The Drumometer is a device that counts the number of strokes played in a given amount of time.
The unit comes with a cable, trigger, and two wingnuts for mounting it on a cymbal stand. It also includes one piece of double-sided tape(for the trigger), and a piece of velcro to anchor the other side of the trigger. It does not come with a drum pad as shown in the picture below. It is also the unit used by the Guinness Book of World Records to measure the speed for the World's Fastest Drummer (WFD) competition.
Does it work?
Yes, it does. We first set the Drumometer to count for one second. Our guinea pig drummer then proceeded to blast away as fast as he could and got 16 strokes. He then tried again and got 17 strokes. Upon repeating this process, he eventually hit 20 strokes a second a couple of times. But his average was 17-18 stokes. This was a a lot of fun, especially when we had 3-4 drummers doing it in a circle.
Wanting to go further, we set the Drumometer to 5, 10, and 60 seconds. Playing for 60 seconds is the ultimate challenge; It separates the men from the boys! It is also the length of time used by the WFD. The Drumometer is sensitive and it does pick up doubles and buzzes. You really have to try to play clean in order to get an accurate reading.
Is it good for drum instructors?
Jim Richman, full time drum instructor at Mars Music, use it during his lessons, and here's what he had to say:
"The Drumometer has opened the eyes of all my students. They now understand the art of technique. With younger kids, even adults, working on single stroke rolls can be extremely boring, even to the point of quitting. But the drumometer made it fun. I keep a big chart posted on the wall of the studio with all the students scores. I make sure to count any doubles or buzzed strokes and subtract them from their totals. The Drumometer has really given me the opportunity to do a reality check with all my students. I can see which ones are lazy, and which ones have technical problems."
The Drumometer is a worthwhile investment.
When used with a metronome at the same time, you can really push your technique to the limit.
And it is a LOT of fun!
Where to buy and more information:
http://www.drumometer.com/
