Have you ever found yourself looking at a drummer and thinking, damn, how is he doing that? How just strikes and hits can create such great music? Thankfully, these are easy to acquire when having the RAV Vast as it is a percussive instrument as well. Here are a few percussive techniques for you to learn. The greatest thing about the RAV Vast is that there’s actually no right or wrong technique. Do it the way you feel it and find the one which seems the best for you!
RAV Vast percussive techniques: using fingers
Even if you just change the finger, you will hear the difference in sound. Try to tap the RAV Vast with each of your fingers separately. You can hear the different ways it sounds. Experiment with your touch too, tap and slap to get variable sounds.
Using hands
When playing the RAV Vast you can not only involve your fingers but also the knuckles, fists or even elbows to create a very specific and strong sound. No need to panic, the RAV Vast is extremely durable and won’t get harmed! Experiment with it a little to enrich your toolkit of techniques.
Using mallets
Mallets provide a totally different sound. They usually sound louder and the sound is more voluminous. Playing with mallets is easy (if you are a beginner, we even recommend starting with this technique). They of course limit you with playing triads but give you some new interesting options instead.
Special tips for those who learned to play the drums before — you can actually use the same drumstick techniques that are used in drumming. Important notice: use only special RAV mallets (you can buy a set in our online store, they are available for sale in our Accessories section) as they were specially designed to provide a soft and powerful sound. Don’t use the usual drumsticks as they can harm the surface of the RAV drum.
Change the place
Not only the tongues can be used while playing. Involve the surrounding areas and the drum’s shoulders — you’ll get a great short and muffled percussive sound. You can use it to separate the musical phrases or mix it with tapping the tongues to add more artistic expression to your melody.
A pro tip: if you played some percussion instruments before (like udu, darbuka, or djembe), you can involve the same techniques and play a piece tapping the shoulders only. Do it as if you did it with any other percussion and you’ll add a very unusual taste to your melody.
Would you like to learn more about the RAV percussion techniques? Start your journey from the following video by Justin Ezor who explains clean striking fundamentals.