Ever have band mates tell you your kit is too big?

Shild

Member
This hasn't happened to me yet, I only have a 5 piece set with 3 cymbals and hi-hat. But seen it happen to someone else. I'm always impressed when I see huge stacks of speaker cabinets and heads. Also impressed when I see Large drum kits but I was surprised to learn some people in bands don't like it when drummers have big kits. Anyone know why?
 
They are obviously jealous or feel inadequate in their presence.

If not, they probably have visions of Animal on the kit.
 
They are obviously jealous or feel inadequate in their presence.

Yes haha I use a 4 piece 2 crashes an ozone and a ride and they make fun of me for having to take all this stuff. They say all they need is a guitar (multiple)... and amp... and pedals and cables... and to try and project as much as my obnoxious size kit :p
 
I've received those comments. I like it when they say, the stage is small, can you bring a smaller kit? I (used to) have a kick, 3 toms, 3 crashes, hats and ride. The toms and one crash are on top of the bass footprint, negating them, the 2 remaining crash cymbals are in the space created by my hats and ride negating them. So even if I had a 2 piece kit I would take up the same footprint. I think they think that we take up too much stage space, but hey if you want drums it takes what it takes. Last time I checked I wasn't able to shrink myself and my drums.

Guitarists most definitely, at least in my world, prefer it when drummers have minimal kits. I think they think that it's an indication that we won't play a lot. Guy comes walking in, like me for instance, with literally 14 different things to hit, (5 drums, 4 crashes, ride, hats, 2 cowbells and a tambourine, which btw takes up the same space as a kick, snare hats and ride) and they think "OK here we go...lead drummer..."
 
I had a bass player once tell me that all drummers need is hats, kick, snare and a ride.

I was playing a four piece at the time with 2 crash/rides, crash and hats. So its not like it was a monster kit.

My pet peeve is when they setup the stage before me and dont leave enough room for me to setup.
 
Whatever floats your boat, big small, many pieces, few.
I actually am not impressed by loads of amps, stacks etc. I like an open stage with few smaller powerful amps. Also amps are far worse for loading in/out than drums. Those heavy magnets!
As for drums, i find many band members don't understand the footprint of a 4 and 6 piece or 2 versus 4 cymbals are pretty much the same.
 
I had a bass player once tell me that all drummers need is hats, kick, snare and a ride.

Technically, I agree with him. Give me those 4 bare essentials and I could get my way through any gig I'm ever likely to be found in. I've actually played gigs many times with exactly that minimalist set up.

But if he's suggesting that's all we should be using as a matter of course, then yeah, he can shove that for an idea.
 
Uh, never a band-mate... But several of the ladies have mentioned that my kit was just too big.


Giggity.

And for those of you with small kits... Don't worry. It's really not the size of your kit that counts.
 
I had a bass player once tell me that all drummers need is hats, kick, snare and a ride.

He's bass he has no room to talk haha I'll use just that stuff if it really called for it but even a rack tom wouldn't take up more space, neither would a floor
 
I actually have the opposite problem... I almost always play with a 1 up 1 down setup and my band regularly jokes about it being small. lol
 
Most people who say that fall into two categories:

1) They don't understand drums.
2) They think anyone with more than two toms or two cymbals is trying to "show off" (also, see #1).

Now, if you bring five toms and nine cymbals to something like a Waylon Jennings tribute band setting, you probably will be laughed at a bit. But then, so would you if you showed up to a Rush tribute gig with a four-piece with two cymbals.
 
My pet peeve is when they setup the stage before me and dont leave enough room for me to setup.

Me too. That is why I always get there first. Peace and goodwill.
 
As a guitar player, let me say: There are more bad drummers with large kits than good drummers with small kits. I think the problem is guilt by association. Past experience has told us that the quality of drumming is inversely proportional to kit size.
 
I got that comment (again) from my bass player at the start of last night's practice. I was so rushed, I brought a 4 piece + a couple of cymbals. I told him I bring what's (IMO) appropriate for the gig, & asked if he'd be happy converting 2 octave passages with 3 strings on his plank!

When I use my 6 piece, it's mainly for melodic expression. I don't care what anyone says, melodic rock stuff on a 4 piece just doesn't have the requisite breadth of range. If I was grooving all the time, with the occasional in groove fill, I'd probably be using a 3 piece, in fact, a 3 piece is my next kit :)
 
Try this- when someone tells you to get rid of some drums because they don't like the way it looks....suggest they remove some of their guitar strings or get rid of some effects pedals because you don't like the way it looks.

This type of crap irritates me. People think they can just push drummers around. I had one guy telling me he would never get onstage with me if I was on a riser. Apparently he was a big WHO fan and Keith Moon didn't use risers, so I wasn't "allowed" to use one either. Whatever.

Right now I am running a pretty big kit- five acoustic drums, five pads, five cymbals and a hi-hat. And on a big old rack too.
 
Generally, my experience is that people find a biggish kit impressive.

It's quite popular to bring a 4-piece for logistical reasons, but even those players often would like to bring more if it was less of a hassle. If you're willing to carry it, you can bring what you want.

Offcourse it would look a little out of place if someone brought it just for looks, like 11 toms and alla sorts of cymbals to play Eagles and Creedence tunes, but then again I don't know anyone who whould.

The common thing is still a 5-piece, crash + ride and eventually a splash and/or a cowbell.

My kit is a 6-piece 3 splashes, 3 crashes, ride and china. I don't need all those cymbals, and I hardly bring the full kit to local things, because it's inappropriate, but bringing all the cymbals if I took the whole kit would be much more work and the only thing that actually changes the footprint a little bit is the china. Everything else doesn't make a difference and has to be in it's respective place.
 
So many drummers today are going with smaller kits. A lot of drummers around here are buying the four piece kits with two crash ride, or thin ride cymbals. My bassist is in two bands, and in the apposing band, the drummer plays with a 20x18 kick. And I mean 20 deep, 18' wide. The high tom is super small, and the floor tom is like 14x14. It's the same brand of drums Travis Barker uses.

I use a four piece kit myself, but I have 3 cymbals and some hats. I have an 30 year old 18" Zildjian A Medium crash (I put a bit of gaffe tape on the bottom, so it functions as a crash ride, a 20" Sabian Pro rock ride taped up to dry out. Then I have a very old 18" ride of unknown brand. It's nice and dry, but also very crashable. I just have to be able to get a lot of colors out of each cymbal I use.

I prefer a big kick drum - 24" or 26", but my current kick is 22x18. I never get complaints that my setup is too big, because... obviously it isn't. But I'm able to use the equipment I have to its maximum potential. I've never been called an awesome drummer, but I've had many come up to me after a show say "Hey man, you're a really solid drummer." For me, That's a MUCH bigger compliment.
 
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