In defence of multiple toms.

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True, but my band takes quite an interest in both my sound & my setup. They're unusually good at picking up changes, even small ones, & quite vocal if they don't like something.
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I didn't mean that in a negative way Andy. I meant it more from the vantage point of what business is it anyone else to decide what anyone should and should not play. If someone wants to play a cocktail set or an 18 piece set, let the one who's playing it decide for themselves.

The crew I work with also takes a large interest in what I'm playing in terms of tone (both drums and cymbals) and how responsive each of the elements are at various dynamic levels - especially when we are playing very quietly.
 
I didn't mean that in a negative way Andy. I meant it more from the vantage point of what business is it anyone else to decide what anyone should and should not play. If someone wants to play a cocktail set or an 18 piece set, let the one who's playing it decide for themselves.

The crew I work with also takes a large interest in what I'm playing in terms of tone (both drums and cymbals) and how responsive each of the elements are at various dynamic levels - especially when we are playing very quietly.
I didn't take that negatively at all. Quite the opposite in fact. I was just pointing out that my band (especially the guitarist) take a real interest in that stuff, so what I do has implications outside of just pleasing me. I find that quite refreshing actually :)
 
I was about to type the same sort of thing as this...........

Only person who has to care is the one playing them. I think people are ignorant and arrogant if they believe having less or more voices to work with enhances or diminishes someone's abilities. Ridiculous.

I play a 4 piece for a few reasons. I'm lazy - don't want to carry more. It's cheaper - less drums to buy and maintain. I'm small in size so setting up more drums isn't comfortable for me to work with.

You bring up an interesting question: Is the size of one's kit in any way correlated to the size of their body? When Fleetwood comes out front during concert to play his little cocktail kit, he looks gigantic (well, he is gigantic). Are there any small drummers who play outrageously big kits? Are they overcompensating for something? On the other hand, Abe Labriel Jr is a very big dude, and he plays a basic 4-piece kit, although the individual components seem to be large....
 
Really? I come on the forum this morning and once again, freakin Andy has to start crap with a cleverly disguised big kit vs. small kit debate. When will the mods wake up and ban this guy for good!!! well, one more cup of coffe should do it i guess, anyway, I love playing my one up 2 down set up and dont see myself setting up more toms than that again. I have a pile of dums to choose from with a 9pc and a 12pc sitting at home, im just not into lugging it to gigs anymore. One copmliment i got ( from a drunk viking it looked like) was when he came up to me while tearing down and said he was surprised i was only playing a 5 piece, he swore i had more drums by the way i made them sound so who knows. See the crap Andy starts?!?!
 
You bring up an interesting question: Is the size of one's kit in any way correlated to the size of their body? When Fleetwood comes out front during concert to play his little cocktail kit, he looks gigantic (well, he is gigantic). Are there any small drummers who play outrageously big kits? Are they overcompensating for something? On the other hand, Abe Labriel Jr is a very big dude, and he plays a basic 4-piece kit, although the individual components seem to be large....

I play a one up one down kit and I'm absolutely gargantuan in size.
I'm pretty limited and play punk rock music which is similarly limited in it's demands.
So it's cool for me.
I love to see a large kit but I couldn't play it...I'd just get confused as happened when I tried two toms down...just threw myself off trying to do too much.
Can't stand to see shows like Jules Holland though when you get like the Stereophonics up to play Dakota with a kit which is large enough to bang off a full Iron Maiden set on...I find that just a tiny bit pretentious...
But...to each their own.
 
I'll stick with the good ole 5 piece 2 up - 1 down setup. Is it cool? Not really... Is it minimalist? Nope... I like it though :)

I play a 4 piece in church, it fits the music perfectly. If I had a matching 16", I would probably toy around with it, but I don't dream of having a bigger kit at all.
 
You bring up an interesting question: Is the size of one's kit in any way correlated to the size of their body?

Well, there are plenty of metal guys who keep up a tough body image and play big kits. Ryan Van Poederooyen has.a pretty big kit and he's sort of large. Of course, though, Mike Mangini is a tiny man and plays a ridiculously large kit.

I'm decently tall and I play a 5/6 piece with plenty of cymbals at home, and a 4pc at gigs generally. Maybe I'm just a caste-jumper.
 
You bring up an interesting question: Is the size of one's kit in any way correlated to the size of their body?

I don't think so.

Simon Phillips isn't a big guy, despite playing an enormous kit.
I remember meeting Mickey Dee, and I was shocked how short he was given I've only ever seen him behind monster sized kicks with huge rack toms.

