General

Summer Learning: Snare Solo Resources

While summer is a great time to take a break, it is also one of the best times to work on your technique and take some time to learn some new solos. One of the best things you can do as a young rudimental drummer is challenge yourself by learning solos, even when you aren’t preparing something for a solo and ensemble type of event. We thought we could share some of the best solo compilation books out there that we think can fit any drummers needs no matter that level of experience. We are sure you can find a few solos in there that will challenge you over the summer months! 14 Modern Contest Solos for Snare Drum by John S Pratt This is one of the classic and well-known rudimental snare solo books. If you have gone through any music program, you will have surely played at least one solo from this book and if not it is well worth buying and learning the solos in here. The books does have varying levels of difficulty with the solos but most are on the medium to advanced side and will offer a challenge. This book is an excellent

Jun 18, 2024 No Comments

Demo and Clearance List at Chops Percussion

We have recently updated our demo/clearance list with more products at a great price. Everything from marching drums, carriers, stick bags, sticks, and more. We even have two Roland SPD-X Drum Samplers on Clearance that are brand new! With many great offers take a second to check out the list at the link below and give us a call to check on availability as the list and quantities are constantly changing. We are sure there is something on the list that you can get at an amazing price that will be a great addition to your percussion gear! https://www.chopspercussion.com/run?useUX=true&id=8&opid=712&_tid=379 Note: All sales are final for all items on the clearance list and are not able to be returned. Call us today to check for stock availability – (317) 813-2070.

Jan 18, 2022 No Comments

Common Concert Snare Drum Maintenance

There are some common maintenance issues that will arise over time with relation to your concert snare drum. While most of these are fairly simple we have tried to highlight issues that can be taken care of by you with little knowledge of percussion repair. Cleaning: Wipe down each drum with a soft cloth, including the hardware and the shell. If there is extreme dirt or grime, you can use denatured alcohol diluted in water. If you have anything that is extremely sticky use a small amount of valve oil. In both cases, put the product on the cloth instead of spraying directly on the drum. Parts Inspection: Do a visual inspection for any missing or broken parts that may need replaced. Some common parts missing or broken include the following: Bent Tension Rods Damaged Tension Posts or Tubes Bent Strainer from overtightening snare strands Bent or out of Round Rims Inspect the bearing edges when heads are off for any damage Head Replacement: Changing the heads on a concert snare drum that is used regularly should happen about once a year. Over time the head will get stretched so far that it will not hold tuning for long even

Mar 9, 2021 No Comments

Vibraphone Maintenance and Common Issues

The vibraphone is one of the most complex instruments in the percussion family due to its many moving parts to make it all work. Unfortunately, the pedal and damper mechanisms are not universal from brand to brand so you will need to give these instruments a more thorough inspection. A majority of the time issues on vibraphones are from the pedal or the damper. Beyond the basic keyboard cleaning tips mentioned you can check for the following issues: Bar Cleaning: Since the vibes have metal bars cleaning them with a dry cloth first and then denatured alcohol or a multi surface cleaner such as Pledge will help remove the built up dirt and grime.

Jan 12, 2021 No Comments

Yearly Maintenance Tips: A Comprehensive Guide

As the new year approaches, your program is likely going into the busiest time of year with concert band, solo and ensemble, jazz band and indoor percussion all happening at the same time. Often times you may not think about taking a little extra time to do a thorough inspection of your gear, but it will go a long way in getting the most out of your investment. Now is a great time to do some general equipment maintenance and cleaning that can ensure you are ready for the busy months ahead. Having your students actively participate in this process will help them take pride over equipment that will be used long after they leave your program and can help the process move along faster and seem less overwhelming. Below are some quick and easy tips for making sure your gear is in top shape to start the new year: Take an inventory of all your equipment at the end of each semester. Clean all equipment using a soft cloth to remove any dirt or grime that has built up over time. A small amount of diluted rubbing alcohol can help remove major build-up. Inspect your instruments for any missing parts. Check for broken or

