captain54 Posted August 28, 2001 Share Posted August 28, 2001 Im getting into a new venture I know nothing about...playing a few nights a week in a supper club, lite jazz and standards, you know the drill... how about gear?? Portability is the key element hear... a few thoughts I had... Pearl Rhythmn Traveler kit drag along a kick drum, a snare, a ride cymbal, a hat, and a set of brushes or the electronic route... a roland spd-20 and external midi triggers like an fd-7 and a kd-7 with external amplification... a roland handsonic a DrumKat any suggestions?? HELP!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted August 28, 2001 Share Posted August 28, 2001 You're on the right track. But kill that electronics idea right now. Definitely go traditional and go for the small jazz kit... 18" kick even, with a subtle finish. The smaller the setup the better, make that ride and hat shine on thier own... Depending on floor space/stage space, you may want to go with two rides just for texture, maybe a flat ride with rivets and a more general purpose jazz ride. Nothing wrong with one or two small toms depending again on space and also the tunes. Buy a tux and write it off come tax time. Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted August 28, 2001 Share Posted August 28, 2001 Hey, Capt! I know if it were me, I would be opting for the "drag along a kick, snare, ride, hat and accessory option. Electronics never really seemed to fit the vibe that is trying to be established in a dinner club. Would be like DEVO playing Mac the Knife! I think the primary consideration is ... what ever the band leader desires you to use. (especially if you are stepping into a situation that he/she is already familiar with). Keep us in the loop on what you decide. Thanks, DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mightydog Posted August 29, 2001 Share Posted August 29, 2001 I've been in a venue like that with just a hi-hat, a couple of cyms and a snare. They usually want you to play so people can talk over the top of you. I can't complain, but sometimes I still do... --Joe Walsh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve LeBlanc Posted August 29, 2001 Share Posted August 29, 2001 Stay away from electronics...not only will they not sound right with Jazz but there's too much that can go wrong...real drums never have computer glitches, etc. Get a nice small kit (the pearl practice kit you mentioned might work) but most importantly get some nice brushes and "bundle" style drum sticks (whatever those things are called?). I've done a lot of these kinds of gigs...keep your set-up simple, there's nothing worse than trying to set up an elaborate array of stuff while people are sitting around sipping coffee talking about how much money they made last month. Oh, and have fun...not all dinner gigs are boring http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif http://www.youtube.com/notesleb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrummerCafe Posted August 29, 2001 Share Posted August 29, 2001 I agree with DJ on all points. The drag about trying to use electronics is that the audience will probably hear the stick hitting the rubber pad more than the sound coming out of the PA ... since you have to play at such a low volume. A Cocktail Kit would be great for this. Like DJ, I will use kick, snare, hihat and a crash/ride. A regular ride is too dry for me when I'm playing a full night of low volume standards. A crash is just nuts to have because you will never be able to really strike it. A Crash/Ride cymbal has the best of both worlds ... for this type of venue. Tom toms are a waste in my opinion; again you can't really strike them to get a full tone. Jazz tunings definitely alter this view somewhat, but you get the point. Having few instruments in your set-up will force you to be even more creative. People are eating dinner ... their not listening to your chops, etc. Make the music feel good with a minimal set-up; they'll be blown away with that alone. I use small set-ups like the one I described when I rehearse with a variety of groups. When we are just putting together tunes, a small kit works great. Sure, if the music revolves around a lot of tom work, you might need to include some toms. I just save myself a lot of backache and headache by holding out until the songs are ready for polishing. There's nothing more frustrating than to haul you full kit into a rehearsal ... only to find that the keyboard player hasn't learned the material. What a waste of my time and energy! The last two bands I've worked with were blown away that I could make the music feel good and sound good with just a kick, snare, hihat, crash and ride. What they don't realize is that there's not much more to add; just some toms and a few more crashes. How often do you use those? For most commercial styles I would guess less than 10% of the time. ------------------ Bart Elliott http://bartelliott.com Drummer Cafe - community drum & percussion forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain54 Posted August 29, 2001 Author Share Posted August 29, 2001 Very informative and helpful, thanks for pointing me in the right direction.. My problem with electronics with this type of venture lies in the lack of ablility to do any brush work, which to me is absolutely essential in this type of undertaking...I use the DM Pro and a Hart Accusnare, and they actually offer a "Brush Kit" and a "Jazz Kit" that dlgitally duplicates thru samples what a brush on a snare would sound like, but you only get really one type of "smack" sound of a brush hitting a snare, but none of the other cool "swishes".... I'm not too worried about the volume of the pads overtaking the actually playing since Im playing a mesh head which are super quiet..but again the sensitivity for playing brushes is not there on my Accusnare, though I've heard they are supposed to be there on the PD-120's, which are the Roland mesh pads used in the V-Drums... I think for Pop and Rock though the V-Drum route is absolutely the way to go...my electronic drums have never failed me, and the ability to control stage volume, whether it be in a large venue or a tiny rehearsal space is a tremendous asset...plus you can practice at 2am without waking anyone, and plug into your computer and record midi drums till the cows come home... At a gig I take 6 outputs from the drum brain into a small mixer at my side, then a stereo master feed to the main board..its incredible to be able to balance your kick, snare, toms, etc. without relying on the sound guy to somehow hope he gets it right...very cool... Alas, I dont think the technology is there yet to be able to create the effect of a small cocktail kit in an intimate setting...close maybe but not quite... Also, I'm finding my brush technique is a little rusty...any one know of any good tutorials out there (books, Cd's, video) that give you kind of crash course for brush technique??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrummerCafe Posted August 29, 2001 Share Posted August 29, 2001 Clayton Cameron's video, The Living Art of Brushes, is an excellent resource. I highly recommend it. Drummer Cafe - community drum & percussion forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted August 29, 2001 Share Posted August 29, 2001 Don't forget the prerequisite brushes or (what do they call 'em) the hot rods (those things that are sort of between a brush and a stick)... Get an old Zildjian ride with rivets, too... And if you re-eally want to do it right...you've gotta have an old Ludwig or Slingerland set in Champagne Sparkle and a Paisley Tux Jacket...make sure your name is painted on the bass drum head with a few eighth notes and a swirly music staff...HAHAHA!!! "Oh the shark has...(THANKYOUVERRYMU-UCH)...pretty teeth dear...(HE-EEY! Ya having a good time?} ...and he shows them...{Is that your wife or your daughter?) ....pearly white..." http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Ooops...I see you're hip to the brush thing already...cool... This message has been edited by Tedster on 08-29-2001 at 10:30 AM "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve LeBlanc Posted August 29, 2001 Share Posted August 29, 2001 Clayton Cameron's video, The Living Art of Brushes I had the pleasure of playing Piano with Clayton Cameron one night...that guy rips! http://www.youtube.com/notesleb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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