Bring Tambourine Into Your Live Playing with the Hat Trick
As many drummers know, tambourine can add great texture and motion to virtually any groove. From programmed hip-hop grooves, to big fat classic rock grooves, tambourine can add the needed motion to spice up your playing. I have gradually become more fond of tambourine in the past year or so, and have recently been exploring options available for bringing it into a live scenario. In my exploration, I came across the Hat Trick hi-hat tambourine made by Rhythm Tech.
The thing I like most about this is the number of options it gives me in live situations, and even in the studio. I use it in two primary ways:
1) Hitting it with a stick much like a side mounted tambourine can be a great way to add it under your backbeat for choruses, or bigger sections of tunes that need an extra punch. You can also use it alone as your backbeat for softer sections of songs, or for parts where you may only be playing a shaker, and need a backbeat option other that snare/cross stick.
2) Bouncing the hi-hat, triggering the tambourine tone. This can also be a great way to add tambourine to choruses, or sections where you don’t have a free hand.
Below I have put a picture of the hat trick, and this is a perfect opportunity to debut a song I recently recorded the hat trick on. It’s an original christmas song by Julie the Band. You will hear the hat trick on all of the pre-choruses, and choruses. Notice how it brings a much needed distinction between sections, especially in a song that is so texturally based, and earthy sounding.
This is the original song “Merry Christmas” by Julie the Band. Listen for the Hat Trick, and enjoy!
