Gathering thoughts: Minimalistic 4-Pc Kit or Full 5-Pc+ Kit ?

[Softwaremaker]

Hello drummers,

I am interested in gathering some thoughts from here. What do you guys/gals think of owning/playing on a minimalistic 4-pc kit as compared to its larger 5+-pc kit bethren ?

I know the most common configuration is a 5-pc setup BUT how many actually think a 4-pc is enough ?

Besides the smaller footprint with a smaller bass and the ride in a good sweet spot just above the bass and also easier to take/transport around for your gigs/practice/shows, playing on a 4-pc kit is actually harder since you have to do more (or the same) with less.

To be honest, it is the best practice as it "forces" you to learn and apply accents, odd-times, half-times, brushwork, etc and other things you dont really do if you have an extra tone from another tom to play around with.

One of the downside is that it gets pretty boring sometimes.

I know some people would say that a 4-pc is traditionally for Jazz pieces. I would neither agree nor disagree with the statements. Most of the modern Jazz pieces today are notated only for 2 toms (rack and floor) but then Ringo of the Greatest Rock Band of all time (you must be living under a rock if you dont know who the band is ) played almost the entire time on a 4-pc kit.

Because Jazz pieces are traditionally much complex, richer, jazz drumming usually plays a "decorative" side as the surrounding horn, keys and string instruments are also much more complex. Therefore some people argue that you upgrade to a 4 piece set, not downgrade

What do you think of the above comments. Fair ? Anything to add ?

 

[kazuki]

hey great thread!

i think as drummers most of us would be exploring this at some point of some drumming journey. I think depending on our main influences in music, most of us will begin with whatever the drums in that kind of music is. Light a metal influenced drummer will definitely prefer a more pieces kit than a 4 piece.

Personally as a rock/hip hop person i prefer a small kit as it REALLY thrives on creativity. You have no choice but to explore more patterns with a limited number of drums/cymbals.

In fact i think its better to start small, as i personally find myself able to apply what stuff i used/learn/explored in a small kit with ittle or no effort into more variations at the bigger kit =)

I always love the idea of just hats, bass drum and snare. Its just sickly sexy heehee so small is for me =)

 

[Softwaremaker]

hey great thread!

...

Personally as a rock/hip hop person i prefer a small kit as it REALLY thrives on creativity. You have no choice but to explore more patterns with a limited number of drums/cymbals.

...

I always love the idea of just hats, bass drum and snare. Its just sickly sexy heehee so small is for me =)

Well said ... I tend to agree. Many people, probably the same metal drummers, would say its boring after a while. I would like to hear some objective thoughts on this.

In fact i think its better to start small, as i personally find myself able to apply what stuff i used/learn/explored in a small kit with ittle or no effort into more variations at the bigger kit =)

Most people, I would say, start with 5. Then really depending on what genre they want to branch into, you would then either up it to 6+ or 4

As stated, you could still do pop, rock classics, RB, Blues, Hip-Hop on a 4 piece set.

 

[drumsolo86]

Interesting thread... well could anyone point out the importance of having that right rack tom then? I'm favouring a 4pc one - many perks easier the transportation, neater, have my ride more readily available (I'm a ride kind of person)

 

[Softwaremaker]

Interesting thread... well could anyone point out the importance of having that right rack tom then? I'm favouring a 4pc one - many perks easier the transportation, neater, have my ride more readily available (I'm a ride kind of person)

Hmmm - I assume you mean the "right-side" tom here ? I dont think there is an importance to a right or left rack tom. Some Jazz kits use the 10" (left) while others use the 12"/13" (right) as the rack tom.

The key is that you have one-less tone option with only 1 rack tom which forces you to be more creative on the cymbals and the snare.

I am interested in others have to say about this as well.

 

[Composer of Requiems]

I've been playing around with various combinations, and no matter what, I just totally love having the ride cymbal sweet spot just above the bass drum.

I'm currently on a 2-up-2-down with the mounted toms off-set to the left of the ride cymbal. I was using a 1-up-1-down for quite a long time, and was totally happy with it; but one day I just decided to throw back the other two toms and although playing with a 4-piece does force creativity, the presence of more sounds really adds another dimension to the playing. Although for most of the stuff I do, I don't really need a big set- two toms, or even forget the rack tom and just keep the floor tom, there's just something awesomely fun about a big set.

I think it's very important to play with both, and familiarize with various kit combinations- even throwing around the toms in weird places to just get used to playing in any situation you can.

 

[jeepers]

Besides the smaller footprint with a smaller bass and the ride in a good sweet spot just above the bass and also easier to take/transport around for your gigs/practice/shows ...

It's not only when you play a 4-piece that you find a sweet spot to play your ride. It's a matter of playing around with the positioning of your cymbals and drums.

... playing on a 4-pc kit is actually harder since you have to do more (or the same) with less.

I still don't see how much harder it gets with one less drum.

To be honest, it is the best practice as it "forces" you to learn and apply accents, odd-times, half-times, brushwork, etc and other things you dont really do if you have an extra tone from another tom to play around with.

So if you wanna "force" yourself to better improve yourself with the essentials (MHO) of drumming, you cut down on the number of drums in your setup?

You can do that with a 2-piece, you can do that with a 12-piece.

One of the downside is that it gets pretty boring sometimes.

Wwwhat? Boring? Have you thought maybe it's you, and not the number of drums you have in your setup?

Interesting thread... well could anyone point out the importance of having that right rack tom then? I'm favouring a 4pc one - many perks easier the transportation, neater, have my ride more readily available (I'm a ride kind of person)

Importance of having that right rack tom? So why is it you have splashes and chinas in your setup? Can't you play just fine with the regular ride, hi-hat and crashes?

