by Garvin » Fri Nov 02, 2007 5:40 pm
Hi...
I don't know anything about your background, but here are some tips that I picked up in my short time with the pandiero.
Try tuning up more than you think you need to. There should be a resonant tone, but you should also be able to press the head and bring the tone up as well. As far as hitting the heel of your hand, this needs to be fixed by working on your basic technique. I find that the heel of my hand does make some regular contact with the hooks, and that's just something I learned to live with. Obviously you don't want to be hammering your hand with those hooks though, ouch!
I hae a GOPE 12" with a plastic head and an RMV 12" with a skin head. I actually prefer the attack on the Gope, and find the finger slides easier on that one as well. I do like the tone of the RMV better, and maybe I just haven't broken it in enough yet.
Check out youtube, theres probably a ton of things to study out there.
Also, if you have a chance check out a 10". It is far more forgiving on your forearms and sounds really cool when tuned down low.
Good Luck!