Too many toms?

[Blue Strat]

How many toms are enough? Tre Cool from Green Day only has two, the guy from Weezer (sorry, don't know his name!) only has a floor tom in the picture inside the blue album.

 

In contrast, Phil Collins and Chester Tompson have about 5 or 6 each on stage, and Neil Pert surrounds himself with them!

 

So my question is, how many toms are enough for you, and why?

[totemspock]

Hi! I play with two toms, on mounted and one floortom. Sometimes I play with two floortoms and one mounted tom. When playing simple pop and rock music it seems to work fine with just two toms but when it goes to something more complex I need my other floortom. BTW, isn´t there someone else that has discovered the benefits by using two floortoms instead of two mounted toms? I loooove it.

[Blue Strat]

Originally posted by totemspock:

BTW, isn´t there someone else that has discovered the benefits by using two floortoms instead of two mounted toms? I loooove it.

I don't know of any drummers that use a setup like that (other than you). Maybe you'll start a trend! I have a basic 5 piece kit with two mounted toms and a floor tom. It's versatile enough for me, but I'm still just getting started.

[Dwarf]

It depends on the style of music and my mood. I often play with just one mounted and one floor. If I were playing music that called for more I'd use more. Playing Stones tunes with 8 toms would be a waste, playing Rush tunes with 2 would be a challenge.

 

--

Rob

[drumtek]

My approach is similar to Dwarf's. I have 5 toms (3 mounted & 2 stand-mounted floors),

but I rarely use/need all of them. My usual configuration is:

-no toms for rehearsals (All I need is the groove!)

-5-piece set-up for most gigs, or 4-piece for lighter stuff

 

If the music calls for it, and I'm in a really good mood, it all gets used!!

[offramp]

I've found that the older I get, the fewer toms I use. My kit is a five-piece, but I can't remember the last time I set up all five.

[Lee Flier]

Well, I love the sound of a classic 4 piece kit (one mounted tom, one floor tom) and that's what all my favorite drummers play, excepting Keith Moon , so... I mean if Bonham could do what he did with a 4 piece kit, then 4 pieces is enough.

 

Having recorded a slew of drummers in the 80's who played the giant kits with a zillion toms, I can say most of them were useless or simply for show. Or, as an engineer friend once put it, so that no matter where your arms go, you can't miss. There are a few people who've managed to use a large kit in a musical way, like for "percussive orchestration" type things, so really it depends on the style of music you play.

 

Totemspock, I agree with you that using two floor toms instead of two mounted toms is cool. The main reason I can see (personally) for having an extra tom is to get extra LOWS. I don't really like the sound of high toms much, but really thundering low toms, that's cool as hell. And for some songs, it sounds great to have the extra, larger floor tom - our drummer does it every now and then on our recordings. For live gigs, he sticks to the 4 piece - doesn't want to lug around any more equipment than necessary!

 

Really though, it's all personal taste and what it takes to get the sounds you want.

[totemspock]

Yeah, I love the low ends on floortoms! Agree totally

[Blue Strat]

Originally posted by Lee Flier:

Having recorded a slew of drummers in the 80's who played the giant kits with a zillion toms, I can say most of them were useless or simply for show. Or, as an engineer friend once put it, so that no matter where your arms go, you can't miss.

I was listening to Iron Maiden on the way to school this morning and noticed that on "Run to the hills" there's this one part in the chorus where there's this run on the toms that must have taken at least 5 toms to do. It sounds awesome. I think it has it's place.

 

Totemspock, I agree with you that using two floor toms instead of two mounted toms is cool. The main reason I can see (personally) for having an extra tom is to get extra LOWS. I don't really like the sound of high toms much, but really thundering low toms, that's cool as hell. And for some songs, it sounds great to have the extra, larger floor tom - our drummer does it every now and then on our recordings. For live gigs, he sticks to the 4 piece - doesn't want to lug around any more equipment than necessary!

I love my 16" x 16" floor tom, but it doesn't get used as much as my 12" mounted tom. When I use the floor tom, I don't use the bass drum as much.

 

Really though, it's all personal taste and what it takes to get the sounds you want.

agreed.

