Depends... I think I lean on personal style with big kits for different sounds I can get and just for bragging rights.
Depends... I think I lean on personal style with big kits for different sounds I can get and just for bragging rights.
Sabian!!!
BACK IN DA DAY WHEN I STILL HAD MY
"DIRTY LIL BABIES" 1972 3 PLY LUDWIG CLASSICS CHROME OVERLAY
11 DRUMS/22 CYMBALS I WAS ASKED :HOW DO YOU PLAY ALL THOSE DRUMS??...I LOOKED HIM STRAIT IN THE EYE & SAID SIMPLY "WITH TASTE"
IF SOMEBODY ELSE IS MOVIN YER STUFF,,,TAKE EVERYTHING
INCLUDING DA KITCHEN SINK,,(SOUNDS COOL TOO)
BY YERSELF ,,,DIFFERENT STORY...
IM ON DA BRINK OF SELLING EVERY ACOUSTIC DRUM & CYMBAL I OWN
FOR THIS,,,,, [link removed - per forum rules, please don't link to Craiglist ads, thx - Tom]
THOTS OR COMMENTS WELCOME
"FEEL DA GROOVE & PLAY IT FORWARD..."
"BEAUTY IS IN THE EARS OF THE BEHOLDER ,
ENJOY IT ALL,,, MY BROTHERS & SISTERS"
COMMANDER & CHIEPH OF
"PHROGGE'S AQUARIAN ARMY"
LEGEND IN MY OWN MIND
& FORCE BEHIND DA
"PHX AZ LEGEND OF DA ZYDECO GROOVE VEST"
(AND OTHER TOYZ) INCLUDING PIZZABOX SNARE DRUM
IT'S ALL ABOUT DA SHOW !!!!!
sweet guys, thanks for all the answers! For me I like a pretty small set up 4 piece normally but I also like to have a nice cymbal selection as well as some other percussion instruments with me...
but I dig the quote the drums dont play me, I play the drums, I will take that one with me.
I agree i guess it depends on what you are playing....I do like having options though
Gear
Yamaha Stage Custom(late 90's)
10 12 16 22 BD 14 SN
Cymbals all Sabian
14 AAX-celerator Hi Hats
8 & 10 Paragon Splashes
17 AAX-xplosion Fast Crash
16 AAX Dark Crash
18 AAX Dark Crash
21 AA Raw Bell Dry Ride
19 Paragon Chinese
i feel like a bigger kit gives me more options and tools to be creative with...though Bozzio size kits are TOO many options lol...6 piece kits (2 up, 2 down tom set ups) are perfect for me, a crash or china (usually i like just a china behind the first floor tom) behind each tom so no matter where i am on the kit during a fill i can end it whenever i want without much effort...ive tried playing 5 piece kits with just one floor tom and i felt so repetitive and less dynamic if i wanted to roll or play tribal fills because i had one less tone to work with...so 2 up, 2 down 6 piece kits are PERFECT
^Great points. I too feel that there does come a point where it becomes too much to take on, and even play. You gotta spend a lot more time on tuning, cleaning, set up, buying heads becomes maddeningly expensive, etc. There's that good middle ground to find between extreme small and extreme big, a sweet spot. Big enough to get you any sound you could want, but not so big to where it becomes a problem and makes your life unnecessarily difficult.
ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
Snares: 4
RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
Forum Rules
DrumBum
No metronome?
The Rudiments
quote from freaks and geeks.
Nick: Check it out man, that's uh 14 mounted toms, 8 floor toms, 4 splashes, 2 gongs, 10 cowbells , 4 rides, 5 snares, a rototom rack, and it's all mounted on my infamous quadruple kick drum system. Six more pieces and I got a bigger set than Neil Peart from Rush, yeah.
ive never played a really big kit but I do find on my e-kit the programed kit I play the most is the one set up as a 6 piece not the 4 piece with the other two pads programmed to other sounds.. cowbell and a timbale .. although looking to pair down again probably to a 4 piece ride crash hats.
