Tim B. - SDS Staff Teacher

Hey Julia! That is interesting that you find certain things so much easier with different stick types. I have no scientific evidence to back this up - but I think a LOT of the "I have to have this stick to play XYZ way" is 80% psychology. That certainly doesn't make it invalid. But I've always thought that most of what sticks do for us is make us FEEL a certain way. So it might be a fun "mental exercise" to try and use a certain pair of sticks and not load it with "well this stick makes me play like X" and just try to approach your playing in a less stick dependent way. To give you an analogy. When people are learning stage acting, often the director will say "emote more on stage the audience can't feel it" and the actor will try to emote more not realizing that what they feel is "emoting more" is BARELY noticeable to an audience member. So they have to REALLY EMOTE a ton more than they are comfortable with for it finally translate to the audience. In the same way. I think when we pick up a stick that isn't our "normal stick" it feels SO DIFFERENT from what we usually use, when really it is only a fraction of a measurement here and there of difference.

All on Spotify. All incredible. Drummer on each album in parenthesis. Miles Davis - Four & More (Tony Williams who I believe is like 17 years old when recording this) Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil (Elvin Jones) Art Blakey - Moanin' (Art Blakey) Chick Corea Trio - Trilogy (Brian Blade) Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (Jimmy Cobb)

Oh boy...hmmmm. I've played a LOT of weird gigs. I would need to think on this one a while. Some highlights of one of my more "memorable" gigs: 1. Our rider requested that any venue provide 4 "able boded strong people" to help the crew load in the trailer. We were playing a church and whoever read the rider took that to mean "a class full of 4-8 year old children" 2. It had been POURING rain the entire weekend and the stage was at the bottom of a grassy hill. So the longer we were on stage the more the stage sunk into the mud 3. Since the hill was a ways from the church there was no "power" to the stage (which is a big deal when you have a PA with line array speakers and 4 subs, back line, and an entire light show). So they provided power from TERRIBLE mobile power generators (which cause one of our guitar amps to blow several tubes) 4. During load out, the bus/trailer got stuck in the mud and we had to have a few people with lifted trucks from the church pull us out 5. Randomly one of me great friends from Nashville happened to be at this show in Indiana so I was able to share this weird gig with, not only my band mates and crew, but also my buddy from Nashville haha

I was gifted a cheesy electronic drum pad thing from my dad when I was 9 or 10. Didn't do much with it for about a year, but I started playing around with it and liking it quite a bit. BEGGED my parents for an acoustic drum set. Played it for 6+ hours the first day I had it. The rest is history. haha. Now I've lived in Nashville for 10 years and been a full time musicians my entire "adult" life.

I guess my question is WHYYY have you been thinking about switching? Sometimes I look at the gear I have and think, "ah I've had that for like 10 years - maybe I should try a new one" and I think every time that has been my reasoning...I haven't enjoyed whatever I purchased. I think if the 5000 is getting the job done, don't replace it. BUT, if you feel like the 5000 is lacking for some reason. I would recommend switching beaters before you buy a new pedal. Changing your beater can revolutionize your relationship with the pedal(s) you have. When I go to gigs that have a backline kit, I actually NEVER bring my pedal (unless I'm asked to). I just bring my favorite beater and that puts me right at home on pretty much ANY pedal (unless the pedal is broken and then that just sucks haha). The Vic Kick Felt beater is super compact because of it's shape/design and it is the perfect beater to throw in your stick bag.

@Julia Vic Firth is the best of the best when it comes to customer service. I can't speak highly enough of them as a company. Stephen would completely agree. We have both done several projects with them over the years and they are just top-to-bottom an incredible company. And yes, the composition of a stick doesn't just change your experience/grip. Sticks with different mass will make your drums and cymbals sound different. Sticks with different tips will change the way your playing sounds. But I try not to get TOO caught up in playing with different sticks. It can be an endless blackhole. I would say find 1 or 2 sticks that feel super comfortable to you and get you the desired sound and stick with them a while. I never want to feel like "gear" is how I get my sound. The bulk of your sound/tone/feel should always be generated from our technique and conceptual approach to the drums. I should be able to make ANY snare drum, any cymbal, any tom, sound good if I have proper technique and I've worked on my musicianship. Having the right stick only makes my job easier, but it shouldn't define whether I can get the job done or not. If that makes sense.

