{"id":7020,"date":"2024-04-12T02:06:34","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T06:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tubridy.net\/newblog\/?page_id=7020"},"modified":"2025-07-21T06:10:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T10:10:39","slug":"drumming-%f0%9f%a5%81","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.tubridy.net\/newblog\/drumming-%f0%9f%a5%81\/","title":{"rendered":"Drumming \ud83e\udd41\ud83e\ude98\ud83e\ude87"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My newest drum set!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the Beginning<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some Years Later<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current Experience<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Traditional Set<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Electronic Set<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mongo Bongo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sonic \ud83d\udd14 Energy \u26a1\ufe0f<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notes<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In the Beginning<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"First\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
The first set of drums \ud83d\ude0e<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I first remember asking Mom if I could turn over the cooking pots on the kitchen floor and banging on them with wooden spoons! When I was about 12, Mom decided my brother and I needed to play a musical instrument. I remember going with her to a music store in town and them asking me what I wanted to play. I said, ‘Drums!’ they said, ‘No – you will learn to play the guitar because you can’t play drums by yourself’ (WTF!!!). That lasted for about two weeks before I quit and took a stand. Eventually, they broke down, and I got a set of Sears drums for Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Garage\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Our first performance was in my parents’ garage when I was in the 9th grade on my new Sears drums!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Our first performance took place in my garage one evening when my parents were out. I vividly recall a neighbor stopping by and inquiring about the source of the \u2018Hawaiian\u2019 noises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Eddie<\/a><\/figure>
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Later, I formed a band with my neighborhood friends. We had various names, such as the Dead Peach, Dark Star, and Second Childhood. In 11th grade, my Sears set was replaced by a professional Ludwig set. It had two mounted toms, a floor tom, Zildjian hi-hats, and a couple of Zildjian cymbals. As a bonus, it came with traveling bags and a large case for the hardware and snare. I remember having a massive 24\u201d ride and the drums had a silver sparkle finish. I ripped off the finish and replaced it with black Naugahyde. I played them with the heads off because I never knew how to tune them properly. \ud83d\ude06<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We played anything we could<\/em>, but think of a mediocre Allman Brothers garage band, and you will get the idea \ud83d\ude0f. We played in the jazz band during my senior year as the rhythm section. We got to take a cruise ship trip and perform on it. It was a lot of fun! Our band won first place at the senior high school talent contest by playing an Allman Brothers tune. I had achieved my dream of becoming a rock star!<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Eddie\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Playing on the cruise ship in the Jazz band – 1973. I am just right of the director.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I graduated from community college and moved to California to pursue college. To make ends meet, I sold my drums. I was broke and didn\u2019t want to lug a set around in college. Additionally, my dreams of becoming a rock and roll star faded away, \ud83e\udd23. I always thought I\u2019d return to them someday, but I always kept a pair of sticks and a practice pad!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b3 Back to top<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some Years Later<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 1997, while residing in Atlanta, I purchased a new set of Ludwig drums featuring a natural Maple finish and Zildjian cymbals. Remarkably, it\u2019s the same basic set that I used in high school! After a prolonged hiatus of over two decades, I decided to resume playing the drums. One significant regret in my life is that I didn\u2019t continue playing, but gradually, over the past two decades, I\u2019ve finally improved to the point where I can at least impress myself, at least \ud83d\ude0f.<\/p>\n\n\n

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1997: After quitting playing over twenty years earlier, I bought a new Ludwig drum set.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This set has undergone significant changes over the past two and a half decades! At its peak, it expanded to include bells, a gong, and timbales. However, when I downsized my home about a decade ago, I had to let go of a considerable portion of the kit. Recently, I\u2019ve added chime cymbals, new gongs, and numerous bells and blocks to my collection.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Acoustic drum collection in Atlanta in 2010<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Current Experiences<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Spanking the Triggers \ud83d\ude0e<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Nearly every room in my house now has drums and other cool things to hit! Percussion can be found everywhere except in the kitchen and the bathrooms. I typically play the Gongs and Bells upon daybreak. Often, I hit the hand drums before the crack of dawn!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b3 Back to top<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditional Set<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Accoustic\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Acoustic Drum Set 2021<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I\u2019ve rebuilt a customized set of traditional drums inspired by my Ludwig set and various stick-oriented percussion instruments, cymbals, and bells. My goal with this set is to produce authentic acoustic sounds that highlight the unique. I usually play this set with rutes or brushes.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Accoustic<\/a>
Acoustic Drum Set Detail<\/strong>
Drums:<\/em> DW\/PDP 14×8″ Walnut snare with wood hoops; Ludwig 12, 13, 16, and 18″ toms, and 14×22″ bass drum in natural maple finish and Evans ’56 Calftone heads. Ludwig 14×5-1\/2″ brass snare (not shown).
