Members jdwhitak Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 Wondering if anyone here is using a tom-less kit. And I don't mean just some minimalist kit that you practice on. I've been thinking about doing it for a while now. For some reason I can never get the toms to sound the way I want them to. Anyways, I was just going to have a bass, snare and a couple of cymbals. I was also going to use my drumkat, which is f**cking awesome in what it can do! Anyways, what are your guys thoughts? Anyone here doing something similar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomcat99 Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 Interesting idea. Haven't seen it done before. Are you going to use the drumkat for the tom or just no tom at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jdwhitak Posted February 13, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 Probably just use the drumkat to trigger song parts, other sounds, etc. I was looking into ordering a DW bass & snare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikestix78 Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 i was doing that for a while for this weekly open mic gig, where i was the house drummer for whoever wanted to come up and sing, play guitar etc. It has its limits, but makes you creative with what you got. there's a band down here called Tempo Valley..their drummer usually uses a kick snare hat and sometimes a ride..not all the time. And he is the one of the baddest motherfuckers imo. why? because he plays what needs to be played and he has the deepest pocket i've heard a hip hop/neo soul drummer have down here. so i would say depending on what kind of music you're doing it might/might not work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members D Carroll Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 I do it sometimes, it's hella' easier. Get a wood hooped snare though, and maybe a cowbell, and a jam block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cearleywine Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 I need at least one. Too important for me to let go completely, but it really depends on the gig. I do like adding midi stuff to the mix though. I have a footpedal that activates a DR-202 drum machine. That's midi synced to a microkorg and audio connected to a SP-404 sampler for effects. Really fun setup although I've yet to use any of this live. I'd like to get to the point where I could do a whole show myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members teedrum@comcast Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 If you want to check out a couple of rockin' albums that I used to practice to with no toms - Robert Palmers' Riptide and Heavy Nova (I know, I should have been listening to hair bands...sorry!) Back in the mid-80's I would set up kick, snare, hat and two cymbals and rock out to "Addicted to Love," "Simply Irristible," "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On," "Early in the Morning," etc. It showed me how groovin' stuff can be without a bunch of crap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Big Daddy Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 I just walked in from doing my fill in gig that I only use kick,snare,hats and a ride on.Tracy,you MAY know the guys I play with as they were in Tracy Byrd's band for many years.Anyway, I love playing like that.You are forced to be both simple and creative.Lot's of fun ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members teedrum@comcast Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 I'm sure that I know some of those guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members barny15 Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 There have been times where I've taken the toms out of the equation. It works well for punk rock where all you need is the classic "doot-da-doot-da-doot-doot-da-doot-da" beat for 30 minutes straight. It's been the exception and not the rule with me though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kabaalk Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 Once bought a band's CD because their drummer was rocking the hell out. He was rolling a 26" bass, 14" snare, 14" hats, and a 17" or 18" something or other. That's it. Fantastic. He was having a blast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boxofrocks Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 I practice like that all the time, Nobody ever complained about it, in fact the other band members liked it cause it forced me to concentrate on groove and feel instead of trying to play fancy stuff that I probably shouldn't be trying to play anyway.. And hey, if it's good enough for the freecreditreport.com drummer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slap happy drums Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 I did a few gigs with a 3 piece , never could bring myself to try it w/o the tom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HIV Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 ya man no toms is the way to go , every once and a while ill get lazy and only bring a bass and snare and hats to the gig, also a 18 inch crash is handy to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ckcondon Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 I wish I could go tom-less... As a cover band, we have too many songs that rely on signature fills and sometimes I just want that "thump" of a deep floor tom. I've gone w/o the rack tom, but muscle memory keeps me swinging for it ensuing in a massive fail! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kabaalk Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 Found 'em! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Longfuse Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 I come from a background of programming. Never really got on with machine tom samples - took up too much bandwidth and never really blended - so got into the habit of writing fills without them. It can be a challenge, but I feel that I end up being more musical limiting fills to snare and kick - the temptation for a lot of drummers, when in doubt, is to play 16ths across the toms, which always sounds like a copout to me. I also like drummers that keep things simple. One of my favourites, Al Jackson, didn't use toms much when backing artists like Otis (though he did use them a little on MGs' stuff). Sounds good to me! I only own a snare drum. I use it for playing brushes and blend it with samples for a kick. I've been thinking of buying a floor tom and using it like a cocktail kick. That would still give me the option of playing it like a tom. Floor toms can sound cool, but I don't really have any interest in owning smaller toms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boxofrocks Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 I wouldn't mind backing down to just kick and snare in the original band I play with, but just thinking about it, we have quite a few songs where I ride the floor tom, driving beat. Don't think I could mimic that without a floor tom. So I think 3 piece is as far as I'd go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sleepykeith Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 i love playing with just kick and snare. i'll play gigs like that for a few months and then slowly reintroduce toms, and then back down again. keeps things interesting and forces me to approach the kit differently. i also love seeing drummers live with just kick and snare. no flash, just beats! a band out here does a set up pretty much how you described. (kick, snare, hats, and a midi trigger set up where the toms normally go.). www.myspace.com/headlikeakite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sirskatealot066 Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 ive done it before. it can be pretty fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Longfuse Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 I wouldn't mind backing down to just kick and snare in the original band I play with, but just thinking about it, we have quite a few songs where I ride the floor tom, driving beat. Don't think I could mimic that without a floor tom. So I think 3 piece is as far as I'd go. There's an excellent bit in the New Orleans Drumming DVD where Herlin Riley starts playing the bass drum with a stick, as well as his pedal, to get a pseudo double-bass effect. Because of the attack of the stick, it sounds a little more like a floor tom tuned to the same pitch as, and blended with, the kick. OK, so it's a compromise and would require a 'little' change in technique, but might be worth a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Big Daddy Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 ive done it before. it can be pretty fun That's what she said :poke: sorry,couldn't resist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCR Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 I've done it, kinda.... I 've used just the floor tom, but moved to in front of the snare where the rack tom would normally be. It's very "Rat Rod" looking. And fun as hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikestix78 Posted February 13, 2009 Members Share Posted February 13, 2009 crazy ass stick collection you got! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jdwhitak Posted February 14, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 14, 2009 I had been kicking the idea around for a while now and then I discovered this band. Totally convinced me to do it. [YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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