This gear is going fast. Take a look at what’s left and see if there is something that suits your program’s needs.
All gear will be available after the final 2020 performance by Veritas at the WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio. You can drive a trailer over to pick your instruments up, or we can make arrangements with you to deliver your order after WGI.
To check out the list of available gear, please click here.
Winter percussion is officially in full swing, with the weekend of IPA competition completed! The next few weeks students and instructors will be working hard to complete and perfect their shows. Chops Percussion is a proud to be the presenting sponsor for Indiana’s own winter percussion circuit: Indiana Percussion Association. There are shows every weekend with IPA Prelims on March 21st, and the season concluding with IPA Finals on April 4th. This season’s IPA Finals will return to Ben Davis High School, while the Hulman Center at ISU is being renovated.
Interested in scores, schedules, or additional information? Go to www.indianapercussion.org for all the details you will need to enjoy this winter percussion season! Don’t forget to follow us on social media, as Chops will be returning to WGI Finals for more #TeamIndiana coverage in April!
For the past twelve and half years, Chops has strived to serve our customers with the best concert and marching percussion on the market. Our goal to stock the most common and necessary items and to provide quick-turnaround for instruments and not-stock items has allowed us to create positive relationships with both our manufactures and our customers. Over the last decade, the marching arts have evolved at record pace. One of the leading changes: electronics and pro audio.
For several years now, we have offered a drum set rental package that included the Pearl Export EXX, Meinl HCS cymbals, and Pearl D790 throne. While the Export EXX pack is still available, we are excited to announce that we’re adding something new to our drum set rental offering.
For $69 per month, you will now be able to rent the Pearl Decade Maple set (Black Ice finish only) with 830 series hardware, a Sabin XSR cymbal package (14” hi hats, 16” and 18” crashes, 20” ride), and a Pearl D930 drum throne. We’ve had many requests for drum set outfits with upgraded drum and cymbal options, and this package definitely fits the bill. Do you want to hear the Decade in action? Please check out this video (best to listen with headphones or high-quality speakers):
To learn more about Sabian XSR cymbals, check out this video: https://sabian.com/en/videos/xsr/226055911
If you are a drummer, or have an aspiring drummer at home looking for an equipment upgrade, we hope you’ll consider the new Decade Maple package from Chops Percussion. Please feel free to call 877-900-DRUM or email sales@chopspercussion.comfor more details on our rent-to-buy program.
This is a tough blog to type. On January 7th, the music world lost a true giant and the drumming world lost one of the very best to ever play the instrument. Neil Peart passed away after a quiet, 3 year battle with brain cancer. When this was first announced on Friday, January 10th, I just remember thinking how amazing it was that his friends and family were able to keep his illness a secret. Instant information is all around us, but somehow, those closest to Neil managed to keep his condition private. I think that is the ultimate show of respect to a man that cherished his privacy and more than anything, just wanted to be a regular guy. I will always admire his band mates, family, and friends for honoring this man by saying nothing about what he was going through.
Neil was a huge influence on me as a drummer. I, like thousands of other drummers, sat in my room and tried to learn every cool lick from “Moving Pictures”. To be honest, I’m still trying to learn! He played with such power and precision and nothing ever felt overdone. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say “Neil Peart plays too many notes.” Every single note he played belonged perfectly. I used his signature Promark drum stick for a lot of my teenage years, and I still have a couple pairs packed away in a box somewhere. I’m really glad I kept them now. The ultimate Rush fan and Neil Peart fan experience was seeing them live. I was lucky enough to see the band four times; the first being in 1997 on the “Test for Echo” tour. It was amazing to watch some of my musical heroes play those complex songs in person, and play them with a lot of joy. I’ve never seen so much air drumming in one place in all my life.
Aside from his drumming, Neil was a gifted lyricist and a talented author. The painful experience of losing his only child (at that time), the death of his wife, and the motorcycle trip that saved his life was told beautifully in the book, “Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road”. Neil was great at describing the riding conditions and his surroundings; your mind’s eye could easily paint the pictures his words were describing. You could also feel his pain as he struggled to find himself again after such tragedy. I always appreciated him putting that story out for the world to read. Neil’s song lyrics connected deeply with many people on many different levels. A lot of people get caught up in the complexity of their arrangements, but the stories and feelings crafted in his thoughtful lyrics resonated with people throughout the world.
When Rush finally called it a day in 2015, fans often wondered if we would ever see them perform a one-off show or hear some new studio music. Knowing what Neil was going though in private, the band told the world that Rush was finished in 2018. A lot of fans always held out hope, but that hope was finally laid to rest with Neil’s passing last Tuesday.
Rest in Power, Professor. Thank you for sharing your gifts with all of us on Earth. Your body may be gone, but your spirit will live on in your drumming, your lyrics, and your books forever. I can say with the utmost confidence that there will never be another like you. Thank you for being such a huge part of my existence.