Buying a first drum set for yourself, a school or church, or the young drummer in the family, can be an overwhelming task if you aren’t familiar with all of the technical features and characteristics of this instrument. There are a few things to keep in mind when looking for one, and we’ve just made the whole process much simpler with our new and effective filters in the Drum Set Category on our Website! Now you can refine the number of results that show up based on a few important criteria:

Brand: This might be more important to some than others, but if you have a favorite drummer that plays a brand that we carry, you might want to start your search there. We carry drum sets from Pearl, Yamaha, Gretsch, and Ludwig, so you’re sure to find a few that jump out at you! Just click on the “Brand” filter to see only the drum sets from that one manufacturer.

Shell Pack vs. Hardware Included: Some drum sets featured on our website include hardware (cymbal stands, snare stand, bass drum pedal, throne), whereas others only include the drums themselves (with drum heads and tom mounts). If you already have a pedal, some stands, or even a rack unit, then a shell pack might be better for you, but if you’re starting from scratch, wouldn’t it be nice to have more included? Simply select either option in the “Type” filter. Most brands have both options available.

Pieces: All this means is, “How many drums in your set?” – We have options for everything from a small 3-piece up to a large 7-piece, and everything in between! What goes into deciding how many pieces you’ll want for your drum set though? Typically, certain genres are associated with different drum set sizes: 3-4 pieces for Jazz and 5-7 pieces for Rock, but of course there’s always some cross-over depending on any one drummer’s personal taste. But those figures are a good place to start. The typical starter set is usually a 5 piece, right in the middle. This typically includes a bass drum, a snare drum, two rack toms, and a floor tom. Of course these all come in different sizes, but knowing how many you want of each is a great start. The filter labeled “Pieces” will help you narrow down your search for this. Some sets may or may not include a snare drum.

Bass Drum Size: This is another genre-specific characteristic most of the time, but again there are plenty of exceptions. Usually, a smaller bass drum (18”-20”) would be used for Jazz, while a larger bass drum (22”-24”) would be better suited for Rock and louder playing. As you’ll see, the standard sizes are 20”-22”, again right in the middle. Bass drum size may require other pieces of hardware to make the player more comfortable – specifically a small Bass Drum Riser for smaller-sized bass drums, to allow the pedal to still hit the center of the drum head, or tom stands/attachments if the toms aren’t mounted directly to the bass drum. But don’t let that hold you back – we have many options available for each of these accessories! Just select one of the options in the “Bass Drum Size” filter to easily see only the drum sets with your desired bass drum size. (We even have a Junior Set available for younger players featuring a 16” bass drum, ready to handle any genre and great for practicing and jamming!)

As with every page on our Website, you also have the option to sort your results alphabetically, or by popularity, rating, and price. Be sure to read the descriptions for each drum set to see what is included, as some even include cymbals or a free set-up video. However, if you find your perfect drum set and these are not included, they are available separately through our website (try similar filters in each of the Cymbal categories!). In addition to that, drum sticks, drum heads, and anything else you will need for your new drum set are available from Steve Weiss Music as well. Please feel free to give us a call with any questions you may have at 1-888-659-3477 – our experienced sales team is always glad to help!

Over the past few months, I have had the honor of welcoming a few shipments of tuned gongs into this country. I have learned there are many types of gongs, but a few tune more easily and accurately than others:

The most popular are our Tuned Thai Gongs, featuring a raised center that is one of the characteristics giving them their unique sound and meditative quality. When struck, they have a clear fundamental pitch and a colorful array of warm overtones to give each gong its own “personality.” The fundamental is best heard when the gong is struck on the raised center, and the harmonics are clearer when struck about halfway between the center and the edge. We have successfully tuned these gongs to many pitches between B♭1 at ~59.9Hz (two ledger lines and a space below the Bass Clef) and G#5 at ~836Hz (just above the Treble Clef), with all quarter- or semi-tones within that range an option as well. These gongs do not distort easily because of the flanged edges and how thick they are compared to other gongs. The hand-carved designs on them really add to the overall aesthetics. I’ve had good luck recording them for percussion-based pieces I’ve written, and even playing a 13” G#3 like a hand drum in my lap focusing on the different areas of the gong for different overtones. We currently have these gongs for sale individually by size (no specified pitch, however they can be fine-tuned from where they are, within reason) and in the following tuned chromatic octave sets: Low (C2-C3), Mid (C3-C4), High (C4-C5), and Extra High (C5-C6). We can easily accommodate orders for specific pitches by phone/email/fax.

