Current drum trends you wish would go away

V

vyacheslav

Senior Member
I'll start:

"The Big Cymbal thing". 16" hats, and two 22" cymbals is all that is used on a gig, usually super thin and super dark too, so that they have no definition and you might as well be hitting a gong instead.

"The stacker/white noise/O-Zone thing". Wasn't this old and tired 10 years ago? Jeez!

"The no rack tom thing". I recently had to play a show where another drummer was backlining the kit. Bass drum and floor tom only. Seriously? Just because you don't use a rack tom, most other drummers do! Ever think of that? And no drummers I know bring a rack tom with them for a kit that is being provided for them! I don't get it. It's typically the smallest drum in your arsenal; it's not like it's a pain to carry one around or load in the car!

"The really deep snare thing". The same drummer from above with no rack tom actually used my kit a little more recently (It was mine turn to show him what a "real" backlined kit was like lol). He was using an old parade drum for snare that I swear was about 10" deep. He complained to me that my snare stand wouldn't go low enough for him. Yeah, no sprite there, Sherlock! If you're going to use that deep of a snare, you should also bring your own stand, because hardly any stand will go low enough to get a snare that deep at a comfortable level. That same guy also uses 17" hi-hats and just oozes "total douche". I can't remember his name, so I call him "Mr. Trendy Douche" LOL!

Related to "The really deep snare thing", "The lifeless, dead sounding snare thing". I know the "Fat" snare sound is in and can be cool if done well, but most of the time it just sounds like a poorly tuned, $20 snare, regardless of what it really is. The D-bag from the above two examples............his snare sounded worse than a plastic container full of wet packing peanuts. He went on and on about how much he loves that snare. Whatevs...............

One more: "The really nice, expensive kit with doubly ply heads and 12 moongels on every drum thing". Played a recent show where the drummer that followed me had a gorgeous C&C kit in WMP that looked unbelievable. I know those drums sing and sound great too. Sadly, no would ever know. He had a 2-ply EMAD on the bass drum batter side with additional duct tape and a giant blanket inside of it. He had EC 2's on all the toms with probably about 4 moongels per drum minimum. Snare sound.... see above. A very expensive, luxurious custom kit that sounded like hastily tuned cardboard boxes.
 
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vyacheslav said:
I'll start:

"The Big Cymbal thing". 16" hats, and two 22" cymbals is all that is used on a gig, usually super thin and super dark too, so that they have no definition and you might as well be hitting a gong instead.

"The stacker/white noise/O-Zone thing". Wasn't this old and tired 10 years ago? Jeez!

"The no rack tom thing". I recently had to play a show where another drummer was backlining the kit. Bass drum and floor tom only. Seriously? Just because you don't use a rack tom, most other drummers do! Ever think of that? And no drummers I know bring a rack tom with them for a kit that is being provided for them! I don't get it. It's typically the smallest drum in your arsenal; it's not like it's a pain to carry one around or load in the car!

"The really deep snare thing". The same drummer from above with no rack tom actually used my kit a little more recently (It was mine turn to show him what a "real" backlined kit was like lol). He was using an old parade drum for snare that I swear was about 10" deep. He complained to me that my snare stand wouldn't go low enough for him. Yeah, no sprite there, Sherlock! If you're going to use that deep of a snare, you should also bring your own stand, because hardly any stand will go low enough to get a snare that deep at a comfortable level. That same guy also uses 17" hi-hats and just oozes "total douche". I can't remember his name, so I call him "Mr. Trendy Douche" LOL!

Related to "The really deep snare thing", "The lifeless, dead sounding snare thing". I know the "Fat" snare sound is in and can be cool if done well, but most of the time it just sounds like a poorly tuned, $20 snare, regardless of what it really is. The D-bag from the above two examples............his snare sounded worse than a plastic container full of wet packing peanuts. He went on and on about how much he loves that snare. Whatevs...............

One more: "The really nice, expensive kit with doubly ply heads and 12 moongels on every drum thing". Played a recent show where the drummer that followed me had a gorgeous C&C kit in WMP that looked unbelievable. I know those drums sing and sound great too. Sadly, no would ever know. He had a 2-ply EMAD on the bass drum batter side with additional duct tape and a giant blanket inside of it. He had EC 2's on all the toms with probably about 4 moongels per drum minimum. Snare sound.... see above. A very expensive, luxurious custom kit that sounded like hastily tuned cardboard boxes.
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Well, everyone has their own preferences. I mean, my phone can do WAY more than I use it for. Does that mean I shouldn't own it? Dude spent his money on gear he likes... You don't have to be a racecar driver to buy a Ferarri.

