Sharing kit etiquette on gigs.

octatonic

Senior Member
I've been asked to provide a kit for a gig my band is doing that other bands on the bill will be using.

I've already decided I don't want my DW's to be used and have bought a Yamaha Stage Custom that will be used in these situations.

What is the etiquette with cymbals?
I don't particularly want to buy a disposable set of cymbals that get put on the kit but I will if it means I don't have to let anyone use my Keropes.

What do you do about situations where another drummer pits the drum heads or misaligns the bass drum beater and dents the bass drum head?
 
No real rules for such things, you just say how you want it.

If people are used to foing to school or renting rehearsals rooms they know that cymbals are usually not provided. You wil usually bring snare and BD if you care and some might even bring a throne if they have special needs.

If people are just playing one or two songs in a jam setting the, of course, everything should be provided.

In your case I think I would call the other guys and find an agreement. Most likely they will want to use some of their own stuff. If you all get paid giving you a little bit for kit rental is fair.

If they damage gear, they shouldn't be on the stand at all, but in any case they should pay for it.
 
It's a space saving reason.
Everybody else brings their cymbals, snare and pedal and they should get the notification to do so.
Use double ply heads if you're worried.
I put some extra felt and a clutch in my cymbal box.
I bring my good set if I know the other bands aren't terrible.
 
IMO you provide the shells and hardware, that's it.

Guys bring their snare, pedal, cymbals.

Some even bring their hardware but I feel sometimes you need to move the kit to retrieve all h/w and install your own, so I would tend to play the kit "as is" with h/w and minimal adjustments.

Throne should be in its case as sometimes other drummers sit extra low with their knees above their hips and have a mini-throne you can barely adjust. That reeeaaally sucks.
 
I agree with the shells and hardware piece....if I knew I was sharing I would load everything but my BD and Toms in the car just in case......sans all the hardware....but maybe a couple extra cymbal stands just in case. At minimum I would be prepared with snare, pedal and cymbals.

In the past I used to cringe when I had to share my gear at a couple gigs and luckily my stuff made it through OK......

If this was a regular occurrence I would be looking for a used Stage Custom or something along those lines that would be palatable but not something I would cry over minor bumps and bruises.
 
Yeah typically people mostly bring their own Snare, Pedal and Cymbals but my main advice is communicate to the other players about what they need to bring in advance so there is no confusion/guesswork on their part.
 
Juniper: Yeah typically people mostly bring their own Snare, Pedal and Cymbals but my main advice is communicate to the other players about what they need to bring in advance so there is no confusion/guesswork on their part.


Yes to what Juniper said!

Your drum heads will probably get dented. Don't stress out about this. Just leave those heads on your shared kit.

I was in the house band for a weekly jam. I brought a cheap snare drum and cheaper cymbals just for the jammers.
After I played for the first hour, I swapped out my good snare and cymbals for the cheaper ones.
The drum heads got dented. I used those dented heads for over one year. Then I swapped them out with some slightly used heads. No big deal.

.
 
Juniper: Yeah typically people mostly bring their own Snare, Pedal and Cymbals but my main advice is communicate to the other players about what they need to bring in advance so there is no confusion/guesswork on their part.


Yes to what Juniper said!

Your drum heads will probably get dented. Don't stress out about this. Just leave those heads on your shared kit.

I was in the house band for a weekly jam. I brought a cheap snare drum and cheaper cymbals just for the jammers.
After I played for the first hour, I swapped out my good snare and cymbals for the cheaper ones.
The drum heads got dented. I used those dented heads for over one year. Then I swapped them out with some slightly used heads. No big deal.

.

Thanks for all the responses so far.

Regarding heads- my plan was to swap out the heads on the beater kit every so often with hand-me-downs from my recording kit.
They are the same sizes, expect for the bass drum, so it should be ok.
 
