The Big Kits vs. Small Kits Debate

Re: THE BIG KITS VS SMALL KITS DEBATE

I enjoy playin big drumkits, ever sence i was little and saw all the rockstars with the big drumkits I knew I wanted a big drumkit. I bought a big set some time ago and im having alot of fun with it, its awsome to have the ability to create so much different sounds and to have a big surface to do it on, thats just my personal oppinion, altough i very much agree to the fact that a smaller kit really helps you to be creative, you have to use your mind so much more.
/Marten Kaiser
 
Re: THE BIG KITS VS SMALL KITS DEBATE

I have about 5 or 6 kits from one kit. It really depends on what and who I am playing with. I scale down for 2 of the bands I play with, but I am trying to put together a variety band and it is great to have the big kit to do more stuff. I bought an electronic kit for practicing and I am now using some of the pads and triggers on my acoustic kit. That has opened up a whole new world. The greatest thing about the small kit is it's less stuff to haul after you have played your butt off all night. I mean we all know the drummer is the hardest working member of the band.
 
Re: Small kit

heres a great example of what I'm trying to say.. even if you dont agree with me he's great isnt he??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5r5mJJXNJc

Oh, and one more thing.. When I'm learning, its almost everytime I'm on the snare, bass and hi hat.. Only when i know what I'm doing I start to go all around the kit, which is not so difficult.. So it seems to me, that lots of toms and cymbals only can do what a drummer cant do - make different noises.. Again, I'm not against a big kit, becouse I like lots of Cymbals, especially clear ride's and those tiny splash's.. And I also like simplicity..

I like drumming, becouse you can do and learn it anywhere..:]
 
Re: Small kit

More drums don't increase your dynamics and volume options. That is in your hands. Tonal options to a point yes, but there is more that you can do with a small set than people realize, different tones you can get out of one drum etc.. You just have to spend some time to discover all of it.

Good point. At least 90 percent of all playing is just bass, snare, hats and ride, even if you're Portnoy on a monster kit. So, if all you had was those four items, you should be able to play 90 percent of everything - and you're be forced to think of new ways to create the other 10 percent.
 
Re: Small kit

Good point. At least 90 percent of all playing is just bass, snare, hats and ride, even if you're Portnoy on a monster kit. So, if all you had was those four items, you should be able to play 90 percent of everything - and you're be forced to think of new ways to create the other 10 percent.

Yup, and that's what I started realizing in my own playing. You get to a point where you wonder if you're using things because you want to and you hear that in your head, or if because they're in front of you.

The hardest thing, especially if you play certain kinds of music, is when you strip down your set, making due without that drum. Funk, Rock, Jazz, Latin, the rack tom is used alot in all those styles, so you have to find a way to play in that style, and not rely on that one tone being there.

I've just found it funny how ONE drum can completely alter what you play. As soon as I took my rack tom off I immediately was utilizing tones from other areas more, grooving more, and doing things that for some reason I never played when the rack tom was there.

I have been reading through old MD issues lately and I've noticed that I'm noticing more drummers who are using 3 piece sets that I didn't notice before, and I feel really good when I hear about those guys. The issue with Steve Jordan shows him in quite a few pictures just playing a 2 piece with the hi-hat, and I get in such a good mood by looking at that.
 
Re: Small kit

I've just found it funny how ONE drum can completely alter what you play. As soon as I took my rack tom off I immediately was utilizing tones from other areas more, grooving more, and doing things that for some reason I never played when the rack tom was there.

maybe thats the key to building up some creativity.. you know, when you want to hit a rack tom (or any other drum or cymbal) wich is not there, you realize you cant and you have to quickly decide what to do.. no.. probably you have to keep it in mind all the time:]
but anyway, I think it helps to get more creative..
 
Re: Small kit

More drums don't increase your dynamics and volume options. That is in your hands. Tonal options to a point yes, but there is more that you can do with a small set than people realize, different tones you can get out of one drum etc.. You just have to spend some time to discover all of it.

i should have clarified that what i mean by that was say that if your doing a build in a rock-type setting and you have to crash and/or ride a crash..but you dont have a crash.
 
Re: Small kit

Check out Deerhoof. They are probably the coolest indie-rock band in existence at the moment . Their drummer Greg Sangier uses what looks like a marching kick a snare, a hi-hat and one cymbal and yet he does some of the coolest stuff I've heard. It's all about your musical imagination. All the chops and drums in the world won't help you if you don't have that.

---LG
 
Re: Small kit

i should have clarified that what i mean by that was say that if your doing a build in a rock-type setting and you have to crash and/or ride a crash..but you dont have a crash.

Then you crash your ride :) If I was going to go that minimal with cymbals I'd want the one cymbal I was using to be able to cover as many sounds as possible.
 
Re: Small kit

Its funny, but he says hes sitting uncomfortable in purpose to come up with more creativity, the same reason is why hes using such a small kit.. ( I watched an interview with him on www.indie-eye.it )
 
Big kit = big possibilities. More options, more musicality. You can play small on a big kit, but you can't play big on a small kit.

