CYMBAL SELECTION AND SETUP COMPLETE

Top View of current cymbal set-up.

Well, I have been hard at work searching and bidding on eBay!  As a result, I have finished assembling my Sabian cymbal setup by buying used items on the internet that cost significantly less.  I find this process of selecting, purchasing and arranging items even more exciting than actually playing them.

It is my strong opinion that a drum set is not simply a pile of stuff that you beat on to make noise, but a wonderful work of art, a sculpture that says something about the organizational skills of the player, his understanding of ergonomics and his attitude towards the music he produces from this beautiful multifaceted instrument he has designed and created.

For instance, a rock drummer typically has one concept in mind: big, loud and durable.  Depending on the intensity of the electric guitars, the average rock drummer will choose larger, thicker cymbals and mount them on stands at a higher level above the drums so as to over-dramatize the flailing of arms, the twirling of sticks, the swinging of hair, etc.  A lot of times the drummer is as much a part of the show as is the guitarists out front.

Then you have these modern drummers that play for bands my kids listen to.  They seem to want to convey the impression that playing drums that day was an afterthought, so they look like they threw together a bass drum, a snare, and maybe a tom or a floor tom at the last minute.  They add a crash, ride and hats, and they're done.  While this fulfills the basic percussive requirements of the music, I think it lacks creativity and motivation.  How can you be inspiring on such a nothing kit?  How can you come up with unique ideas with such limited resources to experiment with?

So I spend a lot of time selecting, arranging, rearranging and experimenting with the drums and cymbals I add to my setup, discovering the best ways to tune and position them so as to get the best sound and appearance while also requiring minimal space and effort to play them.  For instance, I could just plop every one of my cymbals on a stand and be done with it, which would require a lot of floor space and numerous cymbal stands. Instead, I experiment with various cymbal extenders, clamps, arms and other unique mounting methods.  This makes setting up easier and more compact, which makes for a kit that is both aesthetically pleasing and comfortable to play.

Five cymbals - two stands.

So even though I currently have nine cymbals on my set, I only have four cymbal stands with tripods that actually touch the floor (including the hi-hat stand).  Even though I have six toms my set doesn't take up any more room than the average drum set.

Okay.  Now that I have wasted too much time elaborating on all that insignificant and useless information, here is the cymbal setup I have decided to go with.  These are natural finish Sabian Hand Hammered cymbals except for the ride, which is an antique Zildjian, and the 12" China, which is made by Wuhan.  Although I may elect to switch out the ride in the future, right now I am sufficiently satisfied with the sound of the Zildjian and have no immediate plans for a replacement.

A.) 13" Regular Hi-Hats
B.) 18" Thin Crash
C.) 16" Medium Thin Crash
D.) 8" Splash
E.) 20" Ride
F.) 15" Medium Thin Crash
G.) 12" China
H.) 16" China
J.) 16" Extra Thin Crash

A beautifully-arranged kit.

The smaller hi-hats produce a crisp, tight sound that cut through nicely, while the ride cymbal provides the typical ride and bell sounds necessary for any type music.  My tiny splash is good for quick, high-pitched accents, and my pair of Chinas furnish interesting special effects.  The 12" is loud and piercing like sudden thunder claps, whereas the 16" is low and rumbling, like distant, rolling thunder.  My collection of crash cymbals offer four distinct higher-to-lower-pitched responses, somewhat describable as pish, pash, posh and poosh if you know what I mean, applicable as needed.

This brings me to an important stage in my development and implementation of the Mini-Fortress, meaning as far as drums and cymbals go, I am finished.  All my dreams and schemes have come to fruition.  All my carefully laid out plans have been realized.  Except for minor additions of percussion gadgets, I am done for now.  This is all I wanted to accomplish.  I am satisfied, I am pleased, and I am broke.