: : : Lessons : : Conceiving your drum set : Set 1 : Swing, Funk

• Description:
• • 1: Hi-hat double cymbal and pedal 12''
  • 2: Splash10''
• a: Snare drum 14''x 5''
• b: Bass drum 22''

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A minimalist set, if any. At the time of the appearance of high-hat (as opposed to low-hat, its predecessor, who had no tripod and tube, cymbals being just above the foot), the toms with tension screws didn't yet exist and Chinese tom tom with nailed skin its predecessor, little used. The low-hat or (low boy), invented ten years earlier and Chinese tom tom (undatable instrument) were supplanted by the versions we still know today (high-hat or hi-hat pedal (Charleston in French), and drumset toms).

The obvious advantage of the hi-hat pedal is that it allows the joint playing of the hands and one foot. Moreover, it is still now the only instrument that provides this possibility which makes it an essential, modern and revolutionary element of the modern drumset (ie, with pedals).

The first drummer to perform the rhythm of "chabada" with a joint playing of foot and sticks was called Walter Johnson. He has developed this revolutionary technique at the time of the appearance of hi-hat, in Fletcher Henderson's band in the thirties. His set was significantly similar to the one shown here, except the fact that the bass drums used at that time were larger (24 to 28'', the same as for the marching-bands).

It is only much later that some funk drummers (1970 years) radicalised a playing with minimal instruments (perhaps for just financial reasons, funk being associated with poor Black ghettos of the United States).

In fact, apart from the timbral and melodic aspect, you can perform all the techniques and gestures possible with this simple modern drum set with perfect sound clarity.

An advantage of this set is that it does not take much space and thus adapts to the cabarets and other reduced stages, so it is still valid today. Notice the fixing of the splash cymbal (also an invention of this era for cabaret playing, requiring less noise) by a boom extension attached to the hi-hat tube , which further reduces the footprint (originally, an extension was attached to the bass drum).

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