Zildjian Cymbals:<\/em> 22″ K Custom Dark Ride, 20″ A Custom Rezo Crash, 18″ Spiral-Cut Trash, 16″ K Custom Session Crash, 14″ New Beat Hi-hats, 12″ K Custom Hybrid Splash, 6 & 8″ A Custom Splash.
Other cymbals:<\/em> Wuhan 12 & 24″ China, 16″ Meinl Byzance Dual China, 18″ Meinl Classics Custom Dark Crash.
Bells:<\/em> Zildjian 6 & 8″ Zilbel, Burma Bell, 2 x strings of tuned bells, a string of finger cymbals, a string of tone plates, 6 x Paiste 2002 Cup Chimes (from 5 to 8″), LP Cowbell, 3 x Pearl Cowbells, Treeworks 70 pin-chime bar & 3D triangle.
Gongs, blocks, and others:<\/em> 12″ Om Wind Gong, 14″ Bao Gong, 5 x Musser Temple Blocks, small plastic block, 6″ spring drum, 11″ ribbon crasher, 6″ & 18″ Wuhan Gong Cymbal, vibraslap, wood beads, Hammerax trash.
Extra<\/em> Foot pedals:<\/em> beatbox, cabasa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u25b3 Back to top<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Electronic Set<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the early 2000s, I purchased my first electronic drum set, a Roland TD-10. Over time, I acquired additional pads and incorporated various items, such as election hand drums and low-volume cymbals. A couple of years ago, I significantly upgraded my latest Roland Kit, the TD-50X. I integrated the HD-20 hand drum using a TD-6 trigger, my old TD-10 kit, and a MalletKat electronic mallet instrument to create the impressive setup I have now.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Playtime \ud83d\ude0e<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I play this through various mixers, both solo and with recorded tracks. This is the best way to hear myself when playing with records. Switching kits sounds exceptionally cool, and the samples are excellent. The newer snare, ride cymbal, and high hat have sophisticated triggers that mimic the tonal qualities of these instruments quite well. The cross stock is much improved, and the rim shots are very realistic.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Clockwise from drum throne:<\/strong> Roland Handsonic HPD-20, TD-50X & TM-6 (not shown) controllers, MalletKat, three pads for TM-6 & HPD-20, Expanded TD-50 pads including digital hit-hat, snare & ride with four toms and six crash cymbals, eight pads connected to old TD-10 controller run through midi to a keyboard (not shown) \ud83d\ude0e<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Since retiring, I\u2019ve made it a habit to play the drums at least once a day. I now consider it an essential part of my daily cardio and coordination training. The extremely bouncy heads and cymbals have significantly improved my stroke, speed, and placement accuracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b3 Back to top<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hand Drums<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"First
The first set of drums \ud83d\ude0e<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Several years after getting the Ludwig set, I expanded into hand drumming. I got a pair of LP Congas and Bongos and a Remo Djembe. I have added a lot of hand drums since – a Meinl Talking Drum, Doumbeka, Ciuca, Wood Bongos and performance quality Bongo set, an Udu, a Remo Buffalo Drum, a Bombo, an LP Tumba Conga and newly introduced LP Bombo, a set of tabla drums, a didgeridoo, a berimbau, Mienl rainstick, and an African Log Drum. A custom-painted 18″ frame drum hangs on my wall. I have two Cajons – a Meinl acoustic and a Roland electronic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I have been working to build up a large set of hand drums for the past few years. The result is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mongo Bongo \ud83e\ude98\ud83e\ude87<\/p>\n\n\n

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Mongo Bongo \ud83e\ude98\ud83e\ude87<\/strong>
