Hihats method and placement

[hayden]

Hi all,

So I've just ordered a remote hihat stand, to expand the possibilities and tones at my disposal. I currently have a 10 inch closed hats mounted more or less directly infront of me, behind the whole kit, on a jaw-clamp on the rim of my side-mounted tom. This seems to be the best setup - if i have the hats on my right, above my ride cymbal, say, this proves too far to effectively play two hands on the hihat and the snare as well (16th notes on hats with two hands, distance back to snare is too far and proves restrictive). Having it clamped on my left, onto the side-mounted snare, say, is also problematic as it is just too close and forces you to move back, also greatly favours playing by left hand only. When my remote hi-hat stand arrives, I will have several things to contemplate. I already intend on keeping my 10inch closed hats, and using 14 inch hats on the remote stand, most likely mounted on a boom, however positioning this will be interesting. It will prolly be something I wont utilise all the time. At the moment I'm thinking, angled downwards, infront of me but slightly to the left and above of the existing hats. Does anybody else have experiences to share with the position and methods used for hihats, particularly using more than one set (a closed set for times of balance/left-leg fatigue and also a different feel, or just to have less traps to lug around). I am also thinking of getting another jaw-clamp and mounting a crash cymbal angled downwards, on my right, above my ride some-what (which is on my right horizontal very low to the floor-bass drum as it is).

Another major consideration is the placement of the actual pedal. I have already looked at the advice offered on the 'technique' pages, however I would like to here even more experiences on this. I guess this will require the most experimentation with stance as well. Has anybody experimented with foot-board extension devices before, such as the vruk system?

Thanks for your time and knowledge.

Hayden.

[hayden]

Also wondering if there is much variation between drop clutches on the market?

[zimbop]

I am doing basically the same thing. I have a remote hi-hat stand mounted directly across the snare from me. But I am a lefty, so I like that position because it leaves me to play open and lead to either side with either hand. My main problem is that I sold my hihats recently expecting to buy a smaller set, but I haven't found one yet, so I don't have a true impression for how the remote hihat will work because at the moment I have improvised a pair with a 10" splash on top and a 8" zil bell on the bottom. Not ideal, but it allows me to at least have something to play on.

I play sitting down with the snare between my knees and the 16" floor tom ahead of my right knee. My left foot operates the remote hihat with the pedal in roughly the same place it would be for a regular hihat stand on a traditional kit. My crash/ride is on the right hanging over my tom/bass and on the left I plan to mount a cowbell and the zil bell once it's freed from hi-hat stand-in duties.

I also just ordered a set of mini-timbales which I'll have to position somewhere. Haven't figured that out yet. I will post pics once I get it all together.

[hayden]

Thanks for that, I'd love to see pics! Timbales are something that have been on my mind for a while, but I will prolly wait til i can find a decent second hand set. How does the zil bell treat you as a bell? What kind of throne do you use? Do you play in a semi or fully sitting position?

Cheers,

Hayden.

[zimbop]

Yeah, I'll post some pics soon. I gotta get some hats and the timps first. I am also experimenting with the mount suggestion on this site. I found a 16" suspension mount on clearance, so I'm planning to hang some stuff on that once I find a suitable clamp to mount on it. Currently I am using a grabber arm clamp backward, using the "boom" end of the clamp on the top stub of the floor tom leg, and the pipe clamp end to hold the hihat shaft. It's strange but it works. I think the timbales, cowbell, and jam blocks will need a more substantial attachment though, so that's where I hope the suspension mount idea works.

[zimbop]

About the zil bell, it's actually not literally a zil bell, It's an 8" bell/cymbal I got at the sabian vault tour when it was in town. I don't think it's a regular item, some sort of freako wierd thing they made special. It's similar to the Terry Bozio tuned bells but with a little less mass. Sounds good. I play fully seated on a roc-n-soc tractor seat.

[zimbop]

Here's some pics of what I'm talking about. Lighting is bad, best I can do at the moment, when I get it really set up I 'll work on better lighting and get some real pics. You can see my whacky make-do hihat combo that I'm using at the moment until I get some 12" hats of some sort. I am seriously thinking about getting a set of AAX 12:" Xcelerators made for me.





Here's a pic of the bell you asked about, with a drum stick for size reference. .

For a video of it playing, click here: http://www.zimbop.com/pics/drums/sabianbell.mpg I'm hitting it with a nylon tip, so it has a lot of stick sound, with wood tips it's more mellow. Sustain is quite long...

[hayden]

Thanks Zimbop, that was most interesting indeed! Particularly as I payed off half of the remote hat setup I have on layby today! You have a very nice setup! Thanks for the advice on the stand - that clamp you have is a great idea! I will most likely end up using a similar set up myself (it is good how it has the ratchet adjust as well). Does anybody else have any experience to share on the topic of hi-hat method and placement?

Hayden.

[hayden]

Picking up the hat stand today! Yeah!

[zimbop]

I've posted a an update to my old "minikit under construction" thread with pics of my re-configured kit. Check it out, under the "your cocktail kit" section.