@Justin these are great suggestions! The first outdoor festival I ever played was on a 100+ degree day and I hadn't had a lot of water. Uncovered stage. I almost passed out. Drink a ton of water. Check the weather. And pack tarps in your hardware case. You never know what you'll want to cover up, and when you'll want to cover it up. Could be the heat or rain that makes you want to protect your gear (especially laptops and electronic drum pads). Don't count on the venue/festival to provide proper cover or anything. haha.

hahahaha. Wow. Seems like you've really had a go of it. Playing "house kits" is something anyone that has ever gigged in Nashville has been forced to get used to. Most venues in Nashville have a drum set that lives in the venue (aka the 'house kit') and that is what everyone will play throughout the night. This is because on any given night there might be 5 different bands/artists that are playing. And it is much easier to share a drum kit than have 5 different set up/tear downs. SO. My suggestion to anyone that might be using someone else's kit or a house kit: 1. Bring your own snare. It is, by far, the drum you'll hit the most throughout the night and having your own snare assures you feel "at home" behind the kit even if the rest of the kit is foreign to you. 2. Bring your own cymbals. This is because you can't really "tune" cymbals, what you get is what you get. So whatever your sound is your cymbals really lock you into that - bringing your own cymbals assures you have 'your sound' where ever you are. Cymbals are also one of the more breakable components on a drum kit, so bringing your own avoids breaking someone else's and having to deal with that. 3. Bring your own kick pedal. This isn't always necessary, but it never hurts to throw it in the car so you have it incase you need it. I usually just travel with my favorite kick drum beater and that gets me what I need. 4. Bring extra cymbal felts, washers, sleeves. Playing house kits can be ROUGH so any kind of "fix it on the go" solution you can throw in your stick bag is good. I also always have a multitool that has pliers, screwdriver, knife, etc. You never know what will be fixing. SO. That is what I would do if I was going to play a house kit. Sometimes I even bring my own snare stand because you never know what the venue will stick you with. If someone else is going to be playing your kit. Try and reach out to their band leader, tour manager, the venue coordinator, etc and set some guidelines for all the people that will be using your kit. I would tell them to bring their own cymbals, snare, and kick pedal. That minimizes the amount of damage that can be done. In all my years of touring, I've found that most people that use kits that aren't their own are usually pretty kind to them. Just know that if some random person is going to be using your kit...those heads might be totally dented/destroyed after. But I always had whatever band/artist I played for replace them if they were really torn up. That is part of the business and should be charged as such. haha.

Hey @Justin - to me, there are a LOT of things that can make a "memorable gig". I think most of my most memorable gigs weren't all that memorable from what happened on stage. Certainly there are shows that were amazing (and terrible) while on stage and I remember them. But I think the more "memorable shows" for me have happened because of what took place off the stage. I'll be honest, when playing shows over and over and over every day. The same music. It gets really hard to have a show "stand out" because of how amazing the music was. But I met SO MANY PEOPLE touring all over the world. And THOSE are the shows I remember. I have friends that stop by and stay with my wife and me for 2-4 days at a time - and many of them are people I met before and after shows. Maybe they were volunteering for the show I was playing. A few are drummers I met at the signing table after shows where we talked for an hour about drums. THOSE to me are the shows I can list off of things that stayed with me all these years. That said, in the moment - there is NOTHING better than the band/crowd/venue/mix/etc all syncing together and making a perfect storm that you can just kind of get lost in. My favorite shows I've ever had on stage were the ones that were "effortless" and fun.

Julia - yes! Glad to hear you are progressing. That song is actually tougher than it seems at first. Stephen and I have thought about maybe swapping out that song for something else that is a little easier.

Hey all! I'm ALWAYS playing Vic Firth sticks. The two pairs I go between are the 5B barrel tip for most rock/pop/country/CCM and the SD2 "bolero" stick for anything that needs CRAZY cymbal definition, jazz, and lighter stuff. I never used to believe in the "different sticks for different genres" but over the years I've found that the tip of a stick can make ALL of the difference in the sound of your playing (most notably cymbals). Because of that, I like to have my bases covered with always have a pair of each of these Vic Firth varieties.

Exciting stuff! I'll go first...but I have a few different kits to post. Red carpet is my studio kit (the one the is miced and ready to go for recording). 1970s Rogers with a few different snares I choose between. Second picture is my tama starclassic in the opposite corner. This is the kit my students play when they are over. Roland TD-20 is what I spend my time practicing on. I got it 12 years ago and I find practicing on it helps keep my focused as the sounds aren't that inspiring. Sometimes, on a real kit, I get distracted if I sit down and the snare sounds super great or something. I'll end up being inspired by that and jam for 20 minutes and not focus on the actual work I was planning on getting to for my practice session. haha.