We also have mini Tuned Chau Gongs, which have a very clear and focused tone, a bit brighter than the Tuned Thai Gongs. These are sold only in chromatic octave sets C4-C5 and C5-C6 (not individually), however we do have other smaller Chau gongs available.

Opera Gongs, which “bend” up into a steady pitch, can be tuned here as well.  They have a bright tone and distort well for a “shimmering” sound when played at a loud volume. At a softer volume, these gongs have also have a nice warm tone. They are featured in Zivkovic’s multi-percussion pieces “Trio Per Uno,” and “Generally Spoken It’s Nothing But Rhythm,” among other popular percussion pieces.

The main focus when tuning and selling these gongs has been to make sure that everyone knows which octave the note(s) they want are in. We are using C4 as Middle C, and the gongs come to us based on A442. We can easily take any gong down to be based on A440 by request also. We go between the Helmholtz Designation (G#′′ / B♭, / etc.) written on the gongs when we receive them, to the Scientific Designation (G#5 / B♭1 / etc.) when we sort, tune, and sell them. There are a growing number of pieces that require tuned gongs, and they are fun instruments on their own – We are absolutely your best source for getting the right types and pitches for the right price!

A few years ago when I was looking into purchasing some kind of melodic hand percussion instrument, I checked out many different types before deciding on an Original HAPI Drum (and later purchasing a second in a different key).  The HAPI drum is sturdy and well made, not too heavy, with an optional soft case for travel.  The tone is what really sold me on this drum.  It has a warm, full sound, with a very solid, precise, and focused pitch – it doesn’t sound like you’re banging on a propane tank – and will never need to be re-tuned like other brands do.  The overtones are very controlled, and because of the way the notes are arranged on the drum, when one note is struck the others ring sympathetically with it, adding to the texture for an overall “colorful” sound, with many percussive as well as melodic qualities.  The drum can be played with hands/fingers or mallets.  The pricing is also very reasonable for this type of drum.  With Hang/Halo Drums being difficult and pricey to get a hold of and even selling on ebay for thousands more, I quickly narrowed down my options to the HAPI Drum and maybe one or two other brands.  But with the scale options, ease of ordering, and especially being able to hear and see demos of it, the HAPI Drum ended up on the top of my list.

The way the notes are arranged on the HAPI Drum is another interesting feature, as I briefly mentioned before.  By placing a higher pitch next to a lower pitch all around the drum, this helps the sympathetic ringing to create the overall tone.  The scale (ascending and descending) is arranged to be very easy to play, too.  The Original and Slim HAPI Drums have eight notes of a pentatonic scale, which is great for non-musicians or hobbyists to be able to take it right out of the box and make some beautiful music without spending years practicing technique.  That being said, I have composed a few pieces on my HAPI Drums using techniques borrowed from tabla and latin percussion playing, with more musical concepts involved, meaning that any level of player will instantly feel right at home with the HAPI Drum and enjoy what it has to offer for many years.  It also sounds great with any other instrument, and comes across sounding great on a recording!

The HAPI UFO is a different take on the other two styles, as it only comes in a C Major diatonic scale in the Hammered Copper Finish, with 11 notes instead of eight.  The Original HAPI Drum is available in E and D, Major and minor pentatonic scales with the Aqua Teal Finish (Indigo Blue and Deep Purple available by request at no extra cost).  The HAPI Slim Drums are available in C Major, A Major, A minor, F Major, F# minor, G Major and G minor pentatonic scales, with a Black Finish only.  All HAPI Drums come with a pair of HAPI Drum mallets and 3 (removable) rubber feet attached the bottom of the drum so it doesn’t slide around on certain surfaces.  Soft cases sold separately (recommended!).  The HAPI Drum has become one of my favorite instruments to write for and jam with in many musical settings, and I look forward to hearing more of it through Steve Weiss Music.

