Chad, you use what I think of as a
non-traditional kit, as least as far as heavy music goes. What are the sizes
of your drums? What wood are the shells? What sizes and kinds of cymbals do
you use? What heads and hardware?
Yes, you are correct. My drums are shorter then
power toms; they are dimensionally designed more for jazz. I use a 10, 12,
13, and 16 for the toms and a standard 22 for the bass drum. They are not as
deep as a standard rock tom. This was really not done on purpose other then
the fact that I bought them used and the price was shockingly good. They are
Drum Workshop, so the quality is really great. The shells are all maple.
They are not as loud as power toms but have a nice fast boomy attack. As
long as they are mic-ed for a performance, the shorter height does not
really make a difference in volume.
I use a combination of Paiste, Sabian, and Zildjian cymbals. I'm definitely
not an equipment snob and usually just grab what sounds good to me. I have
an 18 inch Paiste sound reflector crash, as well as a 17 inch Paiste that is
a bit thicker. The 17 inch has a more trashy sustained sound whereas the 18
inch is more crisp and smooth on the attack. I also use a Paiste splash that
is pretty nice. I use 14 inch Zildjian New Beat Hi-Hats as well as Zildjian
china trash. As for Sabian, I use a hand hammered 22 inch ride. It is a
fairly popular cymbal; it really does have a beautiful ping to it.....just
enough sustain that the ping always remains loud and crisp.
I use traditional boom stands, nothing flashy or anything. For heads I use
the Evans G2 batter heads and I also use Remo Emperors and Ambassadors. To
be honest with you, I am no good when it comes to drum heads and proper
tuning. Luckily the drums are of really good quality so they end up sounding
decent no matter what! I just have a really bad ear for tuning...not really
sure why!
Do you also use light sticks?
Yes, they are light but not super
light. They are 5As.
The snare you use has a wonderfully crisp
sound. Can you tell me more about it, its make and material, anything
special you do to make it your personal sound?
It is a DW maple snare. It is a standard size,
14 inches wide and maybe 6 inches deep. I tend to crank up the tuning on the
top head for a bright, crisp attack.
Does the sound of the drums influence how you
write your parts?
No, I don't think of it in those terms. I lock
into the music only for my composition of drum parts.
You play a small kit, yet you get a huge sound
from it. Is this conscious on your part? That is, do you compensate by
overplaying? Or do you play exactly in the "sweet" range of the drums?
I don't think it is a conscious thing that is
based on equipment or anything. Sometimes I do overplay a little with fills
and stuff. This comes from the temptation to fill in space whenever it
presents itself. It's a lot of fun to do fills! Part of the urge to do lots
of fills is really that you do truly want the music to sound good and I
think I get a little too anxious in these regards. At times I think empty
space is what is called for, so I have made a conscious effort to let the
music breathe more, rather then throwing fills out at every available
opportunity...although, on the record we just recorded the fills seem to be
everywhere!
You use a double bass pedal on a single bass
drum. Why did you choose this over using two bass drums? Does it fit better
with your playing style?
It is just easier to use one kick. I do not use
a lot of double bass anyway so it does not make sense to me to have two bass
drums to lug around.
Chad, you have a great sense of time when you
play, not exactly metronome-like, but more of a precise pulse that breathes
with Chowder's music. How do you keep time? Where is your sense of time
centered? Do you set the pace, or do you follow the guitar or bass? With
which instrument do you lock in more, the guitar or bass?
Thanks for the compliment. I would have to say
that for me timing is a very intuitive process. I do not consciously follow
anything in particular. The more I relax and feel it out, the easier it will
come to me I think. For me, playing the drums has become a very meditative
process where I really try to let my unconscious mind take over; I believe
trusting one's instincts is crucial in playing music. Perfectionism can
really help you develop your skills, but if you let it consume your approach
then you cannot really trust your natural feel for playing. I try to strike
a balance with my critical thinking vs. that spontaneous approach of
playing. I do practice alone very often to an MP3 player to different bands,
using an electronic kit with headphones. I blend the drum sounds into the
music using the brain and just play along. This would of course greatly
improve timing because if you slip up you will hear it right away in the
music. I would say that I set the pace and lock into what feels right for
me. I think it is ok to have a flexible pocket to play in and sometimes I
think it actually helps the music along, especially on slow parts where you
have so much space to play with. I prefer that kind of organic sound rather
then everything being absolutely perfect and sterile. In the last band I was
with, we recorded a record using a click track, and there were times when
the click would just send my mind reeling, because on a complex beat it
became obvious that I deviated from the click here and there. This made me a
little self conscious and probably created a level of restraint in my
playing that was unintentional. I am confident in my timing and would rather
not use a click and have not used one so far with Chowder. I did not use any click tracks for the recording. The
timing is not perfect but I think it came out pretty good. Weeks prior to
the recording I practiced a lot to prepare for the demands of timing.
How do you prefer your drums to be mic-ed in
the studio? For example, do you prefer every drum to have a mic, or do you
prefer well-placed room and kit mics? Some of the best classic recorded drum
sounds (mostly in the 70s) were captured with only one or two mics. Would
you ever consider trying this?
I have always had every drum mic-ed. I would
say this suits me the best because all of the sounds will be more precise
this way.
I am always open to alternative methods with music,
but I think that I would like to stick with the modern methods of drum
recording.
What kind of drum sound are you aiming for on
the new Chowder record? Do you prefer the natural sound of your kit, or do
you prefer the produced sound of "studio" drums?
A little of both I think. The crisp produced
sound is nice because it is usually pretty wet and clean, but I think the
natural resonance of a drum should be heard as well, especially when you are
playing a nice maple shell. I do not agree with killing off all of the
natural organic tones, but a little compression and production can help the
sound as long as it is done with some restraint.
Thanks Chad!
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