most important

[jakester]

i was wondering what is the the most important part of the drum set. is it the snare. is it the toms. is it the bass or is it the cymbals.

[N.I.B.]

Umm......all of the above?!

[jakester]

let me change the question. what is the heart of the drum set

[audiotech]

Now, you should already know this. It's the drummer.

Dennis

[MaryO]

Besides the drummer? Well, for me, that would have to be the throne - bad throne, bad playing....great throne, great playing. I learned that the hard way!

[razorx]

This isn't such a simple question. First you need a drummer. A throne can be optional. Next you need sticks to hit the drums with. But with out heads the drums are useless. So I'm going to go with heads.

[Inspired Drummer]

That's an interesting question!

I don't believe there is a "right" answer because different drums and cymbals have different purposes so it's hard to evaluate them all on the same level. I'm going to have to think about this one for a while...thanks for provoking the thought! :-)

[daredrummer]

Originally Posted by razorx

This isn't such a simple question. First you need a drummer. A throne can be optional. Next you need sticks to hit the drums with. But with out heads the drums are useless. So I'm going to go with heads.

Without lugs the drums are also useless. So... lugs?

Oh wait, useless without tension rods too... I'll have to go with that.

Hmm can't do much without rims...

Need sticks to use drums...

But wait... No sound without a drummer...

Sorry OP but not a very good question. Everything is important.

[Dr_Watso]

Easy. The tasty beverage right to the left of my hi hat.

[Bo Eder]

As if! Actually, you don't really need a drummer. A great bass player will do. Didn't you know he's the one running the band? I was mixing audio for the big bands we have here at Disneyland one Saturday and the drummer was stuck in traffic. The band decided to go anyway, and that was my proof right there that the bass drives the band. Nobody noticed there was no drummer. Everyone was dancing still.

In fact, when the drummer got there, the rest of the evening we kept wondering what that noise was on the stage!

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

Whatever it is, it ain't toms or crash cymbals.....they're colour. Nice to have to add flavour but let's face it, you could gig without 'em.

I could fudge my way through any gig with a set of hats, snare and bass drum....I'm guessing the answer lies somewhere there. If I absolutely had to pick only one of those, then give me a snare drum.

Dr. Watso.....I like the way you're thinking. Providing the tasty beverage is beer, then I'm not so sure that it's just important......I'd stress the point a little further and call it vital.

[bosman]

snare?


12345678901234567890

[razorx]

Originally Posted by daredrummer

Without lugs the drums are also useless. So... lugs?

Oh wait, useless without tension rods too... I'll have to go with that.

Hmm can't do much without rims...

Need sticks to use drums...

But wait... No sound without a drummer...

Sorry OP but not a very good question. Everything is important.

You bring up a very good point. You need shells, hardware, sticks and most importantly a drummer that has the ability to play them well.

[Nodiggie]

Originally Posted by Pocket-full-of-gold

I could fudge my way through any gig with a set of hats, snare and bass drum....I'm guessing the answer lies somewhere there. If I absolutely had to pick only one of those, then give me a snare drum.

This right here, hands down.

[harryconway]

I vote snare drum. I've seen acts, where the drummer "only" had a snare, and a snare was "all" he needed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQjBu...eature=related

[N.I.B.]

OK, now that there's a lively discussion about this, I'll revise my answer.

Since the question was "what is the the most important part of the drum set," it's got to be the person whose butt is on the throne! Drummers run the gamut from people who whack and bash the drums at that never-changing fff dynamic to those who could make Tupperware sound better than a set of Exports. Without a body in that seat and something coming into contact with those drumheads, they ain't making any noise. At that point, it's just there to look shiny or dusty or whatever condition the set happens to be in at the time.

The drummer makes the kit. Examining a kit for type of wood / type of heads / bearing edges / etc will only give you a ballpark estimate; they'll sound better, worse. Maybe they just sound okay. Yeah, we can all agree that all that stuff will say something about the quality of the sound, but in the end, you will not know what they sound like until someone hits them!

I'm not the first person to say they think that the drummer's the most important thing about the set, but I agree with those who did say that 100%.

[THC]

Without a doubt, it's the cowbell. donk donk donk




Actually I'm going with the snare drum.

[larryace]

So if a definitive answer is established, what will you do with the info?

[jakester]

i dont know what i would do i was thinking since the drum set is the heart beat of the band then what is the heart beat of the drum set

It's a myocardial infarction.

[chaymus]

Snare's going to be the most common answer, and I think it's true even if it's not the "favorite" piece of a drummer's set. Of the drums, snare's got a lot of dynamics, brushes/sticks/snares off etc. Usually the back beat is on the snare, and it's critical for a lot of shuffle patterns. I love hi hats, I think they're the most fascinating, but for the time keeping aspects I think snare works best.

Jazz puts time keeping on the ride, and snare is more for accenting/dynamics, there's always exceptions and workarounds. You could play songs without the snare or any single piece, but I'm trying to think on the whole as an instrument which pieces provide the most in music history.

just my thoughts

[Dr_Watso]

Originally Posted by Pocket-full-of-gold

Dr. Watso.....I like the way you're thinking. Providing the tasty beverage is beer, then I'm not so sure that it's just important......I'd stress the point a little further and call it vital.

I wasn't aware there was another choice. What else am I supposed to drink? Water? (Like from the toilet?)

[Too Many Songs]

It's a daft question because it's like asking what it the most important bit of an electric guitar, or an oboe, or a piano... you get the point. We stopped thinking of the kit as a collection of instruments around 1920 didn't we?

And the answer is always the same, whether it is a guitar, piano or drumkit. The most important part - it's the sound bro.


TMS

[PacifRick]

Trees


20202020202020

[larryace]

Drums are just the tools. A great hammer doesn't build a great house. It's the quality of the music inside you that is the only thing of value.

I see so many questions about the tools and hardly any about the really important things. Just sayin.

[ineedaclutch]

Originally Posted by mediocrefunkybeat

It's a myocardial infarction.

Ha! Asprin coated heads maybe?

Originally Posted by ineedaclutch

Ha! Asprin coated heads maybe?

I was going with Warfarin, personally.

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

I think "the drummer" was implied. Not much is gonna happen without him/her, is it?

Perhaps a better way to word this question would have been:

"If you could only use one element of the kit for a gig, which would you choose?"

Originally Posted by Dr_Watso

I wasn't aware there was another choice. What else am I supposed to drink? Water? (Like from the toilet?)

Water? Water's for bathing mate. I wouldn't drink the stuff.....I've heard what fish get up to in it!! :-)

Originally Posted by mediocrefunkybeat

It's a myocardial infarction.

Who infarcted?

He who clogged it, slogged it. That's who infarcted.