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Set 3 : Bebop, pop

(4 drums, 4 cymbals)

Set 3 : Be bop, pop
  • Description:
    • 1: Hi-hat 14'' or 13"
    • 2: Crash-ride 18'' or 20''
    • 3: Crash-ride 20'' or 22''
    • a: Snare drum 14 x 5''
    • b: Suspended tom 10'' or 12''
    • c: Floor tom 14'' or 16''
    • d: Bass drum 18'', 20'' or 22''

A very popular set, minimalist but not as much as the set 1. Here the most modern inventions of the drumset are used at least: one bass drum pedal, one hi-hat pedal, one suspended high tom, one low tom (or "floor" tom, both invented in the 1930s), one ride and one crash cymbal (but with the possibility of crash ride, to make them more versatile and increase the range of timbres and playability without additional instruments (thus we're saving two cymbals)).

Note the tilt of the two cymbals one toward the other, which allows to easily pass from one to the other with rebounds and this also because only one suspended tom separates them.

What makes the popularity of this set, is precisely the extreme reduction of the distances between all the instruments, which allows to pass easily from one end of the set to the other, from any instrument to any other.

This set has become a classic in jazz, certainly for this last reason, because it allows an extremely free polytimbral playing, which is a characteristic of the solo modern drumset. Since the period of the big band (1940s) have began to appear small groups (trio (piano, bass, drums), quartet (with the addition of a wind instrument ), etc.), which imposed smaller instruments and kit. Gene Krupa commonly used two drumsets on stage with Benny Goodman, one for pieces in small band, like this, and one for pieces in big band (see set 5).

This drumset has been adopted by all the bebop drummers, whose avant-garde style was appreciated by an elite of connoisseurs only and thus required an intimate playing in cabaret or small concert venue.

Buddy Rich, "Papa" Jo Jones, Big Sid Catlett, Kenny Clarke , Max Roach, the pioneers of Bebop, Art Blakey , inventor of the hard bop, "Philly" Joe Jones , Joe Morello and Jimmy Cobb, cool jazz leaders, Ed Blackwell , Elvin Jones, Tony Williams and Daniel Humair (who is one of the few to swap the positions of hi-hat and bass drum pedals only, the feet playing as left-handed and hands, right-handed), for the free jazz, Al Foster for the jazz-rock (with the addition of a Chinese cymbal on the left of the high-hat), Charlie Watts (Rolling Stones) for rock, Ringo Starr (Beatles) for pop, "Mitch" Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix), Cindy Blackman (Lenny Kravitz) for the funk, Brad Wilk (Rage Against the Machine) for hard rock, they have all used this kit, to name only the bests and show that this type of set exceeds the divides of styles and is very versatile.

Finally, note the extreme smallness of the bass drum (18'' in diameter on the photo, rockers will prefer a 22'' bass drum, more low and powerful) which Elvin Jones was one of the first to use because he carried his drumset in taxi at the beginning of his career (this is a practical detail and technical constraint that can count), in his own words. Today, with the sound amplification of drumset, this type of small bass drum is very popular because it can reduce the bulk and therefore increase the possible amount of instruments in the kit (it is in particular my choice).

Marc De Douvan, march 2006, augmentation and translation in English: march 2015.

© 2005 Marc de Douvan Crédits Mentions légales