Zendrum Vs Drumkit
by Jeremy Slead
I have lately been more drawn to the Zendrum than my drumset. But the way I look at it is, they are TOTALLY different instruments altogether.
At one point I was having the same discussion with myself that you guys are talking about, but in the end, it's just a different animal. The coolest thing is, being able to CHOOSE which instrument to use for a cerain application. I have found, as I am sure you have (or will) that there are licks/grooves/styles that you can play on drums that you CAN'T play on Zendrum, and Zendrum things you can't do on drums. What a great way to broaden your horizons! For me, it has become a way to expand my skills on BOTH instruments. I can of course always learn my drumset licks on the Zendrum, for endless new studies, but the thing that has surprised me is the way my DRUMSET playing has improved with my extended use of the Zendrum! I find myself breaking old habits and changing the way I approach BOTH instruments. It is amazing how this "backwards osmosis" in the mind works!
Another set of issues altogether is: volume, stage space, the "vibe" of the music, band, and venue, and personal tastes of you and your bandmates. I have played in places where I am the STAR because people are so interested in the Zendrum, and other places where people yell "Get some REAL drums!". I have played with guys who HATE the Zendrum (or perhaps my playing of it...) and others who want to play music with me simply because I play one. I have played venues where a drumset would not fit, where drums would be too loud, where I would have to carry a kit up several flights, and rehearsals where it just is not time-effective to bring drums. I have also played shows where my extended drumset experience is the only way for me to play my best with the music at hand, or where the look and feel of the kit is so much a part of the show that I felt compelled to play acoustics.
Bottom line for me is, it's not an either/or situation; it's a "which one to play when" situation.
That being said, I
currently play with four musical groups (folk, rock, fusion, and jazz)...NONE
of which have ever seen me sit behind a kit. I guess for all my philosophising,
I really do use my Zendrum much more often! But I can assure you, the drumset
will always have a place in my musical life as well. A really BIG, heavy,
expensive, loud, complicated place...
