What drummers need for a gig

Brodown

Member
I've only had a small amount of experience gigging, and now that I'm back with my band I was just wondering what the essential items I need to buy for gigging are. I have recently been buying new cymbals, a better snare, (I have 2 spare snares) cymbal case, I just ordered a snare case and will probably get a cymbal stand case soon. Is it essential to have cases for all your drums including your bass drum? Also any other things a drummer needs before gigging regularly, I have my own car, hopefully I can save for a van eventually
 
I use padded bags instead of hard cases, they do less damage to your car when shoving them in. Also, pack extras of essential things that may break. Pedal springs, keys, snare wire string. I bring a towel and always bring a rug in case the floor is slippery, it will keep your bass drum from sliding away. my bass drum bag has a large pocket and in it I keep an extra head for every drum. they are used but will work in a pinch. a hardware is a good ide, you can put all of your stands in and make one trip. same with a good cymbal bag, make sure it has a shoulder strap, that way you can haul another piece of your kit while the cymbal bag is over your shoulder. also a nice stick bag with extra stick, brushes if needed and extra keys etc.
 
Agreed on the spare parts, and especially the bags. They're lighter, take up less space, and typically cost less than cases, and are easier to carry multiples thanks to their straps (you can carry the cymbal bag and a kick over your shoulders!) If using a cart to move your gear, they stack just as nicely.

Bermuda
 
Hyde covered it pretty well.

I don't think you'll need a van to transport your drums unless you have a very small car or a huge kit. I have a small '05 BMW M3 and it'll swallow up my whole 6 pc kit + hardware in one go with room for guitars. I have to admit it looks comical driving around with the kick in the passenger seat but again I had no issues with space.
 
Whether you're gigging, or touring, or going into the studio.......

Put a roll of premium quality toilette paper in your gear-bag.

You're welcome.
 
What they said, especially on the odds and sods - springs, felts, washers, tension rods, etc.

One thing you might find useful is the barrel of a disposable Bic pen, the kind with a cap. Like these:

BIC_RS_Stick.gif


I take the ink cylinder thingy out of it and stick the barrel - in the picture, the bit with the lettering on - in one of the outside pockets of my stick bag. If I lose/break/chew through a cymbal-stand sleeve, I cut a length of it off with a cigar cutter I also keep in my stick bag (specifically for that purpose, as I don't smoke cigars). I have a cymbal stand that has had one of these "just for the gig" sleeves on the post for the past six weeks, and it's still going strong.

Plus

packing-week-duct-tape4.jpg


Duct tape is the force which binds the universe together. There is a light side and a dark side.

Have fun!
 
Here is an idea to consider: For extra parts, consider just putting them in your cars glove box and leave them there, assuming you always drive the same vehicle to gigs. That way you always have them and you don't have to worry about breaking or loosing any of the spare parts. If you tend to break heads, you can leave extras in the same spot (in your trunk) as your spare tire, and just leave them there. It it much easier than lugging even more stuff into every venue. :) Folks here already have mentioned the importance of cases, hard or soft, if you want to protect your gear while moving it. Especially if you have help loading or unloading. :)
 
Yeah the spare parts ideas are good. But in reality the band and the audience will not want to wait as you "work on your drums".

In my view the only things you need are spare sticks, a spare snare drum, a spare bass drum pedal and one spare bass drum batter head.

If anything else breaks you can easily play without it.

It would be nice to carry a complete drum shop around with you, but you don't need to.

.
 
Thanks for the replies, I meant snare and cymbal bags, I just confuse them with the hard cases sometimes.

Spare snares and bass drum pedals (which would mean I wouldn't need the snare wire or bass drum springs) of course are essential, but I have been able to just patch up bass heads before with duct tape if that disaster were to occur.

The van is more so that my whole band can fit their gear in as well, in the meantime they'll have to figure out another way of getting themselves and their amps to a gig.

I'm probably over thinking this at the moment, but I'm going to invest some more money into drum bags, a few extra things for my drums (new tom skins etc) some other things you guys mentioned then I should be set, and its up to the rest of my band to figure out what they need.
 
A full set of heads (they can be used). A carpet. A back up pedal. Spare drum keys. These are necessities to guard against catastrophic events. Cases are great, hard or soft they will make your job easier, get some as soon as you can.
 
I've only had a small amount of experience gigging, and now that I'm back with my band I was just wondering what the essential items I need to buy for gigging are. I have recently been buying new cymbals, a better snare, (I have 2 spare snares) cymbal case, I just ordered a snare case and will probably get a cymbal stand case soon. Is it essential to have cases for all your drums including your bass drum? Also any other things a drummer needs before gigging regularly, I have my own car, hopefully I can save for a van eventually

The case idea is negligible. If you're traveling alone in your own car and moving your stuff on your own, you might be able to get away without them. The reason I have cases is that I ride in an open pickup truck, and other people move my gear, or the gear gets stacked on a roller to move into the venue. But along with the extra snare, I also recommend the extra set of heads and an extra bass drum pedal. Everything else can be rigged somehow, or not used, but it's hard to get along without snare drum or bass drum. I'm assuming you have enough sticks, so pedal and heads are my two biggest ones.
 
As per Bo, I ditched cases about 4 years ago. It's so much easier. Wrapped drums are your friend.

A couple sheets of clear laminating plastic (the kind where you peel off a backing) will repair a bass drum rip and get you through till break time without stopping the proceedings.

A drum key on your keychain in case you forget your real drum key. A little flashlight is a lifesaver sometimes.

Plus what everyone else said.

Don't forget the windchimes. :)

Or the cape.

Haga!
 
A drum key on your keychain in case you forget your real drum key. A little flashlight is a lifesaver sometimes.