Dec 9, 2020 No Comments

The Positive Impact Drumming Has On Mental Health

* This is a blog from January of 2020. I figured since this year has kicked everyone in the shins, we could use a reminder! Research conducted by the Royal College of Music in London shows that drumming can have a drastic impact on one’s mental health. A 10 week group drumming program reduced depression in the participants by 38% and anxiety by 20%! The 10 week study also shows social resilience improving by 23% and overall mental well-being by 16%. These numbers are astounding to me, but when I think about how I feel when I’m playing drums with my band, I am not at all surprised. Full disclosure: I suffer from depression. Some times are worse than others and the winter can be the most brutal for me. Getting behind my drum set and playing is a huge lift for my mood and my self-esteem. It’s the one thing I have in my life that I can constantly count on to give me joy. I’m so glad to know that drumming can be therapeutic for so many others. If you have never played but have always wanted to learn, or you would just like to find a new

Aug 18, 2020 No Comments

Chops Percussion Closed Until April 7th

In compliance with the recent executive order issued by Governor Holcomb, Paige’s Music and our specialty shops Chops Percussion, Encore Orchestral Strings & Indy Flute Shop will be temporarily closed until Tuesday, April 7th. During this time we will not have access to our facility. So, there will be no in-store or curbside pick-up and no outbound shipments or deliveries. We will be monitoring e-mails remotely and will respond within 24 hours to your e-mail inquiries. To insure that your inquiry is directed to the best person to help you, please use the appropriate e-mail address below: Questions about your current account: [email protected] Questions about an instrument repair: [email protected] Questions about an instrument rental, sale or accessory: [email protected] To reach our specialty shops: Chops Percussion: [email protected] Encore Orchestral Strings: [email protected] Indy Flute Shop: [email protected] We will be ready to serve you as soon as this closure order is lifted.

Mar 24, 2020 No Comments

My First Drum Set

We share this blog post at this time each year. Christmas is a popular time for kids to get their first kit, so it seemed appropriate to share this again. myfirstdrumset.com is a great resource for those just getting started in the world of drumming. Are you taking up drumming for the first time? Are you buying a drum set for the drummer in your life this holiday season? If so, you may want to start at myfirstdrumset.com. This website was created by the people at Pearl Drums with the idea of educating not only the drummer, but the parent or loved one who is buying the set. Here are the highlights: A “Welcome to Drumming” video with appearances by some of the top names in the drumming world. A step-by-step video that shows you how to correctly unpack and set up your drum set. Video tips on tuning, warming up, and playing your first beats on your new drum set. A drum set buying guide. A very informative FAQ section. Statistics that show what a great thing drumming can be for the mind, body, and spirit! If you or someone you love has decided that this is the year to take

Dec 24, 2019 No Comments

Chops Percussion Holiday Hours for 2019

Just a couple of notes on our holiday hours. We’ll be open Saturday, December 21st from 10am – 4pm. These are our normal Saturday hours. We’ll be closed on Sunday, December 22nd. We are also normally closed on Sundays. We will be closed on Tuesday, December 24th for Christmas Eve and Wednesday, December 25th for Christmas Day. We will also be closing at 2pm on Tuesday, December 31st for New Year’s Eve and we will be closed Wednesday, January 1st, 2020 for New Year’s Day. We’ll be back to normal hours on Thursday, January 2, 2020. Here’s a run-down: Saturday, December 21st: Open 10am-4pm Sunday, December 22nd: CLOSED Monday, December 23rd: Open 10am-6pm Tuesday, December 24th: CLOSED Wednesday, December 25th: CLOSED Saturday, December 28th: Open 10am-4pm Sunday, December 29th: CLOSED Monday, December 30th: Open 10am-6pm Tuesday, December 31st: Open 10am-2pm Wednesday, January 1st: CLOSED Happy Holidays from all of us at Chops Percussion! Here’s to a great 2020!

Dec 17, 2019 No Comments

Chops Percussion is Hiring!

