hi all-
hoping someone can shoot me some advice.
i have a 16x16 floor tom i'd like to try and use more like a cocktail drum [bottom head as kick, etc]. wondering if anyone can give advice on head selection, using a felt, etc, to do sort of a minimal transformation. i dont anticipate using a full cocktail setup or i'd invest; this is more of a sonic experiment that i'd like to try b/c i float between drums & other instruments in the middle of lengthy pieces & want something easy to transport but that i can still get a decent sound out of.
any tips for a newcomer?
thx
nick
looking for some advice
Cool to be floatinig between instruments...something I'm familiar with!
I've noticed that a few of us at this site do just this: upright 16x16 as a big drum in an alternate or main cocktail kit. I play a standing cocktail-style cocktail kiit, but I do some playing sitting with a 16x16 as a kick/tom. I find that there are several ways to approach tuning for this, and muffling techniques seem to be the thing that differentiates them for me.
Alot of this depends on what pitch and note duration you're looking for. One solution is a double ply coated head on top and bottom, tuned so they compliment in pitch. A felt strip at 1/3 the way in on the beater side helps. So does a handful of cotton ball thrown inside - in that case, additional damping by way of tape or moongel on the top head may help. For more of a jazzy sound, tune higher. If you're going to be playing the top head as a tom, you may want a single ply head and may chose to forgoe damping, but note that this will provide for a very ringy...resonant drum. If you go for a low pitch many of us recommend using luglocks on the bottom.
Other factors like beater surface further the variables, but experimentation will be necessary to achieve good results. Goodluck and share your findings.
I've noticed that a few of us at this site do just this: upright 16x16 as a big drum in an alternate or main cocktail kit. I play a standing cocktail-style cocktail kiit, but I do some playing sitting with a 16x16 as a kick/tom. I find that there are several ways to approach tuning for this, and muffling techniques seem to be the thing that differentiates them for me.
Alot of this depends on what pitch and note duration you're looking for. One solution is a double ply coated head on top and bottom, tuned so they compliment in pitch. A felt strip at 1/3 the way in on the beater side helps. So does a handful of cotton ball thrown inside - in that case, additional damping by way of tape or moongel on the top head may help. For more of a jazzy sound, tune higher. If you're going to be playing the top head as a tom, you may want a single ply head and may chose to forgoe damping, but note that this will provide for a very ringy...resonant drum. If you go for a low pitch many of us recommend using luglocks on the bottom.
Other factors like beater surface further the variables, but experimentation will be necessary to achieve good results. Goodluck and share your findings.