Is the old saying more is better always correct or what about less is more? Sometimes it is and sometimes …
I ran into this situation a couple of minutes ago. I was watching a neat little video from a drummer name Gavin Harrison. It was a video from a concert that he performed titled Sound of Muzak, in which he and his huge drum kit are the only things on the stage. I must admit that I have never seen a video like this, so I had to watch it in it’s entirety.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzFfNk4xGTE&feature=related
The video is not about a drummer performing inhuman drum solo over and over again, in what seems like eternity!
It shows us a guy who has perfect command of his drumming technique. Gavin’s style shows us that every one of his movements (rolls) are extremely fluid, flowing seamlessly from one drum to another. His drum kit in huge and the sound is just amazing! Now here is where I run into that old saying!
A old buddy of mine, Domenic, has shown us time and time again that he too exhibits these same musical skills as Gavin, but Domenic does so on a much smaller drum kit. He makes his modest gear sound like he is playing on a much larger one. Not that I’m bashing Gavin Harrison, not at all! It’s just that I think, most non musicians out there believe that you must have a lot of drums to produce a sound big. Now listen to by buddy to see what I am getting at.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgXnYew2YRE
So my question to you is does a bigger drum kit mean that you are a better drummer?
Keep on Jammin’
The amount of drums a drummer uses has absolutely no bearing on their talent. In fact I think some not so good drummers hide behind (in more ways than one!) a bigger kit to make up for their shortcomings. I am a drummer myself, and own three kits. Two of them are small four piece (two toms), and the other is a bigger setup – six piece (four toms). With the two smaller kits, I tend to use less cymbals too. The kit I choose to use depends on the job I’m doing. For instance, if I’m doing a jazz gig, I’m unlikely to need a big setup, and a small four piece kit fits the bill perfectly. A rock gig would suit the bigger kit. I think if you sat Gavin Harrison behind a kit similar to your friend Domenic’s kit, he would still be able to blow you away with his skills. I think you’re right though, non musicians probably think that a bigger kit is harder to play than a small one when the opposite is probably more true. By the way, nice playing Domenic!