[Dwarf]

Originally posted by bluestrat:

I was listening to Iron Maiden on the way to school this morning and noticed that on "Run to the hills" there's this one part in the chorus where there's this run on the toms that must have taken at least 5 toms to do. It sounds awesome. I think it has it's place.

If it's that long tom run before the chorus I think it's just 4 toms.

 

--

Rob

[where02190]

My kit preference is 1 rack 2 floors. The actual set-up is a mounted12" and 13', but the 13" is in a floor tom position, in front of a 14" or 16" floor.

 

Hope this is helpful.

[djarrett]

I actually use a very unusual setup as well.

I have my smallest tom (10") mounted in front of my right knee between my snare and suspended floor tom. (in the empty space above the bass drum pedal.)

I have my 12" tom to the left of the snare on the other side of my knee by the hihat. I have a 14" and 15" suspended floor tom to my right.

No typical mounted tom anymore.

I am actually thinking of going to a remote hihat setup with the hihat actually placed where the typical mounted tom would float.

I like changing things around to make things different and interesting.

 

DJ

[MPCman]

If I am playing simple pop music, I wouldn't really complain if I had just two or three toms. I am however saving up for a Sonor Delite with 5 toms, then I have two roto toms and a lot of electronic drum pads, so it will be a pretty big kit. My main purpose for such a kit is not for playing pop! I'm very inspired by guys like Terry Bozzio and Danny Carey, I certainly don't want to be a copy but I think I want to make music which is a bit related to what they do.

 

And guess what.... I am seeing Bozzio live in concert this monday! I'm taking my mother with me, so she can see that big drumsets sometimes do make sense!

[freelance]

Naturally the style of music may dictate the number of drums, but on a whole a basic 4 piece kit (2 toms) can cover almost any gig.

 

When I work in a 3 piece group I often add more drums (up to 5 toms) and more cymbals and other percussion (including electronics) to provide more "colors". In this setting I play as much "melodic" as I do "rhythmic" since there are limited other melodic instruments on stage

 

If I'm in a 4, 5 or more piece group, then my role becomes more rhythmic (since there are enough other melodic instuments.

 

When recording, I rarely use more than a 4 piece kit (then it's all about what notes are not played!!!)

 

But I do agree with the statement that the older I get, the less gear I'm inclind to haul.

[coyote]

Ian Paice is one of many drummers who has used a configuration like this. I think Bonham also used a similar set for awhile.

 

The main advantge is you get the ride cymbal in a place where both hands can access it, and you get space to put a cowbell and woodblock and chimes etc easily within reach if you eliminate the second mounted tom.

 

Originally posted by bluestrat:

Originally posted by totemspock:

BTW, isn´t there someone else that has discovered the benefits by using two floortoms instead of two mounted toms? I loooove it.

I don't know of any drummers that use a setup like that (other than you). Maybe you'll start a trend!

[Funkwave]

Dude, It's not the number of toms, it's the actual

sticking, dynamics, expression, etc that makes a great drummer. There are many "killer" studio drummers out there such as Steve Gadd who use a standard 5 piece set but use all four limbs to create total independance. Applying proper sticking, rudiment skills and choices of what to play at what time, can work wonders.

There are many drummers with mega tom sets that actually suck!!!

[clatterdrums]

I use a 6pc set-two racks and two suspended floors, plus a Roland spd20 routed thru and AKAI mpc4000 sequencer/sampler. I play in a two piece rock band consisting of drums and bass(with female vox) and so I like to have a lot of color choices to fill out the sound. I also use a double pedal, mostly for fills, i.e., quads, triplet accents. Now what about cymbals? New thread?

[MPCman]

Originally posted by funkwave:

Dude, It's not the number of toms, it's the actual

sticking, dynamics, expression, etc that makes a great drummer.

Nobody said something oposite to that?!

 

The topic starter only asked: how many toms are enough for you, and why?

[Blue Strat]

Originally posted by MPCman:

Originally posted by funkwave:

Dude, It's not the number of toms, it's the actual

sticking, dynamics, expression, etc that makes a great drummer.

Nobody said something oposite to that?!

 

The topic starter only asked: how many toms are enough for you, and why?

You're right, that wasn't the question. If a great drummer only needs a 4 piece kit, then that's great, but there are a lot of other guys that are just as good that use large sets, like 9 pieces! I like my 5 piece set just fine, it's all that I need.