One cool thing about playing drums is that because it’s a percussive instrument, the sky’s the limit when it comes to changing the sound or the way we play, so there are always new gadgets coming out.
We have a whole treasure chest (or tickle trunk, for any Canadian readers) full of small kitschy drum-related items. Jared tested 14 of them in the studio so you don’t have to!
The description: Hang this over a cymbal to add tambourine jingles to every hit. It works like a sizzle.
The verdict: It sounds cool, but it’s kind of in the way.
The description: It’s a cymbal topper that keeps the cymbal spinning once you give it some momentum. It’s supposed to give the cymbal a sort of vibrato.
The verdict: It does sound a bit different than striking a ‘stationary’ cymbal.
The description: This gadget is for dampening a snare drum. It comes in different sizes; the bigger it is, the more dampening you get.
The verdict: This is really effective and super cool!
The description: These colored foams replace your standard cymbal felts.
The verdict: They look cool, but don’t seem to make a difference while playing. However, the bigger ones work (from the Moderator series) to reduce unwanted overtones and volume.
The description: Instead of a standard wingnut, these cymbal toppers use a pinch-release mechanism for fast changeovers.
The verdict: These making changing cymbals crazy quick. Total win.
The description: This system makes it easy to quickly change your bass drum beater. Once you’ve connected it to your pedal, you can change the beater head in seconds.
The verdict: This makes it easy and quick to change beater, It’d probably be handy in the studio.
The description: These reusable sound control pads reduce overtones and change the sound of drums or cymbals.
The verdict: We use these at the Drumeo studio all the time, so there’s your answer.
The description: The DrumDial measures the tension of each rod. As you move around the head, it’ll help you evenly tune the drum.
The verdict: It’s a great tool, but it isn’t a replacement for developing your ear. The DrumDial doesn’t tell you if the drum sounds good; it’s to be used as a guide to get the drum evenly tensioned before you fine-tune.
The description: Put this gadget on each tension rod and it’ll help you turn them evenly.
The verdict: It’s not bad, but we find the DrumDial easier to use.
The description: These spiky pads attach to bass drum spurs to prevent the bass drum from sliding on any type of floor.
The verdict: Unfortunately we couldn’t properly try them out in this video.
The description: If you want to make a clapping or whip-cracking sound, that’ll do the trick.
The verdict: Like many percussion instruments, this is probably only useful in certain contexts.
The description: This stretchy ring wraps around a cymbal to mute it.
The verdict: It may have been a little tough to put on, but it works! This is a really cheap solution for anyone who wants to mute a cymbal but have it still feel like a regular cymbal.
The description: Low Boy makes awesome-looking beaters with customizable options.
The verdict: This beater felt really light, so if you usually play heavy beaters it might take some getting used to.
The description: Like a set of hi-hats, this contraption essentially consists of a ‘garbage can lid’ and a piece of wood with chains on it.
The verdict: It’s trashy sounding when you hit it, and jingly sounding when you open-close.
That’s it. What should we test next?
*This article contains affiliate links, which means we might earn a small commission from the product seller if you make a purchase. For more info, check out our privacy page.
By signing up you’ll also receive our ongoing free lessons and special offers. Don’t worry, we value your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time.
/marketing/drumeo/lead-gen/easy-rudiments/blog.webp)
Nail your rudiments and improve your drumming.
Easy Rudiments is your simplified guide to learning the 15 rudiments you’ll actually use on a drum set.
No credit card. No spam.
Just enter your email to get your free e-book:
Don’t worry, we value your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time.
