DRUMMER CAFE

During this unintentional hiatus from having a working project I have been able to practice and, more importantly, been able to experiment for the first time in years. One thing I have been doing is forcing myself to set up a different way than I am used to, and in turn forcing myself into approaching things differently. Types of things like using the floor tom as a kick, swapping positions with my snare and hi-hat, using different cymbals in different roles, different positions, and grouping cymbals together (a-la Bozzio) for different effects, etc.

One result from this is that I've decided  that I'm going to switch over from 2 rack toms and a floor tom to 1 rack tom and a floor tom. Seems like you see more and more people doing this.

My question is, for anybody who has made this transition, do you find that you avoid fills that you normally did, and conversely have you found fills that work better in this setup that you've never done or been inspired to come up with new fills that work better solely because of this setup?

Its not the seamless transition I imagined it to be after 30+ years of playing the same way (read: now it involves thinking)

Time for a change.

Mr. Acrolyte has it right.

A couple of years ago I had to use a coffee house kit with kick, snare, hi hat, crash-ride and splash.  I was fretting before first set when a jazz drummer friend of mine said.
“What’s the problem? Throw off the snare and play tom fills between that and the kick.” I tried it and it worked great.  Before this I was so convinced that a four piece was the smallest possible kit, I couldn’t imagine what to do with less.  Since this I’ve been more aware of the possibilities of the four piece I use about 80% of the time.  I’ve heard recordings of myself playing with bigger and smaller sets and they’re all good.  We do a couple of power ballads that beg for huge tom fills but I’ve had success by simply playing the first part on the shell tom then the floor and finishing on the kick.  It’s a lower pitched fill but still descending.  A snare with the throw off is a great hi tom or timbale depending on how you play it.

In Levon Helm's video "On Drumming" he talks about thinking of the two toms as engaged in a "call and response".  The rack tom calls, the floor tom responds.  They really are two different instruments, not two keys on a piano or two frets on a guitar.

Kenny Aronoff style.  I do the same thing, except without the 16 tom.  Having the rack toms "backwards" eliminates the tendency for the descending fill as described by Mr. A and others, yet keeps the familiarity of the 3-tom kit in order (for me, at least).  

I spent the first 20 years of my playing life on a 4-piece (2 toms).  Later on I found that I preferred to have the ride cymbal farther away, opening space for another tom.    

Even tho I have large sets, last week I cut out some toms and went with one over the bass and 2 floors. No special reason. Just to force myself to be more creative. I sometimes only use a 4 piece, but always have a blast when I go back to the large set.... I've found many times I can get more "color" to my playing by not doing the normal run down. But I've been known to play a gig with nothing but a snare, hi-hat, one ride, and bass drum. Variety is great, and it makes you feel good when you pull it off. But I still enjoy having all my "instruments" availabe if needed for a certain band. I tend to choose the size of my "tools" by with who and where I'm playing. And of course the music of "that particular band." I still like the big set....Always have. When I played a 4 piece for several years I didn't realize how much I missed the bigger set until I got one again. So the "creativity" learned with the 4 piece just made playing the big set even better. I would encourage people to try as many variations as possible. Then when you're on someone elses set at a jam, audition, or gig you can deal with the situation at hand. I love watching guys come out to our open jams when I bring in a big set and make it available. It's interesting, and I can pick out the 4 piece players just about every time. They tend to overfill, because they're having a blast with the different toys at their disposal. Try many variations from small to huge..... It is a joy to be able to experiment with different set ups. Makes you think.    But I still like the large kit even if it's not the "IN" thing to some people. Everyone's different, it's your choice.... That's just my main choice. Unless I feel lazy that night....  

That opportunity also presents itself when one plays a larger set.