If fixing percussion instruments and working in a drum shop part-time are your thing, then you may be the person we want to talk to! Chops Percussion is currently seeking a qualified person to work part-time on our sales team and part-time in percussion repair. You can check out the job posting here at this link: https://www.paigesmusic.com/paiges/run?id=6&_jlid=4797&lvid=557 This posting expires next Monday, July 23rd. If you think you are the right person for this job, please follow the application instructions located in the posting and I will personally make contact with you. All the info you should need is there, but if there are additional questions, please feel free to email me at [email protected] Thanks in advance for your interest!

Jul 17, 2018 No Comments

Happy Holidays from Chops Percussion!

Just a couple of notes on our holiday hours. We’ll be open Saturday, December 23rd from 10am – 4pm. These are our normal Saturday hours. We’ll be closed on Sunday, December 24th. We are also normally closed on Sundays. We will be closed on Monday, December 25th for Christmas. We will also be closed Monday, January 1, 2018 for New Year’s Day. We’ll be back to normal hours on Tuesday, January 2, 2018. Here’s a run-down: Saturday, December 23rd: Open 10am-4pm Sunday, December 24th: CLOSED Monday, December 25th: CLOSED Saturday, December 3oth: Open 10am-4pm Sunday, December 31st: CLOSED Monday, January 1: CLOSED Happy Holidays from all of us at Chops Percussion! Here’s to a great 2018!

Dec 19, 2017 No Comments

2017 BOA Finals Recap

Over the weekend of November 9-11, marching bands from across the nation gathered at Lucas Oil Stadium for the culmination of marching season in the Bands of America Grand National Championships. On Wednesday evening the competition began with the Indianapolis Marching Band Tournament. The following schools from across the city participated, along with a couple from Hawaii in exhibition:

Nov 21, 2017 No Comments

Remembering John Henry Bonham

Welcome back to the Chops blog. Today we’re remembering the untimely passing of one of the most influential drummers of all time, John Henry Bonham. We’d like to celebrate his life and influence by sharing some of our favorite Bonham-related links we’ve found on the web. They include an article from Drum! Magazine on 10 ways to sound like Bonham, a video from his drum tech Jeff Ocheltree on how to tune and mic like Bonham, and some isolated drums tracks of him in the studio. Give the article a read, check out the Jeff Ocheltree video, then sit back and listen to the bombastic sounds and heavy grooves of John Bonham.

Sep 26, 2017 No Comments

July is a Great Month to Have a Birthday if You’re a Drummer

We had no idea, but July is apparently a good month to be born if you’re a drummer. Check out the partial list of legendary timekeepers below! July 1 – Ndugu Chancler (Drummer on Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”) July 4 – Butch Miles (Mel Tormé, Count Basie Orchestra) July 6 – Louie Bellson (Jazz Legend) July 7 – Ringo Starr (The Beatles) July 8 – Jaimoe Johanson (The Allman Brothers Band) July 9 – Stanton Moore (Galactic) & Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix) July 15 – Philly Joe Jones (Miles Davis) July 16 – Stewart Copeland (The Police) July 17 – Joe Morello (Dave Brubeck) July 22 – Don Henley (Eagles) July 23 – Jim Chapin (Woody Herman, Tommy Dorsey) July 26 – Roger Taylor (Queen) July 31 – Bill Berry (R.E.M.) If you’re a drummer and celebrate a birthday in July, you’re obviously in great company! Happy Birthday from all of us at Chops Percussion.

Jul 4, 2017 No Comments

New Chops Showroom

It’s been several months since we first announced that our space would be going through a remodel. We’re happy to announce that the new showroom is now open for business. The new space is about the same size as our old one, just a slightly different shape and better organization.

Jun 27, 2017 No Comments

Chops Is Getting Remodeled!

Just last week we posted on our Facebook page that the retail space for Chops would be closed. One week in and a lot has been accomplished! The showroom and the storage area have been flip-flopped. The showroom is now on the north end of our space with the storage moving south. New framing has already gone up that will support various new ways of displaying percussion products.

