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6 Custom Drum Companies to Check out At NAMM 2013

January 16, 2013 — Leave a comment

The NAMM show is one of the world’s largest gathering of musical instrument manufacturers in the world, held every January in Anaheim, California, USA, at the Anaheim Convention Center. The NAMM show showcases all of the new products from drum companies (as well as guitar, bass, and basically any musical product you can think of) from all over the world including DW, Sabian, Zildjian, Pearl, Tama, Ludwig, Soultone Cymbals, Gretsch Drums, Remo drum heads, Evans drum heads, Roland, Yamaha, Gibraltar, etc…

Sounds like heaven for a drummer right? That makes you want to go right? Well the NAMM show is not a trade show that you can just buy tickets to. It is a trade-only business show that only allows domestic and international dealers and distributors to buy passes. You can expect to see some extremely high profile musicians at the show, many times sponsored artists of each company will host clinics to demonstrate the new products.

If you ever have a chance to attend NAMM I highly suggest going. I was able to attend last year and it was an incredible experience. You can see some of the highlights of my trip checking out these blog posts:

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DrummingSystem

Want To Learn How To Play The Drums?

July 17, 2012 — Leave a comment

Now is the best time to start drumming!

Not only is it the best time to start playing drums, but it’s also the perfect time to better yourself at your instrument.

Mike Michalkow’s Drumming System

does both of those things. I personally own a copy and love it. Now is an amazing time to get on board with he Drumming System because it is 50% off. That means you save $147 if you buy it in the next 7 days!
Mike has sold almost 10,000 copies of his video drum lessons system, with incredible reviews coming in all the time. If the huge number of drumming system students doesn’t convince you, please take a gander at my video review of the product at www.makedrums.com/drummingsystem

You could also just click on the image below (affiliate link) to see a video and the trailer for the DRUMMING SYSTEM! Take advantage of this promotion! Make a move!

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dwight baker at matchbox studios in austin, texas

Pro Drummer Tips: Dwight Baker on Tuning Tom Drums in the Studio

May 26, 2012 — Leave a comment

Dwight Baker

Dwight Baker is a multi-platinum producer / engineer / mixer / songwriter based in Austin, Texas who has worked with many artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Brandi Carlile, Bob Schneider, Blue October, Alpha Rev, and David Archuleta. He owns and operates out of his Austin, TX based studio, Matchbox Studios.

Dwight’s Pro Drummer Tip:

A quick tip for everyone planning on recording or going into the studio soon. Toms are the drums that we like to beat to death but they actually are a musical instrument as well. For all songs, but especially for songs driven by a floor tom groove, I like to tune the lowest floor tom to the tonic or root of the songs key. I then like to tune the middle tom, whether it be a floor or rack to the third of the song and the rack to the 5th. It’s hard to do but worth the effort. It gets rid of the feeling that the bass guitar is out of tune every time the floor tom hits vibe. I tune the resonant head to the pitch I want and the batter head I set for the action the drummer wants.

What is your method for tuning tom drums in the studio? Start a conversation by leaving a question or comment!

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german drum set

Brian Frasier-Moore Playing with Madonna at the Super Bowl!

February 5, 2012 — 1 Comment

Don’t forget to watch Brian Frasier-Moore at the Super Bowl performing with Madonna! I was able to check out Brian’s kit at NAMM this year, and it is a beast of a drum set. It features a custom rack design by Chris Achzet. Chris has been Brian’s primary drum tech for the past 9 years. Brian was endorsed by TAMA drums for over 10 years but was recently recruited by DrumCraft – A German based drum company. Check out the press release from DrumCraft’s website:

We’re very proud to announce that Brian Frasier Moore has joined the DrumCraft family! Brian resides in Los Angeles and has recorded and/or toured with such artists as Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Usher, Aaliyah, Madonna and many more…

Brian will perform with Madonna at the half time show of the Superbowl on Sunday, Feb. 5th in Indianapolis.

We are honored to have Brian on board as a new DrumCraft artist and look forward to a long-term relationship and are excited to watch his career further develop using DrumCraft products.

I’m excited to see him play today. Make sure to friend him on facebook and/or follow him on Twitter @BrianFrasierM. I’m sure he’ll be posting some behind the scenes updates!

german drum set

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EDMAKEDRUM

11 Ways to Achieve Your Personal Drumming Goals in 2012

December 30, 2011 — 85 Comments

How to Achieve Your Drumming Goals

I recently had a chance to talk with Ed Francis aka “The Drummer on the Round Rock” to ask him to share some of his drumming wisdom with the community here at Makedrums. Ed shared some really incredible insights on attaining your goals as a drummer, but don’t be fooled! These tips can help you achieve goals in all areas of your life – not just drumming!

MD: Could you share specific examples – some “drum nuggets” of wisdom – that you have held on to, and have seen as instrumental in helping you achieve your personal drumming goals?

Francis: Humility is always a good place to start. When I first began playing [the drums] I knew that I didn’t know it all and I wanted to learn as much as I could about drumming. And I continue to remind myself of that way of thinking – that I still don’t know it all. Continue Reading....

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live at carnegie hall

Benny Goodman – Live at Carnegie Hall – Review

November 6, 2011 — Leave a comment

For some inexplicable reason, columns devoted to musicians and their lifestyle always seem to lead in the same direction – directly toward a gutter. Perhaps editors are convinced that the public yearns to know of carnal exploits rather than creative triumphs, that Iggy Pop’s latest bloodletting, for example would be better suited for public exposee than his latest single. The editors are undoubtedly right, but let me assure you, dear reader, that my type is capable of serious discourse, too. And there are a bevy of “legit” musical topics on which to expound.

