Question about " Is 4 cymbal enough? "
- Thread starter Baturalp
- Start date
Pocket-full-of-gold
Platinum Member
1. Re-read your 4 piece drum kit thread.
2. Exchange the word "drums" for the word "cymbals".
3. Take notice of how the change doesn't materially effect the concepts and advice from the original thread.
Seriously, if you're able to express your musical ideas on your chosen set up, then there is no "too many" and there is no "too little".
Play whatever the hell you like mate. Just play it well.
2. Exchange the word "drums" for the word "cymbals".
3. Take notice of how the change doesn't materially effect the concepts and advice from the original thread.
Seriously, if you're able to express your musical ideas on your chosen set up, then there is no "too many" and there is no "too little".
Play whatever the hell you like mate. Just play it well.
Midnite Zephyr
Platinum Member
2 crashes, hi hats & a ride is all I've ever needed. I like having a splash too, but it took me years to learn how to use it effectively.
Odd-Arne Oseberg
Platinum Member
Sometimes 1 cymbal is enough.
It depends on the type of cymbal and what you're trying to do.
A right hand crash is both practical and gives more options.
When a crash is too much a splash is nice.
Many jazzers do everything with 2-3 rides and if it's cymbals with a wide range and they're crashable they can be used for a lot of things. Many rockers do the same thing.
4 cymbals will provide enough options for most pure stylistic scenarios, but the choice of those 4 cymbals may not be enough for any style or situation. Still with the right choices suited for your own style maybe it could.
Cymbals are personal.
The answer is the same as for the kit.
Can you do the job to your (and hopefuly your employer's) satisfaction with your choices.
It's natural to share the pic of my setup yesterday again.
Putting aside that it's more or less a rip-off of Vinnie's kit I hardly ever bring the whole thing.
These are all A Customs which are nice works with everything tipe of cymbals, but they have limited range, the ride isn't really crashable and so on, so a 12" and 15" gives options there.
I played a wide assortment of styles. Some required a typical modern pop/ rock approach, some was different types of traditional jazz and some was me going "tribal" on the pandeiro. The big crash was neede for some things as a crash, but mainly it's there for mallet rolls.
This was a job for someone else trying to fit their requirements.
Doing the baisc job is one side of it, expressing yourself is another. Everyone does something different.
REPEAT:
Can you do the job to your (and hopefuly your employer's) satisfaction with your choices.
It depends on the type of cymbal and what you're trying to do.
A right hand crash is both practical and gives more options.
When a crash is too much a splash is nice.
Many jazzers do everything with 2-3 rides and if it's cymbals with a wide range and they're crashable they can be used for a lot of things. Many rockers do the same thing.
4 cymbals will provide enough options for most pure stylistic scenarios, but the choice of those 4 cymbals may not be enough for any style or situation. Still with the right choices suited for your own style maybe it could.
Cymbals are personal.
The answer is the same as for the kit.
Can you do the job to your (and hopefuly your employer's) satisfaction with your choices.
It's natural to share the pic of my setup yesterday again.
Putting aside that it's more or less a rip-off of Vinnie's kit I hardly ever bring the whole thing.
These are all A Customs which are nice works with everything tipe of cymbals, but they have limited range, the ride isn't really crashable and so on, so a 12" and 15" gives options there.
I played a wide assortment of styles. Some required a typical modern pop/ rock approach, some was different types of traditional jazz and some was me going "tribal" on the pandeiro. The big crash was neede for some things as a crash, but mainly it's there for mallet rolls.
This was a job for someone else trying to fit their requirements.
Doing the baisc job is one side of it, expressing yourself is another. Everyone does something different.
REPEAT:
Can you do the job to your (and hopefuly your employer's) satisfaction with your choices.
Someone's Dad
Senior Member
Four cymbals? Extravagant. Hi hats, crash, ride - that's all you "need"*. Choose a ride that you can crash (maybe even a crash/ride) and you'll have plenty of sounds to play with. Just my opinion though.
Ultimately (as stated by others) there's no right or wrong answer. Questlove or Neil Peart? Who's doing it wrong? Any answer is merely an opinion. But your answer should point you in the direction of the kit that that you want to build.
*The standard pieces for grading exams are written for hi-hat, crash, ride, low, mid and high toms, but there's usually the option to substitute another piece of an equivalent level or an alternative arrangement. If your not planning to study for formal exams, then there really is no "need".
