How many drummers do we have out there??

[genereaux]

I was going to post this before Keith set up the different instrument sub-sects (sorry I didn't weigh in on that Keith- I vote " yes,go for it" BTW), but HARK!!; It appears it would fit nicely here. So here goes;

I always wanted to play drums. When band started in third grade, I got pushed into trumpet.
Though, at one point (when I was around 13), my Mom TRIED. She found three pieces of a Ludwig sparkle kit. A yellow kick, a blue floor tom and a red rack tom. And two unidentified cymbals, but only one stand.
These things were a little ragged, but if I knew THEN what little I know now- probably not in that bad of shape. New heads and a tuning would have gone a LONG way towards being 'cool' drums.......
This was 82 or so. No internet for me to surf for answers. No real person with drumming knowledge to guide me.
So I acted like a 13 year old. The drums were stupid. Garbage. Not 'real' drums, etc.
I WISH I knew what happened to those drums. I remember one had a keystone badge (meaning it was circa the 60s).

Flash-forward a year or so, I'm standing in a music store with $250 ready to 'choose my own adventure' musically, so to speak- and it dawns on me that I can't walk a drum set home. So I bought an electric guitar.
That was 26 or so years ago.
The urge to drum never really died, just sorta 'back-burnered' for a while. I never hesitated to jump behind the kit when the drummer stepped away, or even when a stray kit was there with no drummer at a given jam session. I'd say I'm an ok drummer for being a guitarist. Hell, I'm as good a drummer as some of the drummers I know who don't practice.

So now, at nearly 40, with a big enough house, a little bit of disposable income, and PLENTY of guitars, amps, pedals, cases, mics, etc- I'm buying some drums.
And it dawns on me how LITTLE I know. As much random, esoteric and borderline trivial things I know about guitar related things, seems to be EXACTLY as much as I DON'T know about drums.
As you can imagine, much like guitars, there is a litany of manufacturers. Some dating back centuries (Zildjiian at least, dates back to the 1600s). All with their own loyalists and detractors. All with their own corporate soap operas. And all being companies that want to make money; thusly inclined to make 'entry-level' gear, or half-brand knock offs.
Drum shells with 3, 5, 7 and 9 ply. Or NO ply acrylics. Hoops, heads, wood tip, plastic tip, dampeners, lugs, coated or clear, batter or resonator, coke or pepsi...........

AWESOME!!
Thank god there's an internet NOW. I've already watched the Jeff Ochltree (sp) youtube. Where else would I get to here from John Bonhams drum tech.

So here's what I got so far (I'm piece-mealing a kit off of eBay);
A 14X24 Camco (LA) kick drum. 10 lug. (Camco was the predecessor to DW). A little beat up, but not bad for a late 70s drum. And its big.

A 16X16 Pearl Export (SOMEBODY help me figure out which, if ANY of those Export Series drums are GOOD) 8 lug

A 14X12 (14 head) Ludwig CS (new, but VERY cheap, so I went for it). Yes, its a 200 series, but I'll upgrade eventually.

And a pretty crappy 5X14 no name 8 lug metal snare.
I'm calling it my "Liberty Kit", because the kick is white, rack is red and the floor tom is blue. Totally inadvertent. Just wound up being cheaper that way......

For cymbals, I have a fairly recent Pearl hi hat stand (had it laying around for a few years now) with a Zildjian bottom (I think with a small crack) and a Camber top. A 16 in Zildjian med thin crash, also with a crack (though it looks like the ends of the crack were drilled), a Zildjian A thin custom with a huge bite out of it that I cut down to 10 or 11 inches (was 16). Those were some of the garbage broken cymbals my drummer gave me. And I just eBay'd a 21" Sabian AA Dry Ride.
New, but very cheap stands and a DW5000 kick pedal (with a single chain?)

And hell yes I bought a drum dial......


So talk to us drummers. I may have some questions for ya, so I wanna see who you are


sean

[Roger L.]