<Inner Row><\/strong> LP 16″ Barril de Bomba, Remo 40″x14″ Ngoma, LP 10″ Quinta; LP 12″ Conga, 14″ LP Tumba; <Outer Row><\/strong> Remo 14″ x 25″ Djembe; 6″ Mienl 7 1\/2″ Copper Darbuka; 8 1\/2″ & 9 1\/2″ Mienl Conguitas, 7″ & 8 1\/2″ Mienl Bongos; <Floor><\/strong> Roland Foot Trigger, Roland El Canjon with foot pedal; <Other><\/strong> Two Roland Hand Triggers, 10″ China Cymbal; 11″ Wuhan Linear Cymbal, 16″ Sabian El Sabor Picante Cymbal, Meinl Chimes. <Not shown><\/strong> TreeWorks Chimes, Zildjian A Series 8-inch splash. Pearl Low and High Wood Blocks, Stylophone Termin, Meinl Nut Rattle, Mienl mixed Seed Chimes (Kenari, Bendo, Pangi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The two Roland triggers allow me to play with my feet and add instruments such as Vibraslap, Guiro & Wood Blocks. I can also play loops I create on GarageBand<\/em> and Audacity<\/em>. I record my real instruments and play them back electronically. Amazing what a musician can do these days to satisfy the urge to create rhythms!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Apple GarageBand. Amazing product comes free with your Mac. I have yet to tap all of it’s ability – working on it!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The El Cajon has a variety of different Cajon and electronic sounds. I can also hit the top with a rute to get additional Cajon sounds. Very cool!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u25b3 Back to top<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sonic \ud83d\udd14 Energy \u26a1\ufe0f<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I embarked on a quest a while back to discover unique percussion instruments and sound effects. What better place to showcase these treasures than my living room? My journey began over a decade ago when I first moved to Florida, where I acquired a 26\u201d Zildjian Gong mounted on a custom-made mahogany stand. Accompanying it were some bells. Since then, I\u2019ve been on a mission to find the extraordinary, seeking out instruments that exude a certain aesthetic. My current collection boasts five gongs and an eclectic assortment of other unique percussion pieces from various regions, including Europe, Australasia, Latin America, and Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 26-inch Taoist Breeze Gong, strategically placed between the living room and the rest of the house, serves as a welcoming beacon for visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yin Yang Gong \u262f\ufe0f<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Only the living room area not occupied by furniture or artwork from my adventures has been taken over by all manner of enlightening sounds! I usually play these when I open the blinds every morning. I wish I could say I\u2019ve mastered playing all of them. At the very least, I can produce a noise from every one of them!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Sonic<\/strong> \ud83d\udd14 Energy<\/strong>\u26a1\ufe0f<\/mark>
26″ Zildjian Gong, 12″ Om Wind Gong, 14″ Bao Gong, 6″ spring drum, Merkaba Crystal, Indian Gopichand, Kolhapuri Bell Set, High scale chromatic Saucer Bell Set, Meinl Kenri Chimes, Singing Bowl, Noah Bell, Ships Bell, Elephant Bell, Kolhapuri Bell Set, Remo Buffalo Drum, Ludwig 14″ Brass Snare, LP Aspire Bongo set, Meinl Cajon, Treeworks Handheld Pin Chimes, LP Monsoon Rainstick, Paragon Heartwood Mali Pro Krin Log Drum, Capoeira Berimbau M\u00e9dio – Biriba, Meinl 7″ <\/strong>African Wood Talking Drum, LP Udu Drum, Treeworks Three Dimensional Triple Triangle, Meinl Ajuch Bells, Meinl Fiberglass Birds, Teak Didgeridoo, Mienl plywood bongos, Kalimba, Tingshas bells, Tuned Wah-wah tubes, 6″ Wuhan Cymbal, UHIF Chimes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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El Bombo \ud83d\udca3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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\u25b3 Back to top<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I also have a small collection of keyboard instruments and a bass guitar that plays all the notes \ud83d\ude01.<\/p>\n\n\n\n