have no one else to blame but myself.

- Tim Kane is a freelance drummer, instructor and writer living in Massachusetts. He writes a regular blog for Gibraltar Hardware.

Possibly related posts:

• November 17, 2011 -- Getting The Biggest Bang Out Of Your Bass Drum Pedal
• January 27, 2012 -- Size and equality matter when it comes to band stage set-ups
• January 3, 2012 -- Drummers Should Listen To Sight-Reading Wisdom

Custom Drum Hardware Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: drum hardware, drummer, drummers, drums, education, gigs, sound check, technique, tips

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