I started on drums "cough" "cough" some 45 years ago. I haven't picked up a stick in years. In fact the last time I sat behind a set was in junior high, I used to play the drum and bugle corp thing and also was in the school orchestra. Started playing rock in junior high but wasn't able to get a set at the time. After high school I got married and my wifes parents played professional bluegrass and I got the bug to play guitar. End of story

[spudler]

I tried to play drums in 91 when I gave my guitar to the drummer and took up singing. I will say hats off to whomever can play drums. I tried till I annoyed my neighbors and never could get it even close to souncing decent.
I have great ideas in my head of what I want as far a drum sounds, time changes,double bass stuff. I just cannot make the drums sound like what I am hearing in my head.
Voices not included LOL

[Eclectifish]

I play drums. I don't own a set so I don't practice. If I did, I'd be a lot better, but I can hold my own.

[crank]

I learned by messing around at my friend's house years ago. I picked up a cheapie CB kit from another friend who was upgrading. I don't practice much or play much but I love the drums and can keep a beat.

I jam with a group of guys where a few of us play both drums and guitar so we trade off throughout the evening which is a lot of fun. I will sometimes bring my kit to another jam and we play with double drumming, also a lot of fun.

For just banging around in the basement I wouldn't go all top quality/dollar stuff. I am surprised at teh hogh quality of the hardware on my cheap CB kit. It's solid and well built even if its not the greatest sounding kit.

[BrokenNose]

I'm a bit of an amateur at guitar, only started a little over a year ago. I'm 18 now, and I've been playing drums since I was about 8.

Of all the instruments I play, drums are easily the most comfortable for me. It's just gone to that stage where it just feels fluent, and I don't have to think about what I'm playing. Definitely, I know the most about drums more than any other instrument (sometimes too much gear knowledge, I think).

IMO, Pearl makes fine drums, especially the higher end (but as any instrument, the higher tiers come down to preference), but for the price of their intermediate and entry level kits, I think you can get better.

Some of the best drums you can get about that price range are the Mapex Pro-M's. I could describe them as the Agiles of drums. Honestly, you cant really get better for those prices.

I'd be happy to help with anything :)

[spudler]

After playing that long and being that good why would you quit?? Do you still play and are just expanding your musical ability?? I am also curious if you have heard Trivium or Lamb Of God or Dragonforce?? If so is that a certain style of drumming other than metal?? Do they even have names for diffrent styles on the drums?? I am wondering so when I try to tell someone what sound and style I am looking for I can use proper terms. Thanks and good luck on the guitar :)

[Keith]

There is no technical drumming term for the bands you listed Spudler. Metal/Prog are more listed as the music, not the drumming.

[ScottRiley]

They were the second instrument I tried to learn, spent a year learning violin when I was about 7, didn't get anywhere, my Mum promised to get me a violin for Christmas if I stuck at it, and I told her I wanted an electric guitar instead, I didn't stick at violin so no luck there, had a girl who lived behind us who played drums and asked her for some lessons, went every week for a few months and got taught the basics, paradiddle, 4/4 simple drumming, but just stopped getting lessons.

Skip forward a few years and I'd forgot everything, 12 years old I started learning piano, then had the chance to get drum lessons, so started weekly lessons again, for 2 years then gave up yet again to focus on piano, gave up piano to focus on guitar when I was 14 and have barely touched a drum kit since, would like to get back into playing them though, just for the fun of it, I'll be living with a drummer next year and might split the cost of a decent electric kit (Full acoustic kit will just be too loud for student accommodation) - I do kinda wish I stuck to drums and piano and just flunked a few extra lessons, considering I'll be studying a music tech degree next year the knowledge of the extra instruments would probably help more than the straight A's I got in High School that I'm busy forgetting about :p

[GuitarguyMoseng]

It`s one of my many innstruments.
I`m not very good, but I`ve played drums for some years.

[1ZeroReapeR1]

I just started trying to learn how to play them, I can kinda keep the simple rock beat down, and the fast paced blues beat I'm working on now. I only get to play once a week though, haha.. Drums are fun though!

[Ttone]

I'm no drummer by any means but I've had two sets in the basement (Tama) for about 8 years, we jam at my house so that's where the drums are. Anyways I do practice on them from time to time. I can hold a beat, do double bass etc. but like I said I'm no drummer. Fortunately my drummer allows me to play on his kits as I like and also gives me tips. We have fun sometimes when we swap, he plays guitar and I try and play drums, as long as it's a Tommy Lee type beat I can handle it (without the drum stick spins of course lol) One thing that has helped me is doing air drums, I'm really good at that :) The hardest thing for me to get down was playing three or four different things at once, bass, high hat, snare and throwing some toms and cymbals in here and there.

