onboard hi-hat set-up versus remote hi-hat stand. discuss!
onboard hi-hat set-up versus remote hi-hat stand. discuss!
hi all. jomo here. don't have a cocktail kit but am thinking of building myself one - after a fashion. could someone let me know the hi-hat set-up if i don't use a remote hi-hat stand. is it a spacer system or is this just one more hurdle to overcome. also, any other of you guys from ireland?
-
KeithCronin
I just have a closed hihat attached to the drum. That's been the biggest challenge - it made me realize how much I used various levels of foot pressure on my regular hihat for musical expression.
For me, playing a cocktail kit is a VERY different headspace than the way I approach a conventional kit. I enjoy the challenge of finding new ways to play expressively on a kit that has less sonic options. But there are some gigs I wouldn't use a cocktail kit on.
I haven't messed with remote hats or actual hihat stands because for me that defeats the purpose of playing a cocktail kit - the Zen simplicity of it really appeals to me.
If you're wondering what it's like, it's easy enough to simulate. Set up a bass and snare and a closed hat and maybe a cymbal or a tom, STAND UP, and give it a go. Try playing songs you're already familiar with, to see the hurdles you may encounter when playing them on a cocktail kit. I was very worried about not having a foot-operated hihat for playing 2 and 4 on swing tunes, but I find that it's still easy to swing. Brushes sound killer, because the head is so big (I've got a 16x24), and the brush sound is much fuller than on a conventional snare, so that seems to make up for the absence of a hihat.
Mess around with it and see if you enjoy it - I sure do!
For me, playing a cocktail kit is a VERY different headspace than the way I approach a conventional kit. I enjoy the challenge of finding new ways to play expressively on a kit that has less sonic options. But there are some gigs I wouldn't use a cocktail kit on.
I haven't messed with remote hats or actual hihat stands because for me that defeats the purpose of playing a cocktail kit - the Zen simplicity of it really appeals to me.
If you're wondering what it's like, it's easy enough to simulate. Set up a bass and snare and a closed hat and maybe a cymbal or a tom, STAND UP, and give it a go. Try playing songs you're already familiar with, to see the hurdles you may encounter when playing them on a cocktail kit. I was very worried about not having a foot-operated hihat for playing 2 and 4 on swing tunes, but I find that it's still easy to swing. Brushes sound killer, because the head is so big (I've got a 16x24), and the brush sound is much fuller than on a conventional snare, so that seems to make up for the absence of a hihat.
Mess around with it and see if you enjoy it - I sure do!
-
John Mettam
- Posts: 31
- Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2000 2:01 pm
Hi Hats!
Yeah Keith!
You got it! I play probably 20% of my gigs on cocktail kit and it IS a different instrument! I think that to REALLY get into it you MUST take this approach. It's really deep if you invest the time to explore the possiblities. Look for different textures. Replace one sound with another. Replace one familiar motion with another. When I play swing tunes I accent 2 and 4 just a touch more on the ride but I throw my arm into it and hold back a bit with some wrist. It takes a while but it FEELS GOOD!
I did a gig on regular kit the other day and we played a very straight cha-cha and it was messed up! Because.... most really straight latin stuff I do on the cocktail kit these days. I have the cowbell and the bongos and that's a big part of what I do with it. All of a sudden I had some big 'ol tom toms and a hit hat!!!!! *^(*&(&%*
It cracked me up. It is now officially more comfortable for me to play cha-chas on the cocktail kit than on regular kit!
Back to hi-hats. I have only done a couple of gigs with hi hat and the cocktail. Each time it was a fixed-closed hi hat. For me, standing up as I do, working a hi hat pedal would be impossible. I suppose that I could sit but for now my cocktail technique is so heavily built around the standing position that I am not ready to change just to add hi hat. Honestly, I do not miss it much and I enjoy the challenge of making the music feel right without it!
Here are some standard hi hat alternatives...
* Increase your accent on certain instruments (like the 2 and 4 on the ride cymbal, or 2 and 4 lightly on the bass drum,or a cross stick)
* play a back and forth brush pattern (right, left, right left with a little swish. Perfect to replace eigth note hi hat parts)
* Play the side of the drum (a different sound but also short and crisp like a hi hat)
* Play the drum rim (Try different sticks, hot rods, etc. to find YOUR favorite sound)
* Hold your cymbal tight with your hand (sounds similar to a closed hi hat. Good for swing patterns... Open close, open closed)
* Mount closed hi hats on or around your kit (need I say more?)
