Playing acoustic set with just a snare?

[dpakman91]

Tomorrow the two guitarists in my band were asked to play a few songs on their acoustic guitars at a friends house, and we figured i would just bring my snare drum. What methods are used for having some cool sounding stuff on just a snare?

I figure i can do ghost notes, accents, rimclicks, rimshots, etc...I see coldplay sometimes do acoustic sets with just a snare, and their drummer usually has a brush in one hand a regular stick in the other.

ideas? what should i know?

[Banshee]

Just play whatever feels right and goes with the music.
Take sticks and brushes and just jam.

[Drum Monkey]

Rudiments. Those will keep everyone entertained. Buzzes, rolls, stuff like that with ghost notes, accents, rimclicks and rimshots like you said. Also, you can play on different parts of the snare head to obtain different sounds. The edge will give you a different sound than the middle, for example. Just have fun and try to be creative :thumb:

-DM

[FullMoon]

yeah use the stick in one hand and a brush to keep time but rolls are hard like that but plays what sounds good in the song

[DuckinFutch8]

definitaly, use a crapload of brushes...

They sound great with acoustic guitar's...

This one little group who were at my school, with an acoustic bass, guitar, banjo/keyboard type thing, had a drummer who used a snare, ride, and a suitcase with a pedal as a bassdrum. It actually sounded pretty good, soft and complementing but still with some presence. He almost only used brushes, except when he had to do cross-sticks, but for the rest it was almost all brushes. They were really good too...

[Seafroggys]

at least bring a hi-hat, just for the pedal to keep time

i'd use brushes, maybe hot rods for some 'backbeat' action

[billdrum]

Yeah, I agree with the brushes suggestion-you can really be creative with sounds with them.

[rockindrummer]

Definitly take a pair of brushes with you. You can really do some cool things with them.

[Motleyguy]

Take either hats and bass, or ride and bass aswell. It's the perfect set up for an acoustic set.

[Cocaberry]

Yeah I agree. IMO, just a snare is not enough. You should have atleast snare, bass, and hats there. You should also have a variety of brushes, rods, etc..

[styler]

i reckon just taking the snare would be a waste unless you know what your doing with it. dowels, brushes, sticks etc if your gonna take it anyway.

rim clicks etc as mentioned above. play on the side of the snare on the hardware or something of that sort maybe.

[Jezen]

I would just use brushes.

[Aaron]

brushes in each hand, egg in one of them while playing so you can add a pulse..

[styler]

eh? add a pulse?

[strong_joe]

when have you seen coldplay use just a snare? what songs where they playin?

[LittlePound]

you could try the brushes, that seems to be the best idea. I'm not a big acoustic fan, but there are a lot of acoustic songs i like but in each of these i don't really like the drum part. For teh most part drums, imo, don't really fit very well into your softer acoustic songs....maybe i'm just weird. But if you did try it i would definetely give the brushes a try.

[milkmit]

mmmm, I'm all about the drags and ghosts and rolls (or trying to get there!), so I'd say drag like a madman amongst all sorts of simple rudiments, and accenting amongst ghosts.

what I've been thinking about recently, actually....well, I bought one of those $40 pro-mark "x-pads", which are like a normal practice pad except they have a metal plate under the rubber with a bunch of copper BBs resting between the pad and the metal plate, so when you hit the pad it makes a nice tight little CSH sound, like snare wires would.. they don't offer a HUGE dynamic range and there's certainly not a whole lot of volume, but I was wondering what it'd be like to mic one up?

[Bonham#1!]

I'd definately bring a bass as was said, bass snare and hatts with lots of brushes sounds nice, for acoustic and also dont make stuff amazingly fancy. Some of the best drumming for an acoustic set is simple like the Nirvana unplugged.

[Drum Monkey]

This thread is months old... I don't see anything mentioning Coldplay either...

-DM

[[Fonya]]

".I see coldplay sometimes do acoustic sets with just a snare, and their drummer usually has a brush in one hand a regular stick in the other."

[Drum Monkey]

']".I see coldplay sometimes do acoustic sets with just a snare, and their drummer usually has a brush in one hand a regular stick in the other."
:lol: First post too! :p

I would think he's only using a snare because it's an acoustic set, or an "unplugged" set.

-DM

[Corkofski]

ive seen acoiustic done with a percussion kit. bongo as snare, hihat, tambourine, cowbell, cymbals ect ect

no bass, and use hotrods

[Icky_Mettle]

I don't understand the need for hats, as rides would work MUCH better in this situation...snare and ride is all I'd bring.

[Corkofski]

hats have SO many more options, for me anyway

[puppet.master]

when have you seen coldplay use just a snare? what songs where they playin?
way to bump a dead thread you jackass

[Electric Requiem]

brushes, snare and hihat is a great combo