Caring for your instruments
One of the main reasons I started Fulcrum was because I kept seeing the same instrument care mistakes over and over again. It’s easy to forget as a percussionist that not everyone knows the best way to care for these instruments. So, to help remedy that, here are five easy thing you can do to care for your percussion instruments, prolonging their lives and reducing the need for expensive maintenance!
Tip 1. Cover your instruments
Dust. My archenemy.
I’ve found just about everything inside of mallet instruments, ranging from bugs, twigs, and mallets to Legos and a tiny magnetic banana (don’t ask, I’ve got no clue). Yet the main offender is always dust! Dust loves to make its home in your instruments. And not putting covers on them is essentially leaving the front door open.
Manufacturers of larger percussion like mallet instruments, timpani, bass drums, gongs, and tubular bells often make custom covers which can be purchased alongside or separately to the instruments. However, if you don’t already have covers or can’t afford them, that’s okay! Take a trip to your local op-shop and get some blankets – they work just as well!
Tip 2. Instruct everyone in moving etiquette
Ever heard “bend with your knees, not your back”? Yeah, well it applies to percussion too.
Although percussionists will handle the bulk of moving their equipment, occasions do arise where non-percussionists also need to move percussion instruments. As such, it’s important that all members of the ensemble are instructed in proper moving etiquette. This has practical and social impacts.
Firstly, it’ll mean that anyone can help with set-up and pack-up. Some concerts require a lot of percussion equipment. This can have the unfortunate side effect of causing the percussionists to be kept back for ages after everyone else has left. If other ensemble members can assist with moving equipment, then everyone gets to go home or attend the after-party sooner.
Secondly, the percussion section can sometimes feel isolated from the rest of the ensemble. Moving equipment together encourages interactions and social exchange between sections. This in turn builds a sense of comradery.
Tip 3. Wipe down high-contact areas
Other musicians such as flautists and saxophonists are encouraged to swab their instruments after playing, in order to maintain the instrument and prevent damage. The same principle applies to percussion.
Have you ever noticed how a cymbal’s rim tarnishes faster than the bell? How a dark patch develops on timpani heads near the pedal? So many percussion instruments require handling with bare hands for playing, dampening, or moving. Unfortunately, this allows oils from your hands to transfer to these surfaces. These build up over time and contribute to corrosion or effect the pitch. Furthermore, food and sweat can exacerbate these issues, of which there is an abundance of in Australian schools. Keeping a dry towel on-hand to wipe down high-contact surfaces can help mitigate deterioration.
Tip 4. Hold by the edges
This tip is partially a continuation of Tips #2 and #3.
If you don’t have the opportunity to regularly wipe down instruments then proper handling is the next best alternative. For example, only pick-up cymbals by the edges or centre hole, rather than grabbing them with an open palm. By reducing the contact area, you reduce the oils transferred to that surface. Similarly, when taking bars off of mallet instruments avoid touching the arched centre of the bars. This area controls tuning. If it’s scratched or become damaged then it can affect the pitch or sound quality
If there is enough interest, perhaps I will create a more in-depth guide concerning the best ways to move different large percussion instruments!
Tip 5. Not a table!
*shakes head* This last tip is probably my biggest pet peeve.
I’ve seen bass drums used as footrests. Timpani piled high with sheet music. Vibraphones with guitar amps on top of them. Snare drums with marker scrawls because people lent against them to take notes and the ink pushed through the paper. Just because the instrument is flat does not mean it’s a table, and doing so can cause serious damage!
For example, the timpani with the sheet music? The head stretched and the tuning balance was thrown off by almost an octave. The vibraphone with the amp? The dampening bar bent and the bars were scratched.
General rule of thumb: if you wouldn’t put it on top of a violin, don’t put it on a percussion instrument! And if you need a table-like object in the percussion section use a trap table – they were invented for this purpose.
Well, that’s all for today. Take care and happy playing!