As far as anyone with an unusual kit (lefties too)... If you've agreed to provide the backline, bring something that can be made to work for most people. Otherwise, you're just being a d!©|<. If you can't bring something normal, don't offer to provide the kit. It's just common courtesy.

And if you have specific unusual equipment requirements (like a really low snare stand), don't expect other people to have that stuff on hand. That's just poor planning.
 
vyacheslav said:
I'll start:

"The Big Cymbal thing". 16" hats, and two 22" cymbals is all that is used on a gig, usually super thin and super dark too, so that they have no definition and you might as well be hitting a gong instead.

"The stacker/white noise/O-Zone thing". Wasn't this old and tired 10 years ago? Jeez!

"The no rack tom thing". I recently had to play a show where another drummer was backlining the kit. Bass drum and floor tom only. Seriously? Just because you don't use a rack tom, most other drummers do! Ever think of that? And no drummers I know bring a rack tom with them for a kit that is being provided for them! I don't get it. It's typically the smallest drum in your arsenal; it's not like it's a pain to carry one around or load in the car!

"The really deep snare thing". The same drummer from above with no rack tom actually used my kit a little more recently (It was mine turn to show him what a "real" backlined kit was like lol). He was using an old parade drum for snare that I swear was about 10" deep. He complained to me that my snare stand wouldn't go low enough for him. Yeah, no sprite there, Sherlock! If you're going to use that deep of a snare, you should also bring your own stand, because hardly any stand will go low enough to get a snare that deep at a comfortable level. That same guy also uses 17" hi-hats and just oozes "total douche". I can't remember his name, so I call him "Mr. Trendy Douche" LOL!

Related to "The really deep snare thing", "The lifeless, dead sounding snare thing". I know the "Fat" snare sound is in and can be cool if done well, but most of the time it just sounds like a poorly tuned, $20 snare, regardless of what it really is. The D-bag from the above two examples............his snare sounded worse than a plastic container full of wet packing peanuts. He went on and on about how much he loves that snare. Whatevs...............

One more: "The really nice, expensive kit with doubly ply heads and 12 moongels on every drum thing". Played a recent show where the drummer that followed me had a gorgeous C&C kit in WMP that looked unbelievable. I know those drums sing and sound great too. Sadly, no would ever know. He had a 2-ply EMAD on the bass drum batter side with additional duct tape and a giant blanket inside of it. He had EC 2's on all the toms with probably about 4 moongels per drum minimum. Snare sound.... see above. A very expensive, luxurious custom kit that sounded like hastily tuned cardboard boxes.
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Why so bitter man? I'm sure you're not the only one who's got the market cornered on things that make sense. If you're a badass player, make due on what you have to use, or go home. Somebody did a thread like this a while back and it was actually cool because nobody was ranting about what they didn't like - it was just a nice thread. You sound angry about it. You ok?
 
I would have personal taste based opinion on other musicians choices, but it's really not my business.

A house kit should probably be a standard 5-piece, but if it's a one time thing and one of the drummers is bringing a kit I'd probably call the guy/gal just to know. Obviously, just a floor tom is not a very service minded choice, but it depends. I know some that that's the only kit they have. They should have asked someone else to bring a kit. I've never had the issue. What I have seen is perfectly fine kits covered in tape which I then remove and actually tune the drums decently, maybe for the first time. It's not hard to understand though. They're kits used daily by kids and amateurs who just don't know better. I had to fix it and they don't mind. Noone thought it was possible to make it sound that good. Now they know.

I choose to focus on the players and the music I like.
 
I've played on some backline kits that should've been taken out back and shot. But I always bring breakables, so as long as I can get the bass drum sounding acceptable, I just get on with it.
 
YouTube videos of mediocre players with horrible technique playing a cover of the flavor of the day being praised as God's by everyone because the song is currently popular. I wish that would go away.

Gear wise, I got no gripes.
 
Sounds like you're just getting annoyed with other drummers, it happens doing gigs with multiple bands. We all do things differently. A good drummer just gets on with it on a backline kit, as long as the audience are enjoying it who cares!

People follow trends, they're not always good trends but usually they are trying to sound like their favourite drummer/band. It's their cash let em spend it and maybe look back in a few years and think 'what was I doing?'
 
