Shields Up!

“Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” Luke 14:28 ESV

Drum shields are controversial. Some consider them essential for peace on the worship stage. Others consider them a plague and cry out for “free-range drumming”. The truth is probably somewhere in between: shields may be helpful in some circumstances and hurtful in others. So, what are the pros and cons?

In case you are unfamiliar with drum shields, let us first explain what they are. Drum shields are enclosures designed to contain and control the volume of acoustic drums. They take many forms, from circular panels that hang on cymbal stands, to free-standing acrylic or foam walls, to complete enclosures (basically putting the drums in a separate room). Shields are typically built from clear acrylic so the drummer can still make visual contact with the rest of the band. Often some kind of sound-absorbing foam is added to reduce the effect of sound bouncing around inside the enclosure. A hockey fan might joke that the drummer has been put in the penalty box. The drummer might agree!

In the worship setting the purpose of a shield enclosure is to reduce the volume of acoustic drums on stage, so other musicians and singers can more easily hear themselves and the stage monitor mix. Without the drum sound radiating acoustically from the stage, now the sound engineer has to raise the drums in the FOH (front of house) mix and probably even in the stage mix. This also requires complete miking of the drum set, which is probably happening already in a medium to large worship space.

The main advantage of using shields is that the stage volume is more controlled no matter who the drummer is or how forcefully they play. There are limits, of course. A hard-hitting drummer can still bring sound-level problems even with shields in place. I personally noticed when playing behind shields that I could better hear the drums because the sound was immediately bouncing back to me! I was a timid drummer back in the day, and I enjoyed hearing more drums without playing louder. But then the band members actually told me to play louder. They were not getting enough energy and could not pick up musical cues from the drums.

This brings up the main disadvantage of using shields: they disrupt the musical communication between players on stage that is crucial to a live performance. Anyone who has played in a school band is taught at an early age to listen to the rest of the group and adjust their volume accordingly. In a large concert band not everyone learns this lesson as they should, and individually-taught musicians might never learn it. But in a small ensemble, listening and adjusting is critical! If any player is unwilling to adapt their sound to appropriate levels for the performance situation they must be removed from the group, no matter how well they play their instrument. It might require the tough love of being shown the door to teach a musician the importance of inter-group dynamics. That may sound harsh, but it is better to have a worship band with no drummer than a worship band no one can hear because of the drummer.

Drum shields act as a mask, covering up the real problem of untrained drummers not adapting their playing to the musical situation. Drums and cymbals can cover a very wide dynamic range; they do not have to be played FF and above all the time. Sticks, brushes, multi-rods, and mallets come in a wide variety of sizes and weights. Changing drumheads is a major way to change the resonant character of drums. (Worn out, taped-up heads are the most common problem causing drums to not sound musical!) The size and construction of drums and cymbals can greatly affect the types of sounds they produce. Some drums and cymbals are made specifically to be loud! If your church has those (probably because they were donated), trade them in and get more appropriate instruments.

Most importantly, the drummer should use a wide array of playing techniques to pull the full dynamic range from drums and cymbals. If they cannot do this, it is time to learn. (See a helpful discussion of drum dynamics in this Austin Stone article.) Find an experienced drummer to mentor them, either informally or in formal lessons. And the worship leader can help by suggesting a wide variety of music for the drummer to listen to. Hearing new musical vocabulary always comes before learning to play it. Getting the right equipment and training drummers to play musically constitute the full cost (Luke 14:28) of adding drums to the worship band.

Drum shields are not always bad. In a recording environment isolating the drums can be very important, to keep their sound from bleeding into the mics of other instruments and singers. However, live playing is a different situation. When the body is wounded, a bandage serves an important role for a time. But eventually the wound needs to heal so the body can perform at its peak again. Drum shields are like a bandage, temporarily containing a problem but not solving the root cause of it. If your church is going to continue using drummers in worship music, train them to play appropriately to the music; help them learn to blend with the other musicians. And teach them the full leadership responsibility of the drummer in a small group. (That will be the topic of another article.)

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