Hi,
Thanks in advance for any help!
The short(er) -
I teach music for a living (mainly piano and guitar) and want to upgrade from my 2nd electric kit, a Yamaha DTX-450K. I currently have a couple of early elementary school aged drum students, and I also often play the drums along with my other students to help them keep better time and start getting ready to play in groups.
Though I have a fairly large, downstairs, daylight basement music studio, I need to keep the sound down to a “reasonable” level, so I don’t annoy my lovely wife who already hears music coming through the floor from the basement studio at least 6 days a week. I have a large grand piano in the studio, so it doesn’t need to be super quiet, but I need to keep most of the sound downstairs and below the “drums easily cut through walls level” you often hear when people are practicing. I don’t want to build a soundproof room or area, because I enjoy the open feel of the studio, and it would make it harder to play and instruct students during lessons.
I’d like to spend $1500 or less, but could spend up to $2000 for a great sounding set up that will last a while. I’m planning on looking around and buying lightly used gear (like I usually do) to get more for my money, but I can do something else if there’s a good reason.
The long -
I’ve been playing music since I was 12 years old (I’m now in my late 40s) and teaching private music lessons for a living for almost my entire adult life. So, I like to think I have good enough ears to hear “quality” sound, but I’m not a snob about it. If something cheaper gets the job done - great!
I started teaching drums about 2 years ago as a favor to a student’s family who’s younger, 4 year old son wanted to try playing drums. I bought a cheap, electronic (Simmons I think) kit from Craigslist and started teaching him basic stuff. He took a break for a while, but is now taking lessons again and working on basic rock beats at 6 years old. Other student’s families saw the electronic drum set and wanted to know if I taught drums (“Yes, (very) beginning.” Was my answer). So, I picked up a couple of more students that way.
I moved on from the Simmons kit when it started occasionally missing on more complicated rock beats. I then upgraded to the Yamaha kit I have now. It has decent sounds, but after improving a bit more, I’ve realized the rubber pads and cymbals don’t really have very much feel. (Perhaps that took longer than it should have for me to realize … LOL.)
A couple of days ago, I passed on buying a barely used, Roland TD-17KVX V with high hat stand, kick pedal and amp for $1450. I knew I should buy it if I wanted a better electric kit, but I realized that’s not what I want. I went to Guitar Center afterward, and the nice saleswoman let me try out the sound drilled Zildjian cymbals they had set up in one of the music lesson rooms. What a revelation! A cymbal with feel, actual different physical parts, and a difference in sound with wood or nylon tipped drum sticks.
Anyway, obviously electronic drums have come a long way in the last few decades and have some advantages (similar to keyboards/digital pianos), but they aren’t the same as an acoustic kit. To paraphrase the great, Joe Zawinul “I play keyboards not to replace the piano, but to give me different sounds to use and express myself.”
I’m hoping besides recommending some basic gear I should look at, that you can help me get the kit quiet enough, but not any softer than it needs to be. Hopefully, that way I retain as much quality sound as possible. From online and YouTube research, I’ve found the following sound reduction strategies, listed from more mild to more extreme –
Lighter drumsticks played with a lighter touch
The Pro Mark Hot Rod style drum sticks
Darker/Extra Dry cymbals
The couple inch thick, outer edge, drum head, lay on Evans pieces
Drilled cymbals
Silent stoke (or not quite as quiet) drum heads
Rubber practice pads over the drum heads
Am I missing some important ones? Are some of these not worth bothering with?
Obviously, I’d like to test them all out, but most drum shops don’t set up their nice, display kits with silent stroke heads … LOL. I felt like the drilled cymbals were softer than I needed them to be, especially the crash (it’s a crash cymbal after all!), but when I played the snare in the Guitar Center practice room, I (much less my wife) found myself thinking “Holy crap this is loud!” It was a pretty small practice room, though I think the walls and ceiling were carpeted.
I have enough space that the footprint of the drum kit shouldn’t be much of an issue. I’m mainly playing rock (at lower volumes) and learning basic jazz beats. I imagine I’ll be playing even more jazz before too long, because I’ve done that on other instruments. The kit is pretty much for my home studio use. I already play with my students and may jam with others or move it to a jam session, but I don’t see myself gigging or recording with it in the near future. Should I buy a jazz or smaller (drum size) kit and just play rock on it too, since I’m not gigging, using this as an effective way to get high quality sound at a lower volume?
Are there any drum shops in the greater Seattle area you recommend visiting? West Coast Drum Shop looks cool, but Bellevue isn’t usually the cheapest part of town to buy things in. Though, I have no problem paying a bit extra to music shops staffed with music lovers who know what they’re doing and help you find the right gear.
If you’ve made it this far, thanks! I know this is a giant tome of a post, but please let me know if I’ve left out any important information that would help you make a recommendation. And again, thanks for any help! I'm really enjoying learning a new instrument.
