Drum Maintenance

I know this is a subject that most seasoned drummers do regularly, but for the beginners this is an essential habit to develop. Proper maintenance and care will keep your drums in the best condition they can be in. 

I highly recommend purchasing cases for your drums. Casing your drums will have an upfront expense, but the cost is far less than replacing your drums or having them fixed, if damaged. I personally use the Road Runner soft cases. I have had them for over 5 years now and gig often, they have held up very well. In addition to cases for your drums, purchase a hardware case and a cymbal case with dividers to keep the cymbals from touching each other during transport. Humes and Berg are another good choice and with a little research you'll find the best ones to fit your needs. 

Keep your drums clean and dust free, this will let people know that you care about your gear and it says a lot about ones attitude and appearance. 

You'll find different opinions on cleaning your cymbals and you'll have to determine what you want to do in this area. Personally, I do not clean my cymbals, and have not had a lot of problems with it effecting the over all tone. If you do decide to clean your cymbals, be sure to pick up a good cymbal cleaner and make sure you are careful around the logos, because it will fade or completely remove them. I would recommend one if I had one to recommend but since I do not clean mine I do not want to make a recommendation. I do, however keep my cymbals cased and dust free. Using gloves when setting up helps keep the finger prints off. 

Also keep a little case or bag with extra parts and tools for emergency purposes. I call it my survival kit. Keeping extra snare string, lugs, cymbal felts, drum key screws, to name a few. You may also want to keep an extra snare head with you just in case yours breaks during a gig. Remember to go prepared with the bare essentials, because as the saying goes, "The show must go on."

Make sure you keep your drums tuned, it amazes me that some drummers do not tune their drums on a regular basis. If your drums are not tuned, do not play them, it will only make the listeners regret listening to you. Tune your drums before every gig, after set up. Every venue will have a different overall sound, so make sure your drums sound good before you play. The more you tune your drums, it will become a habit and will not take as long over time. Remember, a few minutes tuning your drums can make or break the night.

These are just a few ideas of how to take proper care of investment, professionalism goes a long way. 
"Now, go get your drum on."