I've been playing for 6 years, but I've been kind of sheltered until recently as far as alternative sounds goes (normal sticks, 4 to 5 piece kit, crash, ride, hi hat, and that's it). I had a few questions on this subject:

1. What are rute sticks typically used for, and what kind of sound do they give? Are they similar to brushes?

2. What are blades typically used for, and what kind of sound do they give?

3. What do triggers do?

4. I've been thinking about tuning my toms to specific notes (including my bass drum I have enough for a full octave). Does anyone know how I might go about doing this?

Thanks for any help you can give me.








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Fo' sho' son!

1. Rutes have a little more presence than brushes, more of a 'thwack' sound to them. I believe you can see them used in many 'unplugged' performances.

2. Haven't had any experience with those, but they sure are weird-looking. I have seen a gal drum with wooden spoons once; wonder if these blades are that thick?


3. Trigger thread

4. By ear, pretty much- maybe start from 'finger-tight' on the lugs and bring them up slowly from there, comparing to a tuned note on a guitar or piano. It can definitely make a difference in your sound, but not everybody tries it.


as usual, these are just my personal experiences and opinions;
I look forward to seeing what everyone else has to say.








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analog missionary
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2. Aren't those blades supposed to imitate human hand?








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as far as the tuning goes I was experimenting with the tuning of my toms when I was playing with 10" and 14" and I tuned them respectively to E and G and they sounded quite nice








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Rhytm is a way to transmit a description of experience
in an emotional and not abstract way.
It is more than a metaphor:
It is a physical experience as real as any other.