I don't have much I could tell you to help you out Sean, but like you know with guitar starting out slow and working your speed up is very important.

Good luck!

[DeeGeeCees]

I play drums. I don't own a set so I don't practice. If I did, I'd be a lot better, but I can hold my own.

Same here Fish. When our drummer didn't show up, I sat in on some songs.

[genereaux]

Definitely, I know the most about drums more than any other instrument (sometimes too much gear knowledge, I think).

IMO, Pearl makes fine drums, especially the higher end (but as any instrument, the higher tiers come down to preference), but for the price of their intermediate and entry level kits, I think you can get better.

I'd be happy to help with anything :)

I'll happily trade you for the guitar (mostly gear) knowledge.

Firstly, I'd ask "WHICH Pearl Export Series is the higher quality"
It's like the Fender Strat of the drum world. The one (just the floor tom) that I got has the badge with the scalloped corners. I think it's 5 ply, and seems fairly new (at least the inside is really clean)

Then next, I'd ask; "What would you tune a 24inch kick to on the drum dial?" The little reference sheet only covers up to a 22 inch kick.

After playing that long and being that good why would you quit?? Do you still play and are just expanding your musical ability??

Not quitting guitar, just expanding myself.....



I don't have much I could tell you to help you out Sean, but like you know with guitar starting out slow and working your speed up is very important.

Good luck!
Yeah, that's for sure. But I'm all the back to where you don't even know what 'good' sounds like. I liken it to going somewhere all the time, but now you're DRIVING there yourself (not just riding along) and you realize you weren't paying attention to how to get there.

I changed the batter heads out to new Ambassadors (an Evans w/a muffle ring on the kick), and I THINK I have 'em sounding ok. But remember when you started out on guitar, and the guitar was really cheap and wasn't going to good regardless of whether you playing better or not?
That's where I'm starting out at.
Which is why I'm trying to avoid acquiring the really cheap gear.


sean

[BrokenNose]

I'll happily trade you for the guitar (mostly gear) knowledge.

Firstly, I'd ask "WHICH Pearl Export Series is the higher quality"
It's like the Fender Strat of the drum world. The one (just the floor tom) that I got has the badge with the scalloped corners. I think it's 5 ply, and seems fairly new (at least the inside is really clean)

Exports were discontinued as of last January, replaced with the Visions. The highest quality were the ECX's though, which were made of maple instead of poplar. Generally, the only differences, aside from the maple on the ECX's, were the finishes (wrapped, lacquer, etc.).

I'm not too big of an expert on the exact models and whatnot though, so I cant help too much with identification.


Tuning is much more complicated than measurements on a dial though. It's helpful to get even tension across the drum head, but it doesn't really help with actually tuning a drum.

There are several aspects you have to look into when you tune a drum. For one, if you're using a new head, you're generally recommended to seat the head (like stretching strings on a guitar).

You also have to get the sound even across the head as well (which the dial helps out a lot with, but the ear works well); just muffle the side youre not tuning (setting it down works), hold your finger in the middle of the head youre tuning, and tap at about one inch away from the rim at each tension rod.

Now comes the hard part, getting the whole drum to sound good as a whole. It's one thing to have one side of it sound good, but there are two heads (with exceptions), and air bounces between them to produce the sound. They have to have a cohesive relationship almost, or else you wont get a satisfactory sound. This is something that varies across all drums, all sizes, etc, etc. Experience is generally the only thing that really works here.

Something I've found that helps a lot of times is to have the resonate head tuned a little tighter than the batter head. Don't forget about muffling either, but also don't go crazy with it.

Hope I was clear with that. Heres a link that can get you started:

http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/

It's a good guideline, but it doesn't have to be followed so strictly.

EDIT: Tuning also has so much with preference. Some people like to tune their bass drums tight for a boomy sound, some like to have it to the point where it almost flaps about. With a bass drum, sometimes a blanket, or small pillow helps to kill any excess boom you want.

