Drums are a subset of percussion instruments played by beating a "head" stretched over a hollow "shell."
3
votes
6answers
409 views
What websites offer good and trustworthy free online drum lessons?
As a beginning drummer I'm looking around on the web to see if there are any free online (video, website, ebook) drum lessons available for beginners. As with everything the internet is full of good ...
2
votes
2answers
38 views
Drumkit maintenance
I was reading questions randomly and this one grabbed my attention:
Piano Maintenance
Accordingly, you put glasses of water in the piano to help keep the humidity steady, so that its wood lasts ...
7
votes
2answers
42 views
Drumsticks: Nylon Tip vs Wooden Tip
I am curious about the differences between Nylon Tip and Wooden Tip.
What are the pros and cons of these two?
3
votes
1answer
37 views
What are the differences between coated drumheads and clear drumheads?
What are the differences between clear drumheads and coated drumheads?
Do they have different purposes?
2
votes
2answers
79 views
Drums - Having trouble playing bass 16th notes
The title is an understatement. I've been trying for months, and I can't for the life of me play bass drum 16th notes while playing 8th notes on the hi-hat. I can play snare 16th notes and hi-hat 8th ...
4
votes
3answers
164 views
Drum set made from towels/pillows
I'm a drummer who lives in an apartment. I have an electric set, but it is too noisy and I am receiving complaints. I'm sure this has to do with the pads and the kick pedal. I'd still like to practice ...
3
votes
5answers
354 views
Common drum rhythm index
I'm looking for an index of common rhythms. This video shows basically what I had in mind, only it is for the bass.
I'm pretty sure there has to be names and a list somewhere for the common rhythms ...
6
votes
1answer
132 views
Sources for sight-reading exercises that focus on subdivisions (emphasis on drums)
As is the case for all drummers, for me, it's a great fun to find weird rhythmic patterns and to practice over basic beats to create some tension in the straight sections of various songs. However, ...
8
votes
3answers
325 views
Is a very cheap drum kit an impediment to learning?
A national discount chain is offering an adult drumkit for £50 (about US$80).
I've often fancied getting my hand in as a drummer. I don't ever expect drums to be my main instrument, but I would like ...
3
votes
2answers
61 views
What do I need to know about drums as an electric metal guitar player
My questions are as follows ...
As A guitarist (Mostly electric with heavy distortion) what minimum knowledge of drums do I need to be able to create or chose drums beats that suits the song I am ...
6
votes
3answers
85 views
Learning drum parts by components (each hand and each foot) versus by timeslices
I would like to take drum lessons but unfortunately my schedule doesn't permit it. I know there are many resources online but I'm not sure how long it'd take me to find an answer to my specific ...
1
vote
1answer
41 views
Create deep bass effect like Osmos for iPad soundtrack
I was playing the game Osmos for iPad, and the soundtrack creates a low bass that vibrates my iPad. How do I achieve this effect? Here is the Link to the music . ( Soundtrack name : Gas Discovery) ...
7
votes
4answers
186 views
Electronic drums in apartment
I'm a drummer and recently moved into an apartment with high ceilings and hardwood floors. I have a Roland TD-4. I've been researching for ways to be able to practice quietly without disturbing my ...
5
votes
2answers
72 views
What is the standard closed hi hat hit notation?
So far I've been able to find standard notation for the hi hat hit and hi hat pedal hit but it its not clear to me what is the closed hi hat notation. As i understand, normal hi hat hit is on the G2 ...
5
votes
5answers
1k views
What are the pros and cons of Traditional Grip vs. Matched Grip for snare and drumset?
So far I've just been learning matched grip for my snare and drumset playing, but I see of lot of people using traditional grip as well. I'm curious, what are some of the pros and cons of matched vs. ...
8
votes
6answers
195 views
How to close the gap between ideas and capabilities when improvising?
I'm a drumset player. I just finished a B.A. in Percussion Performance, marched 4 years of DCI drum & bugle corps, and am now working on a degree in jazz studies. As I've begun to play more and ...
7
votes
2answers
224 views
What factors affect the loudness of a drum?
Is it the size of the drum?
