RhythmTech Percussion - from £28.99 - www.rhythmtech.com

Add a percussive element to your kit playing...

Nowadays it’s often not merely enough to simply be a drummer – we’re regularly called upon to be engineers, producers and percussionists all at the same time, usually while on a gig, and it’s the latter which is where Rhythm Tech’s range of percussive instruments we have here can certainly help. Their Hat Trick G2 hi-hat mountable jingle ring and DKP2 drum kit pack are designed to augment your kit set-up to include percussive elements while not taking up too much room and being ‘stick-friendly’. With Latin grooves in mind and sticks in hand we take a closer look.

Hat Trick G2

The Hat Trick G2 hi-hat mountable jingle ring has an ingenious way of attaching: the hi-hat rod goes through a quick-release catch in the centre of the ring. This allows the Hat Trick to be attached or detached using one hand quickly and easily while performing, meaning that if it isn’t needed for certain tunes it is simply taken off and put to one side without having to fiddle with wing nuts/tension bolts etc. The HT G2 is constructed from tough plastic and houses a choice of eight brass or nickel jingles. It also has a softer playing surface so it can be played by hand without chopping up your sticks.

DKP (Drum Kit Pack) 2

The DKP2 contains a crescent-shaped Drum Set Tambourine, hard-plastic Moon Block and mounting rod and clamp to attach to any of the stands on your kit in an unfussy, non-obtrusive way. The tambourine (Rhythm Tech’s DST) is also constructed of hard moulded plastic, which houses 16 nickel jingles and can be mounted via the included hardware or onto the hi-hat rod via a large wing nut (although it is significantly heavier than the Hat Trick). As with the Hat Trick, it has a softer, polymer playing surface to protect your sticks. The Moon Block features a raised playing surface so that you get the fullest sound every time you strike it, and it creates a great, short, wooden ‘block’ sound.

In use

I used all of these products at a couple of recent gigs. The Hat Trick G2 sounded really sweet. The relatively high-pitched jingles added a touch more definition and attack to pedalled hi-hat notes, while riding the HT G2 with the stick produced a clear and precise ‘jingle’. The Drum Set Tambourine and Moon Block of the DKP2 similarly offer new and interesting sounds. The Moon Block is particularly good for reinforcing rim clicks and clavé patterns. If you mount both the Moon Block and DST on the supplied rod and clamp, each time you play the Moon Block you get some sympathetic vibration from the tambourine. This wasn’t really too much of a problem live, but in a recording situation you will need to isolate the two.

Conclusion 

These are very useful products for anyone looking to expand the available sounds on the kit. They are well made, easy to set up and use, lightweight and unobtrusive. The Hat Trick sounded great when pedalled or played with a stick, and the fact that it can be so quickly removed in between songs is a big plus point. The DST and Moon Block of the DKP2 are equally as impressive, with the Moon Block being especially good. Rhythm Tech drum set percussion instruments certainly provide great accents and add a further percussive dimension across all genres of music. Well worth checking out.