Hand Drums and sticks (oxymoron I know)

[jmlovorn]

I'm sure this question has probably been posed before. I'm looking to add the hand drum sound to some of my playing but want to do it without having to drop and pick up sticks. Are there any hand drums that could possibly stand up to stick playing or am I likely to just waste money and screw up a decent drum?

[Drumbledore]

Well, NEVER do that with a goatskin head that's for sure, so don't do that with a djembe! However, if you're using a light "multi-rod" such as Pro-Mark Cool Rods or those made by Wincent (and I know Bongobro must be absolutely frowning at me for saying this!) you could get away with playing them on a thicker conga or bongo head (or if say the head is of Mylar plastic manufacture eg: Remo)....but please BE CAREFUL and do not do it if you cannot hit lightly. I myself when doing percussion have to sometimes "time it" when going from timbales to shakers to congas and back again....fortunately my LP Travel Conga's don't have animal hide heads (my cheap "real" ones do), but even then a timbale stick is a little lighter than a normal drumstick.

[jmlovorn]

Thanks...That's pretty much the consensus that I've gotten. I actually have a novicely priced djembe and would never hit it with a stick just because I like it so much. I almost killed my roommate when I heard him in the band room playing on it with a stick. I guess I was just looking for a way to cheat around having to drop sticks.

[Locky305]

stick bag on your hihat:D

[Gretschhead]

stick bag on your hihat:D

Or you could try one of those trays that mount on a cymbal stand, I've used them in the past and they worked pretty well. If you must hit your hand drums with a stick I would suggest using a yarn or felt mallet of some sort so you don't damage the skin, though you would probably have just as much an issue trying to swap to the mallets.

If you don't care about ruining the skin, then there really isnt a problem. Possibly a seperate synthetic head that you could swap out specifically for playing with sticks? Just be careful to not hit the bearing edges, as that would definitely cause damage over time since they aren't protected by the rim like a drum set.

[bongobro]

Only slightly frowning, Drumbledore!

If you're not careful, a few misplaced shots will tear up a skin head and/or the bearing edge in no time. (Doesn't do much for some synthetic skins, either.)

Having said that, if you must do such a thing, I would (and even have!) use Hot Rods or a very soft padded mallet on hand drums. You could probably get the same effect out of using a high-pitched tom or RotoTom, but hand drummers are also notorious for experimenting!

OR, if you can spare a set of bongos that can withstand the hard knocks, you may want to reserve one specifically for sticking...

[Drumbledore]

Only slightly frowning, Drumbledore!

If you're not careful, a few misplaced shots will tear up a skin head and/or the bearing edge in no time. (Doesn't do much for some synthetic skins, either.)

Having said that, if you must do such a thing, I would (and even have!) use Hot Rods or a very soft padded mallet on hand drums. You could probably get the same effect out of using a high-pitched tom or RotoTom, but hand drummers are also notorious for experimenting!

OR, if you can spare a set of bongos that can withstand the hard knocks, you may want to reserve one specifically for sticking...

One drum you never, ever, ever (on pain of death) hit with a pair of sticks though are these babies.....

[bongobro]

Got it, mate!

[Jerry Bembe]

I disagree with the popular opinion here. In Uraguay the drumming is all done with hand and stick. Much like Brazilian Batucada which uses drum core type drumming but with hand and stick.

The purpose of the hand and stick is there is a wide range of tonality options with dampening the head with your hand while striking it with a stick and you can shape the open tone of the open note with how you dampen the decay of the open note.

In Uraguay they play drums (8", 12" and 16" heads) that resemble congas but they are lighter and they have a fatter belly and they are often 30" high luike congas. I own the middle drum with a 12" head and I plan to use it like a tumba.

When playing with a stick I reccomend using a tamborim split "whippy" stick with 1-3 bunched plastic beaters. It is simalar to the bundle sticks and the bundle sticks could also do. If a heavy stick is used then you need a heavy head on the drum.

