What’s in the Stick Bag?
More stuff than you can shake a stick at…
This blog came as a request from a few fellow drummers, talking about those essentials you want with you at all times on a gig, and what you carry in your stick bag. Personally I love a stick bag with lots of pockets and pouches for storing tidbits and spares that I wouldn’t want to be without on stage.
Starting with the bag itself, my stick bag of choice for the past few years has been this Sabian Quick Stick Bag in a rather lovely vintage brown finish. Not only does it look very cool, but its ultra functional too. Packed to the brim with both large exterior pockets and some smaller velcro ones on the inside!
The Sabian bag in question…
Now where to start when packing a stick bag, well Sticks obviously! I try to carry at least 3 pairs of my favourite Vic Firth Steve Gadd Signatures (in natural finish rather than Black), which are a slightly slim and short Hickory 5A, with a long taper and a great sounding Barrel tip. As well as those, I keep a couple of pairs of something slightly heavier for when you just need a bit more volume or weight. The stick in question for that is the Promark Shira Kashi Oak 747 Neil Peart model, slightly bigger than a 5A and because of the oak, heavier and more durable.
Aside from the sticks, I keep a couple of pairs of brushes, again the go to pair are Vic Firth Steve Gadd’s, with the anti-snag bend on the end of the wires, as well as some slightly lighter Vic Firth Heritage brushes for a lighter touch. Also some rods and mallets are always worth having, I tend to stick with the Promark MT3 Mallets which sound great on both toms and cymbals, as well as the Cool Rods which are light and have some flex to them, and Hot Rods which are slightly thicker and don’t! All sound great though and can give plenty of options on the gig should I need them. Its also worth mentioning that in the main area of the stick bag I also keep a few essentials to hand, firstly a bass drum beater is a must carry, especially when using house kits and the like, so the VicKick Felt is a perfect one to keep In there. Alongside that there’s always a pencil or two in there (and sometimes even a Sharpie), which is really handy whenever you need to adjust charts or write out a quick setlist before a show, a binder clip to keep music in place, especially on outdoor shows, and of course a drum key hanging on a handy clip for quick access right at the top of the case.
But now to the fun stuff, what is in all of those pockets?!
Couldn’t write a blog like this without a suitably artsy shot could I?
Starting with the internal pouches, I keep the ‘go to‘ items here, the kind of things I might need quickly on the job. Starting with something so obvious, but drum keys, lots and lots of drum keys! I try to keep one in every pocket so i’m never far from them, the DW hi torque are great and so nice and easy to use, and the Evans magnetic one is also good, especially for speedy head changes. Also falling into the keys category is the great Pearl Multitool, which has meant I don’t have to carry a set of Allen keys or any screwdrivers in the bag anymore, its about 10 tools in 1. Just above that in the pic is a lesser known gizmo but another one that can be really useful when using house kits, it’s the ‘Drummer’s Grip’ for loosening stubborn wing nuts without the need for the old 2 drumsticks for leverage trick. In the dampening dept, we have a tub of Meinl Drum honey, and also from Meinl, the Cymbal Bacon sizzle chain, both of which are great, and came from my good pal Davie at dD Drums. Then we have the spares section, with a hi hat clutch and a couple of cymbal sleeves and felts, again just to have incase any go missing or if its the house hardware at a venue or studio. The final thing worth a mention there is those funny looking velcro thingies - which are actually trouser clips for bicycles, but a must have when wearing suit trousers behind the kit, to stop your trouser leg getting caught on the bass drum beater, which is always uncomfortable!
And finally the outside pockets!
Now for the outer 2 pockets, nice and spacious and I keep the lesser needed and larger items in them. Starting on the left, a notepad and pen is such a useful item, for any quick setlists, notes, charts or anything, it’s always in there, just in case. Next up is another key piece, a good solid metronome, the Tama Rhythm Watch Mini (RW30), a simple and easy to use metronome, great for checking tempos before count ins or anything like that, and with nice big buttons and backlit screen so its not fiddly to use in low stage light. Then there’s my ACS custom earplugs, which are something I never travel without, instant hearing protection and the most comfortable way to turn the volume down in rehearsals if things are getting a bit too much! Those were sorted for me by the great service that is the Musicians Hearing Scheme. The next couple aren’t strictly drum related but still worthwhile carrying with me, a torch and some sticky plasters, the torch for dark stages and backstage areas, and the plasters as a quick fix for any cuts or blisters pre or post show, and its surprising how often the latter have been needed by other musicians, not just me! The round white tub has some good old moon gel in there should I ever need a bit more dampening on something, you never know! Finally at the back is a pair of jazz dancing shoes, now stick with me on this! They’re really comfy for playing in, especially when you’re doing a long recording session or complex bass drum work, so they’re not something I don for every gig or session, but when I want them, they’re always there. As comfy as an old pair of slippers too!
And thats the stick bag in a nutshell, classic me carrying much more than needed and having many a contingency plan to get out of a sticky situation! But thats the way you need to be, and it really helps to relax a bit knowing that you’ve got most things covered should they ever come up. Hopefully has helped you to get your own bag in gear, and make sure you’re not forgetting anything obvious!