Neater? A 6-piece kit can be neat too. Portnoy's kit is really neat too. I reckon comfortable would be a more appropriate word. Ride readily available? That's easy, and not only with a 4-piece kit.

Anything to add ?

Yes.

The point I'm trying to make is just use what you're comfortable with, and what works best for you.

I do agree to a certain extent that different setups work with different genres.

I would, however, say that you can adequately and effectively cover most (if not all) genres with a 5-piece.

That said, I've used 2-piece to 7-piece kits, and I'm most comfortable with either a 4 (1 up 1 down) or 5 piece (1 up 2 down) kit, but anything else is fine.

I've been playing a 3-piece for close to 4 months now and I'm really digging it so far.

There are so many sounds you can get from just one snare drum, just takes time to really know your drums.

 

[lummer]

I believe it all boils down to personal preference. There is no right or wrong... Whether it is necessary or not to have this tom or that tom... If you love playing just kick and snare and sound really good then thats great... And if you can play great stuff on just kick snare... I truly believe you can sound as great if you sit behind a 6 or 7 piece kit!!

I believe experiment with it is the best way to find out what suits you best... The bottom line is, if given a 7pcs kit or a 2pcs kit can you play it with the same intensity.

As for guys or gals here that gig and bring their own drums, you still can have a 6 or 7 pcs kit at home when you practice but reduce your kit when you gig, right? Like i said before, its great if you can have options. For me, i've played with 3pcs to 6pcs kit and all are very fun to mess around with.

 

[antishred]

after a few weeks of using your 4-piece drum kit you will definitely get bored. your sound will also suffer due to lack of variety. For me the additions (splash, crash cymbals) are the ones that gives the most interesting sounds!

 

[Softwaremaker]

Hmmm - Interesting comments.

But in case this thread gets misunderstood further, this is not meant to be a thread to ask which is better - a 4pc, 5pc, 6 pc and so on. I believe the sensible drummers here will always know this is based on personal preference. It is the same as asking whether CymbalZ sounds better than CymbalP. I know that there is no right answer as below:

The point I'm trying to make is just use what you're comfortable with, and what works best for you.

but then this thread is not about that and not about to rehash that.

@antishred provides a very common feedback that I have heard (again, not right or wrong)

after a few weeks of using your 4-piece drum kit you will definitely get bored. your sound will also suffer due to lack of variety. For me the additions (splash, crash cymbals) are the ones that gives the most interesting sounds!

Another common feedback I tend to hear from the "BIG-Setup" drummers is that when they go to another kit with lesser pieces, they feel constrained and feel they cannot perform, which is not necessarily a good thing altogether. Again, no right no wrong.

What I am trying to solicit is feedback from the people that has played both big and small kits and can relate to what they like OR dont like about it, on their own subjective opinions. Again, no right and no wrong.

There are obviously reasons for that and I am sure many quiet guests in this forum here can relate to. For example - a limiting budget, a limiting space. We are here to gather some feedback and opinions so we make our own decisions based on how we analyze the data collected. Again no right no wrong.

Some people here are aspiring drummers on a student shoestring budget who wants to know what kind of setups to get and what should be considered. Some people here are working parents who badly wants to afford a small or big new/used kits for their young as rewards or presents but needs to know when, where and how to start and how to justify that investments to themselves.

I believe the majority here DO NOT have the budget nor the space to have well-laid out floor space where they can have a 180-360 degree of their kit so the ride can easily be above the bass or "It's not only when you play a 4-piece that you find a sweet spot to play your ride. It's a matter of playing around with the positioning of your cymbals and drums. ".

If you look at the most common configuration 5-pc drum set today, the toms are mounted on top of the bass and the ride to the left. To shift them means additional budget for clamps, space etc which some may not be able to afford. Some basic sets only have a single cymbal stand and supply a single stock crash/ride so there is no need for additional footprint. Manufacturers design mass sets to sell, not as prescriptive guidance. There is obviously huge demand for drums that occupy little space.

My point is not many people can have the space to play around with positioning of the cymbals and drums just like not many people can afford the setup or the studio space of Portnoy's to have his big setup appear neat.

Neater? A 6-piece kit can be neat too. Portnoy's kit is really neat too. I reckon comfortable would be a more appropriate word. Ride readily available? That's easy, and not only with a 4-piece kit.

How helpful is that ? Sure, if I am Portnoy and have his skills, endorsement deals, budget, space, etc - I can afford all the space and wonderful racks I need to make my 20-piece kit look neat.

... but how many of us are like that ?

Anyways, I have digressed but I just want to make sure this thread doesnt get misunderstood.

I reiterate. This is not a thread about: Which is right ? 4 or 5 or 6 ? What I am trying to solicit is feedback from the people that has played both big and small kits and can relate to what they like OR dont like about it, on their own subjective opinions. Again, no right and no wrong.

There are many threads like that in the famous global drum forums such as drummerworld, Remo, Pearl, etc that I thought hard about spinning another. BUT I wanted to get a local perspective.

From the majority of people who work hard, play hard, study hard and save hard, those with huge pockets and those who live hand-to-mouth, those who have large real estate (and a studio to store a gigging set ) to those who live in HDBs who have to move their furniture and beds just so they can play and practice for 15 minutes a week. Trust me, I know people in all the categories above.

@antishred:
Thanks for your feedback. You reckon the addition of other cymbals in your 4-pc kit can compensate the lack of additional tom-tone to make up for variety ? Does adding other percussion items help ? Octobans, small-sized Timbales and such ?