Hey
Danny and others here too. I have been busy making music so have not been here for a while. Firstly I am sorry for going off topic a bit. I suppose getting back to it using the right amount of power with cymbals is interesting and I agree that quieter cymbal playing can be an advantage.
But I would like to put into perspective the points I was making re technique effecting drum sounds. The other day I walked past my TV and I saw a serious powerhouse rock band playing. Everybody was really laying into their instruments, drummer included. And I thought you know
Danny must think I am mad! He is so right in that in a case like this none of the stuff I was referring to would have any effect on the drum sound. I agree there for sure. Apart from groove of course I would have sounded the same.
But talking to my son again this morning about it he said 'touch' is the important word here. The stuff I am talking about is when the dynamics of the playing come way down and we are into some very delicate playing and tone control etc. I still stand by what I say, it does all apply especially in a Jazz situation. He even demonstrated the difference between two stick approaches on a ride cymbal and it was cheese and chalk. One sound was louder, fuller, clearer the other was thin whimpy etc. Yet all he did was change his grip and how he was moving his wrist.
(Interesting thing here was how a drum teacher in his high school years gave him the wrong info for maximising the sound. He worked all this out much later studying his degree) So there it is. Technique does effect the sound but only in certain situations. I think once you start hitting pretty loud and hard
Danny is right too in that you cannot be whimpy about things either. You do have play with a certain degree of authority and just smack things hard to get a good sound.
In fact I recorded my son recently playing drums to 4 pop and rock songs I am currently producing for a client and he was smacking them hard. At first I though he might have been too loud but not on playback, they just kick ass and for that situation it is exactly what was needed. He is smart and skilled enough to know when to do what.
Another point about tuning too. Sonor drums do not just have one sweet spot for the toms. That sweet sound works over a much wider range of tunings from quite low to high. But I guess that is what you get when you spend 15K
(yes that is what my kit is currently worth now! 10 ply rosewood shells! the 2nd most expensive model Sonor actually make. But they are soooo good you can put any microphone anywhere on that kit and drum sound is just killer and I mean killer)