Cocktail drum

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Cocktail drums are a type of portable drum kit which combines bass drum and snare drum sounds in a single drum.

Contents

[edit] History

Cocktail drums were first put into production in the 1940s with the Carlton combo kit, consisting of a vertical 20 inch bass drum, a snare drum, cymbal and other assorted percussion.

Eventually the companies Slingerland, Ludwig-Musser and Gretsch began producing cocktail drums that are more similar to what is used today. The typical drum consisted of a floor tom that was 14 inches in diameter and 24 to 26 inches tall, with both top and bottom drumheads. The bottom head was struck via a foot-pedal-operated beater and tuned to achieve a bass drum sound. The top head was struck with sticks. The top head is also fitted with a snare underneath to achieve a snare drum sound. The drum's height would normally require the musician to play it standing upright with one foot operating the pedal and one foot bearing the weight of the musician's body (as opposed to a trap set that is played sitting down). This made the drum quite easy to move from place to place, as opposed to moving a snare drum, stand for the snare drum, stool and bass drum for a trap set. However the tradeoff for this ease of transportation is the practice and balance required to play the instrument that is unnecessary when playing a trap set.

[edit] Modern use

Use of cocktail sets in modern music remains relatively rare but does remain a viable alternative for drummers looking to maximize portability and/or minimize stage space normally taken by the drum set. It is also useful as an alternative to a traditional drum set for providing a "retro" or "off-beat" appearance to a group.

Some more modern cocktail drums are fitted with a baffle. The baffle is of a non-resonant material to prevent the bottom head's vibration from interacting with and "buzzing" the snare, which creates a sound much closer to that of two separate drums. Others use a small snare drum that is clamped or mounted in some fashion to the cocktail drum. This leaves the top head free to be used as a tom with the snares removed. The clamp provides the musician with a secure place for the snare drum without the added inconvenience of using a snare drum stand. Using two separate drums in this manner makes both drums easier to tune and provides much more consistent sound.

Holders for cymbals, tom drums, cowbells and other various percussion instruments can be mounted to the cocktail drum depending on the musicians' needs. This makes the instrument very personal and few cocktail drums today are alike.

[edit] Notable players

[edit] Current manufacturers

Today there are very few cocktail drums in production. Yamaha has discontinued production of cocktail drums. Cocktaildrumsets.com, a division of Stauffer Percussion, currently manufactures several different models of professional level cocktail drums. Slingerland manufactured an "Expresso" cocktail drumset for a short period of time, although it was manufactured overseas and only sold through Musicyo.com under their now-defunct Slingerland licensing agreement. It was a semi-traditional set similar to the yamaha club Jordan drum set. However the espresso drums are too low be played standing up comfortably. It was specifically designed to be played sitting down. Regardless of this, it was still marketed as a cocktail drum set due to the vertical bass drum. Dunnett Classic Drums currently offers astainless steel cocktail drum and in February 2009 introduced the world's first titanium shell cocktail drum.

CocktailDrumsets (dot)com offers a variety of modern cocktail kits. Metropolitan Drum Company is now defunct, although they offered a wide variety of models and finishes. Phattie Drums is also a well known builder of cocktail drums. The cocktail drum set has been a part of the company's catalogue for most of its existence. Precision Drum Co. builds cocktail drums on a case by case basis.

One of the most authentic to the original Slingerland cocktail set is also one of the most modest priced. The HB Drums company of Huntington Beach, CA, imports a generic cocktail kit, the "RetroPhonic" and offers birch shells with two convertible snare drums and extra deep bass/tom at under $400usd. This kit is also available under several other brand names for similar prices, as they are all produced in the same factory using the same shells an components.

Some drummers have taken to the creation of custom cocktail sets (both drumshop built and homemade sets). Custom cocktail sets and drums provide the advantage of being built specifically around the needs of the drummer playing them. Main drum depth when taking pedal stroke and the drummer's height in consideration lends better ergonomics to the set, increasing player comfort and overall playability. An additional advantage may be price. This is especially true is if the drums are built at home.

[edit] Previous manufacturers

Slingerland manufactured many cocktail drums in years past with several variations. Its 1951 catalog contained the "Combo Be-bop" set featuring a bass drum that was convertible to either a horizontal or vertical placement and possessed vertical cymbal holder attachments. [1] The 1955 catalog contained the new two-headed "Radio-King Cocktail Drum" equipped with "adjustable snare strainer and tone control." [2] In the 1960's and 70's Slingerland offered a unique stand up drumset, marketed as a cocktail set, consisting of a small (16"x16") horizontal bass drum with a snare basket mounted on top where toms holders are typically placed. This set was famous for its "wardrobe handle" on the bass drum to help with portability. [3]

Ludwig offered a very similar kit in the 1960's called the "Gold Coast" with a 12"x18" horizontal bass drum and retractable vertical snare holder with 3"x13" snare. [4] Ludwig also offered more typical vertical cocktail kits in the 1950's and 60's, with names such as the "Las Vegas", "Miami Beach" and "Resort" stand-up sets. [5] [6] [7]

Gretsch offered cocktail drums in its catalogs from at least 1955 to 1970. Gretsch's 1955 catalog offered the "Broadkaster Cocktail Drums" and referenced the growing popularity of the instrument "since its first introduction by the Kirby Stone Quartette." Gretsch's cocktail drums were offered in both single and double headed models and included "deluxe" models with additional attachmetns, matching pearl bongo and decorative chrome strip. [8]

From 1959 to 1966, Rogers manufactured two cocktail drum sets, the "Parklane" and the more compact "Astoria." Both sets featured a main drum providing a bass tone on the bottom head and a tom tone on top, and a true snare drum attached to the main drum with the "swiv-o-matic" all purpose holder. [9]

Leedy's 1960 catalog offered the "New Nightclub Cocktail Outfit" in pearl finish for $183.50. It featured a 24"x14" two-headed cocktail drum, 5"x8" bongo with holder, pedal, attached cymbal holder, attached cowbell holder and 4.5" cowbell. [10]

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.cocktaildrum.com/catalogs/SL51P03.JPG
  2. ^ http://www.cocktaildrum.com/catalogs/SL55P02.JPG
  3. ^ http://www.cocktaildrum.com/catalogs/SL63P12.JPG
  4. ^ http://www.cocktaildrum.com/catalogs/LU63P10.JPG
  5. ^ http://www.cocktaildrum.com/catalogs/LU59P16.JPG
  6. ^ http://www.cocktaildrum.com/catalogs/LU62P18.JPG
  7. ^ http://www.cocktaildrum.com/catalogs/LU64P22.JPG
  8. ^ http://www.cocktaildrum.com/catalogs/GR55P16.JPG
  9. ^ http://www.cocktaildrum.com/models/astoria/rog62pg18.jpg
  10. ^ http://www.cocktaildrum.com/catalogs/LE60P07.JPG

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocktail_drum"