Drummer Talk 229 – Spotlight on Salyers Percussion
I sit down with Bruce Salyers of Salyers Percussion on today’s episode to talk mallet wrapping, entrepreneurship, and business success.
sticks
Vater Releases Gospel Sticks
Looks like gospel drumming is everywhere we turn these days. After a wonderful night at the Teddy Campbell clinic at Memphis Drum Shop Tuesday (review coming on this week’s show), looks like today that Vater has released several models of gospel sticks. Not sure how these sticks are customized for gospel drumming. The finish looks like the same from the Zildjian Travis Barker signatures, which I recall despising. We’ll have to try some out and see. Comment away if you’ve tried out the sticks. Let us know what you think!
Vater Unveils Jazz Sticks
Source: Harmony Central
The new Legends of Jazz Series features stick models from master Jazz drummers Jimmy Cobb, Chico Hamilton and Charli Persip. With over 1,000 albums recorded between them, Cobb, Hamilton and Persip are musical legends. Each model was designed to meet their individual sound and feel preferences.
Vic Firth Unveils Lenny White Signature Stick
In what seems like a “why did they wait so long” kind of story, Vic Firth has recently unveiled a new Lenny White Signature stick to correspond with White’s reunion with Return 2 Forever and their tour.
The stick is 16″ long and .580″ in diameter – between and 5A and 5B. Think Erkine ride stick with a beefier tip.
There are lots of cool videos and more over at VF.com’s Lenny White page.
Chico Hamilton Joins Vater
Source: Drummerszone.com
Legendary jazz drummer and bandleader Chico Hamilton, born September 21st, 1921 in Los Angeles, had a fast track musical education in a band with his schoolmates Charles Mingus, Illinois Jacquet, Ernie Royal, Dexter Gordon, Buddy Collette and Jack Kelso.
Chico’s engagements with Lionel Hampton, Slim & Slam, T-Bone Walker, Lester Young, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Barnett, Billy Eckstine, Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., Billie Holiday, Gerry Mulligan and six years with Lena Horne established this young West Coast prodigy as a jazz drummer on the rise, before striking out on his own as a bandleader in 1955.
Chico Hamilton is now playing the Vater Chico Hamilton model, Retractable Wire Brush and T-4 Mallets.
How to Hold a Drum Stick (An Actual Paper I Wrote for English Class)
I wrote this drumming related paper at 10:53 PM on April 3rd for an English class I have at 8:00 AM April 4th. Procrastination, thy name is JABB.
If you’re like me, you will be strolling along one day, minding your own business when all of a sudden you will be hit with an earth-shattering realization. “I don’t know the best way to hold a pair of drumsticks!”You will scream to the sky, most likely in a public place where loud noises are frowned upon – could be a library, possibly a funeral, maybe in a crowded restroom. To avoid the above scenario the only possible defense is a good offense. You need to learn how to hold a pair of drumsticks before the socially ostracizing event occurs. I have produced this piece of literature to help combat the effects of not knowing how to hold a pair of drumsticks. However! it is not a substitute for proper instruction with a professional drumstick holder (a.k.a. drummer.) If your drumstick holding worries persist, please contact your local Guitar Center and explain your situation to the guy in the room with the big wooden circles (a.k.a. drums) he will be able to help. Read more
Son of How It’s Made – Vic Firth Sticks
Promo video of the Vic Firth Manufacturing process.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pL5EhqblxI]
New Finishes from Hotsticks
Hotsticks, the world’s leader in whacked, graphic sticks has just announced three new Artistick finishes.
While I applaud these guys for leading the industry in the graphic stick market (they were the first and only player in the colored sticks market back in the day), I just can’t get on board with full color printed sticks. Especially sticks which sport bikini-clad women, 1990’s tribal tats, or “da benjamins!” Cool as a novelty, but you’re not gonna earn respect at the gig with any of these puppies. Let me upload my OWN artwork, and now we’re talking … maybe.
The new finishes are available in Hotstick’s standard sizes and have either wood or nylon tips. These may look “cool,” but beware – they can mark the HECK out of your heads and cymbals. Just ask my 9th grade drumset. It knows it and how.
Pro-Mark Unveils new Stick Sleeves
Source: Drummerzone.com
After nearly 18 months of planning and preparation, Pro-Mark Corporation has rolled out an entirely new packaging concept for it drumstick line. The new packaging is based on a color-coding system for the nearly 200 different models Pro-Mark has.
Gear Review – Vic Firth Tala Wands
These are Tala Wands. The top one is the smaller and more sticklike bamboo version and the bottom one is the bigger birch model and feels more like a rod in the traditional sense of the word. These things came into being when Steve Smith started getting into indian rhythms. He started playing with giants in indian music like his current favorite drummer Zakir Hussain.
He noticed that the drum-set, when played with sticks, was overpowering the other instruments. So he switched to rods. Problem with rods were that they lacked rebound. So he says “I need a rod with bounce” and no later than he uttered those words he was presented with not one but two models of rods that fit the bill. Read more