Had a similar problem a few months back where I had to use someone else's kit.

http://drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134578

In the end I took all my own gear (so did the rest of the band), as it turns out the venue hadn't checked it was cool for us to use their backline. I feel bad using other peoples hard earned equipment anyway.

Good etiquette is like this. If you're playing a gig have the equipment to do it and don't assume someone will let you use their instrument. Don't lend cymbals or anything breakable as they won't pay for them or replace them should the unthinkable happen.

Venues shouldn't ask you to provide a kit for everyone else. They should have a house kit. That kills any arguments dead in the water. You don't see guitarists providing a guitar for other bands to use and they're way cheaper to fix if something breaks.
 
Another vote for putting a set of "B" heads on it. DON'T lend your cymbals out.

Provide a footpedal, drums including a "B" snare with a lesser set of heads, and cymbal/hi hat stands,snare stand/throne.
 
I've played on dozens of shared kits and always bring my cymbals, snare, kick pedal & hi hat stand (if the donor hat stand is lousy, I set up mine).
 
Good call on using the "backup kit" yamaha if you are providing backline. It's kind of assumed the drummers will provide BD pedal, sticks & cymbals. Have a decent Hi-Hat stand there but watch for 1 douche trying to walk off w/ the clutch (keep a backup clutch). Then you may be pleasantly surprised on lack of head denting. But i put on coated Emperors on my kit & they were fine / scuffed normally.

Only thing i would add is that you should do the sound check on the kit. at one gig where i provided backline, the MF-ING sound douche checked the bass drum signal by pounding on the front head w/ a drum stick...scuffing up the formerly pristine front logo head. Did i mention i slaved on hand building a yamaha front logo head ? F that guy.
 
Most bases are covered pretty thoroughly by other comments, but I'll add one thing. You were concerned about dents in the bass drum head - get a Remo Falam Slam patch and put on there. Get the double one in case people bring a double pedal. It can still be used with a single pedal. (Mine, anyway!) Those things do more to improve head life than anything else I've tried.
 
This is the producer trying to get something for nothing.

Contract your provision of goods and services - spell out what happens when things are damaged(as they will be).

Its no different than the producer asking you to provide lights or security...for free.

Refuse to donate goods and services unless you are independently wealthy and can afford it.

Don't be taken advantage of!! Many people(if not most) in the music business will try to...but the trick is to not throw it in anyone's face...but to approach it professionally...with ready made contracts in hand and fully signed before consideration is given or provided.

If you are trying to get exposure, buy it from a Publicist/Public Relations Expert. The exposure is usually not equivalent to the risk of goods when 'loaning' drums.

Understanding these basic business concepts will pay off if you have any success down the line...as the risk gets bigger as you progress.
 
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This is the producer trying to get something for nothing.

Contract your provision of goods and services - spell out what happens when things are damaged(as they will be).

Doesn't really apply here- our band is running the gig- we are headlining and our lead singer is essentially the booker of the other bands.
 
Are you being compensated by the project kitty for your provision of goods and services?

If not I would advise allowing everyone to supply their own equipment.

I have found over the years that once $ comes into play, peoples relationships tend to start disintegrating...best to avoid the possibility with clear and equitable contracting...no matter how faithful you think things are.

I think consulting a lawyer to get boiler plate agreements both for the person who has the contact for the venue in their name as well as the other musicians you are providing services/goods to will pay itself off in the end.

In that written and signed contract you can list exactly what happens when something is damaged and exactly what you are providing.

Most people jump into this with trust and eventually get burnt.

Sounds like I might be preaching to the choir though.. : )
 
If I'm the headliner I'll provide my kit to others. It's a DW, I really don't get the "cheaper kit for gigs" school of thought. I tell other drummers to bring their snare and any cymbals and pedals they think they need. I want my own snare sound, and most other drummers want their own too, so this is usually not an issue. I freely offer my cymbals (and they are expensive!), but I understand that we all have our preferences. So basically bring anything you think you want or need and your snare. In fairness though, for me this happens rarely and usually it's just a double bill. For example we asked another local act to join us for a gig and we used my kit. Another time I played a casino with a band that was in from Chicago. The house kit was a hot mess, so I offered mine. That kid was absolutely fantastic and he was extremely thankful and classy. I don't regret a thing.. I play nice places though.
 
