To any and all drummers... a story, and some questions...

  • Thread starter Thread starter tubedude
  • Start date Start date
Cool. Whats a pipe drum? Link me to a picture.
I find myself extremely intereted in Udus, always have.
 
when i started learning, i bought a drumset and just started listening to what other people played on albums, and then played what i heard. i picked up some of the more traditional drum methods from my time in my schools band. i've always been one to learn to play on my own though. i wouldnt recommend my method of learning to everyone though. it's worked really well for me on drums, guitar, bass, and keys...but i know not everyone can pull that off.

i'd definately recommend you get a ludwig snare. i really dont like their kits very much, but their snares are really top notch. when you decide to move on up to a full kit, i'd recommend you buy a taye set. they are top notch quality like pearls, tamas, etc. but you wont be spending any extra cash for their logo printed on the front bass head.

http://www.tayedrums.com
 
ive been playing for around 11 years, but ive only had roughly 4 years of teaching in there somewhere. ive had bad experiances with teachers. my first was great, but he moved away. the second exactly the same. my third was a complete dick and we just didn't get on. he contradicted everything i had learnt with my previous teachers and wanted me to transform to his way. that was around 2 years ago, it really put me off lessons.
 
my opinion (for anything its worth)

well i have been playing drums for about ten years now and i have never had any lessons, granted i play like i have only played for about five years, but i have never had anyone to show me anything. not really any instructors in bum fucked west virginia. so i had to teach my self the best i could. the way i taught my self was to put some headphones on blast your favorite record and do it every day til you can play it inside out. but start with a band somewhat easy to catch on to. i started with nervana.

and yes....my technique is aweful
and yes...at times my feet are a lil sloppy
but i can do shit cause i taught myself

check it out at www.necrosismusic.com
 
tubedude, get a kit. I was in the same position as you, I had another instrument I was good at. I always wanted to play drums. So I figured, I'd start off small, get a snare, or a snare and bass and HH. The only used set at the place was the whole thing. It was cheap and more than I THOUGHT I needed. I would have gotten totally bored with less than the whole kit. I never would have gotten anywhere on less.

And, I can hear the difference between snares in the store, but I'm not enough of a drummer to know what I like better. I could have a $80 snare or a $500 snare and I couldn't give a damn which one I was playing. Plus, I have to mute the hell out of it b/c it's so incredibly loud. It took me months to be able to listen to the kit w/out headphones, or those cans that you wear when you're firing a shotgun, the big-ass red mofos you see now on the 'landscapers.'

My foot is a brick. I have to work very hard on my right foot, if I hadn't started right away with the kick drum, I'd be even farther set back than I am already. Yet as a guitarist, my right arm is solid. I never even tapped my right foot to music, I tap w/ my left heel, or right heel. It's like day one w/ my right front of my foot. W/out a kit you won't know what you really need to work on. Yes, learn rudiments, but apply them to the kit. An active snare drum isn't the priority in most rock music, you know that. Everything everyone else said is valid, but dude, get a kit and get a kit soon and spend it on the kit, NOT some snare drum that is meaningless until you know what to hear, how to tune it, etc. I have 6 different mics to record my acoustic guitar with, I can barely decide which one of those I like better, I'll never figure out what snare drum I'd like b/c I'm not a drummer. If, ever, somehow, I ever become a drummer, then, maybe, I'll know enough to care about what my snare drum sounds like. Take it in steps. Or, maybe you love that snare drum and you know what to choose, then good for you, but I'm just giving it to ya IMHO. Good luck, you'll progress fast as a motivated adult already familiar with music.
 
I've recorded enough and messed with enough snares to know what I like and what I want. Tuning I have to learn properly.

I cant afford a whole kit at once. :(

Just got Stick Control though, should prove to be at least amusing. :)
 
tubedude said:
I've recorded enough and messed with enough snares to know what I like and what I want. Tuning I have to learn properly.

I cant afford a whole kit at once. :(

Just got Stick Control though, should prove to be at least amusing. :)
Click to expand...

So what kind of snare'd ya get?

I went to a drum center here and they have $200 5-piece used kits in good shape. A few bucks more and HH stands too....

Is Stick control a video? I've heard about that somewhere before.
 
Didnt get a snare yet, but I'm looking at a Donoho...
I've listened to several and I really like the wood snares better, deep ones, with lots of crack. The vented ones are really loud. I keep bidding on ones I like on ebay and losing.

Stick Control is an old learning book dated back to the 1930's. It has like one page of text and about 40 pages of snare rudiments and shit. Looks to be decent, but I really want a teacher in addition to it. Picked up the book off ebay for like $5 I think, it retails around $13
 
Hey Paul,

here is a link (http://www.studydrums.com/dapp01.html). Now I don't know where I fall on the learning scale, exceptional or average or whatever. But I went out and bought a kit (http://home.comcast.net/~bonrox/guitars/drums.htm) on friday and I am writing this on sunday. At this point, from following the directions in that link, I am able to hold a fairly consistant 4/4 beat and have been having fun by adding stuff into it. Like I said, I am not sure if it's common to get this far, but I remember I couldn't hold a beat, when I learned guitar 30 yrs ago, for at least the first month. I was very impressed on how easy it was to pick up on.