We Have nothing to fear but Reefs and Pirates
I tried taking life seriously, didn't much like it so now what I take seriously is living
40 years ago I sat in the front row @ The Fillmore East/NYC and saw Chicago.
Danny Seraphine blew me away with his drumming. His set-up was an 18x16 kick, mounted and floor tom..that was it it. The sounds out of the small setup was impressive.
I kept in mind all these years, it is how you play, not what you play.
for the record, danny still uses an 18x16 kick, tho the rest of his setup has grown
I have always used a big kit.I do understand what some are saying about being intimidated by a large kit.I know a few people who are like that with mine when they stop by and jam for a few minutes.
I am actually a little intimidated by smaller kits because I have used a large kit for so long that when I do use a smaller kit,I go to hit a tom or cymbal that isn't there.I air drum!
I couldn't get used to a smaller kit then what I currently have.
8 10 12 13 mounted 16 18 floor toms on the right 14 floor tom on the left and my octobans on the left 22" bass 8x14 Tama Maple snare
Last edited by Shawn76; 06-02-2013 at 10:21 AM.
8pc Tama Superstar Classic Maple
Sabian and Zildjian Cymbals
Since I retired, I've added more drums to my set.
If I set everything up, it's (2) 24x14BD's, 12,13,14,14,15,16,18. 7 cymbals, not counting the splash and hats.
More drums, more fun, but if I had to play out again, I'd go with 24, 14, 16, 18, and either my BB SS, Black Magic, or Acrolite.
I forgot to add the other 16 FT that I sometimes use on the left side.
Last edited by rickthedrummer; 06-02-2013 at 12:22 PM. Reason: ----
True It can be tricky going either direction especially if you have been used to a particular setup for a long time.I tried going from an 11 to a 4 piece and I had a lot of trouble! I had to spend a bit of time on that 4 to make good use of it. The kick pedals are different, you have further hi hat distance, your toms are mostly up high in a row, cymbals and add ons tend to surround you, center snare, various things you'll notice if you make the change.
All those years playing metal on an 8 piece and i go see a long lost bandmate and we play the same metal, but on his one up, one down old Gretsch kit he has in his studio. I was struggling with tom fills when you know darn well it wasn't played on that configuration. Lol. Also it felt very unnatural not having as many cymbal options.
All at the same time it was interesting having to "make due".
I think kit size should be based on what you intend to play. Jazz, then a small kit is fine. Rush tribute band and you're going to make a sizeable investment to do it right.
Yet on the other hand, I know guys who make whatever work.
If you asked me a year ago I'd say big. But then I got into jazz and realized how unnecessary it was to have two snares, double bass, 5 toms, and 6 cymbals. I love minimalistic drum sets now.
I've played both big and small kits over the years, I prefer smaller kits now, only because I have to haul them..........I love the look of a big double bass set with a ton of toms and cymbals.............but I don't want to lug that much stuff around anymore
Smaller kits require more imagination
you can pull so many sounds out of
the surface of one drum....
If you are one with the drum,,,
yer imangination can take you anywhere,,,
enjoy da journey my phriends,,,
"FEEL DA GROOVE & PLAY IT FORWARD..."
"BEAUTY IS IN THE EARS OF THE BEHOLDER ,
ENJOY IT ALL,,, MY BROTHERS & SISTERS"
COMMANDER & CHIEPH OF
"PHROGGE'S AQUARIAN ARMY"
LEGEND IN MY OWN MIND
& FORCE BEHIND DA
"PHX AZ LEGEND OF DA ZYDECO GROOVE VEST"
(AND OTHER TOYZ) INCLUDING PIZZABOX SNARE DRUM
IT'S ALL ABOUT DA SHOW !!!!!
Proud Yamaha Player
The line between the real world and the machine world is becoming more and more blurred every day.But its not that humans are turning into automations or becoming slaves to the machines.No, we're simply growing toward each other!
