Hi-hat side of the drummer

[Marko 1]

left, I get quite miffed if I get shoved on the right. I need to be able to see what the other clowns are doing or it all goes to ... well you know.

Just curious… why can’t you see what the others are doing when you’re stage right?

 

[fourfinger]

Very definitely prefer the hi-hat side over the other, as long as the songs have been rehearsed (otherwise put me wherever I can see the guitarist's left hand).

But the best setup for me was in one rock band where the drummer and percussionist/singer were in front, with the guitarist and bassist in back. Lots of room to move side-to-side, easy to hear the stage amps, easy on the ears, easy to watch the drummer and catch all the cues. The drummer did a lot of stick twirling and talking to the audience, so it was the right thing for that band to do.

 

[fourfinger]

I'd advise those of you who have very firm preferences to get over them. Sooner or later you're going to be placed on a stage in an area you may not want to be. What are you going to do? Refuse to do the gig unless everyone else in the band bends to your will? All well and good if you're the bandleader. Not so good if you're not.

True. The easiest way to always see and hear everything is to be in the audience instead of in the band. The easiest way to always be in the band is to know the parts so well you don't need to see or hear much at all.

 

[bigthor]

Hi hat=subdivisions. Gives you more to hold on to. It dont really matter what side you set up on, just so long as you set up, ya know, groove. Stand anywhere and put yourself right in the middle of the drum kit. Feel the pulse, thats the whole deal. As far as eye contact: I dont. I feel and listen, execpt for endings. Then I will watch the drummer, and hopefully he is watching the singer.

 

[Art Araya]

+1 for hi-hat side.

 

[carl h.]

I don't care as long as I have enough space. You can hear the hi hat anywhere in the venue, including inside the walk in fridge with the door shut.

AMEN

As long as the entire group can make eye contact, I don't really care, as long as I have enough room.

 

[Gaius46]

True. The easiest way to always see and hear everything is to be in the audience instead of in the band. The easiest way to always be in the band is to know the parts so well you don't need to see or hear much at all.

I respectfully disagree. Music is a form of communication not only between the musician and the audience but also between the musicians themselves. You can't make music in a band if you can't hear what everyone else is doing. What happens if the drummer sets up a beat a hair faster than you expect. It all falls apart rather quickly if everyone can't hear that and adjust to it.

I'd venture a guess that most people would be able to adapt to being put on a different side of the drum kit. I know I can. Left side is optimal though. It means I have to work less to hear what's important to me.

 

[Rafael]

Honestly I've never understood the issue: I can hear my drummer wherever I am in the club, let alone stage left or stage right! My guitarist claims the bass needs to be stage left, so that's how we tend to set up, but we've gone the other way without mishap.

And there are plenty of examples of bands who break this "rule" about stage arrangements....but really to me it seems more natural for me to be stage right and be able to glance to my left OVER the kit.

As for "eye contact" I prefer to make eye contact with the AUDIENCE. That's whey we try to arrange practice in an on-stage arrangement instead of facing each other.

 

[jdepriest]

If I have a choice, I want to be right on the hi-hat. I can talk to the drummer when needed during a song a change up the groove or keep us together when the horn player skips the bridge during the 30th chorus of his solo. And there is usually enough room for my upright since I double on most gigs.

 

[Marko 1]

I respectfully disagree. Music is a form of communication not only between the musician and the audience but also between the musicians themselves. You can't make music in a band if you can't hear what everyone else is doing. What happens if the drummer sets up a beat a hair faster than you expect. It all falls apart rather quickly if everyone can't hear that and adjust to it.

...

Yep… I guess it would depend on the band, but in my recent experience playing live, things can change real quick- someone messes up (hey, it happens), or guitarist or singer decides to lengthen or shorten, even end a number, and ya gotta hear it and fall in as seamlessly as possible.

Hell, my guitarist keeps getting a couple songs names mixed up, calls out one and starts playing another. I can’t complain, though, as I get two of his country songs mixed up, haha… some just sound the same to me.

How many times I’ve been told that they wanted to make some change that required my attention, but I happened to not be looking. In my defense, I do look for cues from them, but I can’t just stare at them the whole gig.

 

[buzzbass]

I concur with the OP

 

[pmorlen]

I used to be a real stickler for playing on the hi-hat side, but a couple years back, I had to play on the ride side. Nowadays, it doesn't really matter. The only thing I dislike is being too close to the cymbals on a small stage.

 

[DaveDeVille]

preference ?
away from snare and hi-hat ...

 

[Joe Louvar]

It doesn’t make any difference to me - stage right or left is fine with me.

 

[Russell L]

In one of my bands ya can't even see the drummer, from either side, for all the dang cymbals and toms. I'm on the right, but FAR, FAR right, as FARRRR as I can get away from him. He's too loud, even with a plexi screen.

I guess hi-hat side makes sense (in a normal band setting), except that I still prefer the right side because I don't have to look away from the fretboard to see the rest of the band. Not that I look at the fretboard all the time, but it's just in the same direction.

Otherwise, I don't care where they put me.

 

[vinny]

I play left-handed & just moved to stage right after years of stage left. I always danced a funky little dance with the girl singer over me trying not to bonk her on the head with my bass. I really like it better in terms of getting a little further away from the drums, too. The real reason I moved, though, is because we got a teleprompter to share between us, & we needed to get a little closer together. It worked out well on all counts.

 

[dvh]

I HATE standing in front of the drum kit. I want to be on the same lateral plane as the drummer, end of story. To me, that's even more important than whether I'm stage left or right.

Me too and with some tight stages it happens.

I prefer right. Sometimes I need to see what my left hand is doing. especially on DB, and it's a lot easier to do that when it's in the same plane as the drummer and rest of the band.

 

[dvh]

I respectfully disagree. Music is a form of communication not only between the musician and the audience but also between the musicians themselves. You can't make music in a band if you can't hear what everyone else is doing. What happens if the drummer sets up a beat a hair faster than you expect. It all falls apart rather quickly if everyone can't hear that and adjust to it.

As for "eye contact" I prefer to make eye contact with the AUDIENCE. That's whey we try to arrange practice in an on-stage arrangement instead of facing each other.

Our drummer suggests what I agree is a good idea: The band should be in the middle of the room facing each other, with the audience surrounding them.

Of course, that never happens.

 

[zenman]

I like to be on the OPPOSITE side of the crash cymbal.

 

[Marial]

I prefer the hi hat side but it's not necessary. In rehearsal with band #1 I'm actually across the room from the drummer.