* find another interesting, short attack, sounding thing to mount to your kit to REPLACE a hi hat. (A tin plate, a tamborine, cowbell, metal pipe, ANYTHING! EXPERIMENT!)
There are so many options. Just find your own thing. That is the beauty of the cocktail drum. If you need a real hi hat sound, figure it out! And don't forget the rest of us know. You may start a trend.
My one concept for 'real' hi hats on the cocktail kit:
Mount a set of hi hats with some sort of handle on the top hat. Weight it so that it sounds good in the closed position. Open it with the left hand by grabing the handle and pulling up, when necessary. I've never had a chance to try this but I thing it could work pretty well. Only thing is, I suspect that it would require the right cymbals! It could take a while to find these.....
Hope this helps, and inspires some experimentation!
Keep us posted!
John
You got it! I play probably 20% of my gigs on cocktail kit and it IS a different instrument! I think that to REALLY get into it you MUST take this approach. It's really deep if you invest the time to explore the possiblities. Look for different textures. Replace one sound with another. Replace one familiar motion with another. When I play swing tunes I accent 2 and 4 just a touch more on the ride but I throw my arm into it and hold back a bit with some wrist. It takes a while but it FEELS GOOD!
I did a gig on regular kit the other day and we played a very straight cha-cha and it was messed up! Because.... most really straight latin stuff I do on the cocktail kit these days. I have the cowbell and the bongos and that's a big part of what I do with it. All of a sudden I had some big 'ol tom toms and a hit hat!!!!! *^(*&(&%*
It cracked me up. It is now officially more comfortable for me to play cha-chas on the cocktail kit than on regular kit!
Back to hi-hats. I have only done a couple of gigs with hi hat and the cocktail. Each time it was a fixed-closed hi hat. For me, standing up as I do, working a hi hat pedal would be impossible. I suppose that I could sit but for now my cocktail technique is so heavily built around the standing position that I am not ready to change just to add hi hat. Honestly, I do not miss it much and I enjoy the challenge of making the music feel right without it!
Here are some standard hi hat alternatives...
* Increase your accent on certain instruments (like the 2 and 4 on the ride cymbal, or 2 and 4 lightly on the bass drum,or a cross stick)
* play a back and forth brush pattern (right, left, right left with a little swish. Perfect to replace eigth note hi hat parts)
* Play the side of the drum (a different sound but also short and crisp like a hi hat)
* Play the drum rim (Try different sticks, hot rods, etc. to find YOUR favorite sound)
* Hold your cymbal tight with your hand (sounds similar to a closed hi hat. Good for swing patterns... Open close, open closed)
* Mount closed hi hats on or around your kit (need I say more?)
* find another interesting, short attack, sounding thing to mount to your kit to REPLACE a hi hat. (A tin plate, a tamborine, cowbell, metal pipe, ANYTHING! EXPERIMENT!)
There are so many options. Just find your own thing. That is the beauty of the cocktail drum. If you need a real hi hat sound, figure it out! And don't forget the rest of us know. You may start a trend.
My one concept for 'real' hi hats on the cocktail kit:
Mount a set of hi hats with some sort of handle on the top hat. Weight it so that it sounds good in the closed position. Open it with the left hand by grabing the handle and pulling up, when necessary. I've never had a chance to try this but I thing it could work pretty well. Only thing is, I suspect that it would require the right cymbals! It could take a while to find these.....
Hope this helps, and inspires some experimentation!
Keep us posted!
John
-
Bruce (the K)
Cocktail high hats
I bought a second cymbal arm for my Yamaha Club Jordan Cocktail kit so I could install my high hats on the left side of my drum. The Yamaha setup uses round metal disks with set screws in them that clamp above and below the little plastic disk/tube pieces with thick felt pieces on them that fit into the cymbals themselves. It's a pretty flexible system that's adjustable from fairly loose to fairly tight high hats. I find that I can get most every sound with this arrangement except the straight-forward "chick" of using the pedal to open and close the high hats. I can even get a disco "Ka-shuk" open-and-close sound by playing down on the edge of the high hats and letting them slide back to their normal position on their own.
I guess I'm just confirming what those above have said: "Experiment around and you'll find something that works for you (and the experimenting is half the fun)." *
Or, to put it another way, "Follow your inner cocktail drummer."
* I think this is a direct quote from "The Joy of Cocktail Drums" by John Mettam.
I guess I'm just confirming what those above have said: "Experiment around and you'll find something that works for you (and the experimenting is half the fun)." *
Or, to put it another way, "Follow your inner cocktail drummer."
* I think this is a direct quote from "The Joy of Cocktail Drums" by John Mettam.