On the other hand, Tommy Igoe seems pretty tall, and tends to favor small drums.

Abe Labriel Jr is just in a class all by himself.
 
Really? I come on the forum this morning and once again, freakin Andy has to start crap with a cleverly disguised big kit vs. small kit debate. When will the mods wake up and ban this guy for good!!! See the crap Andy starts?!?!
Hahaha, I knew I could rely on you for a scathing attack ;) ;) ;)

I must reign everyone in here, unlike the above claims from the old hyde git, the intention was absolutely not to orchestrate a big kit vs. small kit debate. It's more about my personal evaluation of whether I'm getting musical & artistic benefit from using more than two toms. I've concluded that, in this band context, I am.

Car packed up & ready to haul out to tonight's band rehearsal WITH A 4 PIECE KIT!!!!!!
 
I've only ever met one drummer personally who could do that. His mastery of touch & position on each tom was unreal, & was beyond anything I could hope to achieve.

Actually, you could get there too. You're not going to like how to get there, though. It requires that you ditch your other toms and practice getting new tones out of fewer, and do it all the time so you're not tempted back to the old "down the toms" deal.

It's surprising how much you can do with just dynamic changes on the same drum; let alone the other factors you mention like position you hit on the head, and how the stick it angled.

I might suggest attempting to do a "traditional" tom roll, but do it on one head, and make sure the tone gets deeper with each note of the fill. I actually see a lot of guys incorporate these things into their snare rolls, but everyone forgets when they move to the toms.
 
old hyde git
[/B]

hahaha git!!! I have never been called a git!!! I actually always wanted to referred to as :
A henchmen, thug, sidekick, drinking buddy, golfing buddy,HRH,Master spy, something along those lines. Git, thats funny!!
 
i like this.

It is a bit discouraging to think that some people may think i'm unskilled because i enjoy the company of a few extra toms :(
 
It's more about my personal evaluation of whether I'm getting musical & artistic benefit from using more than two toms.

yeah...i sort of joined the debate instead of answering the question, lol.

You are using them musically, and in good taste. I do firmly believe, however, that you could be just as musical with less, as could I....with lots and lots of practice :)

Toms are often less practiced than snare, kick, and cymbals...utilized for fills mostly. There are a lot of ways, like the Dr. said, to pull sounds out of a tom, varying the sound of each hit...I think I'm gonna go home and practice my tom-work :)
 
You bring up an interesting question: Is the size of one's kit in any way correlated to the size of their body? When Fleetwood comes out front during concert to play his little cocktail kit, he looks gigantic (well, he is gigantic). Are there any small drummers who play outrageously big kits? Are they overcompensating for something? On the other hand, Abe Labriel Jr is a very big dude, and he plays a basic 4-piece kit, although the individual components seem to be large....

I must be compensating then because I look even smaller behind my zep kit.
 
I couldn't go past a 2 up 2 down set up. I like the 4 toms because if you tune the toms right you can sort of replicate timpani sounding parts. For instance, I am trying to play moto perpetuo by Elliot Carter on drum toms, but the order of the toms is reversed >_>.
 
You're a very naught girl

Now you just wish that was a nonexistent comment...

... or ask yourself "Why don't my compliments work on women?"

Also, in classic rock and metal there's also appearance to consider ...

... or hiding behind a huge kit, being a naught type of drummer can have an effect on your ego.

I was just pointing out that my band (especially the guitarist) take a real interest in that stuff, so what I do has implications outside of just pleasing me. I find that quite refreshing actually :)

I say it's more than refreshing, it's unheard off... such behavior from a guitarist... unless is an ex-failed drummer.

Simon Phillips isn't a big guy, despite playing an enormous kit.

Is the size thing egocentric related, not that Simon Phillips needs it... but I might :)

It is a bit discouraging to think that some people may think i'm unskilled because i enjoy the company of a few extra toms :(

“It's Better To Be Alone Than In the Wrong Company”
 
I saw a band on TV the other day with 10,000 toms and the drummer never touched even one tom :)

less is less...admit it....drumming is all about freedom, not about any rules if there is any- Keith Moon, 1975
 
The type and quantity of the drums that a drummer plays has nothing to do with their creativity.

I agree, creativity comes from the drummer, not from the drums, Simon Phillips has a kit which is the opposite of Jojo Mayer's kit, but both drummers are equally impressive in the creativity department.
 
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