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I Wanna Learn How to Play Drums!!

washedinblack91washedinblack91 Posts: 3,078
edited September 2008 in Musicians and Gearheads
i've been wanting to play drums for a good long while now. but i know nothing about them. i dont even know what theyre all called, like, hi hats and tom toms and.. bass drum and... drum drums... i just know that when i listen to good drums it just puts me in a whole other realm.. i want to get drums but i mean, decent drums have to be about like... 1k+ or something crazy like that, no? i mean i dont really care about quality right now, i just want to bang away and have sound come out, you know? but whats the difference between drum kits that are $800 and one thats $300? (am i even using the right terminology? :o) i know some of them have like, more drums and whatever, but say i compare a regular 5 piece and another 5 piece, one worth $800 and another worth $300. is there a difference? oh and i forgot about cymbals... all i know is how zildjian is made because of that show how it's made... oy.. any and all info about drums for a beginner is perfect :)
PJ: 9/29/04, 5/12/06, 5/13/06, 6/22/08, 6/24/08, 6/25/08, 6/27/08, 6/30/08, 10/30/09, 10/31/09, 5/18/10, 5/20/10, 5/21/10, 9/3/11, 9/4/11, 10/18/13, 8/7/16
eV: 8/4/08, 8/5/08, 6/21/11
SG: 10/4/08<-- MET STONE!!!
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • PatrickBatemanPatrickBateman Posts: 2,243
    I was going to suggest craiglist but you said you dont know a thing about drums and I wouldn't want you to get ripped off. ( I have seen selling used Pearl Forums for $900) Do you have any music shops near you that sell used equipment? Sometimes you can find good deals. For cymbals you may want to start off with a decent set of hi-hats and a ride cymbal you can save a TON by buying used. If you are going to get new and want to save money look into Paiste PST5 starter sets.

    The difference between 300 and 800 and 8000 dollars is quality/type of wood, how well the bearing edge is cut, quality/type of hardware, and finish. Seeing that you don't or even know the differnece of sound between Birch and say maple, I would say look at hardware quality.
    If a man speaks in a forest and there is no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?
  • kitfookitfoo Posts: 125
    I would suggest going to your local drum shop, if you have one, and talk to them. They can clue you in on all the lingo, and what price ranges you'd be looking at for a set. Before you buy a set, you might want to get some lessons to even see if you want to continue. Coordination is a must. Some people have it, some don't. It's better to spend $50 on a few lessons and find you don't want to do it, than spend $500 on a set, and then have to try and sell it.
  • Brisk.Brisk. Posts: 11,557
    must want to watch this then

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgeX9iYOFSQ
  • who's_pearljam?who's_pearljam? Posts: 2,104
    I BrisK I wrote:
    must want to watch this then

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgeX9iYOFSQ

    Cool that you bring this up! Today was his birthday. Sept 30th and he would have been 91 years old.
    I like this video :D :

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erE8WTngaAY&feature=related
    Be kind, man
    Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
    __________________________________
  • Brisk.Brisk. Posts: 11,557
    http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=304614
    http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=304614http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=304614
    http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=304614
    http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=304614
    http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=304614
    http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=304614
    http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=304614
    http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=304614
    http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=304614http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=304614http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=304614http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=304614

