Mean Girls - Keith Wilson

Keith Wilson's percussion setup for Mean Girls at Archbishop Wood Performing Arts, in Warminster, Pennsylvania.

Keith's write-up and gear list below photos.

Keith:

"What a fun and busy show for the percussionist of Mean Girls! Mean Girls calls for a lot of equipment and has extensive hand drumming parts throughout the show. I had a blast playing this show and it definitely kept me on my toes.

The main challenge that I found with this show was the very quick instrument and stick changes. Having a good pair of swizzle sticks is necessary to go from tambourine to timpani and sometimes rolls on the concert bass drum. I am currently using Artifact Percussion Broadway Swizzle Sticks, which feel great when playing with them. The stick side uses a tear drop tip and the mallet side is a gray puff mallet. Since I’ve been introduced to The Miller Machine, I never play a show without it. For this show I used one for triangle and another for finger cymbal.

I also used a Yamaha DTX Multi 12 Pad for several instruments to make quick changes more accessible. The sounds I used on the DTX were chimes, claves, and timbales.

The china cymbal and ribbon crasher needed to be set next to each other for specific numbers in the show, as well as the tambourine and cowbell. It would have been helpful to have a second cowbell set next to the Yamaha DTX, which played the timbale sound."

Percussion:

• Ludwig 26” and 29” timpani (a 32” for low D, and low E flat, would be better suited)
• Ludwig Concert Bass Drum
• Musser 2.5 Glockenspiel

Cymbals:

• Sabian 18” HHX Evolution Crash
• Sabian 16” AAX Crash
• Wuhan 12” China

Hand Drums:

• Remo 14” Djembe
• Handmade 12” Doumbek
• CP Congas
• Toca Bongos

Hardware:

• Gibraltar Double Conga Stand
• Pearl Pro Djembe Stand
• Remo Doumbek Adapter Ring
• Toca Bongo Stand
• Steve Weiss Liberty One Accessory Rack
• Black Swamp RecPlate for 18” Gong

Aux. Percussion:

• LP Black Beauty Cowbell
• LP Low Jam Block (Red)
• LP High Jam Block (Blue)
• Rhythm Tech Drumset Tambourine/Brass Jingles
• Rhythm Tech Large Ribbon Crasher
• Miller Machine with 6” Alan Abel Triangle
• Miller Machine with Eastern Finger Cymbal
• Hand Held Bell Tree (mounted)
• Egg Shakers
• Remo Orange Shaker
• LP One Shot Shaker
• PASIC 2002 Conga Shaker
• Rhythm Tech Live Shaker
• Ron Vaughn Wood Block
• Steve Weiss 18" Hand Selected Chau Gong

Electronics:

• Yamaha DTX Multi 12 Pad
• Apple iPad running Yamaha DTXM12 Touch Controller

Stick/Mallets:

• Regal Tip Saul Goodman #2 Timpani mallet
• Artifact Percussion Broadway Swizzle Sticks
• Grover Pro Triangle Beater
• Vic Firth Remix Brushes (Grass & Birch Combo)
• A. Putnam BD6 Keith Aleo Signature Model Bass Drum Mallet

Mean Girls - Regional - Keith Wilson
November 2023