Drums Orientation

Serving the Song

Drums play a significant role in shaping the energy and direction of worship. Our goal is not to showcase the instrument but to serve the song and help the congregation engage with what God is doing. A simple principle we follow is “everything for a purpose.” Every groove, fill, and transition should support the song and the team.

Play thoughtfully and tastefully, staying close to the feel of the reference recording whenever possible. Remember that this is a team environment, not a moment to showcase chops. Our style favors supportive, musical playing over flash or complexity. Because of that, please avoid playing styles that draw attention to the instrument (excessive fills, shredding, double bass, etc.). Our goal is always to serve the moment and the room.

Playing with Click

All musicians at NLC play with a click through in-ear monitors. The click keeps the band unified and allows us to execute transitions consistently.

Set a click for every song, even if tracks contain one.  At times, tracks can misfire, or someone may get off tempo, and you'll need to have a backup click ready to go.  Always have the click ready and follow along in the set for each song even if the click for the entire set is in tracks.

Make sure the click is manually set to eighth-note subdivision.  For instance, if the quarter note is 70, set the click to 140.

Practical Reminders

1. Bring sticks, cymbal mallets, and a drum key

2. Stay locked with the click and aim to make it “disappear”

3. Lock in closely with the bassist

Playing Approach

1. Support the song with a steady groove

2. Play fills that fit within the song framework and build on each other

3. Play to your room – For a smaller room use slightly opened hi-hats compared to crash-riding your biggest cymbal

Technique

1. Use appropriate dynamics on drums. When you’re at full volume, make sure the drums are louder than the cymbals.

2. Use soft hands with lower stick height on cymbals.

3. Baby the cymbals for a better mix.

Drum Gear

These are the drum head and cymbal preferences that generally work best for our rooms and style of music.

Drum Heads

• Kick: Remo EMAD with dampening ring

• Snare: Remo Controlled Sound Reverse Dot (coated)

• Toms: Remo Coated Emperor (Vintage Emperor also works well)

Cymbals

A wide variety of brands are acceptable (Zildjian, Istanbul, Heartbeat, or Bosphorus).  If possible, get dark cymbals or traditional finish cymbals.  Avoid brilliant finishes as their frequencies can be harsh on the ears for our style of music.

The cymbal size depends on the wash of the cymbal and the room:

• Small room – 13-14” hi-hats, 16-19” crashes, 20” ride

• Medium room – 14” hi-hats, 17-20” crashes, 20-21” ride

• Large room – 14-16” hi-hats, 18-20” crashes, 20-24” ride

Tuning Resource

If you would like to learn about tuning techniques, here’s a link to a resource:

[Drum Tuning Link]