I've been lurking a bit the forum 'fore finding the guts to ask.
(Actually everywhere in this forum you've been all very kind to everyone, so i'm not sure what i feared though. )

I'm from Italy and i've started playing drums on my own just 'coz that was something i felt i HAD to do. I'm a bit old to start maybe but ... (30 yrs actually)

I got my self a couple of 7A Vic Firth American sticks, and went straight on to a music room (with a full dressed drumset) with a couple colleagues of mine (one on a elec. guitar and the other with a bass guitar).

It was odd. But felt SO good i had to buy some pieces on my own.

I got myself the book "Drums for Dummies" and really got the hang of it.

Been practicing for couple of months after that with basics and studied a lot about Drumset pieces. Like hours per day.

So the question part arrives:

I bought som INSANE cymbals (well maybe just normal, but thingking they're all mine make me feel like in heaven!) and i just wish to get some expert hint on how to clean'em.

I avoid carefully to use hands on'em, i wear latex gloves to mount'em, but during play the get all this lil'stains (from the sticks?!?) which take me a bit to erase with a dry lintless cloth.

Any extra suggestions?


All i bought is (with no advice, sadly... it all just went by my ears. They sounded good, i bought it. It took me like 3 hours to get all the stuff sorted ) :

-1 Sabian Sound Control Crash cymbal 14"
-1 Hi hat (a couple, that is) Pasha 14" Desert Glow
-1 kick pedal (Pearl)
and a fabuolus padded throne with a screw mount to adjust height. (uhm... just felt good on the sitting. Can't remember the brand )

What do you think of this?

All works preciously- ^___^ So proud!

The rest of the drumset is in that music room.

With this other colleague of mine now we play Blues (Stevie Ray Vaughan) and some Rock.
I manage to play quite perfectly "Look at little sister", "Pride and Joy", "Tell me" and i'm practicing with "Tightrope"...

(Secretly i'm in love with the first minutes of Nugent "Stranglehold" ... shhhh.... tell nobody please )
And, gentlemen, how the hell that sounds so great.

Never been a musician before (maybe i do not deserve being called like that yet, but... ^_^), but now THAT'S the stuff! I JUST CANT QUIT.

One more thing and i quit,
i realised today after bringin'it down and dirty (i mean fast paced drumming) for the very first time, that i got blisters over my left hand (the snare drum one)...
One just below the pinky finger (where its tip rest if you close the fist) and
one each on the index finger (on the inside, between the index and middle finger, first joint starting from the finger tip)and the middle one (same spot).
These tow latter because of a poor version (my bad, never tried too much on that) traditional grip...

I think it's definitely due to friction against the stick. Could it be it's too thin and i must buyt a thicker pair? Which size will suit best 5A? 3A?
Hands size, plainly average...

I've been viewing quite a lot of your hints and suggestions, i just LOVE this forum.
Thanks everybody in advance.

Oh feel free to criticise. Only way to learn...

*Bow* Read you around soon.

Man what an awesome guy!

Welcome to the world of drumming! and to the forum!

To clean Your cymbals u can buy brand name cymbal cleaner, i know Sabian, Dunlop Paiste etc... make it. or what your doing at the moment. if it works for you then carry on it wont damage your cymbals cleaning them with a dry cloth.!

As for stick size i Don't think thats the problem, i mean we have all been there with blisters. but it may be the way in which u are holding the sticks. Maybe loosen up your hands a bit more. Try out as many pairs as you can to try find the right sick for you this can take some time. to get the perfect stick for you.

And if your playing and instrument. then of course your a musician!

And you couldn't have picked a better instrument than drums!

just wait until you own your own set and your be complete haha

good luck man, have fun and happy drumming!

Thanks! And thanks... and thanks... and thanks!

You seem to be a little insecure about your drumming...
WHY ????
It's all about how you feel when you're playing the drums, not what anybody else thinks.
I think your cymbal set-up is pretty OK.
And, just like you, I fell in love with the drum part on Uncle Ted's Stranglehold.
It made me the hardrock-drummer I am today...
Just keep hitting 'em hard!!! And if not.... Hit 'em HARDER!!!
Blessed be...
D_o_D








_________________
It's good, knowin' he's out there...THE Dude.
Taking it easy for all us sinners...

Sonor SQ2 X-ray acryllic
Sonor hardware to match the kit
Sabian cymbals
DW Pedals
Vic Firth 5B Natural

Welcome to DML! This place rawks so hard!

Anyway, blisters happen when you're playing hard, and usually when you grip the stick too tight.
Sometimes blisters just happen, and you just have to build up calluses.

G'luck with the drums, they're the best instrument out there








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_...:::/ Jimbob2020 agrees \:::..._

@D_o_D: ^_^ THANKS! Other personale suggestion about sweet drumming pieces?
(O.T.: Big Lebowsky anyone? Friends calls me the "Dude" actually...)

@Mitchell?: Thanks! I just had a Saturday full o'drumming and it ROCK'D HARD!
Man it feels awesome. And NO BLISTERRRRRRRS!
The key really is the grip too firm... *Thumbs up*

Hooray! you are progressing!








_________________
Han Solo: Fast ship? You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?

Luke Skywalker: What a piece of junk!

Han Solo: She'll make point five past lightspeed.

Chewy: Word

I'd you're holding your sticks too tightly and/or they're too small. Try a 5A. Only your hands can decide what's best for them. That said, I'm 6'5" and usually play with either 7A or 5A sticks. Check the the Lessons forum for the topic about the Gladstone Technique for ideas on how to loosen your grip up.

As for cleaning your cymbals. Why? Here's my favorite crach cymbal, a 19" Sabian AAX AAXPlosion, and my 21" AA Rock Ride. I don't clean them unless I absolutely have to because I like how they sound.












_________________

Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:

Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.

http://www.MySpace.com/PageFive

[quote="komemiute"]@D_o_D: ^_^ THANKS! Other personale suggestion about sweet drumming pieces?
(O.T.: Big Lebowsky anyone? Friends calls me the "Dude" actually...)

No prob, dude.
By the way : my friends all call me "THE Dude" too.

Other sweet drumming pieces :
Tommy Clufetos on basically everything he does (except from the Rob Zombie stuff)
Eric Singer has some unbelievable fills aswell
The break in Skid Row's Youth Gone Wild
Cozy Powell's solo with Rainbow
Anything Don Brewer (Grand Funk Railroads) beats out of his shells.

And Yes, I can go on like this for hours...
And Yes, I realise I would bore everyone to tears by doing so...
So I'll stop right here...
For now...








_________________
It's good, knowin' he's out there...THE Dude.
Taking it easy for all us sinners...

Sonor SQ2 X-ray acryllic
Sonor hardware to match the kit
Sabian cymbals
DW Pedals
Vic Firth 5B Natural

Dude_on_Drums wrote:

And Yes, I can go on like this for hours...
And Yes, I realise I would bore everyone to tears by doing so...
So I'll stop right here...
For now...

Its all good. You love drums. We may find something valuable in what you say! I might buy come new music so I can hear what your saying...and then learn something new from that...got the burn to learn!!!








_________________
Han Solo: Fast ship? You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?

Luke Skywalker: What a piece of junk!

Han Solo: She'll make point five past lightspeed.

Chewy: Word

i used to get blisters when i first started too!! let them heal up, then keep playing. eventually, your callouses will get crazy hard and you won't get blisters anymore.








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Add my band!