No one is going to argue that electronic drums offer you the same playing experience that you can get on an acoustic kit. However, they can offer you some big plusses that you may not have considered. You can play any time of day or night by just plugging in headphones. You can play on …
Electronic drum kits are slowly and steadily creeping into the lives of drummers everywhere because basically… they’re quiet. So when you need to practice without incurring the wrath of your neighbors, they’re a great option. Also, they’re relatively inexpensive compared to full-sized, quality acoustic drum kits and all the cymbals you need. And with their …
Timpani or kettle drums are some of the most powerful and versatile drums out there. And the best thing about them is that they’re tunable on the fly, which means that they can be used in any piece of music in any key you want. Their thunderous voices have been used by composers for well …
While sticks do the job for most drummers, there are those out there who want to get even closer to the action. Hand drums let you use your hands and fingers as the beaters on the drum. This can give you more control, better speed, or just a more connected, primal feeling when you play. …
Every drummer runs into a certain problem at least once, if not a lot more, in their life. Drums are loud, and although it’s nearly impossible to believe, some people just don’t seem to appreciate the sound of a drummer practicing. This is one of the main reasons why many drummers turn to electronic drums. …
An electronic drum kit can be a great addition to your drumming toolbox. They’re quiet when you need them to be, allowing you to practice whenever the mood to hit something strikes you (which is probably all the time). Furthermore, they give you way more versatility in sound, allowing you to play many different-sounding drum …
Say, what are counterhoops on drums, anyway? The word may not sound familiar, but this is a piece of every drum in your kit and an important one at that. Counterhoops are the rings that hold the heads onto your drums. They’re often just known as “hoops” or even more commonly as “rims.” Didn’t know that? …
Electronic drum kits are an apartment-dwelling drummer’s best friend. They’re a quiet alternative to booming acoustic drums and come with modules loaded with all sorts of tasty sounds to try out. That may be enough to get you hooked on an electronic kit. And if you do get hooked, why settle for something cheap and …
Flip on the radio or randomly select any song on Spotify, and chances are that you’ll hear the same old thing. Boom-chick-boom-chick. Well, golly gee willakers, the drummer’s playing a 4/4 backbeat. What a surprise! The fact is that 4/4 (and ¾ and 6/8, I guess) beats are just the standard beats that pretty much …
There could be several reasons why you might want a song without the drum track. But for drummers especially, it can be an excellent option for practice. But the question is how to remove drums from a song? Finding a drumless version of a song was incredibly difficult in the past. The only option was a …
Back in the old days, there was only one way to lay down drum tracks for a song – record a live drummer. How quaint. With the advent of the electronic age, we got all sorts of drum machines and synths in a hurry. Then it was a competition for a long time to see …
Best Drum VST Plugins – A Complete Guide of 2023 Read More »
Despite what archeologists seem to be saying about some sort of 40,000 year old vulture bone flute, the drum has to be the world’s oldest instrument. After all, banging on things is just a natural, human thing to do. Over history, people have bashed away on rocks, hollow logs, shells, and just about anything else …
Do you want to know how to hold drumsticks? Just snatch one up greedily in either ham hand and hold on tight while you tear into the meat. But if we’re talking about actual wooden drumsticks for drumming, there’s a bit more to it than that. People have been playing drums with sticks for as …
Drummers need to keep time. Everyone knows this, but not many people know how hard it is to actually stick perfectly to a set BPM. It’s basically humanly impossible, even for the most reliable of drummers. And while some variability in time can add texture and emotion to music, it’s not great all the time. …
If you’re a hold-out against electronic drum equipment, I’m hoping this article will change your mind. Writing it changed mine. I love acoustic drums despite the issues with noise and angry neighbors that are almost invariably involved. I can’t see myself switching to an electronic kit permanently, though the number of sounds they can produce …
Many years ago, in about 1971, I was fortunate enough to witness something rather special musically. This guy walked out on the stage with a guitar and a wooden beer crate. He sat down, put his right foot on the wooden crate, and started strumming his guitar. He couldn’t go out and buy the Best …
If my first drums had been an electronic kit, I might have given up drumming before I even got started at it. I know that sounds like an awful way to begin a review of an electronic drum kit, but a fact’s a fact. A good half the reason I wanted to play drums was …
Poor drummers. With the arrival of electronic drum machines on the scene in the 1980s, so much music turned to programmed beats. Drummers are still great, don’t get me wrong. There’s just less work for them now. Or is there? After all, drummers make beats, so turning from a live drummer to a beat producer …
