I’m super inspired by David Raouf, the master of drum hacks, and I wanted to share some more of the hacks that I do. These hacks feature some cymbal projects I’ve been working on.
Whether the problem is based on sound issues or with hardware, drum hacks are clever ways to solve problems. Some of them may be more obvious and less clever than others, but one drummer’s tip could be another drummer’s hack.
I guess it’s all relative to what you think is clever.
Related: 10 Hacks for Drum Set
1. Cymbal Felt Mallets
Maybe you’re at a gig or recording session and you don’t have soft mallets. No problem. Slide some cymbal felts on your sticks and keep making music.
Sticks like Vic Firth 5Bs are medium thick sticks that hold the felts in place fairly well. If you have felts with larger openings or thinner drum sticks, you could wrap some tape around the stick to make an area that would keep the felts from moving around.
I usually have soft mallets in my stick bag, so this isn’t my go-to for subtle cymbal rolls, but you never know when you may need to whip up something quick.
After all, isn’t that the spirit of drum hacks, anyway?
2. DIY Rim Crasher Drum Hack
The rim crasher has been on my radar for several months. Jojo Mayer use one masterfully and actually had a hand in the development of the nice one that Sabian makes.
I wasn’t about to spend $225 when I could watch a David Raouf video and hack my way through it. And compared to David, I definitely hacked this one.
I took a 12” Wuhan china that I almost never use and a Sabian 12” splash sitting in the same pile as the Wuhan and cut out about two inches of the outer edge.
For this cut, I used a RotoZip tool with a bit designed for cutting metals to make the cut. The bit and larger chuck (the piece that holds the bit in the tool) cost about on Amazon for about $25 for both pieces.
The RotoZip worked well, but I could have been a little more patient with it. The truth is that I just wanted to get it done so fast to hear on my 12” Pearl Firecracker snare that I rushed the cut and ended up with a messy two inches of rim crasher pieces.
The two pieces riveted together nicely, and I’m happy enough with the results.
Rivets, by the way, are super helpful for several different drum hacks.
3. FX Crash Cymbal Drum Hack
While I was in the spirit of trying out some cymbal alterations, I decided to put some holes in a 13” Sabian El Sabor splash that had a keyhole issue. I didn’t use it much, so it wasn’t a big risk to alter it and perhaps end up with a better sound.
When drilling holes like this, it’s important to consider a hole pattern. You can measure out the pattern and mark it with a sharpie before drilling pilot holes.
The pilot holes are small holes drilled into the cymbal that help guide the larger stepped hole bit. It’s important to have the right bits for metal because it can be dangerous and almost impossible without them.
I used a titanium step drill bit to cut the holes. It was about $11 on Amazon.
Last, but not least, always wear safety glasses when using saws and drills for your drum hacks.
4. Cymbal Stack
You could call this the “hack stack.”
I had a lot to clean up after cutting and drilling so many cymbals that I started to think about using the cut outs from the rim crasher project to make a cymbal stack.
Not every cymbal combination works when it comes to making cymbal stacks. The Sabian splash inner cutout, however, worked well with my 11” Zildjian Hybrid splash.
In the video, I kept the cymbals loose for a longer sizzle sound, but you could add more felts to tighten the cymbals for a dryer sound. The tighter setup with less movement would also help if you were to play faster rhythms.
Related: 9 Different Types of Cymbals to Complete Your Drum Set
5. DIY Cymbal Sleeve
The 13” El Sabor splash that I drilled holes in had a keyholing because the previous owner did not protect the cymbal from the cymbal stand. Without a sleeve on the stand, the metal cymbal wears a notch in the center hole as it rubs against the metal cymbal stand post.
If you don’t have sleeves for your cymbal stand, grab an old box of markers and find one that fits. Cut out a small section of the marker, and use it to protect your cymbal on the stand.
You could avoid this hack altogether by purchasing a cymbal kit or extra sleeves designed for your stand.
6. Lamp pull chain for sizzle
Sometimes you want to add a little sizzle to your cymbal and you don’t have to spend $10 to $15 to do it.
Just buy a lamp pull chain off Amazon for $2 or $3 and let it hang down from your cymbal stand.
Cut it to size or to remove any decorative elements that could be annoying, and connect the end to the chain to make a loop and try it out.
Different gauge chains are available, so consider how loud you want the sizzle before purchasing the pull chain. Larger gauge chains generate a louder sizzle sound from the cymbal.
7. Use a T-Shirt for Drum Dampening
Out of all the items on this list of drum hacks, this is the easiest one. You don’t even needs a T-shirt. It’s something that could be achieved with towels or other fabrics. Simply drape the T-shirt or other fabric over the drum and play.
If you use a piece of fabric, you could use binder clips attached to the rim to keep the fabric from sliding off the drum. Tape works, too, but it can leave a residue that the binder clips will help you avoid.
Drummers place them on the snare as well as the toms to get a more controlled sound. Ringo Starr was known to use towels on his toms, for example.
The high frequencies are often lost with a T-shirt on your drumhead, but you can adjust how much of the drum head is muffled. Slide the shirt off to one side of the drum to expose the drumhead. This will also provide another sound surface with the exposed area of the drumhead.
Related: Drum Dampening – 5 Ways to Control Your Snare Drum Sound
8.Sock Over Kick Drum Beater Hack
You can spend the money on different kick drum beaters. But if you want a softer attack from your kick drum, add a sock to your beater.
If one isn’t enough, try stuffing a sock for more padding. You could also use soft foam from a mattress or pillow.
I used a zip tie for this one, and it has worked great for almost 15 years. Zip ties are also useful for drum hacks.
Related: Cajon Drum Set – 10 Accessories to Build Your Kit
9. Tune to the Drum Shell
In the world of drum tuning, this is not a drum hack. For the casual hobbyist, maybe it is. I was certainly impressed with the idea when I first learned about it from a high school drum teacher.
When you change drum heads, you should strip it down and wipe the shell and hardware. This is also a good time to top the shell to listen for the fundamental pitch.
Tune the top and bottom heads to as close to the pitch of the drum shell as possible, and fine tune the heads to finish it off.
Related: How to Tune Drums Like a Pro
10. Use Sticks For Tightening Clamps and Legs
Maybe you have a percussion add on that’s not staying in place or floor tom leg brackets that are impossible to loosen. Don’t reach for a wrench that you probably didn’t bring to the gig. Grab two drumsticks and sandwich the screen or wing nut that needs to be tightened.
The added leverage of the drum sticks works very well if you can squeeze the sticks just right.
Related: 10 Essential Percussion Add Ons for Drum Set
Bonus Drum Hack: Cymbal Tuners (Magnets)
You can buy cymbal tuners, but they are just magnets. I bought these magnets on Amazon for $5. It came with 27 magnets that are rather powerful.
The magnets make the cymbal dry and add sizzle. Perhaps the tuners made by Meinl would not sizzle as much, but I don’t think it’s worth the $20 for a kit.