That much said, I have decided to devote the next several hundred words (that’s pretty substantial, isn’t it?) to one of the greatest musical triumphs in history. To properly dig, you must transport yourself back to another era: the year 1938 and a place called New York City. On the evening of January 16, a young bandleader called Benny Goodman assembled one of the greatest musical lineups of all time for a little hoedown at a class joint known as Carnegie Hall. We are most fortunate that the resultant events were recorded, for the fellas that night created a stunning musical document, a testament to the glory of swing and jazz: “Live at Carnegie Hall.”

Continue Reading...
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Drum Tip: Mark Hardware Angles and Height On Your Cymbal and Hardware Stands

August 22, 2011 — 3 Comments

Drum Tip: Set Your Drums Up Consistently

A couple of days ago Ed Francis shared a tip about spiking your drum set hardware layout with tape to make sure that you set your drums up exactly the same every time, which leads to a more efficient set up and comfort when playing. His post reminded me of another important aspect of setting your drums up: consistency when setting the height and angles of your cymbal stands and hardware stands.

Memory Locks on Drum Hardware

One of the main ways to consistently set your drum hardware up the same for every show is by using memory locks. Memory locks are basically small metal pipe clamps that you attach to your hardware stands to mark and stop at a certain height/angle that you like to have your stands at. These memory locks are moved up and down the stand by tightening or loosening the lock with a drum key.

The Sharpie Method

Memory locks are great, but I have a very small SKB hardware case that doesn’t have enough room for me to completely disassemble a cymbal stand, which is basically what I would have to do if I used memory locks on my stands since you wouldn’t want to move the memory lock every time you put it back in the case. In order to fix this problem I just started marking my heights and angles with a fine tipped Sharpie! This completely eliminates the need for memory locks, and allows me to collapse my hardware inside itself enough to fit everything in my hardware case.

Continue Reading....

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Ed Francis on The Importance of “Spiking” Your Drum Kit Set-Up

August 18, 2011 — 2 Comments

The Drum Coach from Round Rock Drums, Ed Francis (AKA: The Drummer on the Round Rock), combines his love of life, music and people with a HUGE and generous heart. At no cost to the recipients, Francis tours Round Rock and surrounding areas to share his passion for the arts and drumming. He donates countless hours to elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, juvenile detention facilities, music stores, drum studios, community centers, YMCA’s, daycare centers, and other outlets. He does this with one thing in mind – to spread his passion for music and drumming. I have had the privilege to become his friend over the past year and recently had a chance catch up and ask him to share a drum tip with the readers here at Makedrums.

Continue Reading...
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8 Custom Drum Companies That You Should Know About

June 6, 2011 — 6 Comments

8 Custom Drum Companies You Should Be Watching

1. C&C Custom Drums

Bill Cardwell is a custom drum building legend. He and his son Jake create some of the most classy looking custom drums on the market. Bill started making drums in a 6×12″ room in the back of his drum and guitar retail store about 20 years ago. Their journey has been long and difficult, but they are now one of the most trusted and revered names in the drum industry.

2. Koenig Custom Drum Company

These guys developed the Corian-Granite snare drum. I have never heard a granite snare, but I have to give them props for doing something completely different than most “custom” drum companies.

3. SJC Custom Drums

One of the most innovative custom drum companies out there. Known for their “Butcher Hoops”. Owned by two brothers that are 25 and 23 years old.

Continue Reading....

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Stripped wrapped custom drum set with silver sparkle and aged white pearl

Drum Building Encouragement for 2011

January 12, 2011 — Leave a comment

You Really Can Build a Professional Custom Drum Set

Building a professional custom drum set is something that is achievable by everyone, from the experienced wood worker, to the low budget garage band musician. I remember before I started building my own drums I would always wonder what it would be like to have an endorsement deal with a major drum company, preferably Yamaha. I would day dream about the different configurations that I would be able to have and how I would entertain an entire music venue full of wild screaming fans all listening to pounding beats emanating from my drums… I think most drummers have this fantasy at least once in their career, only to eventually settle for a second best “out of the box” assembly line drum set.

Drum Building Encouragement for the Year 2011

I just wanted to remind and encourage all you drummers out there not to give up on this dream. You can and will achieve it if you don’t give up. I feel like this is a post that needs to be written about once a year, and since it’s the beginning of a new year it just felt right to talk about your dreams. 2010 may have been a year where you met lots of your personal and professional goals, or you may have failed miserably. Don’t let your failure bring you down. More specifically don’t let your inability to play the drums well enough to receive a full sponsorship keep you from having the drum set of your dreams. You don’t have to wait for someone to respond to one of your hundreds of emails that you’ve sent to custom drum companies asking and begging for a free drum set. Yes I’m talking about you, you, and you. I’ve gotten all of your emails asking for an artist endorsement deal, and I’m sorry I haven’t responded, but I (and most custom drum builders) just can’t give away free drums. I do, however, have another option for you.

This is your year to learn how to build that custom drum kit in your dreams. I may not be able to help you achieve your dream of playing sold out stadium shows, but there is no reason for you to go another day thinking that you don’t have what it takes to build a custom drum set. I’m not going to give you my sales pitch, but I did want you take a look at what I have been able to do since I started building drums in 2006.

A History Lesson: A Few of My Major Drum Building Milestones

In 2006 my friend Kevin showed me the very basics of building my first drum set. At that time I was able to order all of the shells, parts and finishing materials for under $1000. With no drum building experience at all I was able to crank this baby out.

Continue Reading....

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