Welcome back, drum lovers! Electronic drums have their supporters and detractors, for sure. Some people swear they will never come over to the dark side of electronics. Others love that you can rock on them with no noise. You also get a huge amount of drum sounds to expand your playing with, while on an …
If you’re like me, you heard about hybrid drumming and scoffed. “That’ll never catch on,” I said. “It sounds terrible,” I complained. “You’d never catch me playing with hybrid noises,” I swore. Oops. It turns out that the world of hybrid has changed. No surprise. These days you can set up a module to edit …
Going out on the road is every aspiring drum legend’s dream. Touring across the country can be incredible. You meet new people, develop a following, play hard, and party like there’s no (gig) tomorrow. But the road can also be fraught with danger. I’m not talking about drugs and groupies here. I mean, sure, but …
Best Drum Cases – 4 Types of Drum Cases You Must Try in 2023 Read More »
When you’re the proud parent of a born drummer, there are only two things you can do. You can squash your child’s ambition to save your own sanity, or you can give in and celebrate the rhythm within. And what better way to do that than to buy your child a drum set? If you’re a …
Top 6 Best Electronic Drum Sets for Kids of 2023 Read More »
Don’t you just love a drum solo? I know I do, especially when it’s me doing the soloing. Shirt off, sweating profusely and rocking a concert with thousands of screaming fans. But when I’m not dreaming, I enjoy drum solos that are full of energy and perfectly placed into songs. Let’s face it – no …
Drummers who neglect your feet – repent! Of course, you can stomp on any old bass pedal just like you can bash away on any old drum kit out there. But don’t you want your kick to sound its best? Don’t you want to have the smoothest feel and the most responsive pedal possible? Of …
One of the toughest things to do as a drummer is to follow along with other musicians. You probably think of yourself as leading the band by laying down the groove. However, it’s the tone and melody of the voice and instruments set over your beat that make a song. This is where musicianship comes …
The Nashville Number System for Drummers Explained Read More »
Are you ready to start on the journey of a lifetime? Are you prepared to put your blood, sweat, and tears all towards one goal? Are you ready to be a drum god? Great, but what if you don’t have a teacher or simply don’t have the money to pay for lessons? It might make …
Tips to Teach Yourself Drums – Top 8 Tips for Beginners Read More »
One of the most important factors in being a drummer is, quite unsurprisingly, having some drums to play on. Now we all grew up tapping our fingertips on tables, and slapping beats on our thighs. Most of us graduated to bashing out barely recognizable beats on the kitchen’s pots, pans, and garbage bin, too. Now …
There are a lot of reasons why a drummer would turn to an electronic drum set. It could be sound – your family or your neighbors just can’t handle your incessant thumping for one more minute! Or it could be the variety of sounds. Electronic drums let you change the sounds of each trigger pad, …
When you’re starting as a drummer, gear is one of your big hurdles. You can get hours of enjoyment and decent practice out of your improvised set of pots and pans. However, if you want to be taken seriously as a drummer, even by yourself, you’ll need to move on to a real kit. That …
If you’re considering buying your first drum kit, upgrading, or adding parts to what you already have, hardware can be key. Sure, your drums and cymbals have to sound great. But what use are they if they fall down or break mid-session? In this article, I’m going to help you avoid those pitfalls by going …
Sticks are sticks, right? As long as they’re straight, shouldn’t they do the job? What’s the difference between 2B and 7A anyway? If these questions sound familiar, you’re not alone. Drumsticks come in a surprising array of shapes, sizes, weights, and even materials. So how do you know which ones to choose? Sure, you can …
Choosing the right drums can be a big headache. After all, there are color, style, pieces and sizes, brands, heads, and hardware all to consider. But if you don’t seriously consider your drum shells, you’re missing out on the defining feature of your drums. Shells define the sound of a drum set more than just …
“The drummer’s missing!” Normally, that would be a very bad thing to hear. Conjuring up images of over-partying, kidnapping, or even more sinister scenes. On the other hand, if you’re waiting in the wings, it could be your chance to dash out on stage and save the day. If you know the songs, that is. …
Are you just starting out in the drumming world? Perhaps you’re already drumming but want to expand your repertoire or just get hip to the lingo. Whatever your goals, we’re here to learn about the amazing variety of different types of drums out there. Drums give us a beat and bring people together. Furthermore, they …
Different Types of Drums – The Ultimate Guide for Beginners Read More »
Odd time signatures can be a drummer’s biggest headache or a math rockers greatest delight. But what do we even mean by odd time signatures, and why would anyone ever use them? The simple fact is that music is about repetition. Without some structure, we wouldn’t really have music anymore, just some arrhythmic chaos. You …
