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Instruments used by Keith Aleo Percussionist, Florida Philharmonic Orchestra Snare Drums For general playing I use two drums: a 6 1/2" x 14" Hinger (not the space tone, mine has a solid shell) with Hinger cable snares and a Remo Diplomat head for the batter head and a Remo Diplomat snare head. A 6 1/2" x 14" Clevelander Drum Company snare drum with the Clevelander dual (wire and cable) snares and a calf batter head and a Diplomat snare head. The Clevelander I use for most indoor general playing and the Hinger for outdoor playing. I have used the Clevelander for Scheherazade and I thought it worked well; very articulate and clear. Other drums I use are a Leedy and Ludwig 8" x 14" nickel drum with gut snares. I call this drum my "barking" drum because the sound is like a dog bark; aggressive, very strong and full. Field Drums and Tenor Drums I have two drums I use for field drum parts: a Barry Drum Company 11" x 15" metal drum with gut snares and a calf batter head and a Diplomat snare head. This drum was sold to me by Brad Spinney and sounds fantastic. Last time I used it was for Mahler's Third Symphony, the offstage part. The other is a Gretch 14" x 15" with a calf batter head and a Diplomat snare head. The snares are a silk/wire combination I got from Kevin Hathaway (London Philharmonia). I have never seen these in the United States, but I know they are available in Europe. Tambourines I have a total of 14 different instruments, but I commonly play Grover Pro Percussion tambourines. I have bought some jingles from both Grover Pro Percussion and Black Swamp Percussion and put them on the Steve Weiss imports tambourine shells, these instruments sound great. The OLD Ludwig tambourines have a wonderful sound also, a m sound. Others are Stoessel, Werco and Steve Weiss German import tambourines. Triangles I commonly use the Alan Abel large and the 6", 8" and 10" David Warne triangles. The Abel produces more of a clear pitch, so I use this instrument for more delicate playing, like the works of Debussy and Ravel. The David Warne triangles produce a tremendous amount of sounds and colors; I use all of his sizes frequently. Recently, I purchased a mammoth David Warne 12" triangle that sounds great. I also use the 10" Grover Pro Percussion triangle. Castanets I use the Black Swamp Percussion large adjustable tension castanets and the Epstein large castanets. The Black Swamp instruments are fantastic. They have a new innovative system for changing the tension on the castanets that works very well. I am able to produce a wide range of dynamics and sounds with this instrument. Cymbals One of my favorite instruments of all the orchestral percussion instruments. I use exclusively Zildjian cymbals. I feel these instruments produce the depth and darkness in sound that is mandatory in orchestral playing. The hand cymbals I commonly use are 16", 17", 18" and 20" Constantinople cymbals of various weights. Timpani The Yamaha instruments are the most practical and cost effective overall. They are relatively portable (they have a third wheel that attaches under the pedal when you need to transport them), reliable and sound very good. In a more perfect world (ie. there were cases and a crew to move the instruments), I would use the American Drum (Walter Light) Mark XIVs. John Tafoya (principal timpanist with the National Symphony Orchestra) uses these and I think they sound wonderful; far superior to the Yamahas, but are far less practical. Marimba I use a 4 1/3 octave rosewood Marimba One marimba. I find this instrument to be completely balanced and even through the entire range. It's sustain is long and rich and has a wonderful feel to play on. Vibraphone I have the Musser M-55 and find it to be the most practical and best sounding instrument. The pedal and motor mechanism is simple and works well. Orchestra Bells I own a Deagan 2 1/2 octave set. I find the Deagan's sound to be wonderful, full-bodied, yet penetrating. I use the Deagan bells most of the time. The Florida Philharmonic owns a wonderful set of Jencos. Back to Home Page