Personally, I love to play with the 2 handed open/closed note style. Back in 1990 I learned how to play Samba with the "Chicago Samba School" and I played with them for about 1 year. Chicago Saba is the current name for this great musical group. I highly reccomend this to anybody looking for a great time and lots of beautiful women.

Jerry

[Drumbledore]

I disagree with the popular opinion here. In Uraguay the drumming is all done with hand and stick. Much like Brazilian Batucada which uses drum core type drumming but with hand and stick.

The purpose of the hand and stick is there is a wide range of tonality options with dampening the head with your hand while striking it with a stick and you can shape the open tone of the open note with how you dampen the decay of the open note.

In Uraguay they play drums (8", 12" and 16" heads) that resemble congas but they are lighter and they have a fatter belly and they are often 30" high luike congas. I own the middle drum with a 12" head and I plan to use it like a tumba.

When playing with a stick I reccomend using a tamborim split "whippy" stick with 1-3 bunched plastic beaters. It is simalar to the bundle sticks and the bundle sticks could also do. If a heavy stick is used then you need a heavy head on the drum.

Personally, I love to play with the 2 handed open/closed note style. Back in 1990 I learned how to play Samba with the "Chicago Samba School" and I played with them for about 1 year. Chicago Saba is the current name for this great musical group. I highly reccomend this to anybody looking for a great time and lots of beautiful women.

Jerry

Cool, thanks for your input Jerry...if I haven't said it before, welcome to Drumchat!

Your point's pretty valid, as I have seen a number of drums with animal hide heads being struck with sticks. See, the thing is that every different type of drum from all the myriad cultures around the planet do have different techniques. So when a newcomer to the world of percussion sees say, a djembe, conga, tabla or darbuka player playing with their hands, they would naturally assume that all "hand drums" are in fact sticks free, which in fact not all are.

For example, I own an African talking drum that you strike with a crooked stick and am the proud owner of several Irish bodhrans. Mind you, in parts of Ireland, such as in Kerry County, so I've been told, they play it with a bare hand rather than the cipin/kipper (stick). The bodhran itself is a direct cousin of the Arabic duff, which is also played with the hands, albeit the Irish play with a very different hand technique. Or, take Indian drumming. Now, if you see tablas or mridangams (a South Indian hand drum, tablas are from the north) being played, you'd assume that all Indian drums are "stick free", right? Wrong, there's this, the dhol:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOip8_q9xJc"]YouTube - Dhol Federation Jamming Up[/ame]

Mind you, it's the "bass head" (the one played with a crooked stick) that is a natural head, nowadays all dhol drums have a plastic head for playing on the other side.

[Droadcman]

I would agree and say there are definitely no rules that you must follow. As a percussionist, I would use a cheese grater, propane tank and a set of chop sticks if it achieved the sound I was looking for.

That being said,i would never use sticks on my congas (LP Patatos), in fear of damaging the drum and the head. However, i know synthetic heads (I use Remo Nuskyn) can handle stick playing and do so quite well. I have nuskyns on my LP fiberglass bongos and once every blue moon, when it is called for, I might use sticks or mallets. Just watch the rim shots haha

I think bongobro mentioned it and I agree. A set of bongos with synthetic heads will be perfect and sound great!

Btw, I am brand new here, so hello to all!

[LudwigLifer]

Welcome Droadcman.

I would stick to hands on my "hand drums" because with my luck,I would be denting the bearing edges.If I don`t do it,it won`t happen.I have an old set of Octobans that give that high pitched hand drum sound without the warmth of wood tho.They are all 6" heads with varying length shells.I thought they gave me the option of the sound without dropping sticks.Just thought I would throw that out there as an alternate option.

[Jack Keck]

Has anyone tried Vater Monster Brushes on any hand drums? I've tried them on my Remo djembes and a pair of congas and have heard of them being used on cajons. I don't have a picture of them, but they are blue plastic burshes that are about an inch thick.