Little Bitty Drumkit — Part Three

This is the one piece I hung onto when I sold my full size kit last year.

I kept it because I knew I couldn’t replace it easily.

At the time, I had a couple sets of hi-hat cymbals from Zildjian, a pair of Quick Beats and a pair of New Beats. Both great sets, but heavy for the kind of drumming I envisioned.

Then Jonathan Singer began offering a whole line of curated cymbals from various independent makers, sold under the monicker Name Brand, including a beautiful set of 14” hi-hat cymbals that had a crisp, responsive sound. I listened to the sound sample and submitted my order. When they arrived, they were so perfect that I ultimately sold my Zildjians.

I haven’t looked back.

I grew up playing for singers. I LOVE playing for singers. I get to do light, tasty stuff that would get lost in an all-instrumental group. These cymbals are all about that.

While waiting for the suitcase kick to be finished, I set up the snare and hi-hat today and hung out with some brushes in the studio. This is the same setup I began my kit drumming with when I was 14. I’d found a snare and hi-hat for sale in a barn in Gresham for $75, which was a lot of babysitting money back then.

The drum was an old Ludwig model with yellowed marine Pearl finish, and the hi-hat was a Pearl stand with a pair of 13” Zildjian hi-hats. With brushes, it was perfect for accompanying my parents when they rehearsed in our basement studio, or very occasionally for my dad’s voice students when they practiced pop or jazz standards in lessons. Without a full kit, all I could really do was keep time, which was exactly  — and all — that my dad wanted.

It was good training.

I love the sound of this kit and the suitcase kick will round it out nicely.