Oh, I do advocate getting a teacher. I will be getting one shortly!!
 
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Pipe drum

Hey tubedude I just read the message about my pipe drum. It's got two snares one under the top head and one on bottom.It's a free floating marching drum and really really tight.I'm playing with it behind my kit right now
until I get my new export snare.It's been years since I've
played on a wooden snare.I'm getting tired off the ringing of metal,but I guess brass is the in thing right now.
 
From what I've read so far, you're going to be just fine...

Attitude, more than anything, will define you as a player no matter what instrument you're hacking on. The fact that you're open to having someone show you 'what you don't know' (sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised) will take you so much farther than having to relearn things later on.
My folks bought me my first snare drum (Ludwig 5x14... salute!) in the 5th grade... In an attempt to keep me motivated towards a higher GPA, they bribed me with my first kit two summers later (Still Ludwig... Black & White Oyster swirl just like Ringo's). That was back in the early 70's :eek:
You can learn quite a bit on your own, but nothing replaces the interaction with someone who can give you honest to goodness critique on your chops... Whether it be a qualified teacher, the first chair snare drummer in your school band, or even other drummers around town you can sit and make noise with.
Another thing to consider: GET AND USE A METRONOME!
The tastiest, flashiest chops in the world won't mean squat if you're tooling along at 180 bps when the fill started at 120.
As far as snares... I had a Tama set in the 80's with a 6.5x14 wood snare that had a sound I have yet to reproduce again... I wish I still had that kit :(
You're on the right track... Remember, a teacher can really only take you to the door...
 
Thanks dudes..

Hey Bdrum, you rang? paul@demokingproductions.com

That Tama snare I was after got "transfered to another store" and they gave me my layaway money back. Highly highly pissed off. I could kill.
 
Chiming in with some ideas

Make a 80 minute compilation CD of your favorite songs with simple, straightforward beats. Play along wearing headphones over and over until you have completely mastered this set of songs.

Make another compilation CD that is slightly more challenging, with different tempos.

Rinse. Repeat.

The headphones give you a band to play with that keeps better time than you.

Put at least one shuffle/swing song on the first CD, two on the second. Being able to smoothly play shuffle and jazz beats separates the skilled from the unskilled.
 
This is a great idea! I get the best workout playing along with other bands because a cd doesn't pause for a break.
I would also encourage playing some of your own
stuff over it.You dont have to follow in someone else's
tracks but learn from them and create your own :)
 
Paul,

I've read through the entire thread - and I agree with the majority.

I'm a percusionist and have been for 40 years now....... I played everything from symphony music to jazz - with rock, blues, country, big band and metal in between.

The 1st 6 years i spent in lessons - with a fine instructor - and I have to tell you that his guidance was worth a heck of a lot more than you could ever imagine.

As far as the snare goes - personally - I don't play anything other than Pearl, but there is a world full of other great snares out there.......

Don't buy anything without hearing it first - you'll know the right sound when you hear it.

Good luck,

Rod
 
I have been playing drums for 32 years and currently play in a local Blues/Rock band. I started out learning rudiments with a drum teacher first on the practice pad and then eventually the snare drum. Learn your rudiments and get all your basics down. You should buy an inexpensive kit first and play that for a while to see if you really want to stick with playing drums. If your goal is to play in a band, here's something VERY IMPORTANT that a lot of young drummers overlook. The goal is not to see how many Neil Peart licks you can master. The most important objective of being a "band" drummer is to be able to keep proper time and be solid (without speeding up or slowing down). Many drummers tend to forget that the drummer lays down that solid foundation with the bass player to form the rhythm section. Yes, it is very cool to learn hot licks and fills, BUT it is far more important to be able to "Lock-in" with your bass player and keep proper time. Years and years of playing and recording has taught me one more thing: Don't Overplay!
Many, many times I see so many drummers who want to impress the audience and they tend to totally overplay in relation to the song. That's why Ansley Dunbar got kicked out of Journey. Remember: Less is More.
Good luck with your drumming endeavors. Strive for being an accompanist. Master that and you will be in demand for band work and possibly studio work as well. :)
 
These guys KNOW!

I just picked up the Steve Smith history of Drums DVD.
I haven't seen all of it,but I like what Iv'e seen.
Having played piano and guitar,It sounds like your a well rounded MUSICIAN.Drums shouldn't be too hard :)
 
Drum KIT!

Yes rudiments are important but they are important in how they relate to the drum kit. The whole kit is the instrument. If its a small kit or a large kit. Really what you're going after is four way independace. So I would get a small starter kit as 'unplugged' said. I wouldn't suggest buying a really nice snare until you get real lessons as others have mentioned and gone to hear lots of drummers and ask them and listen to what they use.Geting an instructor is good but make sure he is one that can play the style of music you want to play. For the four way independence thing look at Jim Chapins book 'Advanced techniques for the Modern drummer, coordinated independence as applied to jazz and be-bop. 1st printing in 1948 58th printing 1998 It's not just for jazz its about the four way profeciancy thing. More impresive and usefull in a musical and band context. Peace
 
snare

Oh If you're absolutly drooling for a good snare then yes, I would go with Tama. :D If you want to see some mind altering four way independece take a look at Akira Jimbo. :eek: :rolleyes: He has videos.
 
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