Hi all:
After playing around town for years and suffering the club scene, a couple of guys in my band and I want to start a acoustic trio - harp, acoustic guitar, vocals and drums - and play patios, happy hours and street corners. I seriously am thinking about getting a cocktail drumkit. I'm looking at the Peace Manhattan. Tell me, is this a good price for what you get? And also how easy is it to adapt to stand up playing? Also, does anyone know common city laws about playing street corners?
Tom E. Gunn
Newbie Cocktail drummer wannabe
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Tom E. Gunn
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2005 5:53 pm
- Location: California
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Guest
I am currently playing a Slingerland Expresso. It is my first cocktail kit. For about $300 you can't beat it. Check it out at www.musicyo.com. IT is a sit down kit, but it packs and travels very easily. Good luck.
Playing thee streets!
Hi Tommy E.
Welcome to the forums! Every city has different regulations and levels of strictness for playing in streets and subways. Many citys require to to purchase a permit for street playing. Some require signing up for time slots of particularly popular performance spots. In new your you have to audition for some 'street performer series' Check with your local police first also check with other local musicians and managers of venues (shopping centers, restaurants, etc).
I'm curious about your group. WHich kind of 'harp' are you talking about concert pedal harp or harmonica? I used to tour with a singer songwriter where the trio was conert harp, aucoustic guitar, percussion (including cocktail drum) and vocals.
Good luck,
John
Welcome to the forums! Every city has different regulations and levels of strictness for playing in streets and subways. Many citys require to to purchase a permit for street playing. Some require signing up for time slots of particularly popular performance spots. In new your you have to audition for some 'street performer series' Check with your local police first also check with other local musicians and managers of venues (shopping centers, restaurants, etc).
I'm curious about your group. WHich kind of 'harp' are you talking about concert pedal harp or harmonica? I used to tour with a singer songwriter where the trio was conert harp, aucoustic guitar, percussion (including cocktail drum) and vocals.
Good luck,
John
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Tom E. Gunn
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2005 5:53 pm
- Location: California
Uh, no I mean blues harp or harmonica.
Well the guys and I were talking last night and our 'harp' player is somewhat of a backyard mechanic. I have a 14" across by 16" deep (!) Sonor floor tom and we were thinking about somehow mounting a 14" brass piccolo snare on top of the floor with some kind of bracket system to lift the snare. And then with some LP clamps and cymbal arms, VOILA! Instant cocktail drumset. Anyone ever try something like this?
Well the guys and I were talking last night and our 'harp' player is somewhat of a backyard mechanic. I have a 14" across by 16" deep (!) Sonor floor tom and we were thinking about somehow mounting a 14" brass piccolo snare on top of the floor with some kind of bracket system to lift the snare. And then with some LP clamps and cymbal arms, VOILA! Instant cocktail drumset. Anyone ever try something like this?
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Bruce (the K)
Hey Tommy!
Sounds like you've got the cocktail spirit. I think your plan could work great. You don't mention any plans for a footpedal but, as it happens, I may be selling my Peace Manhattan footpedal and bracket that should work with a 14" diameter floor tom. (My wife and daughter just got me a beautiful DW Sidekick pedal so I don't need the Peace pedal anymore.) Email me at bkoller@muircommons.org if you're interested.
Also, you may want to experiment with how you want to isolate the snare from the floor tom. Peace uses a 14" rubber practice pad on the top head of their kick drum and it prevents any buzzing of the snare when you use the pedal (but damps the resonance of the kick drum pretty thoroughly). The other way to tackle it (which might be practical, given that your kick drum would only be 16" instead of 18" like the Peace) would be to use long rods to separate the drums by 4 or 5 inches. I'm not sure how well this would work but, if you use cheap threaded stock for your arms, you can adjust how far apart you put the drums and see how it works. The Peace uses standard Gibraltar floor tom leg brackets as the clamps (3 on the kick and 3 on the snare).
Best of luck and be sure to post some pictures if you get this puppy going.
Bruce (the K)
Sounds like you've got the cocktail spirit. I think your plan could work great. You don't mention any plans for a footpedal but, as it happens, I may be selling my Peace Manhattan footpedal and bracket that should work with a 14" diameter floor tom. (My wife and daughter just got me a beautiful DW Sidekick pedal so I don't need the Peace pedal anymore.) Email me at bkoller@muircommons.org if you're interested.
Also, you may want to experiment with how you want to isolate the snare from the floor tom. Peace uses a 14" rubber practice pad on the top head of their kick drum and it prevents any buzzing of the snare when you use the pedal (but damps the resonance of the kick drum pretty thoroughly). The other way to tackle it (which might be practical, given that your kick drum would only be 16" instead of 18" like the Peace) would be to use long rods to separate the drums by 4 or 5 inches. I'm not sure how well this would work but, if you use cheap threaded stock for your arms, you can adjust how far apart you put the drums and see how it works. The Peace uses standard Gibraltar floor tom leg brackets as the clamps (3 on the kick and 3 on the snare).
Best of luck and be sure to post some pictures if you get this puppy going.
Bruce (the K)
Sonor Cocktail
Hey Tom E.,
Here's two ideas that will involve no drilling to the drums!:
1) if each drum had a gibraltar rims mount
and ludwig-style mounting bracket. You could use a single straight rod going up from the floor tom bracket to mount the snare drum. This way you would have lots of height control and you could pivot the snare around the rod for comfortable positioning. Depending upon how heavy the snare is, it could be a little bouncy on a single mount like that but it should be OK. My guess is your talking about $60 - $100 in hardware.
