REMO SILENTSTROKE DRUMHEADS AND ZILDJIAN GEN16 CYMBALS!

While at the 2014 NAMM show, my Remo representative, Bruce Jacoby, pulled me aside telling me that he wanted to show me something he thought I’d be interested in.  He led me to a 4-piece drum set with what looked like Coated Ambassadors on the batter heads.  He told me to sit down handed me a pair of sticks and told me to play.  When I hit the first note, I knew I was playing something special.

The set was fitted with Remo’s new SilentStroke drumheads.  Upon closer observation, I noticed they were a mesh material.  These were not like the practice mesh heads I played in the past.  They let the tone of the drums shine though!  Each drum sounded beautiful!  The kick drum had a low, focused attack with a rich boom surrounding it.  The snare was sensitive at low volumes and capable of producing a smooth buzz roll AND a rim shot!  I was even able to get a sidestick sound from it!  But that isn’t why I think these heads are special.  As a member of Team Remo, I haven’t found a head combination I didn’t like.  What made these heads special was that they were 90% quieter than a standard drumhead!

I’ve been a full-time drum educator since 1998.  I started teaching out of my home.  Then I did added mobile lessons.  Then I taught out of a large, big-box music store.  Then I opened my own music school.  When my son was born in 2003, I went back to teaching out of my home studio.  My current student roster sits between 68 and 72 students per week.  I teach Monday-Saturday.  That means I get lots of students of different ages and skill levels coming to my house to learn an instrument that is typically quite loud.  Living in Southern California, I don’t have the luxury of having space between my neighbors.  A huge issue for me is sound management.  I want to keep my neighbors happy!  I do not have the ability to have a dedicated, soundproofed teaching studio.  My studio is located in my garage.  Yes I have it finished and insulated as well as climate controlled but it is not soundproofed!  I have sound absorption panels and mutes on my teaching set.  The sound levels are manageable and my neighbors never complain.  I thought I had everything dialed in… until I tried these heads!

I cannot recommend these heads enough to fellow educators who need a teaching set that sounds AND feels real while being 90% quieter than standard heads or to anyone who wants to play their drums without having the police knocking on their door!  Which leads me to another product Bruce hipped me to:  Zildjian’s Gen16 cymbals!

I mistakenly thought these cymbals were only for triggers and electronic kit players.  How wrong was I!  They come with the option to not get the accompanying triggers!  The same kit with the SilentStroke heads was set up with a Gen16 hi hat, crash and ride.  These cymbals looked great and sounded exactly like what you’d expect a great Zildjian cymbal to sound like but again, 90% quieter!  The cymbals felt just like my beloved K’s when I played them!

BOTTOM LINE:  If you are a drum educator who needs a quieter teaching set or live in an apartment, townhome or anywhere else which requires your drums to not be heard, you will not find a better more affordable sound treatment option than the combination of Remo SilentStroke drumheads and Zildjian Gen16 cymbals!

1)       They are much less expensive than an electronic kit.

2)       You can outfit your current kit with them and still have the familiarity, touch, feel and tone of your existing acoustic kit.

3)       They are much quieter than a practice pad kit or an acoustic kit with mutes.