Well sure........so long as someone provides him with a trailer......
I like having options. A trailer is great for some gigs and nothing but a burden for others.
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Drum kit too big?
- Thread starter posijon
- Start date
Well sure........so long as someone provides him with a trailer......
I like having options. A trailer is great for some gigs and nothing but a burden for others.
Agree.
1) If there is room on the stage, why not?
2) I wouldn't want the drummer (or anyone else) telling me what bass rig to use.
3) Better too big than too small.
Here's some more info:
We are planning on only playing local gigs and the occasional out of town-er in Atlanta, Knoxville, or Nashville (all within 2 hours drive). Most of these venues are TINY. Here are pictures of the two local venues we will be playing most of the time:
Link Removed
This is Anarchtica.
Link Removed
This is Sluggo's North.
We are planning on only playing local gigs and the occasional out of town-er in Atlanta, Knoxville, or Nashville (all within 2 hours drive). Most of these venues are TINY. Here are pictures of the two local venues we will be playing most of the time:
Link Removed
This is Anarchtica.
Link Removed
This is Sluggo's North.
Then I suggest you shows these pics to the drummer. It would be the rare, exceptionally stubborn individual that would still insist on bringing a very large kit into those situations.
posijon said:
Yea that's what I'm talking about when I say small stages. Some of the little dives around Nashville are like that. Stage is half the size of your living room. The place is crawling with people. Dance floor is packed with drunks. No place for a big kit for sure. I've seen lead singers singing and standing on the bar just to have a spot to move around a little.
It should be mentioned that fans can form opinions on your band based on the equipment they see you setting up, long before they ever hear you play. Whether that's fair or not, it's the truth. If I'm at a punk or hardcore show and I see some guy bringing in his huge rockstar style drum kit, like he's Keith Moon, I'm turned off before they're even tuned up. And if they go a second long on setup, we're already hurling insults and jibes about only needing a 4 piece to play punk. It's just not necessary at all.
Ok there is truth to both sides of the argument here.
As I play both drums and bass I think I can make a somewhat fair assessment here.
Drum sets can get crazy big and eat up a ton of stage realistate as well as time to set up. I have been in been in bands with drummers that have 9-piece rocker kits that only play "boom tap boom-boom tap" drum lines that could easily afford to scale it down. Then again I have played with drummers that have larger than a 5 piece but actually sport a good sense of when to over play and when not to.
You have to remember that all the "extras" in a drum kit are extra notes, or effects. Telling a drummer to scale it down to a dinker 4-piece is like telling you to play the full set using only 3 frets on the A string, or telling the guitarist to not use his trust wah-pedals or distortion. You have to be careful with this topic and understand what you are asking.
I have seen just as many good drummers on small kits as large kits, just like I have seen a ton of crappy drummers on small kits and large kits. The worst for me is boring drummers. I don't mean flashy. I mean the same beat played the same way, using the same bits of the kit everytime. Having a larger kit can break the monotony if the drummer has any sense of taste. In your basic bar band a 4-piece is probably fine, but a bigger kit CAN help make things a little more interesting after 2 hours of listening to the same routine over and over. I agree with the previous poster that said more cymbals than drums.
My favorite kit that I've owned to date was a 7-piece which was a happy medium between huge and reasonable.
For the OP, one thing you may want to do with your band is to practice set up and tear down and time it. One of my early bands actually stop watched this, which was good because we carried a lot of stuff. Being in a wannabe Queensryche/Dream Theater/Kamelot style project we brought a ton of gear, including back ups for everything. Taking the time to work on bein efficient with our time was critical. How is stull loaded into the truck, which order does it come out? Who carries what? It helped deal with the "ton of junk" factor. If your drummer is going to bring the monster kit, it might be worth the time to work on this.
So in short - Don't automatically fear the large kit, just make arrangements prior to it becoming an issue.
As I play both drums and bass I think I can make a somewhat fair assessment here.
Drum sets can get crazy big and eat up a ton of stage realistate as well as time to set up. I have been in been in bands with drummers that have 9-piece rocker kits that only play "boom tap boom-boom tap" drum lines that could easily afford to scale it down. Then again I have played with drummers that have larger than a 5 piece but actually sport a good sense of when to over play and when not to.
You have to remember that all the "extras" in a drum kit are extra notes, or effects. Telling a drummer to scale it down to a dinker 4-piece is like telling you to play the full set using only 3 frets on the A string, or telling the guitarist to not use his trust wah-pedals or distortion. You have to be careful with this topic and understand what you are asking.
I have seen just as many good drummers on small kits as large kits, just like I have seen a ton of crappy drummers on small kits and large kits. The worst for me is boring drummers. I don't mean flashy. I mean the same beat played the same way, using the same bits of the kit everytime. Having a larger kit can break the monotony if the drummer has any sense of taste. In your basic bar band a 4-piece is probably fine, but a bigger kit CAN help make things a little more interesting after 2 hours of listening to the same routine over and over. I agree with the previous poster that said more cymbals than drums.
My favorite kit that I've owned to date was a 7-piece which was a happy medium between huge and reasonable.
For the OP, one thing you may want to do with your band is to practice set up and tear down and time it. One of my early bands actually stop watched this, which was good because we carried a lot of stuff. Being in a wannabe Queensryche/Dream Theater/Kamelot style project we brought a ton of gear, including back ups for everything. Taking the time to work on bein efficient with our time was critical. How is stull loaded into the truck, which order does it come out? Who carries what? It helped deal with the "ton of junk" factor. If your drummer is going to bring the monster kit, it might be worth the time to work on this.
So in short - Don't automatically fear the large kit, just make arrangements prior to it becoming an issue.
+1. To the OP: if he's not, have him watch this video to see how much music can be made with a pretty basic drum kit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3QFNNk3tgI
