OK, so what the hell are 'trap' drums, anyway?

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What the hell do they mean when the liner notes of a record credit someone as playing 'trap' drums, anyway? Jazzbos, help me out!

― Julliette Louis, Monday, 23 May 2005 00:09 (twenty-one years ago)

hi hat, ride, snare, bass. no toms.

― ()ops (()()ps), Monday, 23 May 2005 00:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Wikipedia to the rescue:

Developed primarily in the United States, early drum kits were known as traps kits (short for trappings) and usually consisted of a bass drum, a snare drum on a stand, a small cymbal and other small percussion instruments mounted on the bass drum or a small table, all played with drum sticks or brushes except for the bass drum.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Monday, 23 May 2005 00:24 (twenty-one years ago)

A trap kit is a drum kit in musician-speak. Traps = drums (as explained above)

― Orbit (Orbit), Monday, 23 May 2005 00:31 (twenty-one years ago)

From my understanding, Oops is correct - the absence of toms. Hamid Drake plays "trap" drums a bunch, and, to my ears, the sound of the kit confirms this explanation.

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Monday, 23 May 2005 01:08 (twenty-one years ago)

mmm, not sure about that -- I think it just means a basic drum set, but a basic drum set can include mounted or floor toms. It's not a technical term so much as slang. My high school jazz band used a trap kit (what we called a trap kit) that had a couple of toms. The earliest trap kits didn't have toms, but they became a fixture by sometime in the '20s.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Monday, 23 May 2005 01:18 (twenty-one years ago)

You're probably right. I don't really see this term being used all that much these days, and I'm the kinda guy who follows that sort of thing. I guess the best way to tell for sure is to listen to some records on which the percussionist is credited as playing trap drums, and listen for what you can - and can't - hear.

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Monday, 23 May 2005 01:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I always thought "trap" was short for "contraption," and to my mind it conjures up a vintage jazz kit where the top of the bass drum is given over to a bunch of miscellaneous percussion--temple blocks, bells, chimes, vibraslap, etc.

Trap set:

http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/su/cja/drfront.jpg

Not a trap set:

http://www.revolverdrums.com.au/images/AGRETSCH_FUSHION.gif

― The Mad Puffin, Monday, 23 May 2005 13:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Mad Puffin is right, it comes from "contraption", but I really think it's just old slang for "drum set" regardless of configuration. It just so happens that the earliest drumsets didn't have toms as such.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 23 May 2005 13:53 (twenty-one years ago)

omg i've wondered about this ever since i heard 'sure shot' like fuckin' 11 years ago!

― N_RQ, Monday, 23 May 2005 13:54 (twenty-one years ago)

When Buddy Rich was a Vaudeville toddler his stage name was "Traps the Drum Wonder".

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 23 May 2005 13:54 (twenty-one years ago)

For it to be tagged trap, it has to be enough for one to get trapped behind...thus, no groupies.

http://www.andrewolson.com/images/neil_p14.jpg

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Monday, 23 May 2005 17:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I think Terry Williams was giving Neil a run for his money at some point, kit-wise.

― Ken L (Ken L), Monday, 23 May 2005 17:27 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.baileybrothers.com/img/dwclinic07.jpg

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 23 May 2005 17:36 (twenty-one years ago)

No more entries. Jordan has won.

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Monday, 23 May 2005 17:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I always used to do a double take when I saw the ads for Raid Max Roach Bait. Then I spent a long while before I came up with a rival product- Combat Tony Williams Traps.

― Ken L (Ken L), Monday, 23 May 2005 17:47 (twenty-one years ago)

The Max Roach bait is all ride cymbals.

Hiyo!

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Monday, 23 May 2005 17:53 (twenty-one years ago)

ok well from now on how bout we all agree to define a trap set as sans toms? that way such a setup can be easily differentiated from those with toms, which is helpful cause toms blow.

― ()ops (()()ps), Monday, 23 May 2005 19:41 (twenty-one years ago)

ihttp://photo1.dukenews.duke.edu/pages/drama/Tom.Selleck.jpg

http://www.latinoreview.com/films_2003/wb/cradle2thegrave/images/tom.jpg

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Monday, 23 May 2005 19:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Traps the Drum Wonder
Didn't Mel Torme actually use that as the title of his Buddy Rich bio?

― Ken L (Ken L), Monday, 23 May 2005 19:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I think so.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 23 May 2005 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

i've always understood this to be a small setup of drums. often, with very small drums.

― kyle (akmonday), Monday, 23 May 2005 22:49 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.viaveneto.com.mx/LladroCatalog/01005929.jpg

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 23 May 2005 23:02 (twenty-one years ago)

which is helpful cause toms blow.

OH POOR MISGUIDED SOUL.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 23 May 2005 23:04 (twenty-one years ago)

What about that little practice drum kit that Charlie Watts used for "Street Fighting Man," allegedly? What does anybody know about that?

― Ken L (Ken L), Monday, 23 May 2005 23:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I've never seen anything like the 1930s folding practice kit Watts was supposed to have used on "Street Fighting Man."

There is also something called a "cocktail kit," which is typically played standing up:

http://www.musicgearreview.com/dbpix/expresso.jpg

Another type of small kit is called a "jungle kit," but that's just a normal configuration of small-diameter drums.

http://www.hohnerusa.com/images/djungle_JSH-4Jungle-Kit.gif

― The Mad Puffin, Tuesday, 24 May 2005 12:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I though trap meant the snare. By definition, the word trap means the same thing as the word snare.

― dewey, Tuesday, 24 May 2005 16:04 (twenty-one years ago)

But not the same thing as con'trap'tion!

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 16:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Anyway I've never heard trap kit used to refer to small drums, esp. since the old-school 1920s drums were BIG. I've usually heard "bebop kit" or "jazz kit" when talking about 4-piece kits with a small bass drum.

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 16:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Have you guys ever seen these two volumes "Drummin' Men" by Burt Korall? I haven't read them straight through, but I've really enjoyed what I have read.

― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 16:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Go here for a companion thread.

― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 16:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Zutty Singleton! He played traps. Sorry, I just spent an hour trying to remember his name.

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 16:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Ultimate cocktail kit:
ihttp://pictures.yamaha-europe.com/picture_archiv/products/10_Musical_instruments/drums/drum_sets/drumsets/club_jordan_medium_jpg.jpg

From http://musicthing.blogspot.com/2004/10/available-in-silver-sparkle-and-pink.html

― Sasha (sgh), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 05:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know the answer to this--but the Grove Dictionary of Jazz makes no distinction between "drum kit" and "traps" in their long entry on drums. I search on for more info.

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 15:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Buddy Rich played a trap set. Neil Pert and Bill Bruford play .. fuck, it doesn't have a name other than ridiculous.

"Trap set" has no definition, so stop looking. You know it when you see it.

― diedre mousedropping and a quarter (Dave225), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 16:12 (twenty-one years ago)

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