How to Bucket Drum

Acts that feature bucket drums and trash can drums play everywhere from the streets of New York, accompanied by a jar for donations, to the local fairs. If they're exceptionally lucky or good, they even make it to the stages of Las Vegas and other tourist spots. People began to play a form bucket drums before actual drums were created. They just needed a stick and an inverted hollow container.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 5 gallon buckets
• Empty paint cans
• Coins
• Metal bowls
• Drum sticks
• Bass drum foot pedals

1. Collect different sizes of large plastic containers. The 5 gallon drum is one that is most commonly used when people play the bucket drum.

2. Add metal paint cans that you can invert. Different sizes of cans give a lot different tone. Experiment to get sounds that you truly enjoy.

3. Find smaller plastic buckets for different tom sounds. Adjusting the type of material and the size gives a lot of different sounds.

4. Play bucket drums with a snare. Put coins on an inverted metal paint can, emptied of course, and the sound is much like that of a snare drum. This addition sets you apart from many bucket drummers that use only the plastic bucket.

5. Set a metal bowl in a bucket. When you hit the edge the sound of the cymbal can be heard. You can have two different cymbal sounds if you sit the bottom of the bowl inside the bucket and set a bowl on the top of an inverted bucket for a different sound.

6. Choose a square bucket for another type of sound. The key to bucket drumming is getting as many different sounds as possible.

7. Buy a set of sticks. If you hang around a contractor, many of the items are free. Drum sticks are not. Practice the rolls and rhythm of the drums on one bucket until you have a good sound. Add in other sounds. If you have extra money you can also buy a bass drum foot pedal to connect to a bucket. Once you become proficient, who knows, it may be Vegas, Baby.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use a flat piece of rubber pad as a practice pad while you learn. The neighbors won't complain about the noise and you can learn the rudiments of drumming before you play the actual bucket drum.