Let’s JAM: How to Care for, and Store, Your Drums

It’s time for article three of our series in honor of Jazz Appreciation Month, which means turning to the instrument you’ve all been waiting for: the drums.

Like other instruments, drums are sensitive to changes in air quality, such as fluctuations in air temperature and humidity. A climate-controlled environment is probably the best option for your drums. You will also want to protect the drums from dents and scratches that might otherwise occur during a move.

The best way to protect a drum set that you are going to store is to pack each drum in a good quality drum case, and to pack the cymbals in a cymbal case, but hard cases can be expensive.

Another way to protect your drums is to store them in a thick set of drum bags, minimizing their exposure to the air. You can also place some silica gel sachets in the bag with the drums — the silica will help to absorb any dampness in the air, protecting the drums from moisture damage and mold.

If you cannot afford cases or bags, you can pack the drums in a box, using thick, heavy blankets as packing material. Make sure that when you pack cymbals, you place them flat — do not put them into a box vertically. It may be tempting to slide the cymbals in vertically, if you have a space where they will fit. Resist the temptation. Cymbals are heavy and can gradually become warped by their own weight if they not stored flat (parallel to the floor). When you pack cymbals or drums in a box, line the bottom of the box with a towels or blanket, put the cymbal or drum in, and then place more towels or blankets on top. (If you are packing more than one cymbal, make sure that you put a layer of towel or blanket between cymbals as well — do not pack cymbals in direct contact with each other.) You may want to use rolled up towels alongside drums, to prevent them from shifting during moving.

Some people say that if there is no wear and tear on your drums, then you haven’t played them enough. I agree — but if you are putting your drums in storage, it’s important to protect them properly from the elements. Someday you, or someone you care about, may want to play those drums every day — and you will thank yourself if you have taken good care of the drums until that time.

Tags: care, cymbal, cymbals, drum, drums, JAM, Jazz Appreciation Month, maintenance, move, packing, self storage, storage

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 11th, 2010 at 1:31 am and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.