Cheers.
This ws posted awhile ago but i really have to disagree. I can think of two examples off the top of my head that use small sets but sound ginormous on recordings. The first is Rodney Holmes. First of all he is one of the most superb drummers I've ever heard and is set sounds alot bigger than it is. the second though I dont know his name and you've probably never heard of the ban. It's a local group called "Joules" i got there CD listened to it and thought he played a huge set, then to my surprize he actually plays a 4 piece set. if you want to hear what im talking about search them on myspace.

Yeah, that was my opening salvo from two years ago, and I went to great lengths after that explaining and clarifying exactly what I meant. I know it's a long thread but you might want to read past the first page before adding to it.
 
Yeah, that was my opening salvo from two years ago, and I went to great lengths after that explaining and clarifying exactly what I meant. I know it's a long thread but you might want to read past the first page before adding to it.

Almost ten pages, this is one of the longest ongoing debates in planet drum.

If someone asked me what size kit they should play, I would say YES!!!!

Meaning that It doesnt matter, big kits go well with some styles, and small kits are really versatile.
 
Re: THE BIG KITS VS SMALL KITS DEBATE

Cheers! I can go both ways on this one. My first kit was a lil red glitter 79 4pc sears special that my folks got me for Christmas. It had a hat and a crash and I could wail on it all day. Although I was a young kid, I could impress much older players, some of whom I had great respect for and learned alot from, and I got a bunch of fundamental chops on that kit that I still use today. Of course, I drooled over bigger, better kits but at the time, that was what I had and I played it like I had a 9pc. It was great fun. Then I got a job at the local music shop and I set up big brand new kits in the drum shop as well as rental kits, and some decent new electric kits were just coming out, and I fixed up trade ins, etc. I loved setting up the big kits and tuning them and I couldnt wait to save up enough cash to buy a bigger set. I finally bought a Ludwig 5pc Rocker set with a nice compliment of hardware and cymbals and again, the extra drums just added to my bag of chops. I now play a 6pc Yamaha set with all the rack trimmings and also a Roland SPDs for FX and I couldn't be any happier. I might even add another drum and maybe some other percussion pieces. I guess my point is, I really cant knock anyone for going big, and I also enjoy those that can make a small kit hum. To each his own I say! For me, drumming (and music, recording, etc.) is like other hobbies, like hot rods, or dirt bikes, or boats, or computers, or whatever, where having cool gear is half the fun. When I croak, I can say I had an average size drumset, an average tool, an average studio, average band, etc...but I had an above average amount of fun! That is what matters most to me, have fun! Rock on!
 
Re: THE BIG KITS VS SMALL KITS DEBATE

WOW!! This has been some intense reading. I don't know if it is safe to jump in but here goes:

Big and little.....they are both great. I have enjoyed Charlie Watts and Jeff Hamilton on their small kits and enjoyed Carter Beauford and Neil Peart on their large kits. That doesn't mean one is better or worse,it all falls under personal tastes. What direction do you want to go with the drum kit? If you want hi and low tones you have to have more toms,or cymbals,etc. If you just want to groove and hold it down,the small kit will work great. You can be VERY creative on both but no matter how much you try,there are only so many tones on a smaller kit. I know it is so simple and obvious but it just comes down to personal prefference. One thing I do feel that's missing in drumming is individualism. Not really talking about playing as much as style and drum sets. Do your own thing. If you like it and it works for you....great. That's how the great ones set themselves apart. I know there are some great players on this site that can rip me to shreds on a kit and thats fine. But if I try to have my drums exactly one way or the other because of someone else's kit then I am only limiting myself. Experiment with different things and see what works best for you but remember that it doesn't mean that other ways are wrong. If we were all the same type of player and had the same set up then drumming would be boring and have no meaning to us anymore. I know that I just want to be the best "me" that I can be. If I was playing a song that needs a lot of sounds then I am going to try and use those sounds and vice versa.
 
Re: THE BIG KITS VS SMALL KITS DEBATE

I'm not about to read this entire thread, but based on the 30+ posts that I have read, It's a simple answer. PLAY WHAT YOU WANT. there is not right or wrong, better or worse, or a "cool" factor involved in your drum kit size. A bigger kit might offer more things to hit, giving you greater variety, but a small kit will be slightly more comfortable.
 
Big kits vs small kits

I wanna know what people prefer me personaly i like big kits more to choose from and it gets people intrested when i play live they see the big kit and wonder over and they watch the whole set but on the other hand while im at home i set my kit up with only one kick drum one rack tom and two floor toms the reson being if i get a surtain amount of skill on a small size kit i will be twice as good on the bigger size kit....... as a pose to when i play live i have mtwo kicks three rack toms and two floor toms more toms = bigger rolls..... so what do u all think .......
 
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