Though drum kits might seem complex to set up, setting one up is actually much simpler than it seems and takes only minutes for completion.
Before playing any sport or exercise, it is also crucial that your body is warmed up appropriately and that ear protection is worn; otherwise you could injure yourself and risk your hearing.
WHAT DO I NEED TO GET STARTED?
There are various methods of learning drums, from online video tutorials to one-on-one lessons with a teacher. But for most people, consistent practice can be the key to long-term success in drumming – having a routine helps focus on improvement while making it easier to stick with the process.
Drummers need to keep time, so a metronome is an invaluable aid for new drummers. While simple metronomes exist that simply count off beats, those with real potential should invest in more sophisticated gear like Roland kits which offer practice modes to guide and develop their abilities.
Electronic drum kits feature a small footprint and are more quiet than their acoustic counterparts, which makes them great if you live with others and don’t want to disturb the neighbors. Furthermore, having an electronic kit provides shy drummers an outlet to practice without worry that anyone might hear their playing in their room; simply by playing quietly inside.
Most electronic drum kits feature a module (the brain of the kit), connected by wires to drum pads of various materials ranging from old plastic ones that were hard on your wrists to current rubber ones that mimic an acoustic mylar drum head in terms of feel and sound quality. Modern kits often offer multiple triggers so you can utilize more than just pads when playing an e-drum set.
All these components need to communicate, so most e-drums have a MIDI in socket where you can plug a cable from your kit into an audio interface or DAW, allowing you to control its samples within your music software and use its samples on another drum pad connected via MIDI Out. Some modules even offer another drum pad with its own MIDI Out socket so both will play the same sounds that their kit does!
Most electronic drums feature a headphone jack for listening to what they are playing, which is helpful if you practice at night and need to hear what you are doing, or are unhappy with your sound quality.
WHEN DO I NEED TO PRACTICE?
Beginners need to practice drumming regularly if they hope to develop their drumming skills and muscle memory, which in turn will allow for faster playing speeds. Try to devote at least 15 minutes a day or more if possible; using backing tracks or metronome can also help to develop timing; many electronic drums include features to support this development process so it is wise to seek out one with similar functionality.
As your skill develops, recording your drumming may become necessary in order to assess its progress or share it with others. While acoustic drums can be prohibitively costly when it comes to recording them, most electronic kits offer easy recording options using either the built-in recording function or connecting via USB to a laptop – some even feature microphone input for even more natural sounds!
Your electronic kit requires drumsticks as well. Newcomers often opt for wooden sticks which are easier to grip and provide natural feeling instruments. To maximize control, try holding each stick so your thumb rests behind the soft part in the middle while your first two fingers rest atop and your third below; this tripod grip gives maximum control.
Electronic drum kits contain various sizes of drum pads, making it important to begin with a basic setup before progressing to more complex ones. Beginners should strive for one pad per drum in the kit as well as separate pads for snare and cymbal playback to mimic real life experience, and speed up learning processes.
Ideally, the ideal electronic drums will offer features to facilitate learning and development for beginner drummers, such as training functions and demo songs built-in to the kit. Roland’s TD-07 kit comes equipped with preset drum sounds for quick start up as well as an advanced module giving users complete control over the sound of their e-kit.
WHY ARE ELECTRONIC DRUMS BETTER FOR PRACTICE?
Electronic drum kits tend to be less costly and space-consuming than their acoustic counterparts, making them perfect for beginners with limited resources or space. Furthermore, many electronic kits feature educational features such as built-in metronomes, drum lessons and song tracks to assist with learning four limb independence, rudiments or popular drumbeats.
Beginner electronic drum sets often include headphone compatibility for practice at a low volume without disturbing those nearby, making practicing easier and leading to faster progress. This also gives you greater time spent practicing, leading to more time spent practicing overall and ultimately faster progress.
However, even with the best electronic drum sets there may still be certain limitations compared to an acoustic set. These limitations mostly pertain to how they sound as well as their dynamic range and responsiveness – something newcomers may find challenging to understand as they begin drumming.
One limitation of triggers is their interpretation of how hard or soft an impact hits on a pad, which plays back as sound. While less noticeable on higher-end kits, beginners who cannot detect hard or soft strikes may have trouble hearing differences between harder or softer hits.
Electronic drum kits lack acoustic resonance and rebound compared to their acoustic counterparts, presenting another issue. While beginners might not notice, as you improve your skills they will become increasingly obvious as you switch over to playing on real drums.
While electronic drums are slowly improving to rival acoustic kits in terms of quality and feel, they still can’t match them when it comes to feel and response. This is particularly evident on cheaper electronic kits where rebounding cymbals may feel off when hitting harder; additionally, pads may often feel stiff due to construction materials used which will likely improve as technology improves.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF ELECTRONIC DRUMS?
Home drum kits can be great tools for practice; however, in an apartment environment the volume of an acoustic kit may cause issues with neighbors due to noise travel through walls and cause unnecessary disturbances. Electronic drums offer much quieter playback levels making them the ideal solution for practicing in small spaces while offering built-in practice tools and metronomes designed specifically to help beginners develop their skills more quickly.
Some drummers have reported increased gig opportunities with an electronic drum set due to its convenience: practicing anytime without disturbing others is possible, while recording directly into a computer via its USB MIDI port saves on mics and room acoustics hassles.
Many e-Drum modules are highly configurable, allowing you to adjust their sounds to sound more authentic. This feature is especially important for novice players as the default sounds may seem too artificial and hinder your playing experience. Even cheaper modules offer a decent selection of drum and cymbal sounds that surprisingly resemble real instruments.
Quality pads are another key advantage of an electronic drum set. While cheaper kits often feature plastic pads that produce irritating vibrations and cause stick rebound similar to hitting your kitchen table rather than an acoustic drum head, higher end kits often use mesh pads which are acoustically neutral with minimal latency that respond to strikes of your drumstick just as an acoustic drum kit would.
Another excellent feature of drum modules is their training modes and songs to help improve your drumming skills. Most commonly found songs and training modes include pop, rock, metal, funk and hip hop tracks that can either be recorded into their memory or connected externally as external music players plugged in via USB ports. Song-based exercises provide great ways to practice timing, dynamics and reading drum music notation notation – integral components in any drummer’s arsenal and can make a profound difference to performance!