I had a little reminder the other day of the importance of selecting the right instrument for the job, regardless of the perceived craftsmanship, quality of the materials used or strict adherence to the accepted “correct” way to tune the drums.
My task for the day was to assist with the band changeover between sets at an event as part of a major three day festival here in Brighton.
Concentrating solely on the drummers, I was helping with their setups, mic placement, tuning and generally making sure they were happy and had little else to think about other than the music they were about to perform.
I had loads of spares and parts ready for deployment in case they were needed, and amongst those extras, I had brought along an MD 14×6 if the situation ever arose that the drummer had forgotten, broken or disliked his snare etc
At around 4pm the stage team were in full flow as a great new band of rapidly rising stature were due to kick off in less than ten minutes. The crowd were buzzing and I was completing my final checks to the kit. I asked the drummer if all was good and he was ready to go. He gave me a shake of his head, beckoned me over and said everything was sweet except for his snare. “It’s a piece of shit” he said.
We’ve mostly all seen, played or at some point in our drumming career owned one of these. You know the kind of thing; usually a cheap steel shell, fitted with an inappropriately weighted and baggy top head. Snare wires tightened to the limit of adjustment, choking the bottom head and buzzing at a breath of wind. As a finishing touch, the entire instrument is festooned with yards of gaffer tape, which admittedly, prevents the tension rods from escape but also crowns the whole “beach ball full of springs” aural experience.
“No problem” said I, and with no time for corrective measures, zoomed off to grab my latest proud creation; a snare constructed with a 14×6 handmade beech shell, finished by way of a painstakingly applied and polished bright red lacquer and furnished with the finest hardware known to man. Tuned with meticulous care. A drum with a sonic purity, comparable to the sweetest morning birdsong. The power and depth of the wildest, greatest seas. Articulate and sensitive like an……….you get the idea.
After fighting my way back through the crowd and with barely two minutes to spare, I plonked the drum in the snare basket with a confidence that spoke “BAM!” and nipped off the stage with a grin. I rolled a cigarette, made to settle behind a stack of speakers to watch the show and shot the drummer with an “everything cool?” thumbs up.
Nope.
He was obviously uncomfortable with the situation and replied with the internationally recognised “give me my bloody snare back” hand signals.
The band were great. A swirling set of mid sixties inspired garagey, psychedelic heavy pop stompers. Swerving, melodic chiming guitar, howling organ driven by a deep pocket rhythm section.
In isolation, the snare that gave the impression that is was fashioned by a cruel twist of fate due to an explosion in a drum shop stockroom did sound awful..
However, front of house, in the audience; I could not have imagined another drum taking it’s place. It sat in the mix perfectly, as an essential presence. It provided an authentic tubby backbeat, bereft of high end projection but possessed the sort of weight that hits your chest, and perfectly matched their style.
Of course I was momentarily deflated that he chose not to use the drum, but i’m also at ease with the fact that you cannot expect an instrument to do it all without a little time for preparation or adjustment.
We had a short chat backstage after the show and we had both come to the same conclusion. He had more confidence with regards to how his drum was set up and we agreed that players shouldn’t worry too much about whether the methods applied are “right” or “wrong”, but that the final results are appropriate to the music.
As it happens, another band of similar musical flavour used the MD drum that day and it sounded great, but I was still a little humbled.
Something tells me there may be a new snare model on the horizon…