Steve Smith's
Drum Talk: Choosing the Right Equipment
In 2001 I did a tour with an Indian tabla
player, Sandip Burman, and it was the first time
I had ever
played with a tabla player. Before the tour he
came to my house to show me some of the rhythms
he would be using in his music. When we first
played together, he had trouble hearing himself
and I also had trouble hearing him. It wasn't
because I was hitting the drums too hard or
playing too loud, it was because the cymbals and
drums I was using weren't the right match to the
sound of his instrument. As soon as I put up my
flat ride cymbals and played a kit with smaller
drums, we could both hear the tablas. This was a
very graphic example of how important it is to
have a variety of cymbals and drums to chose
from to compliment the sound of the different
musicians you play with.
I have been
asked many times by young drummers what I think
of a certain ride cymbal or snare drum, head,
stick etc... I can let them know what I think of
the equipment relative to my musical needs, but
the relevant question is -- what are THEIR
musical needs?
Cymbals
Choosing ride cymbals is very important for
drummers, especially for playing jazz, because
most of the rhythms being played are centered on
the ride cymbal. I've noticed that many young
drummers who ask me about certain ride cymbals
are usually not taking into consideration the
music they will be playing and the other
musicians they will be playing with. They talk
about the cymbal itself and ideas like "cutting
through," "projection" and other qualities that
are the opposite of what they need if they are
playing jazz with acoustic instrumentalists.
Also many drummers now practice with ear plugs
or headphones, which is good to save their
hearing, but I have noticed that it can have a
tendency to make them play louder and be less
sensitive to the actual sound they are getting
from the instrument. The sound you get from the
cymbals and drums is very important and it
mainly depends on your touch, but choosing the
right equipment is the first step in giving
yourself the best instrument to work with.
If you are playing with an acoustic bass
it's important to have ride cymbals that are not
too loud and will blend well with the sound of
the bass. I think this one reason why many jazz
drummers prefer darker cymbal sounds, they blend
with the warm sound of the upright bass. I've
told many young drummers who are just starting
to play jazz to find ride cymbals that will
sound pleasing to the ear and musical in a small
room and will be pleasant for the other
musicians to hear too, keeping in mind they will
be standing only a few feet away. This was
surprising to them because it's very different
from the information they get via media
advertising that makes drumming look like a
violent act that requires loud cymbals, powerful
drums, and sticks and heads that won't break.
The idea of "cutting through" may have some
relevance for big band playing, but more than
volume, the clarity of the beat is what is
important. For big band you may want a brighter
ride cymbal than if you are playing small group,
but again it depends on the band and what kind
of venues you will be playing. If you are in a
college big band and are mainly rehearsing in a
room at school, you need to take that reality
into consideration when choosing a cymbal. I've
found the only times when cymbals that "cut
through" are needed is when playing with a rock
group that uses highly distorted guitars that
cover every frequency. In those cases I've
needed a ride cymbal that has clarity and some
volume. Other than that, volume is not an issue
and neither is "projection." Cymbals tend to be
loud to begin with, especially if they are not
played with a mature touch. I find it harder to
find a cymbal that has a nice sound and doesn't
get too loud as I play it than a cymbal that isn't loud enough. I generally use relatively
dark rides when playing acoustic jazz and rides
that are a bit brighter when playing electric
jazz. When I play with tablas or acoustic
instrumentalist in a small room or club, I found
that the lightest flat rides gave me the airy
sound needed to blend with and not overpower the
other players.
I have also found that
when playing small group, acoustic jazz, crash
cymbals are unnecessary. If you need a crash
sound, you can get it from a good ride cymbal. I
like to add crash cymbals when playing with a
big band to accentuate some of the band figures.
I have found some splash sounds and specialty
sounds to be useful in small group playing, but
this also depends on the overall musical concept
whether or not these sounds are appropriate.
If you have at least a few different ride
cymbals and additional cymbals sounds (crashes,
splashes, etc.), you can make choices depending
on the musical situations you find yourself in.
Drums
I find it
useful to have different size bass drums with my
drum sets. If I use a 22" bass drum this gives
me a very different feel and sound than an 18"
or 20" bass drum. I tend to use a smaller bass
drum with jazz playing. The way I set the drum
up with heads and muffling is also very
important. I use a full head on the front of the
drum with no hole cut in it and no pillow or
"stuffing" in the drum. The only muffling I use
is a felt strip on the batter (beater side) head
and sometimes a felt strip on the front head.
This way I can play with more dynamics and the
drum actually has a nice tone and not just a
flat thud. This is important to take note of for
the younger drummers who may have never played a
bass drum that has no pillow in it. That sound
and feel was designed for "studio" playing and,
in my opinion, doesn't work for acoustic jazz.
The double headed bass drum, played with a nice
touch (having the beater come off the head as
opposed to "burying" the beater) will blend well
with an acoustic bass and give the band a warm
bottom-end sound and feel. If you need to mic
the bass drum, place the mic on the batter head
(as if micing a tom) and you'll get a great
sound.
Tuning the toms and choosing heads
are also important when playing acoustic jazz. I
tune my toms relatively high and like to use a
coated heads which gives me a warmer and
slightly softer sound than clear heads. I tend
to stay away from heads with built in muffling,
they were developed for the dead "studio" sound.
Sticks
Sticks
choices are also very important for the jazz
novice. With much of today's music taking place
at extremely loud volumes, heavy sticks have
become popular. By simply using a lighter stick,
you can get a more musical sound out of your
instrument. I use a stick (the Steve Smith Vic
Firth Signature Stick) that is basically a 5A
made of hickory, which is a medium stick weight.
I carry lighter sticks with me and if I'm
playing in a small room with all acoustic
musicians, I may use a light stick made of
maple, which will help me play with a softer
sound. Having a selection of brushes, mallets
and other types of "specialty sticks" is also
important in order to have the ability to adjust
your sound and volume to the musicians and the
room.
A Final Thought: Play the
Room
I've been teaching at
summer "drum camps" for many years now and I
have noticed that today's young players are
generally insensitive to "playing the room."
Playing the room means adjusting your touch,
sound and volume to the actual size and
acoustics of the room that you are playing in.
Most of the students sit down at a kit and play
it as though they are in a stadium. When I bring
up the concept of playing the room they tell me
the idea has never occurred them, they just play
loud and that's it! I recently interviewed some
of the Founding Fathers of Rock Drumming for a
documentary I'm working on for Hudson Music -
History of Rock Drumming - and some of the most
profound moments were when they sat down at a
kit and played, they played the room!! Jimmy
Vincent from Louis Prima's band and recording
artist Sandy Nelson are two great examples. Both
of them were very musical and aware of the sound
they were getting and how to play so it "worked"
for the size of the room they were in. When it
comes to jazz playing, adjusting your sound and
volume to the room is crucial.
Hopefully
these ideas will give you some guidance of what
to look for in choosing equipment for playing
jazz. Keep your ears and mind open and talk to
the other musicians you are playing with, this
will also help you chose the best sounding
equipment for your playing needs. Keep it
swingin'.
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