Vic Firth has recently introduced some new products, and we thought it would be a good time to feature some of the new Corpsmaster® sticks.

Scott Johnson recently parted ways with Vic Firth and his popular signature models, SSJ Snare Drumsticks, SSJ2 Indoor Snare Drumsticks (Scooters), SSJ3 Practice Sticks, SSJTS Vega Tenor Sticks, and SSJTSW Vega Tenor Swizzle Sticks have all been discontinued. However, the same sticks are still available from Vic Firth, only without Scott Johnson’s name attached.

• SSJ Scott Johnson Snare Drumsticks are now Vic Firth MS5 Corpsmaster® Snare Drumsticks
• SSJ3 Practice Sticks are now Vic Firth MS6CO Chop-Out Drumsticks
• SSJTS Vega Tenor Sticks are now Vic Firth MTS1 Tenor Sticks
• SSJTSW Vega Tenor Swizzle Sticks are now Vic Firth MTS1SW Tenor Swizzle Sticks

Two other recent new products in the Vic Firth Corpsmaster® line are the Vic Firth SBBTS Bill Bachman “Billy Club” Tenor Stick and Vic Firth Lee Beddis Snare Drumsticks.

With marching season fast approaching, we thought it would be a good opportunity to create a comparison chart of the current marching bass drum heads from Evans and Remo. Experimenting with different thicknesses, dampening systems, and coatings will help you achieve your desired marching bass drum sound. When you increase the thickness of the head, you increase the articulation and get a more focused, lower fundamental tone.

1. Remo Smooth White Ambassador Marching Bass Drum Heads come stock on marching basses from most manufacturers, including Pearl and Yamaha.
2. External/Internal Dampening can be added using Yamaha MA200 Tone Foam or Pearl TS14 Tone Foam.

We would love to hear your opinions on the different types of marching bass drum heads available. Please post in the comments section below.

The OffWorld Percussion Invader V3 Practice Pad has been taking the percussion world by storm since its introduction. The OffWorld Invader V3 features the most realistic feel to a marching snare on any pad that we’ve tried. The Darkmatter™ playing surface and realistic rim make this pad a must-have.

The OffWorld Invader is the only snare drum practice pad that we know of that features a realistic, marching style rim. The rim is made of high pitched plastic to accurately replicate the sound of a rim shot. We believe that this pad will help you develop your hands more then traditional gum rubber pads, because of the lower amount of rebound from the playing surface.

This is a fairly loud pad, so we wouldn’t suggest it for silent practice. However, it is very articulate and allows you to really hear what your playing. Placing the pad on top of a marching snare drum allows your drum line to practice at lower volumes, while still developing their hands as they would on a kevlar style drum head. A great pad that is definitely worth the price.

Gearing up for marching band season? Nothing is better than getting an early start on building your chops, writing your drums books, and finding new, innovative ways to teach your drum line and front ensemble/pit. We have compiled our best marching percussion resources to help get you started! From snare drum, tenor, and bass drum books, to warm-up guides, famous drum corps cadences, and complete front ensemble guides, there is something for everyone. We carry a full line of books and DVD videos that will help enhance all of your drum line’s skills. These incredible resources come from some of the top names in DCI and university percussion sections such as Bill Bachman, Thom Hannum, Jim Casella, Jim Ancona, John Wooton, and many more. Looking for new ways to challenge yourself or your students? We have also included a selection of modern rudimental and marching drum solo collections for those looking to raise their skills up to the next level.

Writing your own percussion arrangements? Be sure to check out Tapspace Virtual Drumline software. Featuring the world champion percussion section of the Santa Clara Vanguard, this incredible piece of software gives arrangers the most powerful sonic tools available to aid in their writing process. This collection of sounds has become the industry standard for marching and concert percussion sounds. Virtual Drumline works with both Finale and Sibelius software and templates for the newest versions of each are available from Tapspace.

When you’re finished checking out the marching percussion resource center, be sure to browse around our great selection of marching sticks, mallets, and practice pads as well! Get all the tools you need for a successful season right here at Steve Weiss Music.

One of our employees, Bill, had this Philadelphia Flyers Custom Gong made. Looks and sounds great.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wODNTjayubA

At the 2010 NAMM Show, Pearl is debuting its all-new electronic drum set: Pearl E-Pro Live. Pearl E-Pro Live is a revolutionary electronic drumset that looks, feels and sounds like real drums. Never before has today’s drummer been offered the limitless sonic capability and realistic feel of electronic drums on a drumset built with real drum shells, real brass cymbals, and real drumset hardware, all from the percussion industry’s leader, Pearl.

Pricing, Videos and Images of Pearl E-Pro Live Are Now On Our Site: Pearl E-Pro Live