Bo Eder
Platinum Member
With all this talk of different gear, I think there's one thing I've learned in over 20 years of playing in front of audiences of all kinds: nobody cares.
Most of the time, I'm playing gear I like, and if I have a new cymbal or a new snare drum, the mojo of it and any noticeable differences are only noticed by me. When I go out to talk to people in the audience, no one has ever told me how great my ride cymbal sounded, or that the snare drum sounds way better than others they've heard. In fact, I'm a little suspect if they do notice, because it then detracts from the music they were supposed to notice. So then a red flag goes up about the person I'm talking to that this person is just another gear head.
But really, people either say I play great, or they don't say anything. They're happy they got to hear "cymbals" and "drums". The fact that it might be a Zildjian Constantinople cymbal or a vintage 1920s Ludwig Black Beauty is lost on most audiences.
So, like going to the hardware store, drums are just tools. I like my tools, and I often switch them out for new tools, but my doing so isn't because people request me to have a new sound. The sound apparently stays the same. I just like having new tools. But my audience doesn't care what those tools are. In fact, tools are often provided for me on some of the gigs I do, and like Buddy Rich said, if I'm a real player, I should be able to play anything in front of me. And I do.
But there is drum gear I personally like better than others. Don't get me wrong there. But when I think I might need another ride cymbal, or another snare, the mojo level better be very high.
I apologize, this thread kinda' flies in the face of asking "what would be a good drumset for me" and "I need a new cymbal" threads, but does anyone here feel this way or is it just me?
Most of the time, I'm playing gear I like, and if I have a new cymbal or a new snare drum, the mojo of it and any noticeable differences are only noticed by me. When I go out to talk to people in the audience, no one has ever told me how great my ride cymbal sounded, or that the snare drum sounds way better than others they've heard. In fact, I'm a little suspect if they do notice, because it then detracts from the music they were supposed to notice. So then a red flag goes up about the person I'm talking to that this person is just another gear head.
But really, people either say I play great, or they don't say anything. They're happy they got to hear "cymbals" and "drums". The fact that it might be a Zildjian Constantinople cymbal or a vintage 1920s Ludwig Black Beauty is lost on most audiences.
So, like going to the hardware store, drums are just tools. I like my tools, and I often switch them out for new tools, but my doing so isn't because people request me to have a new sound. The sound apparently stays the same. I just like having new tools. But my audience doesn't care what those tools are. In fact, tools are often provided for me on some of the gigs I do, and like Buddy Rich said, if I'm a real player, I should be able to play anything in front of me. And I do.
But there is drum gear I personally like better than others. Don't get me wrong there. But when I think I might need another ride cymbal, or another snare, the mojo level better be very high.
I apologize, this thread kinda' flies in the face of asking "what would be a good drumset for me" and "I need a new cymbal" threads, but does anyone here feel this way or is it just me?