How to Make a Suitcase Drum Set

A suitcase drum set is a drum set based off the kick drum being a suitcase instead of a bass drum. This makes a portable, cool alternative to the original drum set. After you are done playing you can put the rest of your gear in the suitcase and hit the road fast and easy. Here is how to make one.

Things you will need:

- A good suitcase, try to get one that has a hard surface on both sides, I used an old 1980's suitcase. Try to avoid cloth suitcases for the dampen sound. Samsonites work really well.

- A snare drum and stand

- A high hat and stand

- A crash or ride symbol and stand

- A kick pedal

- A splash symbol and stand

- Drum sticks

I have heard from a few people that a major problem in creating one of these is that it is hard to attach the pedal to the suitcase. I don't attach the pedal but if you want to I have heard that if you nail or screw in a small plank of wood to the bottom of the suitcase and then attach the pedal to the wood. That seems like a simple solution.

The cool and easy part of a suitcase drum set is that once you are done playing you can pack up all your gear inside of the suitcase.  If you cannot fit fit all of it in your suitcase you should either cut down on gear or find a bigger suitcase.

After gathering all the necessary parts and assembling your drum set it is time to have fun!

Bass Drum ( Suit Case Configuration )

You might notice that your suitcase sounds a bit clicky or lame at first. If you put a big pillow in your suitcase to dampen the sound and possibly put a pad or cushion where the kick pedal hits the suitcase you might get a better sound. Also try not to the close the suitcase all the way for it traps sound.

Any questions or comments? You know what to do!

Good Luck!

It is hard to get unique sounds out of such a small set. However, there are simple ways to broaden your sound bank. I purchased a pair of scraper sticks ( the metal "rake like" sticks ). This created a jazzy type sound to the set.

A few people I know have added a cowbell, a konga and other simple instruments to this set to make it a bit more versatile.

A suitcase drum set is perfect for a small gig or an acoustic gig. If you get stuck or run out of ideas youtube suitcase drum set and you will find a bunch of videos that will help you out.