Bo Eder said:
Why so bitter man? I'm sure you're not the only one who's got the market cornered on things that make sense. If you're a badass player, make due on what you have to use, or go home. Somebody did a thread like this a while back and it was actually cool because nobody was ranting about what they didn't like - it was just a nice thread. You sound angry about it. You ok?
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I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to talk about things that get on our nerves. We all need to let off some steam from time to time, plus we're all friends here ;). I don't agree with all of the gripes the OP mentioned, but a beautiful kit being moongelled the point of suffocation is something I don't like to see.
 
It's easy to be negative. Definitely a trap to be avoided.

I do understand your sentiment.
 
Multi-ply drums. They are the McDonald’s of the drum world. They’re everywhere, boring, and uninspiring.

We’ve got lighter kits (Oriollo aluminum), moisture-proof and tougher kits (Jenkins-Martin fiberglass), and single-ply kits (N&C, Craviotto, etc.), and even a few hollow-log kits (although those are not practical for gigging out). All of those sound as good as multi-ply, and most of them sound better. And the aluminum and fiberglass kits could easily be (especially aluminum) produced cheaper than multi-ply kits if it were done on a larger scale.
 
I don't think your backline experience, once or twice, with the same guy is a trend but only an experience. Sounds like you started the thread to rant. Anyone have an true trends they would like to share?
 
It is funny that a lot of trends you mention are just kind of returns to earlier trends.

Maybe that is just showing your trend preference.
 
When I was a youngster, it would be considered very poor taste to crash on a ride.

As I got older, it became a standard practice.

A little while later, it became standard practice to crash-ride the crash cymbals.

All of this cymbal bashing is like smashing a big gong. A big gong is a beautiful musical instrument and smashing it is puerile.

It seems rock drummers are devolving back to resembling apes.
 
I don't know, I have a hard time critiquing things that a drummer mounts his/her equipment or even equipment choices. I'm all for "right tools for the right job."

If a drummer feels that a song should involve remnants of broken cymbals on some sort of string, then so be it...but it's definitely not for me.

Funny story: I was playing with a band a couple of months ago, and I didn't know 2/3 of the songs we were going to do. I brought only a floor tom (in addition to kick, snare, hats, and two cymbals). I heard the lead singer start "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins. I knew then I was a goner. :)
 
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Trends,by their nature, come and go. If you don't like any particular one then just don't buy into it. No point spending energy dissing other peoples choices just cos you don't like them..... one of the beauties of drums is that there are so many options and variations to try that we can all be different and like what we like.

I agree that if you're providing a back line kit you should be considerate of other peoples needs and make it more 'normal' than 'trendy'.
 
WallyY said:
When I was a youngster, it would be considered very poor taste to crash on a ride.

As I got older, it became a standard practice.

A little while later, it became standard practice to crash-ride the crash cymbals.

All of this cymbal bashing is like smashing a big gong. A big gong is a beautiful musical instrument and smashing it is puerile.

It seems rock drummers are devolving back to resembling apes.
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Except if you go further back there was no such thing as a crash or a ride cymbal. They were just cymbals.
 
MrInsanePolack said:
Gear wise, I got no gripes.
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Scratch that, I have one. Constant complaining about budget minded, quality pedals from the major manufacturers not being fast enough. Sorry, but it isn't the pedal, it's you. Go practice more. I know it isn't a trend per say, but no one complains about their $600 pedal not being fast enough.
 
Viva la difference-it's all good or bad depending on your preference. I was almost offended by "YouTube videos of mediocre players with horrible technique playing a cover of the flavor of the day being praised as God's by everyone because the song is currently popular." but I realized no Demi-god worship here so my viewers are grounded in know crap when they hear-see it LOL. It's like there is only good music and bad music (as Buddy would say) just depends on your perspective what category it falls. Diversity and variations are as inevitable as our biology. Viva la difference!
 
MrInsanePolack said:
Scratch that, I have one. Constant complaining about budget minded, quality pedals from the major manufacturers not being fast enough. Sorry, but it isn't the pedal, it's you. Go practice more. I know it isn't a trend per say, but no one complains about their $600 pedal not being fast enough.
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I used to be pretty darn quick with the Tama pedal that came with my rockstars back in the early 1990s.

For a while, I was quicker with it than I was with my DW 9000.

Looked just like this. And you know what? After almost 25 years of use and travel, it STILL works just fine.

4936c6f1915109478af4462b99fa6e0e.jpeg
 
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