Keepers of the beat: international drum month rolls on in

November may be International Drum Month, but drums are disappearing from local music shops.

Brecksville Music Shoppe on Brecksville Road doesn't carry instruments anymore, and the Independence School of Music has only a few. Rob's Musicworks in Broadview Heights has some.

In general, though, instruments especially drums are hard to find in small music shops

Robert Gladys, owner of Rob's Musicworks, blames the manufacturers.

"Typically, a larger manufacturer like TAMA or Pearl will want you to continually stock a $2,000 kit," he said. "In my business, I work with a lot of students and beginners. Their parents don't spend $1,000 on drums before they know if their kid is going to continue after a few months.

"My target range is between $300-$400. They'll have kit in that price range but they'll say, in order to carry those, you have to stock five of these $1,000 kits and three of these $2,000 kits. As a small business owner, I can't afford to carry the full line."

Scott Velardo, drummer at Brecksville Music Shoppe, added, "Drums are difficult for a small store to stock. They're both expensive to purchase and space-consuming to store or display."

Bob Collett, owner of Independence School of Music, focuses on school instruments and lessons. He said there's not only competition from big box stores carrying instruments, there's competition from other pastimes.

"It's more fun to play Nintendo or watch TV than learn an instrument," he said. "We rent instruments because we want to put them in the student's hands."

Professional drummer Bill Coakley of Cleveland agrees it's harder to find instruments in smaller shops, but said customer service could be the key.

He said, "You'll find exactly what you're looking for at a specialty shop like Stebal Drums (Willowick). If they don't have it, they're going to be able to get it. If I go to Royalton Music in North Royalton, they're not going to have a lot of stuff there.

"The smaller stores are becoming obsolete because of these big department stores, unfortunately. Their prices are cheaper and they seem to have everything the smaller stores can't afford to own."

Even Independence School of Music drum instructor Eric Roszak said he doesn't shop at the small music stores anymore.

"I think Internet business is doing really well. I do my ordering on-line because it's readily there and cheaper. If I'm looking for a deal on something used, I'll go to a smaller shop."

However, quality is still important when buying drums, according to Gladys, and it's hard to find quality in the cheap kits at big box stores.

"The drums are an instrument that's made to be hit. They need to be able to take abuse. You're hitting the drums, kicking the drums. So, when you're looking at a drum kit, you have to look at it and say, 'Is this something my 10-year-old is going to be playing?' When they start off, they're going to be playing really hard. Will it hold up to the abuse?' "

Coakley said, "I've seen drum kits at a Costco or Sam's Club. They're buying through a company that's mass-producing a very budget-oriented set of drums. The quality there is pretty much what you pay for.

"I think you can learn how to play the drums pretty much on any drum set. You can be playing on a cardboard box and become a great drummer, at some point. The real thing is: Do they have the talent and are they working to improve?"

However, Coakley doesn't necessarily see the mass production of budget-oriented drums as a bad thing.

"It's making music instruments available to a lot more people," he said. "You can buy a set of drums for $300 that you may not play a gig with, but you can learn on it. There are some drums being offered by the larger companies for less money, like Drum Workshop (DW)."

The trick, according to Velardo, is shop around.

"Take your time and ask questions," he said. "Visit drum shops, talk to drummers and drum teachers. They all love to share their knowledge and passion for the craft. Try things out to be sure they fit your needs physically, aesthetically, sonically and financially. You wouldn't buy a car in just one stop, so why would you with drums?

"It's obvious why pros would prefer a real drum shop, but it's the beginner, in need of trustworthy advise from knowledgeable drummers (not sales pitches), who really ought to seek out the drums shops. It's well worth the effort."