Thanks in advance for any help!
The short(er) -
I teach music for a living (mainly piano and guitar) and want to upgrade from my 2nd electric kit, a Yamaha DTX-450K. I currently have a couple of early elementary school aged drum students, and I also often play the drums along with my other students to help them keep better time and start getting ready to play in groups.
Though I have a fairly large, downstairs, daylight basement music studio, I need to keep the sound down to a “reasonable” level, so I don’t annoy my lovely wife who already hears music coming through the floor from the basement studio at least 6 days a week. I have a large grand piano in the studio, so it doesn’t need to be super quiet, but I need to keep most of the sound downstairs and below the “drums easily cut through walls level” you often hear when people are practicing. I don’t want to build a soundproof room or area, because I enjoy the open feel of the studio, and it would make it harder to play and instruct students during lessons.
I’d like to spend $1500 or less, but could spend up to $2000 for a great sounding set up that will last a while. I’m planning on looking around and buying lightly used gear (like I usually do) to get more for my money, but I can do something else if there’s a good reason.
The long -
I’ve been playing music since I was 12 years old (I’m now in my late 40s) and teaching private music lessons for a living for almost my entire adult life. So, I like to think I have good enough ears to hear “quality” sound, but I’m not a snob about it. If something cheaper gets the job done - great!
I started teaching drums about 2 years ago as a favor to a student’s family who’s younger, 4 year old son wanted to try playing drums. I bought a cheap, electronic (Simmons I think) kit from Craigslist and started teaching him basic stuff. He took a break for a while, but is now taking lessons again and working on basic rock beats at 6 years old. Other student’s families saw the electronic drum set and wanted to know if I taught drums (“Yes, (very) beginning.” Was my answer). So, I picked up a couple of more students that way.
I moved on from the Simmons kit when it started occasionally missing on more complicated rock beats. I then upgraded to the Yamaha kit I have now. It has decent sounds, but after improving a bit more, I’ve realized the rubber pads and cymbals don’t really have very much feel. (Perhaps that took longer than it should have for me to realize … LOL.)
A couple of days ago, I passed on buying a barely used, Roland TD-17KVX V with high hat stand, kick pedal and amp for $1450. I knew I should buy it if I wanted a better electric kit, but I realized that’s not what I want. I went to Guitar Center afterward, and the nice saleswoman let me try out the sound drilled Zildjian cymbals they had set up in one of the music lesson rooms. What a revelation! A cymbal with feel, actual different physical parts, and a difference in sound with wood or nylon tipped drum sticks.
Anyway, obviously electronic drums have come a long way in the last few decades and have some advantages (similar to keyboards/digital pianos), but they aren’t the same as an acoustic kit. To paraphrase the great, Joe Zawinul “I play keyboards not to replace the piano, but to give me different sounds to use and express myself.”
I’m hoping besides recommending some basic gear I should look at, that you can help me get the kit quiet enough, but not any softer than it needs to be. Hopefully, that way I retain as much quality sound as possible. From online and YouTube research, I’ve found the following sound reduction strategies, listed from more mild to more extreme –
Lighter drumsticks played with a lighter touch
The Pro Mark Hot Rod style drum sticks
Darker/Extra Dry cymbals
The couple inch thick, outer edge, drum head, lay on Evans pieces
Drilled cymbals
Silent stoke (or not quite as quiet) drum heads
Rubber practice pads over the drum heads
Am I missing some important ones? Are some of these not worth bothering with?
Obviously, I’d like to test them all out, but most drum shops don’t set up their nice, display kits with silent stroke heads … LOL. I felt like the drilled cymbals were softer than I needed them to be, especially the crash (it’s a crash cymbal after all!), but when I played the snare in the Guitar Center practice room, I (much less my wife) found myself thinking “Holy crap this is loud!” It was a pretty small practice room, though I think the walls and ceiling were carpeted.
I have enough space that the footprint of the drum kit shouldn’t be much of an issue. I’m mainly playing rock (at lower volumes) and learning basic jazz beats. I imagine I’ll be playing even more jazz before too long, because I’ve done that on other instruments. The kit is pretty much for my home studio use. I already play with my students and may jam with others or move it to a jam session, but I don’t see myself gigging or recording with it in the near future. Should I buy a jazz or smaller (drum size) kit and just play rock on it too, since I’m not gigging, using this as an effective way to get high quality sound at a lower volume?
Are there any drum shops in the greater Seattle area you recommend visiting? West Coast Drum Shop looks cool, but Bellevue isn’t usually the cheapest part of town to buy things in. Though, I have no problem paying a bit extra to music shops staffed with music lovers who know what they’re doing and help you find the right gear.
If you’ve made it this far, thanks! I know this is a giant tome of a post, but please let me know if I’ve left out any important information that would help you make a recommendation. And again, thanks for any help! I'm really enjoying learning a new instrument.