2) I have always wanted to do this one myself. Find a 14"-ish ring and mount to it 3 or 4 posts that have a rubber padded C channel on each side:
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|----------------------------- (14" ring)
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_
| |
if you get the size right, this 'basket' could sit on the rim of the floor tom (rim in the C channel) and then the snare sits in the C channel on top. If the channel is deep enough or longer on the outside it should be stable just through gravity. Of course if you can figure out a clamp system, that's even better!
If you can find the parts this won't cost much at all except for the time searching and experimanting!
Hope this is helpfull,
John
[/quote]
Here's two ideas that will involve no drilling to the drums!:
1) if each drum had a gibraltar rims mount
and ludwig-style mounting bracket. You could use a single straight rod going up from the floor tom bracket to mount the snare drum. This way you would have lots of height control and you could pivot the snare around the rod for comfortable positioning. Depending upon how heavy the snare is, it could be a little bouncy on a single mount like that but it should be OK. My guess is your talking about $60 - $100 in hardware.
2) I have always wanted to do this one myself. Find a 14"-ish ring and mount to it 3 or 4 posts that have a rubber padded C channel on each side:
|_|
|
|
|----------------------------- (14" ring)
|
|
_
| |
if you get the size right, this 'basket' could sit on the rim of the floor tom (rim in the C channel) and then the snare sits in the C channel on top. If the channel is deep enough or longer on the outside it should be stable just through gravity. Of course if you can figure out a clamp system, that's even better!
If you can find the parts this won't cost much at all except for the time searching and experimanting!
Hope this is helpfull,
John
[/quote]
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mangorockfish
- Posts: 182
- Joined: Wed Jul 14, 2004 10:23 pm
- Location: arkansas
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Bruce (the K)
Hey Mango.
I haven't actually got the pedal yet! I have checked out your posts and I'm curious to see how well the Sidekick works for me. You'll notice that I said I MAY be selling my Peace pedal, which works quite well. It gets kind of complicated, since this new pedal is a gift from my wonderful wife and daughter. (They each kicked in half the cost.)
The situation gets a little touchy, since my wife bought me my first cocktail drum (a standard Yamaha Club Jordan without the optional snare and tom) and then I sold it to buy my current love, my Peace Manhattan. I don't think my wife minded but my daughter disapproved. (She's 12.)
Anyway, I plan on adding one of those heel blocks DW sells to make the angle of the pedal better for a standing player (although you would think DW was thinking of standing players when they put this on their cocktail kit). I notice they also show it being used to give sitting drummers a double-bass effect by using it with a floor tom as a second bass drum pedal so maybe they haven't thought the whole stand-up position thing through yet.
I'll let you know how it goes, once I get it (hopefully in a couple more weeks...)
Bruce (the K)
I haven't actually got the pedal yet! I have checked out your posts and I'm curious to see how well the Sidekick works for me. You'll notice that I said I MAY be selling my Peace pedal, which works quite well. It gets kind of complicated, since this new pedal is a gift from my wonderful wife and daughter. (They each kicked in half the cost.)
The situation gets a little touchy, since my wife bought me my first cocktail drum (a standard Yamaha Club Jordan without the optional snare and tom) and then I sold it to buy my current love, my Peace Manhattan. I don't think my wife minded but my daughter disapproved. (She's 12.)
Anyway, I plan on adding one of those heel blocks DW sells to make the angle of the pedal better for a standing player (although you would think DW was thinking of standing players when they put this on their cocktail kit). I notice they also show it being used to give sitting drummers a double-bass effect by using it with a floor tom as a second bass drum pedal so maybe they haven't thought the whole stand-up position thing through yet.
I'll let you know how it goes, once I get it (hopefully in a couple more weeks...)
Bruce (the K)
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Guest
Another optioin you may want to try:
Before I bought my cocktail kit, I took my floor tom and cut a cradle for it to sit like a small bass drum. Here's what you do: Take two pieces of plywood and bore out a "U" shaped channel that is as wide as the tom. cover the inside edges of the channel with weather stripping so it doesn't gouge the drum.
Connect the two pieces of wood with four large carraige bolts. I found ones that were at least 20 inces long. what you have is the two pieces about 12 or so inches apart, connected with bolts in each corner. you want the tom to rest in the cradle below the lugs so you don't bend them. Use washers and wing nuts to secure the bolts.
To attach the bass pedal, use a piece of wood to clamp to the back of the cradle, or a door hinge. What you have built looks like a baby cradle for the tom, which will sit sideways like a small bass drum. Sort of a poor man's Jungle gig converter kit from Pearl.
You can find different ways to attach snares and cumbals to the tom.
The whole bass conversion cost about $15. It works and doesn't damage the tom when you return it to it's regular configuration.
Before I bought my cocktail kit, I took my floor tom and cut a cradle for it to sit like a small bass drum. Here's what you do: Take two pieces of plywood and bore out a "U" shaped channel that is as wide as the tom. cover the inside edges of the channel with weather stripping so it doesn't gouge the drum.
Connect the two pieces of wood with four large carraige bolts. I found ones that were at least 20 inces long. what you have is the two pieces about 12 or so inches apart, connected with bolts in each corner. you want the tom to rest in the cradle below the lugs so you don't bend them. Use washers and wing nuts to secure the bolts.
To attach the bass pedal, use a piece of wood to clamp to the back of the cradle, or a door hinge. What you have built looks like a baby cradle for the tom, which will sit sideways like a small bass drum. Sort of a poor man's Jungle gig converter kit from Pearl.
You can find different ways to attach snares and cumbals to the tom.
The whole bass conversion cost about $15. It works and doesn't damage the tom when you return it to it's regular configuration.