Steve Weiss Music is excited to announce that we recently added Marimba One Marimbas to our selection of concert percussion instruments.  Three five-octave models ranging from $11,500 to $14,550 are available, in addition to our new Marimba One Custom Marimba Builder which offers a choice in frame type, range, optional bar upgrades and more.  All of our exclusive Marimba One models feature an aged-copper resonator color that can not be purchased anywhere else.

Marimba One was founded by Ron Samuels in Arcata, CA in the early 1980′s.  He spent his next years acquiring the woodcraft and design skills that would enable him to make a world class instrument.  All Marimba One marimbas are handcrafted in the USA and feature an industry leading warranty.  Marimba One marimbas are used all over the world, played in prestigious colleges and universities, professional orchestras and high schools, and by classical and modern soloists and ensembles.

SW-4001: 4000 Series Frame, Traditional Keyboard, Classic Resonators $11,500
SW-4002:  4000 Series Frame, Traditional Keyboard, Basso Bravo Resonators $12,700
SW-4003:  4000 Series Frame, Enhanced Keyboard, Basso Bravo Resonators $14,550

Base models will be in stock for immediate shipment, while a custom marimba will be available in 4-6 weeks.

We recently received a large shipment for UFIP Cymbals.  UFIP is an Italian Cymbal maker, well-known for creating great sounding cymbals using their patented rotocasting technique.  The rotation uses centrifugal force to push the impurities, which are present during the casting process, towards the outer edge of the cymbal, and are then eliminated during the turning process.

Our cymbal vault now include Bosphorus, Dream, Paiste, Sabian, UFIP, Steve Weiss and Zildjian, resulting in one of the highest quality selections of cymbals in the country.

Dream Cymbals Factory

We recently received a large shipment of Dream Cymbals.  The Dream Line of Cymbals, while new to the U. S., are among the best hand-crafted western style (sounding) cymbals to come on the market in many years!  Their foundry is located in Wuhan China, a region well known for the gongs and lion/china type cymbals that are so much a part of Western music now.  In fact, this region has been the source for the world famous Steve Weiss gongs and china cymbals for many years.

Through extensive design study Dream Cymbals has fused their traditional Chinese alloy with Western designs to put Western sounding rides, crashes, hi-hats along with orchestral quality pairs and suspended cymbals on the market and on the map! Many drum set players and orchestral artists who have used or endorsed the traditional makers have begun exploring these cymbals and incorporating them into their arsenal of sounds. In fact, notable player and educator Gordon Stout has recently begun endorsing the Dream Orchestral Cymbals, part of which added support to our idea of carrying their orchestral items.

Dream Craftsman

This recent shipment from them includes the Bliss and Vintage Bliss series designed primarily for drum set applications, along with their lines of orchestral cymbals. In the future, we will look into expanding into their Contact and Energy series for drum set.  For your reference we’ve included a brief description of the lines we offer below. If you would like further clarification on the models we encourage you to call us and we’ll be happy to help you find your Dream cymbal!

Dream Bliss Series
Features traditional Western shape for the bells and profiles of this disc.  This is the series that has turned heads among players in the Jazz community as they offer a strong stick sound, the dark shimmer qualities and buttery feel often found in those now legendary Turkish Jazz cymbals of the 50′s & 60′s.

Dream Vintage Bliss Series
This series pays homage to the Turkish cymbals of the early 20th century by featuring an antique Flat bell and profile shape. This series offers the player a very complex and dark wash sound. The stick sound can be minimized in leu of wash. Their flat bells bring complexity to the bell sound making them great as crash/ride Jazz cymbals. We also found some of these to make extraordinary Orchestral suspended cymbals.

Dream Contact Series
This series has brighter overall sound qualities when compared to the both the Bliss and Vintage Bliss lines and with these qualities, they are a great choice for a wide variety of playing situations, pop, country, big band, gospel. These
cymbals have less complex wash characteristics yet they retain all the richness of sound associated with a hand hammered cymbal.

Dream Energy Series
This series features heavier weights and unfinished “raw” bells resulting in more volume potential. They are best suited to louder playing situations when considering them for drum set use. The line is also used very effectively to create
the orchestral hand cymbal pairs. Of course they are hand hammered as are all the Dream cymbals.