Interview: How to pick out a drumkit, with Joe Torchia of The Dying Arts

Throughout my years of photographing concerts, I have always wondered what decisions go into setting up the perfect drumkit. Why are some kits so small, while others seem to cover half a stage, all of them producing such different sounds? Upon arriving at Long & McQuade to interview Dying Arts drummer Joe Torchia, my curiosity quickly turned to awe upon seeing the sheer quantity and variety in the drums section. Though he has only been working at Long & McQuade for a year and four months, the drumming veteran has been playing for the last twenty years. Torchia, an outgoing man with a shaved head and tidy beard, was dressed for work in a button-up shirt complete with a tie. This outfit was a far cry from how I’d met him, in his usual touring garb of jeans and a t-shirt.

Torchia quickly dispelled my worries as his explanations started off simple: at the drums themselves. He motioned to two different stacks of the instruments. The most common setup is a 4 or 5 piece set, he explained. The set consists of the largest- a bass drum, the snare, which produces the 'tshh' noise, and a varying number of tom drums. Drumstick in hand, he demonstrated how the size of the drum affects the sound- the smaller drum, the higher the pitch. Sets with this number of pieces are most commonly used for genres such as jazz or punk, while more intricate and technical styles such as metal or progressive rock will often require more drums.

I then followed the drummer as he scurried over to the wall of cymbals. With all the variety, understanding these felt as though it would be a much more daunting task than the drums. Torchia began smashing them at full force to show off the different types. As with drums, there are several different types of cymbals.
The high-hat, a set of two, is clanged together through the use of a pedal. Meanwhile, the other drums are all hit with a drumstick, which Torchia did not hold back in demonstrating, filling the air with noise. A ride is usually the biggest one in a kit, and is used for 'pinging', or hitting it repetitively. A crash, on the other hand, is swiped at, and produces a loud 'pshhh' crashing noise. These three are the staples of every kit, however other types of cymbals also exist.

After explaining the basics of drums and cymbals, Torchia then showed me the other percussive instruments some drummers add on for more variety. These can range anywhere from tambourines and 'shaker eggs' to latin drums called to timbalis. “The more spices you have, the more flavor you have,” Torchia explained, showing off a device that makes thunder sounds.

With all this variety, it is easy for a novice musician to bite off more than they can chew. In the end, though, it all comes down to what music the drummer wants to play and what makes them feel comfortable.