Ultimately (as stated by others) there's no right or wrong answer. Questlove or Neil Peart? Who's doing it wrong? Any answer is merely an opinion. But your answer should point you in the direction of the kit that that you want to build.
*The standard pieces for grading exams are written for hi-hat, crash, ride, low, mid and high toms, but there's usually the option to substitute another piece of an equivalent level or an alternative arrangement. If your not planning to study for formal exams, then there really is no "need".
AzHeat
Platinum Member
The better the cymbals and the better the skill, the less of them you "need." Music style dictates it too. There's nothing I hate more than hearing the same tone over and over and over again. One of my biggest pet peeves with eCymbals. Sadly, I've heard too many bands where there might as well have been eCymbals! PSsssss......PSsssss....PSssssPSssss...that's just downright exhausting.
Having said that, bands like the Brian Setzer Orchestra, or his original band The Stray Cats can rock a kick, snare and ride all day.
Having said that, bands like the Brian Setzer Orchestra, or his original band The Stray Cats can rock a kick, snare and ride all day.
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Superman
Gold Member
Exactly. I have 3 crashes on my kit (16, 17, 18) and it isn't that I NEED 3 crashes, it is just that I like to mix it up and not have the same tone over and over. I could just play on 1 crash, but it would sound monotonous. At the same time I could play with just a bass and a snare and do all my fills on the snare drum..but where is the fun in that?
To the OP: There is no right and wrong. Drumming is about finding your own voice and learning what works for you. Don't get hung up on what everyone else thinks or approves of.
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This right here. The less pieces you have, the more you are forced to be creative in your playing and not creative in your selection of which gear to strike. This outlook totally changed my approach.
Midnite Zephyr
Platinum Member
I don't crash a lot, but I do like a third crash or splash or China for a contrasting sound. I like the ozone style cymbals a lot too.
Wave Deckel
Gold Member
Not, if you tend to loose your sticks every two minutes when playing. :-D
4 cymbals is okay for some people and some musical styles. Some some not.
force3005
Silver Member
Hi Baturalp, hats, ride and two crashes are the basic's. Sometimes just one crash. Their are a lot of sounds you can get out of a cymbal by playing it in different spots with different sticks and how you lay your stick on the cymbal. It takes time to develop these techniques and then some. Also try getting cymbals that fit into your playing style right off the bat. Try looking into used first. You will be surprised what you can find for the money used in quality pro ones.
PorkPieGuy
Platinum Member
It all depends on what you are playing and what you are trying to "say" when you play. For example...
Here's what I need at church:
And here's what I need when I play a short set including bluegrass/Americana music:
In essence, set up the tools that you want in need in order to "say" what you are trying to say behind the kit. Forget what everyone else says or thinks. You need to do you.
Here's what I need at church:
And here's what I need when I play a short set including bluegrass/Americana music:
In essence, set up the tools that you want in need in order to "say" what you are trying to say behind the kit. Forget what everyone else says or thinks. You need to do you.
Pocket-full-of-gold
Platinum Member
4 bass drums could be pushing it a bit though.
Odd-Arne Oseberg
Platinum Member
Midnite Zephyr
Platinum Member
LOL!
Is 4 cowbells going to do the trick for me?
Is 4 cowbells going to do the trick for me?
It depends what you want to do, and the sounds that you are looking for.
Most gigs, I play with hats and one ride. If it's a bigger gig, I might use two rides.
Using dynamics, I can coax a lot of sounds out of just HH and one ride, more than enough to play jazz, early rock, latin, funk, et cetera.
It's all going to depend on your personal style. My mindset is fairly minimalist, in that I believe we should only bring the pieces we are actually going to use.
I grew up in the late 80s and early 90s, so I remember bands with 6 bass drums, and these kits that were bigger than my house, but they were playing the same rock beat that you could play on a 4 piece kit.
Most gigs, I play with hats and one ride. If it's a bigger gig, I might use two rides.
Using dynamics, I can coax a lot of sounds out of just HH and one ride, more than enough to play jazz, early rock, latin, funk, et cetera.
It's all going to depend on your personal style. My mindset is fairly minimalist, in that I believe we should only bring the pieces we are actually going to use.
I grew up in the late 80s and early 90s, so I remember bands with 6 bass drums, and these kits that were bigger than my house, but they were playing the same rock beat that you could play on a 4 piece kit.
Midnite Zephyr
Platinum Member
Personally, I can never have enough cymbals.