So a couple of decades ago I had an acoustic kit for a year or so. Never got lessons, just annoyed my college room mates trying to play along (very poorly) to things like The Stone Roses and Pink Floyd! Now, in my 40's, I have finally given in to that itch at the back of my brain which has been there ever since I sold my acoustic kit.
A couple of weeks ago I bought myself and Alesis DM10 Studio kit. Various reasons why I chose that e-kit when everyone says "buy a Roland or a Yamaha". Partly price (basically an un-used kit, with throne, headphones, sticks and Tama Power Glide kick pedal - all for £400) and partly it just seemed that I got so much more for my money. Time will tell whether my logic was good.
Unfortunately, I have probably chosen the worst time in my life to try and learn the drums properly this time. I have a young family and a relatively small house. So, even with an e-kit playing through headphones, it just makes too much noise of an evening while the kids are asleep upstairs and day times when I'm not at work are just taken up with everything else other than drumming.
Right now I am putting in between 30 and 60 mins practice a night on a practice pad I made for myself. Don't laugh, but it's basically an 8" square piece of MDF with an 8" square piece of carpet tile stuck to it, base side up. It works too! The rebound is really rather realistic and it's not noisy at all. I have only really just started as I say so I am on single stroke rolls, double stroke rolls, and paradiddles in various combinations along with a few good exercises I found to help with timing. I'm also really working on my left side which is weak as hell.
So here is my worry. If all I work on is my hands am I on a bit of a hiding to nothing (unless I want to become a drum major in a marching band!). I know building limb independence and timing and all that muscle memory stuff is ultra important but it just worries me that I'm going to end up with only half a job done if I can only occasionally get onto my kit and get used to working round a kit and working my feet? Or am I just trying to run before I can walk?
I plan to do a mesh head conversion (682Drums mesh kits) fairly soon which will help the noise levels but I still don't think it will make them quiet enough for me to be able to practice at night. Maybe I now need to save up for a decent shed for the garden and house my drums there
A couple of weeks ago I bought myself and Alesis DM10 Studio kit. Various reasons why I chose that e-kit when everyone says "buy a Roland or a Yamaha". Partly price (basically an un-used kit, with throne, headphones, sticks and Tama Power Glide kick pedal - all for £400) and partly it just seemed that I got so much more for my money. Time will tell whether my logic was good.
Unfortunately, I have probably chosen the worst time in my life to try and learn the drums properly this time. I have a young family and a relatively small house. So, even with an e-kit playing through headphones, it just makes too much noise of an evening while the kids are asleep upstairs and day times when I'm not at work are just taken up with everything else other than drumming.
Right now I am putting in between 30 and 60 mins practice a night on a practice pad I made for myself. Don't laugh, but it's basically an 8" square piece of MDF with an 8" square piece of carpet tile stuck to it, base side up. It works too! The rebound is really rather realistic and it's not noisy at all. I have only really just started as I say so I am on single stroke rolls, double stroke rolls, and paradiddles in various combinations along with a few good exercises I found to help with timing. I'm also really working on my left side which is weak as hell.
So here is my worry. If all I work on is my hands am I on a bit of a hiding to nothing (unless I want to become a drum major in a marching band!). I know building limb independence and timing and all that muscle memory stuff is ultra important but it just worries me that I'm going to end up with only half a job done if I can only occasionally get onto my kit and get used to working round a kit and working my feet? Or am I just trying to run before I can walk?
I plan to do a mesh head conversion (682Drums mesh kits) fairly soon which will help the noise levels but I still don't think it will make them quiet enough for me to be able to practice at night. Maybe I now need to save up for a decent shed for the garden and house my drums there