[andy smiffy]

I'm still a bit of a guitar newbie but drums seems pretty appealing to me right now and i'll probably take them up when i can afford a drum kit^^

[genereaux]

Heres a link that can get you started:

http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/

It's a good guideline, but it doesn't have to be followed so strictly.


A really helpful read, thank you.
I'm gonna go finish combing through it............

[acbert]

That was my main instrument in my teens and early twenties. Haven't owned a drum set since my mid twenties although I'm thinking about an electric kit.

[Robot_Boy]

wow, so quite a few drummers here. we're going to need more crayons....

[Tomy Plunk#er]

The first instrument I had was a drum set. I am on my third set now(about five years old) I have recently started taking lessons and love the heck out of playing them.

[abigmoron]

Of all the instruments I play, drums are easily the most comfortable for me. It's just gone to that stage where it just feels fluent, and I don't have to think about what I'm playing. Definitely, I know the most about drums more than any other instrument (sometimes too much gear knowledge, I think).


Drums are the only thing I can play without thinking. What a fun feeling.

EDIT: Well, I'm not sure why that quote didn't work.

[STARMedic]

I have a set of drums in one of the spare bedrooms of my place as a good friend of mine played in a band, and wanted a place to keep them as the brand new wife deemed that they needed to be put into storage out in the barn....

So I just kind of bang around when I dont have a guitar in my hand.....

Bruce

[Sixstring]

Drums was my first serious instrument. I just started playing again about a year ago after taking 23 years off. Yeah, I was a bit rusty but it's coming back. :)

[Sixstring]

wow, so quite a few drummers here. we're going to need more crayons....

LOL !!! Nice :D

[Measles]

I call myself a guitarist. However, my drummer friend keeps his set at my place and I can hold down some solid beats and have been told that I'm better than the drums' owner.

[amatch]

Howdy: Didn't read all the entire thread, so pardon me please if I contradict or restate something already written.

My kit is big, big and loud, it's a 1976 Rojers, 24" bass, 13 - 18 toms, 15" hihat cymbals, 18" crash, ect. I don't play it enough, especially now-a-days since I'm focusing on the guitar and time is limited. But all this being said . . .

I would buy smaller drums. Camco is a great brand BTW - Good solid shells. But if I were going to set up a kit and wasn't planning on playing large rooms, it's would be, 22 base, 12 and 13 mounted toms, and one 16 floor tom. I also suggest that you buy good cymbals, a good heavy ride, and a couple thin crash cymbals, Zildgian are what I use and highly recommended.

Cheers

[DrJuice]

I've been playing drums since '88 (-ish). Got two sets, a Tama Imperial Star (probably from the same year, never checked any serial numbers) and my new baby, a Roland TD-12.

Had to go electronic. I want to play at home, but 'kids + wife = drumming once every 2 to 3 months when everyone is out of the house'. So now with the v-drums, I plug in the ipod, headphones, and it's bashing away at 1:30am just like the old days when I was in the band.

[Razzy]

I play drums as much as I play guitar, and over the years have learned quite a bit about them. I just got a new kit a few weeks ago, so I'm coming back cold from over a year of not playing, but I'm getting back to where I used to be quickly, and am actually joining a local metal band here in town. Anyways...

As far as tuning your bass drum, I think this video will be very helpful.

Ga8Q12mKYxI

If you've ever got any questions, and I'm not trying to seem cocky here, but you can always shoot me a PM. I always read everything I can find on anything I'm interested in, so I may be able to answer your questions.

Just for fun, here's a picture of my kit.http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/137/l_45d2a558ac564ceb834d944f3089772d.jpg

[dmt]

I have a Roland TD-12 electronic set. Pretty realistic and useful, but not the same as an acoustic set. I sit in on drums whenever I get a chance (once ever few months, so not too often really). I'm not a great drummer at all, but I enjoy learning and playing them. I like getting a few minutes here and there on my kit during the work day -- it gives me a nice little musical fix and stress burn-off-er.

[Hallucination]

I wouldn't call myself a drummer, keyboard drums is the closest I have to drums;)

Would like to get some sort of drums or drum pads one day but I'd really need to work on my theory first - I'm not even that good at programming in FL Studio:o