Last edited by TxDrummer; 06-02-2013 at 11:32 PM. Reason: correct my bad english
Proud Yamaha Player
The line between the real world and the machine world is becoming more and more blurred every day.But its not that humans are turning into automations or becoming slaves to the machines.No, we're simply growing toward each other!
for me it's been 24 (single) 13 16 18 6.5 or 7 for so long. I'm in my comfort zone on that set up. I like to have a lot of cymbals though. Right now it's 4 crashes, hats, a big ride and a china.
The logistics of the whole thing is what I think about a lot. When you only get 15min to get off the stage
RDM/Damage Poets
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REGAL TiP
AQUARIAN
Small kits are a good test of your technique, clearly shows how polished up you are. Good start up size - not more than you can handle. It's a pain trying to teach a new player on a big kit, cause they'll end up diverting from the lesson plan and give into the temptation of hitting everything in sight. When you're ready for more add more, but the basics should be familiar first before you take them on.
Last edited by Russ; 06-03-2013 at 12:01 AM.
ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
Snares: 4
RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
Forum Rules
DrumBum
No metronome?
The Rudiments
I find I'm not completely in line with your thoughts on the matter. I don't feel a smaller kit shows better technique or polish. It's just preference. I don't like hauling a lot of crap, which is pretty much the basic root of everything I do. I take the bare minimum when I go jam. I have a long debate on weather or not I should bring toms. And I also feel, "basics" is subjective. Some cats recommend starting with a practice pad and some sticks. Other say a full kit. Honestly, drumming is a hobby, and people should do what they want. If some dude wants to buy a gazillion piece drumkit right off the bat, power to him. Not everyone is planning to maintain a residency at the Baked Potato or Blue Note. Some people just wanna hit things. And that's ok.
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i've had a 3 up 2 down before, i now play 1 up 1 down, i liked both but 1 up 1 down is my preferred choice.
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I play lead Drums
For me, it depends on not only the music I'm playing, but what role am I doing within the band or music situation I'm in. I could be just there to play kit for a rock, straight-up punk or funk band, then all I need is the simpler set ups I use. But if I'm doing say Latin or reggae stuff, I need a few little extras such as cowbells, little splashes or effects cymbals, a high pitched piccolo or effects snare left of the hi-hat, that sort of deal. In one cover band situation, I needed not only a double pedal for a number of tunes, along with a closed hi-hat to the right, but I also had to add a couple of electronic pads as well....there were a number of 80's tunes where what I was emulating were really drum machine patterns....think of stuff like New Order, Duran Duran, etc. Of course a double pedal and extra hi-hat is almost ubiquitous in doing metal as well.
A different sort of situation where the kit would be expanded would be if my role within the band is not only as a drummer, but as a percussionist as well. I've had various items to the left of a relatively simple 4 or five piece kit in some situation.....stuff like congas, djembe, darbuka, even the more offbeat stuff like tabla, a glockenspiel, or a bodhran! My percussion set ups, when I've been brought in to do percussion, have been pretty varied....really, there is no 'standard' kind of set up, we're all unique with our rigs. Sometimes all I need to do is turn up with a couple of hand drums, or say some acoustic congas, bongos, timbales and a traps table with shaker, windchimes, tambourine etc. But for quite a while now I've been getting into playing multiple lines.....say, playing left foot clave with a cowbell or block whilst playing simple conga patterns and so forth. Or as some of you have seen, I've now got an electronic/acoustic percussion set up happening, been using that with one group's situation....that's s bit more involved to set up due to the electronics and foot pedals I'm using, but it means that I've a whole world of percussion right there at my fingertips. Well, now I'm looking at expanding that set up a little further, because pretty soon I may be adding tuned percussion sounds to some songs, so I've got my hands on a Korg Micro Station a short time ago, been going over getting familiar with easy keyboard lines, and now I've a rack that mounts not only the percussion, but two small Korg keyboards to the right, as I'm starting to blur the lines between percussion and taking on the role as second keyboardist/noisemaker.
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I've always played with a 5 piece. Tried a 6 and couldn't adjust honestly. I'm toying with the idea of going down to a 4 piece.
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