May 30, 2017 No Comments

Director and Instructor Job Opportunities

It’s that time of year, when director and instructor positions begin to open up around the state. If you’re looking for a certified teaching position, a percussion director position, or part-time tech work, make sure to check the Paige’s Music job openings page. If you’re a director looking for extra help, please make sure to post the opening here so we can help send candidates your way! It’s easy to do. Head over to the Paige’s Music home page. Hover over “JOB LIST” in the top menu and click on “Job Post Request”. Fill in the form and click submit. We typically have your opening posted no later than the next business day. You can also access that form directly by clicking here. Please let us know if you have any questions about the job list.

May 16, 2017 No Comments

ChopsStick Challenge!

Hey Everyone. Welcome back to the Chops Blog. We’ve got something brand new for you this week to help build some hype for the upcoming IPA State Finals competition on April 1st at Hulman Center. We’re calling it the ChopsStick Challenge! The rules are simple. Rules 1. Perform a trick “shot” like the one below and capture it on video. 2. Make it as fun/hard/complex as you see fit. (Please be safe!) 3. Post that video to our Facebook page with the hashtag #ChopsStickChallenge, and we’ll pick our favorite as the winner. Enter as many times as you’d like. Bonus points for wearing a Chops t-shirt! 4. Post your video by Thursday, April 6, 2017 at 11:59pm. We’ll pick a winner on Friday, Aptil 7, 2017. Check out Jeff trying a couple of quick shots here in the store: Prizes The winning shot will receive a prize to be announced later. Don’t worry, it’ll be worth it. Questions? Email us at [email protected] Have fun! Jeff, Derek, and Dustin

Mar 21, 2017 No Comments

Happy Holidays from Chops Percussion

Just a couple of notes on our holiday hours. We’ll be open Christmas Eve from 10am – 2pm. We normally close at 4, so this is different from our normal hours. We’ll be closed on Sunday, December 25th for Christmas. We’ll be open on New Year’s Eve our normal hours from 10am – 4pm. We’ll be closed Sunday, January 1, 2017 for New Year’s Day. We’ll be back to normal hours on Monday, January 2, 2017. Here’s a run-down: Saturday, December 24th: Open 10am-2pm Sunday, December 25th: CLOSED Saturday, December 31st: Open 10am-4pm Sunday, January 1: CLOSED Happy Holidays from all of us at Chops Percussion! Bring on 2017!

Dec 20, 2016 No Comments

Audition Alert! – Indiana All-State Percussion Ensemble

Deadline: October 15, 2016 Directors – We want to make sure you’re aware of this great opportunity for your most outstanding young percussionists. The experience of being involved in the All-State Percussion Ensemble is very rewarding in itself, but also comes with the added bonus of working with world-class performer, educator and featured guest, Casey Cangelosi. Here are details for the audition process and performance at IMEA, along with information on Casey Cangelosi. Please share this with any outstanding high school percussionist that may be interested in this fantastic opportunity. 2017 Indiana All-State Percussion Ensemble Performance Information Grand Wayne Convention Center, Fort Wayne January 12-14, 2017 Featured Clinician: Casey Cangelosi IMEA, in partnership with the Percussive Arts Society and Indiana Percussion Association is pleased to present this fantastic opportunity for your percussion students! Participating students will have the opportunity to explore different genres of percussion ensemble music led by regional clinicians and featured guest Casey Cangelosi. Activities will begin on Thursday, January 12 at 1:00 PM and conclude on Saturday, January 14 by 5:00 PM. Audition Information Eligibility: Students in Grades 9-12 residing in Indiana or neighboring states are eligible to apply. Application materials: Available at the following website http://imeamusic.org/programs-events/all-state-honor-ensembles/all-state-percussion-ensemble/ Audition Requirements: Applicants will make use of the online interface to submit audio or video recordings of 1-2 minute excepts from at

Oct 4, 2016 No Comments