The width?
The length?
Particular body materials?
Particular head materials?
Given that there are a hundred different kinds of drums in the world with very different ...
-2
votes
3answers
104 views
Drum machine with an API (Ruby would be awesome!) [closed]
I'm looking for a software drum machine that's easy to work with programatically. My goal is to use this as an intelligent metronome for creating drills to practice against.
Simplistically, I want ...
-1
votes
1answer
73 views
Looking for more free resources for learning to play the Bodhran [closed]
I've started playing the Bodhran a few months ago. I found some useful tutorials on youtube, but I'm now stuck, always playing the same basic rhythms.
I really like to play this jig rhythm (
...
28
votes
6answers
12k views
Is there a “standard” or “typical” drum kit layout?
I am dipping my toes in the water of getting a "real" drum kit -- by drumming standards, it's still pretty crap since it's (basically) the Alesis DM6 entry level electronic drum kit. But one thing I ...
1
vote
1answer
84 views
How can I increase BPM so the perceived increase in tempo is always the same?
I have a curious request. I'm a drummer, and I sometimes practice by setting my metronome to increase 1BPM every 2 measures. At first, the increase is very slow, almost unnoticeable, and it takes a ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Rhythm/Drum exercises without drums
I am a 24 year old computer engineering student who just have started playing drums. I spend on avarage 1 hour on bus to school and 40-60 min on exercise like running, biking, etc every day. My point ...
6
votes
3answers
120 views
What do multiple l's and r's beneath a note mean?
I do a tad of drumming, but not enough at all to call myself a drummer (or anything close). I understand what a R or a L means under a note, but i'm not sure what two or three under each note means. I ...
2
votes
1answer
51 views
How can I learn foot-from-hand and foot-from-beat independence on the drums?
Similar to How can I significantly improve my hand independence on piano?, I'm wondering how I can improve the independence of my feet from my hands. I have not done much drumming but this was an ...
11
votes
3answers
211 views
Basic Punk Rhythm Guitar--Snare Feels Like Down Beat
I'm a pretty good guitarist, and I can play some tricky rhythms (weird time signatures, syncopation, some of the easier djent stuff) but I've always had trouble when my drummer starts to play anything ...
5
votes
2answers
172 views
Understanding the rhythmic structure of a song
I have played drums for a few months. Currently, I play for myself. I do exercises from stick control, but I also want to 'play along' to songs.
Given a song A, how do I start playing along? By ear? ...
0
votes
1answer
62 views
Extract midi files from Roland electronic drums
I was wondering whether it is possible to 'download' all the midi files (songs and especially kits (individual sounds)) of Roland V-drums.
Thank you
13
votes
3answers
401 views
How can I develop an interesting or challenging 8-Beat rock rhythm?
The band I play with generally wants a simple 8-beat rhythm but I can find it a bit boring to play! So I'm looking for suggestions/tips/sheet music/video on how to develop a standard 8-beat drum ...
14
votes
3answers
971 views
How to properly tune drum heads?
I would like to know if there are any tips on tuning drumheads; I keep hearing harmonics.
6
votes
1answer
238 views
How to do a finger roll on a doumbek
So, I've just started playing the doumbek. I've started trying to pick up finger rolls, but they don't have the same ring or intensity as my tek or ka strokes. While this is probably to be expected ...
-1
votes
3answers
231 views
Rave drum loops like Netsky?
I want to start making some rave music. I listened to a few songs which seamed to share a nearly identical beat. (listen to Black & Blue - Miike Snow (Netsky Remix) for an example. I've been ...
2
votes
3answers
262 views
What keys are associated to what drums when connecting keyboard to Roland electronic drum via MIDI?
How do I know which key to press on my keyboard to get the kick drum or the cymbals for example ?
6
votes
4answers
1k views
Should I retrain myself to be a right handed drummer?
I'm in a slightly strange situation. I have been playing the piano ever since I was a kid, and have in recent years taken an interest in drumming. Not having consistent access to a real drum kit, I ...
2
votes
5answers
240 views
Will changing my grip help avoid wrist pain?
