As musicians, sometimes the more and more we play, the more things can start to sound the same. That can be especially true for drummers, who can feel limited by playing the same types of patterns, grooves, and styles over and over in what seems like an endless loop — almost like some sort of “loop inception.” So, how does one break out of the funk? You know… the bad kind of funk, not the tasty musical variety.
We’re going to explore some fun pieces of percussion equipment that can help make your drum setup greater than the sum of its parts. After all, guitars have their effects pedals, keyboard players have their libraries of patches, and producers have their plug-ins. Who says that drummers can’t join in the fun?
Here are five percussion accessories to expand your drum set possibilities.
A New Snare Drum
First, let’s start with something that’s close to what you’re already used to behind the drum set: using different snare drums. In my experience as an audio engineer, a drummer’s snare is arguably the piece that stands out the most in an overall drum mix, so having the right (or unique) type of snare sound can make a huge difference in the composite result.
Wooden snare drums are made of maple, oak, birch, mahogany, and walnut — and that’s just the start. With wooden shells you’re getting rich sounds with plenty of warmth and depth, and each variety has its own distinct set of characteristics.
In contrast, metal snare drums made of steel, brass, and aluminum are going to be brighter and much more pointed. There are even models made of acrylic and hybrid alloys that fall more in the middle of the two camps.
In addition to the build materials, size matters when it comes to tonal identity. Different depths and widths mean differing amounts of resonance and reverberation.
Swapping out your snare for different shows and projects or even during parts of the same set is a great way to change things up! Just pick something you don’t currently have and try it out. You never know when you might stumble on your next sound.
Specialty Cymbals
When it comes to cymbals, you already know the basic formula — crash cymbals, ride cymbals, and hi-hats are the norm. Well, don’t limit yourself to just those cymbal types when searching for more sound options!
Here’s where specialty cymbals come in. Models with holes, notched patterns, rivets, unorthodox shapes, plus bell cymbals, China cymbals, and all sorts of EFX cymbals can produce some truly memorable sonic colors.
If a cymbal is thicker and more substantial, you’ll be able to explore to deeper and darker timbres. Thinner cymbals have less overall surface area to make a focused, piercing tone plus add volume in the higher end of the frequency spectrum. Raised sections, sharp angles, and the cymbal’s texture (hammered versus smooth) are going to produce different tones based on where and how hard you strike them.
Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste, and other cymbal brands are taking things in exciting new directions with their own takes on specialty cymbals — everything from remixes on their classics to wildly experimental trips to the unknown!
Hand Percussion
Adding hand drums to your setup will really expand the possibilities and introduce some lovely new colors to a song’s collective sound — and they’re not always an obvious choice for set drummers.
A cajon is a great option for creating snappy groove alternatives, while djembes, congas, and bongos will add world flavors and give you different ways to express nuance and dynamics.
Lastly, every drummer should have a collection of hand percussion instruments at their disposal. Tambourines, shakers, woodblocks, and cowbells (which you ALWAYS need more of!) are just the thing to add in a final rhythmic element.
It’s easy to mount hand percussion pieces to your drum kit with specialized hardware and percussion packages. And don’t hesitate to share with other members of the band. After all, it’s a rule that all vocalists have to learn how to play these instruments as part of their duties on stage… *wink wink*
Electronic Drum Sample Pads
If you’re thinking about incorporating some electronic flavor to your playing but don’t want to use a complete electronic drum set, then an electronic drum sample pad is the way to go.
These devices have multiple pressure-sensitive pads designed to mimic the feel of drums in terms of strike and rebound. They’re loaded with all sorts of samples that can be assigned to the specific pads — that means electro sounds, unorthodox noise effects, movie quotes, and more… Seriously, everything is in play!
There are various models with different levels of connectivity and ability to edit at deeper levels, so be sure to take a look at how far you’d like to go. These can easily be mounted to a hardware stand, positioned on a tabletop, and there are even devices that are meant to be triggered by your feet. Electronic drum pads are a great way to exponentially expand your drum sound.
Samplers, Sequencers, and Drum Machines
Back in 80s and 90s (hereby known as “the old days”) before computer music software and DAWs (digital audio workstations) were available to the masses, music with electronic elements relied on hardware machines to provide the sounds and percussion — and these “old-timey” machines are still great additions to any modern drum set!
With a sampler, you take bits and splices of different audio sources and assign them to touchpads that you can trigger to make song fragments, looped beats, and even entire tracks.
Sequencers are for making multi-bar patterns most commonly from pitched audio sources to create sweeping arpeggios and soundscapes. You select the tempo and how many “steps” you want the pattern to be, allowing you to explore ideas with more subdivisions in the beat.
And a drum machine is a programmable machine that you can assign different drum sounds in layers to create your own grooves and fills, all while customizing the tempo and breakdowns much like a sequencer does. No, it won’t replace you. Don’t worry…
Today’s modern devices have blurred the lines between sampler, sequencer, and drum machine,
For the electronic newbies out there, there are many fun, straightforward, “power up and go” types of devices from brands like Korg, Yamaha, and Teenage Engineering that can add different types of tonal flavor to your existing drumming. These price-friendly models usually focus on Lo-fi dub-style beats, glitchy electro sounds, 8-bit chiptune video games, vintage drum sounds from the 80s, and more.
If you really want to see how deep the rabbit hole goes, look at the powerful models from Elektron, Roland, and Akai. These boxes are designed to be standalone performers, complete with their own internal hard drive, operating system, and deep menu for workflow. Basically, this is next-level beatmaking to go with your playing.
You can also find some all-in-one devices like the Octatrack MKII and Digitakt II with direct inputs that allow you to record your own samples directly into them. Then, you can customize each sample inside the device. Clip, splice, pitch shift, add effects, and polish it to your exact liking. Mic your snare drum with a Shure SM57 (or your favorite dynamic mic) and slam out different type of hits or run a pair of overheads to capture different grooves. Why spend all sorts of time searching for drum samples when you can record them yourself!?
Ready to Expand Your Beats?
Now that you have a few ideas about how to expand your drum set, it’s time to get shopping! Sit down and spend a full practice session with hand drums and percussion instruments to explore their unique feels. Technological tools like the samplers, sequencers, and drum machines involve a bit of time to unlock their full potential.
When you’re working with these devices, be sure to not put too much pressure on yourself thinking you can master every feature in record time. Start simple, go slow, and have fun trying new things. Over time you’ll realize you have valuable allies by your side.
Check out all the percussion goodies at AMS and see where the sounds might take you. With our 0% interest financing, VERY fast and free shipping, and industry-leading 45-day return policy, it has never been easier to get the gear you need to break out of your rut and make something magical. Happy playing!