    yeah that vid is cool
  • xtremehardy388xtremehardy388 Posts: 2,759
    Pearl Forums are what our drummer bought-never drummed a day in his life. Well, now, three months later, he's crusin' along and you wouldn't know he's such a novice. I'd suggest the forums, they sound great!
    Grand Rapids '04, Detroit '06
    JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
    "Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
  • washedinblack91washedinblack91 Posts: 3,078
    thanks for all the advice! i'll def go somewhere near me where they have that kind of stuff :D i saw a minute of that video and my god! i can only watch a minute at a time otherwise i get happiness overload :D it was almost like the first time i heard geddy lee perform...
    i was actually looking at craigslist cuz i figure thered be some cheap ones for sale and there are, but i didnt know if i was being ripped off or what..
    oh and i wanna know, do i have to hold the drum stick like that? i play rock band and i hold them both the same way, not like a pencil or whatever..
    and i actually really like playing rock band. i know some people say "hey why dont you play a real guitar!" or something lame like that, but you know what? i love that game and guitar hero. i'm listening to songs i never would have discovered had it not been for those games, im discovering parts of songs i never would have heard of if it wasn't for the emphasis they add to allow people to hear what they have to play. i'm also learning rhythm and how to stay on beat and i'm also building stamina.. say what you want about it but those games actually made me want to try and play drums :) plus, its how we found out my dad can NOT keep the beat when playing drums and i can :D
    i can't wait to go and talk to go to a music store and ask people there! thanks!
    PJ: 9/29/04, 5/12/06, 5/13/06, 6/22/08, 6/24/08, 6/25/08, 6/27/08, 6/30/08, 10/30/09, 10/31/09, 5/18/10, 5/20/10, 5/21/10, 9/3/11, 9/4/11, 10/18/13, 8/7/16
    eV: 8/4/08, 8/5/08, 6/21/11
    SG: 10/4/08<-- MET STONE!!!
  • ianvomsaalianvomsaal Posts: 1,224
    simple, go get some lessons . . .
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  • PatrickBatemanPatrickBateman Posts: 2,243
    Get a metronome and counting out loud can help you with your timing.
    start tapping at your desk:

    1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and
    1+a 2+a 3+a 4+a
    1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a

    I would agree about taking a couple lessons first before buying a drumkit or at least going to a shop where they sell drums.

    hahah....something I still remember from music class in elementary school with drums which is using the names of cars (syllables)to define the notes.
    tap to the syllables of this to see what I mean:
    Ford Ford Pontiac Ford
    Maserati Maserati chevy ford

    sounds dumb but I remember that from almost 20 years ago

    OH and don't worry about people giving you crap for rock band. I hear my son tapping away in perfect rhythm along to every song on expert mode. He needs to work on fills though as he just goes apeshit with no rhyme or reason. He is starting real drum lessons tomorrow. I would teach him, but is is difficult with a full house.
    If a man speaks in a forest and there is no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?
  • Red LukinRed Lukin Posts: 2,994
    rudiments, rudiments, rudiments

    Practice those for a few months...form there you will be on your way to being a great drummer.

    Also, don't worry about speed (that will come), but thinking about timing and feel. Yes that doesn't make sense now but good drumming is all about timing and feel, and of course playing for the music.

    For a kit I suggest picking up a used kit and used cymbals...form there save some $ and get new drums and cymbals you want (assuming you stuck with playing). The reason I suggest used is I had no clue what I wanted when I bought my first kit. At least when you have a cheap kit you'll be able to shop around, try out new kits, and get the one you want.

    Good luck - drumming is fuckin fun - I love it!
  • washedinblack91washedinblack91 Posts: 3,078
    thanks for all your help! :)
    PJ: 9/29/04, 5/12/06, 5/13/06, 6/22/08, 6/24/08, 6/25/08, 6/27/08, 6/30/08, 10/30/09, 10/31/09, 5/18/10, 5/20/10, 5/21/10, 9/3/11, 9/4/11, 10/18/13, 8/7/16
    eV: 8/4/08, 8/5/08, 6/21/11
    SG: 10/4/08<-- MET STONE!!!
  • RolandTD20KdrummerRolandTD20Kdrummer Posts: 13,066
    rudiments http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments.html

    Might as well get pointed in this direction early, it will get you "there" faster. Work on the timing aka "the groove factor" just to get your arms and legs moving best you can, but also set apart some time on a practice pad with tunes for tempo. Try to aim for being able to switch between the various rudiments seamlessly without any noticeable variation in sound, or timing.

    For example...

    Paradiddle
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msykgQnoZ14&feature=related

    Six stroke roll
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnwsm1Fkj-4
    Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
    and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
    over specific principles, goals, and policies.

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  • yosi1yosi1 Posts: 3,272
    ianvomsaal wrote:
    simple, go get some lessons . . .

    Yup. Don't know why some people (and I'm not necessarily saying the OP is), are so opposed to this.
    you couldn't swing if you were hangin' from a palm tree in a hurricane.
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