minimalist stripped down drum kits

[Chumley]

do you have any recordings of when you and he played together?

No, unfortunately. Was before I started engineering. Never even managed to get a gig.

Regrets. I have them.

[dorfmeister]

This thread has so much cool music!

I just listened to some Khol: Good stuff!

[O Drones]

Thank you very much sir!

[Ancient Astronaught]

I've been playing drums for 15+ years, i've had everything from 11+piece kits down to 2 piece kits. I can honestly say the funnest stuff has always been on the smallest kits. It's easy to impress someone when you have a shit ton of stuff to hit in the same rythmic patterns, its alot harder to impress someone with just a kick, snare, hi-hat and ride (my actual preferred setup). I got alot of shit from people for only playing a 4 piece kit in a "gentlemans grindcore" band with only hi hat, 2 crashes, and a ride.... until they heard me play I love the challenge of doing more with less it forces true creativity, instead of focusing on what to hit in a pattern you focus on the pattern which to me is MUCH more important. I wish i could find a video of Dillinger Escape Plan on their first tour before they got signed, when they had the 7 foot tall jersey boy for a singer. Back then Chris pennie only used a 3 piece kit and blew my mind. My current setup is a 22x20 mahogany kick, 10x6 birch snare, 13" hi-hats and a 21" ride and i can still play jazz to bluegrass to hardcore to grindcore with it (well since my left leg has gone out the blasts have been lacking.... but i still get the job done). I'll see if the band i just left will let me post some tracks a lil early (the last album i will be performing on with them is being released january 7th)

[dorfmeister]

I've been playing drums for 15+ years, i've had everything from 11+piece kits down to 2 piece kits. I can honestly say the funnest stuff has always been on the smallest kits. It's easy to impress someone when you have a shit ton of stuff to hit in the same rythmic patterns, its alot harder to impress someone with just a kick, snare, hi-hat and ride (my actual preferred setup). I got alot of shit from people for only playing a 4 piece kit in a "gentlemans grindcore" band with only hi hat, 2 crashes, and a ride.... until they heard me play I love the challenge of doing more with less it forces true creativity, instead of focusing on what to hit in a pattern you focus on the pattern which to me is MUCH more important. I wish i could find a video of Dillinger Escape Plan on their first tour before they got signed, when they had the 7 foot tall jersey boy for a singer. Back then Chris pennie only used a 3 piece kit and blew my mind. My current setup is a 22x20 mahogany kick, 10x6 birch snare, 13" hi-hats and a 21" ride and i can still play jazz to bluegrass to hardcore to grindcore with it (well since my left leg has gone out the blasts have been lacking.... but i still get the job done). I'll see if the band i just left will let me post some tracks a lil early (the last album i will be performing on with them is being released january 7th)

Any drummer worth a damn should be able to get it done with bass/snare/hats/ride.

[Ancient Astronaught]

Any drummer worth a damn should be able to get it done with bass/drums/hats/ride.

My sentiments exactly.

[dorfmeister]

And to step it down even more I think it is probably possible to do it with bass/hats/snare or bass/ride/snare alone. Hell. I bet there are drummers who could do way better with just a snare than most guys could do with one of those behemoth prog rock kits with 3 cowbells, 5 bass drum, 62 toms, 115 cymbals and a hydraulic lift.

[Ancient Astronaught]

And to step it down even more I think it is probably possible to do it with bass/hats/snare or bass/hats/ride alone.

bass/hats/snare <- Done this numerous times, and is completely plausible and fun espcially if your playing something groove oriented (hip hop, DnB, reggae, gogo...... or disco ).
bass/hats/ride <- see this as less plausible, theres no cutting accent sound to accompany the kick other than the bell of the ride which unless you mounted the ride to the left would have to be played opposite handed (which a good drummer should be able to do...)
bass/floor tom/ride <- tribalistic and fun

[dorfmeister]

And to step it down even more I think it is probably possible to do it with bass/hats/snare or bass/hats/ride alone.

bass/hats/snare <- Done this numerous times, and is completely plausible and fun espcially if your playing something groove oriented (hip hop, DnB, reggae, gogo...... or disco ).
bass/hats/ride <- see this as less plausible, theres no cutting accent sound to accompany the kick other than the bell of the ride which unless you mounted the ride to the left would have to be played opposite handed (which a good drummer should be able to do...)
bass/floor tom/ride <- tribalistic and fun

Yeah....hell I meant Bass/snare/ride rather than bass/hats/ride.

[Ancient Astronaught]

Yeah....hell I meant Bass/snare/ride rather than bass/hats/ride.

Ohhhh.... That makes for a mean lean jazz drummin machine setup right there.

[CBA]

Yep, Greg Saunier from Deerhoof is KILLLLAAAARRRR. I saw them live right after "Milk Man" came out, and he was still using toms, I think... but geez... I've never seen somebody do so many cool things with just a kick, snare, and hi-hat. He has a crash cymbal in the video in the first post, but I've seen him do it with just the three pieces, and it's really amazing.

I've always been into moderation/minimalism with drums. I taught myself drums before I taught myself guitar, so they've always been dear to me. I just set up my drums a few weeks ago in my apartment even though I can't really play them because of my proximity to my neighbors and landladylord.

I was pleased to see that the drummer from Tame Impala only has a ride and a hi-hat, along with kick, snare, rack tom, and floor tom (and I believe "Innerspeaker" was recorded with this setup as well, proving once again that you don't need endless piles of shit in the studio). That's a great setup. I admire it because it's the same setup I use... and you could take away my rack tom and I don't think I'd really care.

Really... what more do you need? Hi-hat is kinda necessary (although not absolutely), one big cymbal for crashing and riding, a kick, a snare, and MAYBE a tom or two.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvDLNQYYiGI[/youtube]


C

[dubkitty]

i've been planning on getting a kit for some time (and in fact my soon-to-be-roommate has offered to go in on the cost of one with me) and have always figured that i'd get something minimal...my favorite drummers generally have jazz roots or influences, and since my skill set is fairly small a huge Billy Cobham kit would just be silly anyway. plus a little bebop kit is easier to deal with, takes up less space so i could leave it set up in the corner of the living room, and is way easier to record than one of those monster Simon Phillips kits. i'm totally sexually attracted to that Billy Martin kit...what i'm thinking about nowadays is one of the little Gretsch Catalina Jazz kits, which have a 20" bass/snare/1 tom up/1 tom down and for which you can get the second rack tom as an add-on. but i figure four pieces, a hi-hat, a ride cymbal, and maybe a dark crash if i'm feeling extravagant is all i need. it's about all i can do to play a coordinated roll across three toms anyway LOL. but i think it's totally true that a proper drummer can get it done with three pieces and a hi-hat...i've seen it done. you can ride on a hat; you can crash on a hat. you can do a one-handed roll on a floor tom, bend the head with your other hand, and simulate a high-to-low transition. Philly Joe Jones and Max Roach were doing all that in the 1940s, and they got it from people who were doing it in the 20s.

[darthbatman]

yeah man i love gretsch catalina kits

[D.o.S.]

I could give a shit how minimalist a drum kit is, but I'll always be an advocate for the 28" kick drum.

[Schlatte]

I could give a shit how minimalist a drum kit is, but I'll always be an advocate for the 28" kick drum.

wanna marry me?