Yes, those keychain drum keys are real life-savers, in the instances where you accidentally drop your drum key on a dark stage. Also, there are these little LED keychain flashlights you can get for, like, $1.50 at hardware stores which work SO much better than using your cellphone as a flashlight.

I bought 2 lengths of bulk plastic tubing from the hardware store as well, 3 feet each, one of them for size 6 cymbal stands, and one for size 8 cymbal stands. I have snipped off little half inch and one inch segments to put in my stick bag, and while I never need them for MY equipment, I play on house/shared kits enough that I am prepared to protect my cymbals on somebody else's stand (and I consider it a "good deed" to donate it to them...). After 10 years, I am not even halfway through either of the lengths.

Extra snare wires, snare strings/straps, heads, etc. are all good when you're on tour and you have time between gigs or sets to repair your equipment, but in the heat of an actual gig, it's best to have a spare snare and bass drum pedal on hand within reach for a quick remedy. That said, I have never brought any nor needed any. *fingers crossed*
 
Here is an idea to consider: For extra parts, consider just putting them in your cars glove box and leave them there, assuming you always drive the same vehicle to gigs.

This is a smart idea whether you have 1 or 2 or 3 vehicles, and I highly recommend two or three pair of sticks as well, separate from your primary stick bag.

I recently did a gig where I had a little hardware bag coordination earlier that day, and my stick bag got separated from the rest of my gear in the car. When I went to the gig that evening, I discovered I didn't have sticks! Normally, I keep a small stick bag with a few pair in each drum transport vehicle, but for some reason, it had also been removed. Fortunately, there was a Sam Ash about 15 minutes away, and I bought two pair of sticks that were suitably close to the Vic Firth AJ5 I was going to use, and did the gig without any hitches. BUT, it would have saved time and money and anxiety if I'd simply made sure there was a spare stick bag in each vehicle at all times (which I do now...)

Bermuda
 
I have one of those little plastic storage boxes, about 5"x8"x5" with a latched top. In it I keep a roll of black gaffer tape, some sticky hand muffling material, a few spare drum keys, a phillips screwdriver, a hex set, a pair of pliers, a pen and mechanical pencil, a bottle of bike chain oil for my pedals, a spare multi-clamp, and an assortment of wingnuts, wingbolts, cymbal sleeves and felts, a spare hi-hat clutch, and some spare tension rods. I usually take along a spare snare or a spare snare head. Don't forget a rug, an extension cord or multi-plug power strip, a bottle of water, a fan, and a towel. There, you're all set!
 
I have a spare drum key and a couple of pair of sticks in by hardware bag and also in my bass pedal case. If I should forget my stick bag I can still play the gig.

Spare heads fit inside the bass drum head box so take them, they weigh nothing. A spare snare and a spare bass pedal are essential, along with a spare hi-hat clutch. Most other breakages can be got round with duct tape zip ties and an adjustable spanner.
 
For cases my recommendation for typical weekly gigging would be what I consider mid weight hard shell plastic (eg hardcase or enduro). I have had mine for many many years, other than the straps they are solid so you only have to buy once. I will caveat this by saying I gig fairly expensive gear / Yamaha MCAN or on occasion an expensive stave kit so I want to protect it. I can also see the point in buying a cheap kit and not bothering with any protection (this works for some, just not me).

If you and only you are moving your gear soft cases are fine but in my experience hard cases become essential even at a fairly moderate level of gigging (once or twice a week). What happens is others "help" move your kit and equipment starts to take a knock or two via opening swing doors, gear falling off loading trollies and drum gear being shared in van / truck with weighter guitar cabs or pa gear. Soft cases do very little to protect the drums they do however I agree protect the inside of vehicles

As for spares, yes I have sticks, gaff a tape, spare HHS clutch and drum key just in case. These back ups have saved my behind on more than one occasion when my stick bag went missing in action.
 
Sticks, 2nd snare drum, bass drum head. I also carried one of these -

4CASELG.jpg


I kept my stick back in there along with a Swiss Army knife, electrical tape, duct tape, interchangeable screwdriver, adjustable wrench, pencils, bass drum beater.

I wish I'd carried a 2nd snare drum stand though. When that breaks, that's a problem.
 
Plus another one on the comments about the audience not waiting for a fix. I always have a spare snare drum sitting behind me. Parts are in the hardware bag so I can fix it during the break. But I need to be able to keep a beat on the next tune. Thus the spare.

I like Larry's idea of the plastic sheets. I do carry a spare kick batter head in the bag for the drum. Also a spare snare head so I can fix the one I wanted to play and use it. But being able to get back in action after 15 seconds counts for a lot.

Flashlight, tools, and gaff tape. I keep duct tape away from the stage if at all possible. Great for tears in canvas and HVAC work, but it gums up heads, cables and everything else it gets wrapped around. I've kept stands up by wrapping gaff tape around them. And then been able to clean them up when I fixed them. And I have gotten though the set with gaff tape on the kick. But I think Larry's sheets would work better.

If I'm the host band at a jam or someone else is going to be playing my kit, a spare kick pedal. Sometimes if it's a really important gig like a wedding or corporate thing, I'll bring a spare as they aren't going to tolerate unscheduled breaks.
 
Some really good points, however I have had a bad experience taping up a busted kick head with gaff a tape on a kit share. By the time my band were on stage the previous drummers kick beaters had worn through the outer and my beater literally stuck to the glue so I had to flick under the footboard to get the beater to return. I have only ever busted through a snare head once in 25 + years so I don't see this as a vital spare. This is surprising as a hit medium hard, but even std ambassadors can take massive punishment. I suspect the problems arise with big temp changes. Eg drums from garage to centre stage with hot lights.

I like the stick back plastic idea to just patch n play.
 
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