Drum sizes

[animal.22]

What is generally the prefered drum sizes for kits in brass bands? The old favourite of :-

12" 13" 16" toms & 22" kick (rock sizes) or

10" 12" 14" toms & 20" kick (fusion sizes) just wondered.

[Colin Gray]

I think it is very much a personal choice. Top end kits offer near limitless options as opposed to fixed shell packs. It is also more common now to have shallower toms in "quick or fast" sizes. Add into that different skin choices and tunings and you can get all sorts of sounds from your drums! Lots of my pupils get a mixture of the two sets you mentioned - 10, 12, 14 with a 22 bass - this seems a very common combo in mid-range kits. For me personally, I like "power" size toms with a smaller kick - 10x9, 12x10, 14x12 and 20x16.

[animal.22]

It was just a general musing as to what sizes were most popular for brass. It does seem to be that a lot of people are down sizing throughout the music scene and wondered how it was with brass bands.
Cheers

[animal.22]

General apathy then! I guess I should have expected it.

[fabled inferno]

I would say it doesnt matter what sizes or how much you spend. Good heads and good tuning are much more important. The most important things are, the best snare and snare heads you can afford, a loud deep bass drum, and the most expensive cymbals you can find.

[animal.22]

<<< walks away and gently but rythmicly bangs his head against a wall

[GJG]

The most important things are, the best snare and snare heads you can afford, a loud deep bass drum, and the most expensive cymbals you can find.

Shouldn't that be "the loudest cymbals you can find" ... ?

[simonium]

Our drummers have a 10/12/14/22 set up. It makes far more sense than the 12/13/16/22 combination that was prevalent a few years back. It makes tuning much more easy as well as setting up and transport. Having played drums in brass bands before transferring to euphonium, I will say that of all band instruments in my experience drum kits are usually the least maintained and of poorest quality.

[MoominDave]

I'll ask the dumb question that springs to mind, and probably shows me as a total philistine...

What's the procedure for tuning a kit drum? I don't think I've ever seen a percussionist doing this... Do you need to tune in certain resonances, or is it just a case of getting the thing tight? In my ignorance, I'd assumed that "unpitched" meant exactly that - i.e. higher or lower than the next drum, but not with any huge degree of pitch precision.

[Will the Sec]

I don't know precisely, but there was a clip on You Tube of Phil Collins tuning his drums ahead of recording Goody Two Shoes with Adam Ant.

[Ianroberts]

I would say the most expensive cymbals you can find.

Surely bin lids are more than adequate ?

[Matt the Shed]

Shouldn't that be "the loudest cymbals you can find" ... ?

Choice of cymbals is very important. In particular, finding the right blend of metal can improve the sound of not only the drum kit, but the whole band by reducing certain ugly frequencies. After years of research into this, I found that melting the bass trombone down to make a cymbal vastly improves the sound of the band...

[simonium]

I'll ask the dumb question that springs to mind, and probably shows me as a total philistine...

What's the procedure for tuning a kit drum? I don't think I've ever seen a percussionist doing this... Do you need to tune in certain resonances, or is it just a case of getting the thing tight? In my ignorance, I'd assumed that "unpitched" meant exactly that - i.e. higher or lower than the next drum, but not with any huge degree of pitch precision.

Each drum shell has a natural resonance which suits it and I usually try and tune both heads to this pitch. The bottom head (resonant) amplifies the top head so getting them similar is important although interesting effects can be generated with disparate pitches. As for my kit (8/10/12/14/16 toms) I like to have an octave difference between the 8 and 12 and another between the 12 and 16. The 10 and 14 are tuned exactly midway their neighboring drums. I don't use specific pitches but some drummers - Terry Bozzio most notably - do. It's all good clean fun!

[Will the Sec]

Choice of cymbals is very important. In particular, finding the right blend of metal can improve the sound of not only the drum kit, but the whole band by reducing certain ugly frequencies. After years of research into this, I found that melting the bass trombone down to make a cymbal vastly improves the sound of the band...

Brilliant!

[ploughboy]

I'll ask the dumb question that springs to mind, and probably shows me as a total philistine...

What's the procedure for tuning a kit drum? I don't think I've ever seen a percussionist doing this... Do you need to tune in certain resonances, or is it just a case of getting the thing tight? In my ignorance, I'd assumed that "unpitched" meant exactly that - i.e. higher or lower than the next drum, but not with any huge degree of pitch precision.

I was taught at college to tune a 4th apart . . . .