Although there’s a chance the venue can help you out if you’ve forgotten a piece of your kit, it’s best to not risk the quality of your performance. With an extra set of all of your traveling essentials, you’ll be good to go.
Are you a traveling drummer? You need to make sure you’re equipped with all of your gear before heading out to a traveling gig. Some things may be hard to get duplicates of. However, there are some small accessories that you can have extras of to make your gig easier.
Here’s our list of 8 equipment essentials for any traveling drummer.
1. Drums and cymbals
If you show up to a gig without your own drums and cymbals, you may look like quite the amateur. Sure, sometimes you forget a piece, but you should try not to. Even if the music venue has some spare drums for you to borrow, they aren’t going to have the same responsiveness and sound quality that your own drums do.
This includes your bass and kick drums, hi hats, bongos, cymbals, etc.
2. Stands
Make sure you have all the corresponding stands for the parts of your kit that you bring. You’ll be out of luck if you show up with your bongos, but no travel bongo stand.
It may get expensive to have a full extra kit or set of stands to take to your traveling gigs, so just be sure to double check all your stands when you pack up for the road.
3. Sticks
It’s good to have an extra pair of sticks, or two, in your traveling drum gear. You never know when someone you’re playing with at the venue forgets a pair. The rush of the live show may lead you to accidentally break the ones you brought.
You can’t have enough sticks!
4. Kick pedal
It’s way too risky to assume the venue you’re traveling to has a kick pedal that’s in good shape. If you don’t have your own with you, you may panic and try to make adjustments to the one the venue provides minutes before your show starts.
Keep a kick pedal in your traveling gear at all times so you play the best show and not have to worry about finding new equipment right before your set.
5. Seat
If you have a comfortable throne you drum on at home, you know how much easier it makes playing drums well. Nothing is worse than getting to a gig and sitting down on the seat they’ve provided, only to feel it sink down beneath you.
Don’t take a risk on your comfort and your ability to play a great show. Keep an extra seat in your traveling gear so you always know you’ll be comfortable.
6. Sampler
You need to make sure you bring your sampler to your traveling gigs. Without it, it may be really difficult to play along with backing tracks. Go ahead and get a sampler to keep in your traveling gear.
7. Inner ear monitors
For those drummers that play with in-ear monitors, these are essentials when traveling to gigs. You shouldn’t rely on someone else having a spare pair at the venue. It’s not sanitary, and they probably won’t be comfortable to try for the first time during a show.
8. Drum key
This may seem obvious, but don’t forget to bring your drum key. Not having it can make adjusting your stands and tuning quite a nightmare. Certain drum keys attach to your key ring so it’s with you at all times.
The takeaway
Just like any trip, you always want to make sure you’re packed correctly when showing up to a traveling drumming gig. Although there’s a chance the venue can help you out if you’ve forgotten a piece of your kit, it’s best to not risk the quality of your performance. With an extra set of all of your traveling essentials, you’ll be good to go.
