Cramped Drums on Tiny Stages

Hey, guys.

I've been playing out for the better part of the last two years and, for the most part, it's been a lot of fun.

But there have been a bunch of times where it's been very little fun ... mostly because the drums are crammed into a corner of a tiny stage or bar basement, and pieces of the kit aren't exactly in the best position to be struck with accuracy or comfort.

Yeah, somebody call a waah-mbulance, right?

I'm not actually writing to complain, just to ask whether it would be worth my while to set my drums up in pretty effed up configurations, at home, to gird myself for these inevitable moments where the ride cymbal's bell is going to be just a tad too out-of-reach, or when I have to mount my cowbell on the left side of the kit instead of on the bass drum or the floor tom ...

How do you prepare yourself for a set-up at a dive that's likely to be adverse, and unlike your home or rehearsal set-up?

Thanks.

many of us have purchased a smaller kit for those occasions. It takes some getting used to, but what you loose in components you make up for in the ability to be comfortable and play better.

Get comfortable playing what you need to play on a 4-piece with two or three cymbals. No other way around it.

I definitely will bring smaller drums to a smaller stage. I have an 18/12/14 kit that's compact and actually sounds quite good, but my preference is 20 or 22" kick with 13/16 toms. Granted, the larger drums really add only about 3 or 4" of extra width to the setup, but that's often the difference between easily getting in & out of my space, and having to lift the hi-hat out of the way. Also, I use 1400 stands, so there aren't stand bases or booms taking up extra space (actually, I use lighter stands primarily for weight considerations.)

I may also eliminate the floor tom if it won't noticeably affect the parts I need to play, and that buys me some extra space, although there are really only a few bands/gigs where that's feasible.

There was one gig that was so cramped, I had to position my kick under the piano, and since there wasn't room for the ride, I attached the top section of the stand (fortunately a 3/8" pole) to the tom holder and positioned it somewhat over the rack tom. Even so, I was still sitting in the aisle of a busy Palm Springs restaurant on New Year's Eve. At least I was dressed nice!

Bermuda

I've been looking at small kits, but I should disclose that I'm not bringing my own kit with me to these shows. I live in New York City and I don't own a car.

Every venue I've played, to this point, has had its own house kit, most of which comprise a 22" kick, at least one rack tom (10" - 12", if there's a second it's usually a 13") and a floor tom (usually 16").

So, basically, the venues have kits too big for themselves. Or, there's enough stage but too much stuff on it to accommodate re-configuring the kit, or too little time between when they've allowed us access to the stage and they want us to start playing (we're usually the opening band).