Hi, I'm new to this forum. I'm a junior in highschool and bass drum captain. This year my line decided that we would like to add on something to our bass drums, instead of the usual cowbell or gockblock. I was wondering if someone had any ideas? If it helps, we're doing a King Kong show this year. Thankyou

PS - I didn't know whether to post in the high school section or in the bass drum equipment section.

Get creative. I believe it was the Chicago Bears drumline, but I saw someone use what looked like China cymbals that were hooked up by the clicker. It's loud, intense, and in-your-face, but if you use it properly, it can be a really cool effect.

Another thing that I saw were pitched jam blocks, but pitched in opposite order on one side, then pitched in the same order as the basses on the other - granted, this was an indoor show, but it was pretty cool to see a bassline do a split, then split it in the opposite direction on jamblocks, then turn around 180 degrees, then play it again in normal order. Idk, maybe that's just me, but I thought it was cool.

So, look into some cymbals, blocks, cowbells, etc.

Here's where I'll warn you - don't overdo anything. If you're going to do something that ISN'T traditional, then use it sparingly, and use it as an effect. It is REALLY easy to go past the normal stream of things, overdo it, and ruin it. That's actually something that I thing often happens when people attach cowbells/jamblocks/shotsnares onto a snareline or quadline. So, use it sparingly, and use it musically.

Most of all, have fun!
B

EDIT: Here's the video to the Chicago Bears line that I was referring to. There's like one general jam session in all of this that they use the cymbals often, but the cymbals are used sparingly to the point that they make a nice effect. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuTjo8_84bE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_tC4HcBKaY&feature=related

If any of you are wondering why an Atlanta native knows this about the Bears drumline - no, I don't spend this much time chillin' on youtube. I've been a Bears fan since I was like 8.

Rhythm Crashers are always fun.

Do you have a workable budget? With the right amount of time, thought, money, and creativity, you can come up with just about anything really. The thing that would really be most vital to this would be musicality. You don't want weird sounds that don't fit into the score, and you want them to make sense. That all though, is very a very specific guide into making them work.

Something I've always wanted to try was taking tambourine jingles and mounting two or three flat into a Pearl rim clicker. I've never attempted it, but I've always like the sound of that knock, and wanted to throw a little brightness into it.

You can also do different sized gock blocks as well! Have a different sized block on each drum for some runs and whatever else you can come up with!

Like it was stated earlier, it depends on the line and the show. It can be fun to click something other than the rim for the player.

As an arranger, I'm not a fan of various "toys" on the basses since they are gimmicky and block/bell parts tend to be constant rhythms (for instance a clave part). Since they generally won't be used that way, they end up just being alternative clicks to hitting a rim. The basses need to lay the foundation and punctuate the music. When you start giving them toys, you can lose that foundation as they are now playing more and more clicks and snaps sounds instead of laying down a groove.

Since the role of a crash/china cymbal is generally to punctuate phrases and or rhythms and not become a way to keep time (like a ride cymbal), they tend to work a little better with a basses role on the field.

I think bells and blocks work better in the upper battery.

Tan

I agree with mounting cymbals, but my first thought was to mount splashes,
even if you have a cymbal line, or cymbal parts being covered in the pit, chances are you won't have anybody covering splash parts. Give everyone the same splash if you only plan on making impacts (which I would suggest with a less experienced line), or if you feel like getting creative with it, mount different sized splashes on each of the drums for some cool multi-pitch cymbal effects!