Never tried it. I have been a supplementary percussionist, but never a second drummer. Sound like fun!!!

While in college we had an ensemble made up of five multi-percussionists, a horn section, bass, keys, etc and played a lot of Spyro-Gyra, Yellow Jackets etc. On several songs we utilized two drum kits and it was great fun. We spent a lot of time detailing specific parts. Very enjoyable.

I would like to try it. I would prefer to be the "time keeper", and let the drum diva(divo?) do his or her thing to add the flash. The immensely successful Hal Blaine said when asked to comment on his long career: "I'm an accompanist, not a soloist".

I've done this many times over the years...sometimes it was great...sometimes it sucked. It works well if you're playing with someone who can actually play & you can lock into each other, BUT, if you're playing with some boob who really has no business on stage, it can be disastrous! I usually prefer to be the time-keeper, I'm a groove drummer & it pi$$es me off if the song doesn't have the correct time & groove...after all, that's our job.

Worst Case: We worked in a club outside of Birmingham & were swapping sets with a God awful hair band. The owner wanted us to do a migration break, which meant the 2 bands merged during the break & one would (member by member) slowly leave the stage. Their drummer was without doubt the worst musician in the history of mankind, but he was pretty and the girls liked him. Needless to say, this ended in a very ugly scene!

Best Case: This actually happened in the same club but with a different band. The other drummer this time was a 13 year old prodigy named James...the 2 of us were like a heartbeat & ended up playing many gigs together. He had the same feel for time & groove that I did & his parents trusted me. I always let him be the star, mainly because many years before I was playing clubs when I was 13 and had a lot of older guys help me. Great kid & a very good drummer!...eventually his folks turned on me saying "I was stealing his licks" & our friendship ended.

Just my :2Cents:

That's why I tried it at this particular jam, even though it required two trips to set it up. With the exception of the kid, I knew the other drummers and that they could play with taste. My intent wasn't for every song to have two drummers: I just wanted the opportunity for a second guy to participate if the spirit moved him (haven't we all been at a jam where we wished we were playing when they start up a favorite song?)

Anyway we were all having a blast and on one occasion when I got up to defer, the guest of honor would have none of it. He wanted the second drummer even if the music didn't require it.

My preference is to be the groove guy and let the other guy shine, although I think it's best when two groove drummers are working it together. What makes it fun for me is being able to play simple grooves that wouldn't work as the sole drummer but add significantly to the song when the other guy is also holding down the fort.

Finally, Phil Collins and Chester Thompson in Genesis were always phenomenal, but my coolest double drumming memory is from a Joe Walsh show in 1980. During the breakdown of "Funk 49," Joe Vitale and Russ Kunkel (I'm pretty sure) not only kept the party groove going, but were catching each others' sticks as they played.

I've done it a handful of times, in my 37 years of playing. Most were jams (lots of Allman Bros), one being an actual gig/farewell to a moving bass player; he wanted all the guys he'd played drums with in AZ, to be there. That was a lot of fun, that culminated with a pretty cool rhythmic finish - guys would rotate in and out of this groove-thing. We had a blast.

Earlier on in my days of playing I had the unfortunate experience to play with a dude that had a poor meter. He would speed up and slow down (the slightly slower playing ws actually a kind of cool). I asked him later, if he was doing it for effect. He looked puzzled.

It can be a real fun experience, especially when you play with guys and trade off. I recommend it if you have the opportunity.

B

I used to have two kits set up in high school. My teacher used to come over and we would dual at the end of a lesson. I also had a drummer friend come over and he and I would just jam. I like the jamming aspect of double drumming better. Even two guys playing the same beat are never going to play it the same. I liked it a lot when we groove and then start taking turns being creative for a few bars. The side percussionist thing is fun too with roto-toms, cowbells, timbales, congas, etc. All of this doesn't make a darn bit of sense unless music is the priority.

Yeah, I've tried that once or twice...can be fun with the right "second" drummer....whether its you who is the second or visa versa mainly depends on your perspective of the gig...lol!

The couple of times I've done it have been on jam nights, but I've played with most of the guys before....works best on Allman Brothers tunes....it's more fun if you work out with the other drummer first who play's Butch's parts and who plays Jaimo's parts...then you know its gonna lock and work.....never tried it on a regular gig though....be tough to convince the guys I play with now to do it, they're on a minimalist kick right now. ;) Maybe if I get an Allman Bros tribute thing going though....hmmmm

This is the only good photo from yesterday's July 4 celebration that shows the two acrylic kits—Slingerland Phantom on the left and Ludwig Vistalite—I set up for an epic jam.

I originally had both kits set up in the two-car bay, but the organizer thought we should spread out, so the Ludwig turned out to be the primary kit, which isn't to say that the Slingerlands didn't get a workout.

The three drummers who were there all knew enough to understand when only one kit was appropriate, but two were cool about 30 percent of the time. We all had turns as the lead and secondary drummer: Over the course of about eight hours, I played both roles from both kits, depending on which musicians were leading the sets and how well my counterpart knew the song.

Sometimes I played unison parts, other times I worked the spaces and accents, and other times I just mounted a tambourine on the HH stand and shook something off the percussion table. Let it be said that my guitar player used the gong more than I did.

All in all, it was a fun time, and I recommend the double-drumming experience to one and all.