caddywumpus
Archnemesis of Larryace
Is gear really versatile or not?
On this forum, people ask/talk about a particular cymbal/snare/kit, and the question/discussion of its versatility often enters the conversation at some point. I've done some thinking about this for some time, and my question is, "What exactly does it mean for something to be versatile?" Is X pair of hats really better suited for jazz or rock than Y pair? Or, is there a certain pair out there that covers the gamut over all genres? And, what is it about them that makes it so? Plus, does anyone in the audience, or the rest of the band/ensemble, even really care?
When someone comments on a snare and says, "Man, this snare is great for rock, jazz, funk, etc...", part of me says, "Well, what snare ISN'T?" It's a freakin' snare! Obviously, there are sounds more pleasing to some peoples' ears, and those same sounds aren't quite as attractive to others' senses. I'm not talking about personal preference of sound characteristics, but rather defining a genre of music by a set of overtones set off by only certain models of instruments.
Since music and gear preference are such subjective and expressive things, can we really discount some piece of drum equipment as "not being suitable for (insert genre here)!". Are we all just playing some silly imagined game when we do this?
I'm not looking for gear plugs AT ALL, by the way, but WHY we talk about gear in this way, and is it really even necessary???
I would love to hear everyones' thoughts on this...
On this forum, people ask/talk about a particular cymbal/snare/kit, and the question/discussion of its versatility often enters the conversation at some point. I've done some thinking about this for some time, and my question is, "What exactly does it mean for something to be versatile?" Is X pair of hats really better suited for jazz or rock than Y pair? Or, is there a certain pair out there that covers the gamut over all genres? And, what is it about them that makes it so? Plus, does anyone in the audience, or the rest of the band/ensemble, even really care?
When someone comments on a snare and says, "Man, this snare is great for rock, jazz, funk, etc...", part of me says, "Well, what snare ISN'T?" It's a freakin' snare! Obviously, there are sounds more pleasing to some peoples' ears, and those same sounds aren't quite as attractive to others' senses. I'm not talking about personal preference of sound characteristics, but rather defining a genre of music by a set of overtones set off by only certain models of instruments.
Since music and gear preference are such subjective and expressive things, can we really discount some piece of drum equipment as "not being suitable for (insert genre here)!". Are we all just playing some silly imagined game when we do this?
I'm not looking for gear plugs AT ALL, by the way, but WHY we talk about gear in this way, and is it really even necessary???
I would love to hear everyones' thoughts on this...