How to street drum with plastic buckets
March 21, 2012 at 5:48 PM
It seems that 2012 is going to be the year of the street or bucket drummer. More and more bucket drummers are cropping up- in the media and now it’s crossed over into the corporate world with the release of the TV advert for the Skoda Fabia.
There have been street musicians for hundreds of years. Drummers and percussionists have, historically, always created instruments from their immediate surroundings. So it should be no surprise that in African countries, where money is tight, they have created a craze that makes great use of discarded containers.
Plastic buckets have a unique sound, almost bongo-like when compared to normal drums. But, their natural deadening characteristics ensure that they’re not unsociably loud which makes them ideal for using outdoors. For obvious reasons then, metal buckets aren’t widely used in street drumming.
So how do you use them?
The usual way to play them is on the 'bottom’ of the bucket using two sticks. The lip that goes around the edge gives a higher pitched sound too which offers a nice contrast to the main drum area. For a wider variety of sound, one tip is to experiment with different sticks and mallets. Also vary drumming with using all hands, one stick and one hand, or two sticks. Be aware thought that if you use wooden sticks, wood is tougher than plastic, and thick wood sticks may eventually damage the plastic buckets.
So if you’re a wholesale user of plastic buckets, and happen to have a few empty ones lying around, why not learn how to street drum and impress your colleagues and friends?!!
Add Pingback
RL Plastics Ltd | Britannia House | Dock Road | Birkenhead | CH41 1DF
T: 0151 639 0002 | F: 0151 639 0006 | E: sales@ho-plastics.co.uk
