Drummer in College (E-Drums?)

justinthomp

Junior Member
Classic thread... I am a drummer of about 4-5 years, and I just transferred from Community College to a 4-year university. Living in a dorm... no drum set was at the top of their "do not bring" list. I can have an electronic set though... I have 2 to 2+1/2 years left. I was used to living at home, and driving to school, then coming home to play all day/night... whenever I wanted. I'm not in a music school, and there are no clubs or activities for a percussionist.

I've been considering electronic drums like the roland td-6. I'm not real familiar with e-drum sets or modules. I practice a lot of classic rock/jazz chops and a lot of rudiments. I want to get some books and learn some more advanced jazz comping stuff, because I think it will help me the most where I am right now. Is an electronic drumset between 300-500$ responsive enough to satisfy my needs? And if I'm teaching myself new/difficult chops I dont want to despise the drumset.

Are they good to practice jazz on? I know nothing beats a great acoustic set, but for the next two years I need a practice space I can depend on. Will it be a difficult change when I get back to my acoustic set? Any advice is appreciated, and feel free to recommend e-drumsets as well as other practice methods-instruments that I could have in a dorm room.
 
The short answer is "no" on all counts. If you had the top flight V drum kit you'd still hate it.

However, there are those here that believe in making lemonade with your lemon situation of not being able to play at all, so there is some merit to the idea, but not much. I think you'd be better served by a Pearl Rhythm Traveler myself - it's much closer to the real thing in feel and you'd be quieter to your neighbors, and you wouldn't need power.
 
There's no replacement for the real thing, but I live in a condo and picked up a DTXpress kit just to practice on and keep in shape. It's okay, but I'm on the lookout for a rehearsal spot. I don't think I could play on an electronic kit permanently.

The problem I find with electronic kit is the little nuances that come from playing on an acoustic kit don't translate. Like how you hit a cymbal, or where you hit your snare. Things like that. It's fine to practice coordination exercises and whatnot, but definitely not "feel." There's no replacement for the real thing.
 
Thanks for the response. Probably not going to buy an e-kit!
 
Thanks for the response. Probably not going to buy an e-kit!
Wow, a whopping 2 x negative responses and the e-kit is out the door.
FWIW- there are many e-drummers here who could espouse the virtues of having an e-kit but as it seems you've made up your mind already...
 
Wow, a whopping 2 x negative responses and the e-kit is out the door.
FWIW- there are many e-drummers here who could espouse the virtues of having an e-kit but as it seems you've made up your mind already...

Yup. Agreed. The traditional lack of respect, misleading, and frankly completely unbalanced (and slighly unhinged sounding) view of E-Drums comes forth.

I've had an Ekit a couple of years now for home practice and wouldn't change it (for home practice) for the world.

It's only a cheap one...but it serves a purpose superbly.

In terms of feel....the cymbals feel wholely different....I could change them for the brass surge e-cymbals but can't afford to do so.

The drums themselves.....don't feel as different to playing my acoustic kit as some people here are trying to suggest especially given, as a gigging drummer, the different quality and variations on drum kits played anyway.

For example, my E-Drums feel a whole lot better to play than many venue, back line, drum kits I've played on.
 
I live in a student flat (9th floor). Without my E-kit I would not be able to practice at all. There simply aren't any practice spaces nearby (that don't cost me a fortune). I object to the notion that E-kits are worthless, and that they somehow make you lose your touch. A good kit has a proper dynamic response, and heads that you can tune to various levels of bouncyness. With a bit of tweaking you can get very very far.

That said, the main issue with E-kits is the loss of tonal " color ". You have control over dynamics, but control of the quality of sound is limited. Price is also an issue, if you want a good kit expect to pay something along the lines of 1200$.

My take home message is, E-kits can be really practical. Just a tad expensive. If you had to choose between 2 days of acoustic kit practice and 7 days of E-kit practice, I'd got for 7 days of E-kit practice.
 
I faced the same situation when I lived in Army barracks. I also faced it again living in an apartment. My recommedation would be to find a good used E kit. Like others have mentioned a steady practice routine on an E kit is better than fewer practice sessions on a live kit.

You might also try to strike up a deal with a band that has a practice space, look into studio rentals that are equipped with a drum set, or perhaps find a small cheap storage unit to house an acoustic kit.
 
I had a DTXPress IV during 4-5 years while in university a decade ago. Served me very well for practice during those years living in a dorm room. I had to build a "stage" to put them on however, since you'll always have some form of noise coming from your footwork and pedals, resonating in the structures. Nowadays I have a fully fledged DTX900 and love it. I also have an acoustic Gretsch Renown and the tiny Pearl Rhythm Traveler for minor gigs, but none of those gets that much playing time because of the sheer acoustic volume (and having them set up in different locations in this town).
 
Back
Top