Newbie Question

[Matt Dula]

I a thinking of taking up drums and I wonder which direction i should go. Acoustic or something like ddrums?

 

-Matt

[djarrett]

Hey, Matt:

Because I know that you are a techno geek, I will suggest the electric route.

This really makes sense for folks who are primarily keyboardists and want to add drums to their mix of equipment.

Additionally, this makes for the ability for youto put on the headphones and play without subjecting your family to the abuse of your learning curve!

DJ

[where02190]

Be aware of potential permanent wrist injuries from playing on hard pads for extended periods of time. If you are going to play electronic drums, look into something like Roland V-drums tha thave actual heads with some give to them.

 

Hope this is helpful.

[Brakka]

You've got the space for an acoustic set? I say go for it. It'll be way cheaper, and worth the time spent.

 

As far as pads, if you play properly there will be no injuries. Drums are not my main instrument (haven't owned a kit for years) but I still practice rudiments & stick control on a rubber-on-wood pad a few times a week.

 

That said, the mesh pads are great, like where said.

 

For questions about electronic drums, try mp's Keyboard Forum.

 

Or is that "mp/mgn's Keyboard Forum?"

[KenElevenShadows]

This is just totally opinion, and btw, I'm not a drummer, but it just seems to me that you should choose what you feel would be the most FUN. For me, that would be an acoustic drum set, if I were going to start playing drums. I guess with an acoustic drum set, you might have a little more to deal with (changing heads, maybe more hardware, that kind of thing), so you have to weigh that for yourself, but I would still go for the biggest FUN factor.

 

My drummer has his drums set up in our rehearsal studio. I get there early and play them before every rehearsal. Drums are so much darn fun!!!

[Bunny Knutson]

Hi, Matt. That's a tough call, but you've gotten good advice here so far. The Roland V-Drums are super-cool! You can't go wrong there if you can afford 'em. There are a lot of things you can do with them that you'd need triggers for in the "real" drum world. Like, you can program bass notes into the kick, that's cool! And Roland is notorious for their extensive library of great drum sounds/kits. PLUS, there's the "practice while everyone else is sleeping" factor mentioned above. SO true!

 

However, that said, there's really no feeling quite like tearing into a rippin' beat on an acoustic kit! The POWER!!! Drums are more fun to play than any other instrument, if you asked me.

 

The one thing I'm a bit concerned about is whether it is recommended to learn on electronic drums. I mean, the feeling is just not the same. Close, but not the same. I'm wondering if it might be a detriment to your studying if you were to acquaint yourself with "fake" drums before you try learning on "real" drums. (?)

 

Maybe the experts will chime in on that point...

 

Good luck, Matt, and keep us posted!

[Drumtech]

There is absolutely no alternative to playing acoustic drums when starting off. IT IS A MUST to learn how to play drums with an acoustic set in order to understand feel, sound levels, difference matisses involved with various styles, cymbal work, etc.

 

That said, if all you want to do is play around and dibble on the drums, I suggest buying the cheapest electronic set... However, if you are interested in learning how to play, START WITH AN ACOUSTIC SET...

[Jazzman]

I agree with Drumtech as far as a real set to start off with, however it would depend on where you are playing for practicing. V-Drums are quite, can use headphones, more expensive to purchase, and needs power to operate.

 

Playing on an acoustic set will give you the real sense of dynamics. If you want to record the drums, you will need to purchase mics, and a small mixing board to get the set into a stereo field. An electronic set will alow you to have complete control of the drums in the mix without having other unwanted sounds going through the mics of an acoustic set.

 

Anyway go for it, and have some fun. You really can't go wrong for starters either way.

 

Jazzman

[schmee]

i'm on the path you're asking about. dunno to what extent you want to hear my opinion tho, but here's why i think electronic drums for individuals will yield far superior training/practic abilities...

 

i played horn (mostly trombone) for about 12 years in my youth and was trained traditionally in that respect. music in that climate was tough for me because while i loved playing, especially in a line, i hated the discipline needed to attack instrument mastery, which seems to be the only thing people in the traditional music circles expect of their students - a reasonable aim, but limiting in many respects.

 

about 10 years ago i picked up a practice pad and some sticks in a music store in london. then for 4 years i just fiddled with the sticks, practicing simple rudaments like paradiddles and loosening up rolls. nothing serious, but got to take the time and learn for myself, in my own time, some basic essentials of playing with sticks, and without the pressure of a kit, or other people in the room.

 

then about 5 years ago i started piecing together a cheap electronic drum kit, and played on that for about two years, teaching myself some basics about using all four limbs and to get things like the snare/bass/cymbal triage down in various basic styles, eg like hours of playing along to the stones.

 

the one thing about electronic sets is their ability to record easily. aside from being able to practice "silently", you can also record yourself extremely easily, certainly much easier than trying to mic an accoustic set. be it your favorite CD, a sequenced track from the drum brain, another sequencer, or just a click trak.

 

there is no better way to improv quickly than to listen to yourself play, or to play along with other music you enjoy (because you keep playing and don't give up easily) - and for these two processes, electronic kits are irreplaceable (unless you're already top of your game equipment-wise with your accoustic set).

 

however, if you have no idea about the fundamentals of rythm, other than what your intuition can make of it, then this might not be such a great thing, as your ear may not be hearing what it really needs to.

 

this however isn't going to be a great thing if you have no idea of what to listen for.

 

however, add the ability to change voices and sequencer patterns on the fly, and you can see the real educational value of electronic kits versus accoustic.

 

now, if you're desire is to drum and nothing else, and for the rest of your life, then getting an accoustic set would make a lot of sense. the reality is the differences between the physical feel of electronic kits vs accoustic sets is a gap that is shrinking almost daily (roland v-drums have really overcome this problem, with everything from tunable kevlar heads that give like a real head does, to software that largely erases the old time gap between impact and the signal registering the tone in the drum brain).

 

however, only top of the line sets like roland's v-drums do this (still listing at 4 grand for a semi-complete set). older trigger sets are still very limited in what they can do, but still extremely useful for practice and learning. they are also very cheap used (hint, hint).

 

my advice would be to find a super cheap used brain (computer), and a couple of cheap used triggers (you'll need stands and a 1/4 stereo patch cable per trigger, depending on it's ability, be it a "2 zone" or a "single zone" trigger which can use mono cables), set yourself up and mess around on that for a bit.

 

then if you find you'd rather have accoustic, you're left with some equipment you can still use in your electronic environment, especially if the drum brain is fully midi capable, so you can use the trigger to interact with other equipment.

 

what a mess of a reply, oh well, hope something in there helps.

[Jazzman]

schmee........bravo! Right-on! Couldn't say it any better. That is the right way of thinking.

 

Jazzman