Triangle

Finger Cymbal

Triangle Plus

Horizontal

Order 2 or more Machines. Get 5% off each. Discount in cart.

Triangle Arm

Body

Finger Cym Arm

Plus Body

Horizontal Mount

All pieces interchangeable. Mix and match.

Beater Upgrade Kit

Extra Plastic Ties

Finger Cymbal Mount

Triangle Suspension Mount

Order 3 or more. Get 10% off all. Discount in cart.

Brown/Gold

Long Sleeve

Grey/Black

Short Sleeve

Grey/Red

Long Sleeve

La Boheme - Mio Chang

Mio Chang's setup for La Boheme at the Hamming Theater in Tokyo, Japan.

Mio Chang's setup for La Boheme at the Hamming Theater in Tokyo, Japan.Mio Chang's setup for La Boheme at the Hamming Theater in Tokyo, Japan.Mio Chang's setup for La Boheme at the Hamming Theater in Tokyo, Japan.Mio Chang's setup for La Boheme at the Hamming Theater in Tokyo, Japan.Mio Chang's setup for La Boheme at the Hamming Theater in Tokyo, Japan.Mio Chang's setup for La Boheme at the Hamming Theater in Tokyo, Japan.Mio Chang's setup for La Boheme at the Hamming Theater in Tokyo, Japan.Mio Chang's setup for La Boheme at the Hamming Theater in Tokyo, Japan.Mio Chang's setup for La Boheme at the Hamming Theater in Tokyo, Japan.Mio Chang's setup for La Boheme at the Hamming Theater in Tokyo, Japan.

"Some tips to play La Boheme with a reduced one player part.

Act 2:
Marching Snare Drum - Ludwig 6.5"x14" for main, Yamaha 10" for orchestra in pit and the Sonor 5.5" for additional parts from the end of the scene (no Banda this time). Except for the Yamaha 10" the other two snares had loosened top heads. Bass drum and hi-hat cymbals with attachment were used instead of piatti. I played both pedals with the right foot and used my hands for the bells, xylophone, snare and triangle. The reason I used two bass drums is that I think the bass drum in this opera is very noticeable. 36" is tuned as deep as it can go and the 26" is like a marching bass drum.

Act 3:
The recorded chime part is triggered on the sequencer while playing a one handed roll on the timpani. The sound comes from the back side of the stage. The wine glass is original in Act 3. I was holding the bottom of the glass between my thumb and index finger while the middle finger played the triangle (see photo). Actually these two wine glasses were completely in the same key.

Bass Drum Mallets:
It called for wood and leather mallets (which I made myself) and a couple mallets from Tom Gauger (one with a bigger head and a staccato one).

Timpani Mallets:
I made my own timpani mallets and a friend of mine made me some using flannel. I used Malletech mallets for the xylophone and bells and a pair of old Musser vibe mallets for the cymbals.

Parts went from impossible to possible with my Miller Machine. I couldn't have imagined my musical life without it.

All of the percussion and timpani books were from Touchdown Productions."

Instruments:

  • Premier 30" and 22.5" Timpani
  • Ludwig 36" Bass Drum w/Yamaha Bass Drum Pedal and Danmar Bass Drum Spurs
  • WFL 26" Bass Drum (1940's, original spurs) with Speed King Pedal
  • Korogi Desktop Xylophone
  • Deagan Bells
  • Ludwig 6.5" x 14" Supraphonic Snare Drum
  • Sonor 5.5" x 14" Snare Drum
  • Yamaha 10" x 4 3/4" Piccolo Snare Drum
  • Pearl Mallet Tray
  • Miller Machine with Alan Abel 6" Triangle
  • Miller Machine with Ludwig 8" Triangle
  • Wine Glasses (2)

Cymbals:

  • Sabian 18" AA Crash Cymbal
  • Sabian 18" AA Orchestral Suspended Cymbal
  • Zildjian 18" Piatti
  • Zildjian 16" and 18" Hi-Hats (16" on top of 18") Mounted on a Pearl Hi-Hat Stand attached to Bass Drum with a Tama Hi-Hat Attachment Clamp

Electronics:

  • Yamaha QY300 Sequencer

Plastic bag between timpani and snare drum is a stick tray used as a quick change! It works! Try it!

La Boheme - International - Mio Chang
July 2015

Mio Chang's setup for La Boheme at the Hamming Theater in Tokyo, Japan.

"Conducting a National Tour is incredibly challenging, but so rewarding. Stepping on to the podium with a new orchestra every few weeks really keeps you on your toes. Every player responds differently so you are constantly adjusting to get the desired result. I would compare it to playing a multi-percussion piece where the instruments are constantly moving."
"After a grueling four years at SUNY I still had one theory class left to finish. I was really depressed. A classmate of mine recommended me for a tour of a Broadway show. This completely changed the course of my life."
"When I first got the call to start working on Ain’t Too Proud - The Life And Times Of The Temptations, I was curious about which era the show was going to focus on. Their career began in the early 1960’s and they’re still releasing albums today."
"The timpani tunings are the real challenge of The Little Mermaid. Changing pitches must be done by feel, that was my biggest challenge. Memorizing the mallet parts was also very necessary."
"As you can see in the pictures, I prefer to have as much 'stuff' right in front of me, as close as possible. Because there are so many instruments close in, I have mounted a music stand off of the tom mount.
"Different from the tour, the original Broadway production had acoustic drums, an acoustic set of timbales, and an acoustic tambourine - the tambourine is now programmed in the SPD-SX."
  • 2 min read

Gene Krupa's drum solo from "Gene's Blues" from the album Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich released November 1955.

Steve Jordan's drum solo from the title track of the album Casa Loco.
Robbie Ameen's drum solo from the track "Spring Fling".

Search