I've been playing drums for about ten years and have recently started playing more long gigs (3+ hours, with breaks). Sometimes, as the night wears on, I'll get intense pain in one wrist; it's ...
1
vote
4answers
204 views
I need some exercises for beginning drum-bass technique
I'd like to find some exercises for beginning double drum-bass.
Do you have any links to suggest?
13
votes
4answers
371 views
How do you successfully share another drummer's kit at a show?
The typical indie band showcase has 2 or 3 bands on a bill, and it usually makes logistic sense to share a backline (drums, bass amp, and maybe guitar amps). Some stage managers, or entire festivals, ...
5
votes
2answers
255 views
Can old batter heads be used as resonant heads?
Is it possible to use old worn-out drum batter heads as resonant heads? I have a couple of heads that have dents in them, and are sounding pretty crap, and I'm wondering if it's worth using them as ...
1
vote
1answer
141 views
How to use MIDI and electronic drumset
I have an electric drumkit (Roland V-drums TD9-kx) and it has a MIDI-out. I also have a Tascam interface (US-122MKII). I have used these two to record songs, but I recorded via an audio input. For ...
4
votes
1answer
117 views
What characterizes ragtime drumming?
I listen to a lot ragtime pieces played by brass bands. What generally characterizes the drumming? Which elements of the drumset are used more and which aren't used as much?
7
votes
2answers
386 views
When playing drums behind the beat, what instruments define the actual beat?
As a drummer, I'm trying to improve my micro-time to put more feeling in the grooves I play. For certain songs (ballads for example), you usually try to get a "laid-back" feeling by playing slightly ...
4
votes
1answer
140 views
What characterises Irish drumming?
A bunch of my friends are into Irish music, including irish punk/rock (like the Pogues), as well as more folky stuff. I play (kit) drums, and would like to be able join in. I've tried, but I'm not ...
1
vote
2answers
85 views
What device to buy nowadays, for adding drum sounds to songs? [closed]
(the title needs to be reprhased somehow...)
I currently own :
- a Godin guitar
- a Roland GR-20
- a Novation UltraNova
- a Yamaha V50
- a computer :)
What device would it be the most wise to buy to ...
3
votes
2answers
154 views
What differences with an acoustic kit should a new drummer keep in mind when starting on an electric kit
After years as a bass player I'm thinking of getting an eletric drum kit and learning how to play. (I want to play an electric kit because I'm often home late and want to be able to practise without ...
2
votes
1answer
205 views
What pitches are marching band bass drums tuned to?
What pitch are tuned bass drums? Obviously it can vary, but I'm just looking for a ball-park range. For example, there's two pictures of marching band bass drums on the wikipedia bass drum page: what ...
7
votes
5answers
512 views
tips for writing the drum notes to a song in a band
I play the drums in a band, and the song has already been written and everything that the vocalist, guitarist and bassist will play. The drums were left out and I have to write them to fit the song.
...
0
votes
3answers
577 views
Where could I find songs where the drums are muted (to play along on an electrical drum set)?
I own an electrical drum set (a Roland TD-9K, as seen here) which has some pre-set songs in the computer to play along with. In these songs you can mute the drums if you want. You can also connect an ...
1
vote
0answers
52 views
Canonical drumming books? [closed]
What are the canonical drumming books? In particular, I'm thinking of western-style kit drumming, for rock, jazz, roots, and related styles (ie. not hand-drumming. Can include non-western music ...
3
votes
4answers
822 views
Cajon as Alternative to Drum Set?
The first time I saw this Cajon drum is during a performance by a band in a shopping mall. The band uses keyboard, guitar, violin and a Cajon. I though that box is actually a digital drum kit. And ...
2
votes
3answers
342 views
How to understand layering of multiple elements in composition (pop/jazz)
I'm trying to understand more about how to compose music and most importantly combine multiple instruments at the same time.
I'm quite capable of composing a bass-line, chord progression, or main ...
8
votes
5answers
490 views
Keeping both hands (and arms) strong for better stick control
Since there aren't many drumming or percussion related questions, I will start this out with one of my own. As a drummer of almost 20 years, I still have a weaker left hand (and arm), despite trying ...