I've been asked to provide a kit for a gig my band is doing that other bands on the bill will be using.

I've already decided I don't want my DW's to be used and have bought a Yamaha Stage Custom that will be used in these situations.

What is the etiquette with cymbals?
I don't particularly want to buy a disposable set of cymbals that get put on the kit but I will if it means I don't have to let anyone use my Keropes.

What do you do about situations where another drummer pits the drum heads or misaligns the bass drum beater and dents the bass drum head?



If you can provide a crash you don't care about. I'll let others play my good rides, not really worried about them getting damaged, its a ride cymbal, HH's too, not concerned about damage. Crash cymbals, yes, concerned, or don't like to be, so switch them out.

You can get a decent used crash for under $100, good to have in your bag if anyone sits in.

Heads- there's nothing you can do about them really, put on lesser heads. I always carry FALAM SLAM pads in my stick bag with some duct tape, I'll tape the FALAM pad onto the beater contact spot on rental kits so I don't blow thru a head while playing. You can tape a pad on your bass drum head, position it for the next person if you're onstage when they switch over, easy if its just taped on.
 
To paraphrase someone on here - "you need to get better gigs"

In seriousness though, you've got all the advice you need, all I would add is that you need to stand your ground. If people don't bring their snare or cymbals or pedal, tell them that they don't play your kit.

Drums are too expensive to let numpties trash em, stick to yer guns, fight them if you need to :)

I use a Stage Custom with EC2 heads on for my "caring, sharing" kit and it works a treat. No-one is allowed to touch my Paiste Signatures or my Prolite snare (unless they're my friend and I know them as a drummer) and yes, it has come to blows once. Everyone tries to guilt trip into lending people your cymbals - "It's only one set, it's only this, it's only that, blah blah blah" but I am strong enough (with the dark side) to stand my ground and say no.

Even if they say "well the gig doesn't go ahead then", I tell em fine, we're the headline act, you are still obliged to pay us according to the contract as you have cancelled the gig for a reason not stipulated in the agreement.

I hate multi line up gigs on a small stage - big stage no worries, bring all your own gear
 
From my experiences both as donor and recipient.
Provide bass, toms, and hardware only.
The drummer provides his/her own snare, bass drum pedal and cymbals. These are the items that arguably take the biggest beating at a gig/are most likely to succumb to damage/are expensive to replace/are awkward to replace on the spot. If someone goes through their own snare drum skin or damages their own equipment and it's obvious that they're not an abuser of gear then I'm happy to lend mine at that point to see them through.
No one moves anything! The stool, snare stand and hi hat stand and maybe some of the cymbal stands can be moved around but not height or angle adjusted without prior permission.
The drummer uses his own drumsticks (yes, seriously!!). If like me you've got a bag full of cheap but good seconds then by all means leave them to be used, better to donate £2 worth of sticks than find your heads all black, sticky, and marked by a chipped drum tip.
If you're the recipient take your own hardware too, I've been expected to put my cymbals on stands with no felts or nylon washers and that bag of hardware I bothered to hump along with me proved its worth.
Have your own hi hat clutch, it just speeds things along
No one height adjusts the stool, they either sit at the height you've set or they bring their own stool.

That's it off the top of my head. The best way to get things running smoothly is to touch base with the other drummer/s ahead of the event and state in a non confrontational manner what you're providing, your expectations and what they need to bring. If you're talking to someone who's had even a small amount of experience you'll probably find that they're going to broadly agree with you anyway. If you're talking to someone with no experience who this all comes as a genuine surprise to then you're doing them and the local drumming community a favour.
 
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