In defense of new gear... (new hi-hats)

wraub

wraub

Gold Member
I've been working at improving on drums, and one part of that is playing along with music. But, I've been disappointed with this, because it always seemed like I'd lose time when compared to the recording, always behind the beat regardless of feel.
I didn't think I was quite that bad, so I really analyzed things (I tend to do that) to suss out any issues, and realized my hi hats were part of the problem.

Apparently, in the volume of me plus radio (or stream, whatever) I was losing the sound of the hats, and searching for it while playing is, for me, no bueno.

I was going between 14" ZHT hats, which have a "soft" sound imo, and my other option, 13" Meinl HCS hats. These have a decent "click", but have a hollow open sound, kind of an empty ring that I find typical of some inexpensive cymbals (they were my first hats, so, there's a mild sentimental attachment but I'm about quality of sound, so...) In this case, that meant looking for hats.

After some research and price shopping, I found a good set of Zildjian 14" Quick Beat hats.
...they are a noticeable change. ;)

Played along with music for an hour last night, and...my time is back. :)


As a bonus, these hats being so distinct and articulate is really highlighting flaws in my playing, which I love. :) For much the same reasons I enjoy my active basses, an instrument that can showcase my "mistakes" to me is an instrument on which I can improve and develop.
Bonus bonus- they are also the sound in my head, so, I got that going for me, which is nice.


tl, dr; my old hats were okay, I like my new hats more. ;)
 
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Quick Beats are pretty heavy. If you like plenty of articulation, I'd say you've found a good pair of hats. They should serve you well for a very long time.

Keep playing, man. You seem to be tackling drumming with passion and persistence. Combine those ingredients with productive practice, and you'll see significant improvements in no time.
 
wraub said:
I've been working at improving on drums, and one part of that is playing along with music. But, I've been disappointed with this, because it always seemed like I'd lose time when compared to the recording, always behind the beat regardless of feel.
I didn't think I was quite that bad, so I really analyzed things (I tend to do that) to suss out any issues, and realized my hi hats were part of the problem.

Apparently, in the volume of me plus radio (or stream, whatever) I was losing the sound of the hats, and searching for it while playing is, for me, no bueno.

I was going between 14" ZHT hats, which have a "soft" sound imo, and my other option, 13" Meinl HCS hats. These have a decent "click", but have a hollow open sound, kind of an empty ring that I find typical of some inexpensive cymbals (they were my first hats, so, there's a mild sentimental attachment but I'm about quality of sound, so...) In this case, that meant looking for hats.

After some research and price shopping, I found a good set of Zildjian 14" Quick Beat hats.
...they are a noticeable change. ;)

Played along with music for an hour last night, and...my time is back. :)


As a bonus, these hats being so distinct and articulate is really highlighting flaws in my playing, which I love. :) For much the same reasons I enjoy my active basses, an instrument that can showcase my "mistakes" to me is an instrument on which I can improve and develop.
Bonus bonus- they are also the sound in my head, so, I got that going for me, which is nice.


tl, dr; my old hats were okay, I like my new hats more. ;)
Click to expand...

I played 13" quickbeats for about a decade - love those hats TONS - so much that I'm having Bosphorus make me a "quick beat" version of their Syncopation sand washed hats!

Glad you like your gear man - love new gear.
 
Congrats on the Quick Beats! Are you using in-ear monitors to listen to music while you drum? If not, you should get a pair of KZ in-ears from Amazon. Very good quality for the money.
 
QB have been the standard for many a pro recording drummer for many years. There are many options, but hard to go wrong with those for articulation. They work for pretty much anything.
 
I’m all for getting better gear. It certainly does help with playing, but motivation to play is sometimes the greater reward. With that, the best thing I can recommend for keeping the feel of time is to play to a gap click. Not only does it help bake in a solid sense of time, but you just can’t rely on always hearing a nice balanced mixed, so have to know where you are. Play through the gap and see where you land when the click comes in again. When you have that down, do a fill, then make them crazier and see where things fall apart. This has saved my bacon multiple times playing live.

There are also gap songs on this forum, which are less boring than click. With click you can speed up and slow down and find where the trouble spots are. Not so with songs, but whatever makes it more enjoyable.

Congrats on the hats!
 
AzHeat said:
I’m all for getting better gear. It certainly does help with playing, but motivation to play is sometimes the greater reward. With that, the best thing I can recommend for keeping the feel of time is to play to a gap click. Not only does it help bake in a solid sense of time, but you just can’t rely on always hearing a nice balanced mixed, so have to know where you are. Play through the gap and see where you land when the click comes in again. When you have that down, do a fill, then make them crazier and see where things fall apart. This has saved my bacon multiple times playing live.

There are also gap songs on this forum, which are less boring than click. With click you can speed up and slow down and find where the trouble spots are. Not so with songs, but whatever makes it more enjoyable.

Congrats on the hats!
Click to expand...
would a gap click be playing only the and's when set on 8th notes or only playing the e's on 16th notes ??
 
More like click for four bars, no click for four bars, and click for four bars. Rinse and repeat. You can choose the number on most metrenome apps.
 
Most metronome apps have them. You’ll start with small gaps, then increase the gap as you become more comfortable. One bar click, one bar gap, one bar click, two bars gap, etc.
 
wraub said:
I've been working at improving on drums, and one part of that is playing along with music. But, I've been disappointed with this, because it always seemed like I'd lose time when compared to the recording, always behind the beat regardless of feel.
I didn't think I was quite that bad, so I really analyzed things (I tend to do that) to suss out any issues, and realized my hi hats were part of the problem.
Click to expand...

Playing to music is fine, and fun. If you really want to work on your time, just play along some beats to a metronome, no music. Maybe less fun in your ears but really reveals your time and allows a more focussed concentrated work on time.
 
Thanks all... I really like these hats. :)

Plus, now I know about a "gap click"... I actully do similar while I'm driving, as the radio station I listen to drops out a lot, so the time is all on me LOL.
 
TBH, I kinda enjoy metronome work... the flaws are easy to spot, and the fixes are easy to implement, at least for me at this point.



opentune said:
Playing to music is fine, and fun. If you really want to work on your time, just play along some beats to a metronome, no music. Maybe less fun in your ears but really reveals your time and allows a more focussed concentrated work on time.
Click to expand...
 
Hi, missed this...


Currently, I'm playing along with a stereo, either radio, vinyl, or streams. I am not a fan of in-ear monitors, but I am looking at monitoring options.
Thanks for the suggestion!


,
IBitePrettyHard said:
Congrats on the Quick Beats! Are you using in-ear monitors to listen to music while you drum? If not, you should get a pair of KZ in-ears from Amazon. Very good quality for the money.
Click to expand...
 
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