So what's with the leaning away of everything?

I say it's a trend. Peter Erskine even admitted to it - when you watched him in the late 70s/early 80s, he had all his cymbals almost facing him and up in the air. He said in an interview that one of his elders told him it was idiotic and he was sorta fighting himself to play the kit, hence why he went back to a more "traditional" set-up.

I think with the drumset, you eventually do what is ergonomic for you. Your body will only take being put into funny positions for so long. I used to try to sit over the drums like Stewart Copeland with flat toms, but he's over six feet tall compared to my sub-5-foot height, so it would never work for me, and it took me time to figure that out..

When I saw Keith Carlock do it, it makes sense, and his angles weren't all that wacky. People who are doing it now are doing Carlock's thing on steroids. I'll bet money they will eventually stop, if they're doing it for a trendy reason.

The extreme tilting away from you is like playing a cajon, and I can't do that either, my body just isn't shaped to sit on the box and reach down to play it. That's what I'm seeing here.

I think there's something to be said for guys who took one set-up and just played it so groovy you don't even notice the drums. Guys like Steve Gadd, and Steve Jordan, and Buddy Rich, and Louie Bellson, and Ed Shaughnessy....they all play (or played) the same set-up and just did it so well. That's where my head is at with this.
 
There are several comments here about a drum sounding better if you strike it with the stick almost parallel to the drum head. I don't see how sloping a drum away from you helps that. If you're able to play a rimshot, then you're as close to parallel as its possible to be, regardless of the drum sloping up, down, left or right. I can hit the rim from any of these angles, so why is sloping away (or level) an advantage??
 
It's quite common to do with floor toms. Think both Carlock and Weckl do it. Some of these pics are extreme, but htere are many ways to do things.

I took some lessons with a jazz drummer who had his seat pretty much as high as it would go and everything else as low as it would go. Impossible for me to play, but obviously worked well for him.
 
Morrisman said:
There are several comments here about a drum sounding better if you strike it with the stick almost parallel to the drum head. I don't see how sloping a drum away from you helps that. If you're able to play a rimshot, then you're as close to parallel as its possible to be, regardless of the drum sloping up, down, left or right. I can hit the rim from any of these angles, so why is sloping away (or level) an advantage??
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It just matches the angle of the stick and arm in a waist level playing position. If the drum is positioned differently, you have to either bend your wrist or hold your arm a funny way to get that flat angle with the stick relative to it.
 
names are taken:
"I've goofed around a few times trying to learn trad grip and besides the need to relearn everything I've always been hesitant because of the need to tilt the snare, particularly as you learn. I tend to keep a very flat snare."

I'm just a hack but since I play mostly traditional but matched for a few songs I have adjusted my snare to be flat and have no issues playing it with either grip.
 
It's so fans can take photos and the drummer can see the fans.

Or, it's just fun that way. If you play simply, you don't have to have everything set up like you're a Japanese chef.
 
I saw a video with JoJo Mayer, I believe it was him, where he talked about angling the snare away, he said it had to do with giving the stick and hand a more natural strike and rebound angle making it easier to play. It wasn't for aesthetics it actually served a technique purpose.
 
It seems to me that the angling away of cymbals limits what you can do with the cymbal... Maybe it's a style thing, but I like being able to hit various parts of cymbals to get different sounds. Also, every cymbal (to me) has the potential to ride or crash. If you angle the cymbals away then you can only crash, and you can only crash at one angle...

The drums make sense as they look like snares, and may snare is angled away from me. I play with trad grip and angling the drum away just makes ergonomic sense, but it's below me, so I still have access to the entire drum.
 
I can see all the cracked cymbals and shredded sticks now. I/m a total ergonomic drummer and I'm all for a setup that helps you with your playing style. But doing something just to look good even though It makes you work harder? Trendy for trend's sake. Like all those fashion mistakes you made in high school. It's like the super high cymbals in the eighties. "I can barely reach it but my arm goes way up for it so it looks cool!" Ugh. I say setup the way that helps you play easier and more comfy. It could still be quirky but you will play so much better.
 
Matt Bo Eder said:
I say it's a trend. Peter Erskine even admitted to it - when you watched him in the late 70s/early 80s, he had all his cymbals almost facing him and up in the air.
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Erskine wasn't the only one. Tony Williams had periods of "slantedcymbalness" and Al Foster really liked his facing him.
 

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GeoB said:
Erskine wasn't the only one. Tony Williams had periods of "slantedcymbalness" and Al Foster really liked his facing him.
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Good heavens! Al belongs in the tom angles thread!
 
RockNGrohl said:
I can see all the cracked cymbals and shredded sticks now. I/m a total ergonomic drummer and I'm all for a setup that helps you with your playing style. But doing something just to look good even though It makes you work harder? Trendy for trend's sake. Like all those fashion mistakes you made in high school. It's like the super high cymbals in the eighties. "I can barely reach it but my arm goes way up for it so it looks cool!" Ugh. I say setup the way that helps you play easier and more comfy. It could still be quirky but you will play so much better.
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You mean like this?
250px-John_Stanier.jpg
 
So here's Anika Nilles explaining why she does it... she claims there's ergonomic reasons to it. Okay... I've never had this issue in thirty years of playing, but hey, I don't know everything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUybJPTkT_s
 
She was talking about this at LDS last month. Made sense to me and I'm currently trialling it. I have my cymbals low too (short arms!) so the extra space underneath is useful.
 
alparrott said:
So here's Anika Nilles explaining why she does it... she claims there's ergonomic reasons to it. Okay... I've never had this issue in thirty years of playing, but hey, I don't know everything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUybJPTkT_s
Click to expand...

EDIT TO ADD: You're more kind than I am. ;)

Sorry. I just don't buy it. At all. The fundamental premise is flawed: "I like having my cymbals low (she never says why), but I kept hitting my hands on other gear."

SO RAISE YOUR CYMBALS.

Sheesh.

She hits like a panzer. I think that's a far more likely explanation of her cymbal placement. One thing I've noticed from her videos is she never hits a cymbal with the tip of her sticks if she can help it. She plays through - WELL through - her pies with the shoulder of the stick from HER shoulder. Plus she uses those extra-dry cymbals that just aren't loud. So she's hitting them even harder just to get them to speak.

I'd hate to see her cymbal budget. She must go through them like a curry through a nun.

It's important that I point out that I <3 Ms Nilles. I adore her songwriting. I think she's inspired. She's got good chops, even though, like all YouTube sensations, she appears to desperately need work on figuring out what "dynamics" are.

But this cymbal placement thing? What utter rot. I forget the word, because it's too early in the morning here, but it means, "a reason you give because you don't want to reveal the real reason you're doing a thing." Justification? No, that's not it. Anyway.

I think the evidence for it being a trend is far greater than the reverse. First, she's playing trendy cymbals - those dark/dry/unlathed things. Second, she's playing a variety of trashy stacks. Third, she's got the de rigueur "dead 80s side snare." Maybe I'm cynical, but I think "trendy" is far more likely than any other reason.
 
Maybe I'm just a cranky old man, but Michael baker, Anika Nilles, Garrett Goodwin and Daru Jones should all get some kind of award for world's most uncomfortable looking drum set.

Actually, I am a cranky old man.
Get off my lawn, ya punk kids!
 
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