Drum Beginner

R

reita_bass

New member
hi folks. i jus started drumming and i hacve a few questions..
1) regarding drum tuning, should i buy a drum tuner to help since my hearing power isnt sharp?
2) where can i buy good cymbals? i have a drum set with onli a lousy hi-hat and a ride cymbal
3) is there any books i can buy? such as dummy's guide or idiot's guidfe? which is better? or any better books?


pls help.. thanks a lot!!
 
well actually, a big answer to 2 of ur questions would be the internet. Youtube and all the other video hosting sites are a GREAT place to learn the basics of drumming. After which i think u would be able to learn on ur own and create ur own style. There are also instruction videos on drum tuning. But yea having a drum key is extremely useful especially for jamming or gigs. About cymbals, i d say get a decent set straight away. I d recommend a Zildjian A custom set, thats what i use too:D. Listen to lots of music and just play to it. And practise rudiments.

OR! Just go to the music lab. If im not wrong they have drum instructors. haha
 
I haven heard of a drum tuner as in the way a guitar tuner works b4, but i do know of some products which can measure the tension of each side of the heads of the drumheads. And i think u can a get a preset of the amount of tension on each side on the internet. One such product is the TAMA Tension watch or sumthin like that, but stuff like that would be rather expensive.

What i recommend is tt u search the net for drum tuning tips and learn it from the scratch through trial and error, follow the steps given on the internet, and find the tone u really like urself, u can also try changin the heads to a better heads, which can help make ur drums sound nicer, as tuning stock heads is rather hard as u have to find the really sweet spot b4 u can make ur drum sounnd decent. fyi, on the second day i gtmy set i spend quite a few hours tryin to figure out how to really tune that thing, (Altough I have read quite a number of articles and videos regardin drum tuning before i even bought the set) and that was still nt enough.Thats how i started my steps into the art of drum tuning, although im also nt tt gd in drum tuning, but its just my $0.02 worth. Cheers! :)
 
Practice. Rudiments.

Very important, if you ever become serious about drumming. You'll regret not practicing the day you decide to become not just-another-drummer.
 
Rudiments are single strokes, double strokes, paradiddles, flams, double paradiddles, etc etc.

They help build that wrist/finger power to fly around the drumkit. You will develop better control over texture and volume of what you're playing, if you practice rudiments regularly. Some, like paradiddles, can be applied to the drumkit as grooves, which are really funky and sexy \m/ . Rudiments take time to master, they take time to take effect. You cannot practice say for one week and be a master of paradiddles. Takes months, even years. So ya, start now, practice 10mins everyday to build that muscle memory in your arms.

Single Strokes:
Easiest of them all, just hitting the snare drum at a constant pulse, both hands alternating. Right Left Right Left (RLRLRLRLRLR....)

Double Strokes:
Two notes every hand. I.e. RRLLRRLLRRLLRRLL. Try get an even sound, all the strokes sound the same volume level.

Paradiddles:
Combination of singles and doubles. RLRR LRLL RLRR LRLL.

Try to get all strokes sound even and continuous. Once you achieve that at slow tempo, try speeding up :) Hope you have fun, because I don't -.- It's really boring to do this, but it helps. Good luck
 
I think u should just use ur current cymbals until u save enough money to buy a high end cymbals. That can help u save a lot of money.
 
Cymbals... Try them, and buy what you like. That's all there really is to it. Don't care if others like it or not, you play what you like to hear, right? :) Of course, generally, the more high end cymbals will sound nicer to you, but not all. Depends on genre you play anyway. I myself prefer Zildjians, and got my eyes on a few already. You can look at what your idol drummer is using too, and try to duplicate that. Not so recommended though. Coz I like Chad Smith, but I prefer Zildjians over Sabian. Just a personal choice.

One decent cymbal pack you can start with is Paiste PST5. They're cheap, and they sound good. Even on recordings. Search for "Cobus" on youtube, you'll see what I mean :D
 
well im no cymbal expert but here are some of my 0.02 cents on cymbals...

firstly, work out ur budget range... u'd basically need a hi-hat, 1 or 2 crashes and a ride cymbal...

value for money buys would be:

1) Alchemy pro art series.
2) Turkish cymbals.
3) Bosphorus cymbals.


this cymbals are definately value for money buy BUT before buying them, give them a whack at their respective distributors...

2ndly, there's the big three in cymabalogy..

1) sabians
2) zildjians
3) paistes

all three companies makes low end and also high end cymbals to cater to all drummers needs from just starting out to the all out proffesional artistes.

personally, i prefer sabians... their crashes are suitable for my type of playing - pushing towards alt rock and pop punk kinda stuff...

personally recommend the HHXtreme crashes, Vault crashes and also their HHX rides and HH rides... hats u should definately go for the X-celerator range...

visit SABIAN Cymbals - BECAUSE SOUND MATTERS for more details...

for zildjian, u can never go wrong with A custom crashes and hats... i'd go for them anyday too...

paistes, im no expert in paistes but their full crashes and dark energy series are quite groundbreaking.. their prices are groundbreaking too.

Good deals do come up along the buy and sell thread so do keep a lookout.. for now, your best bet is the value buy cymbals.

hope this helps.
 
since you're a beginner, the PST5 would have to be the best entry-level set. You're most likely to find it at Ranking Sports which is opposite Sweelee@ Bras Basah Complex.

*Sweelee carries Sabian and Zildjian cymbals but if you wait til june got discount haha.
 
TWIZTEDJOKER, how much is the set? or any 1.. how much does a set like this cost? and do they sell the set in whole or loose pieces.
 
if ur talking about a set its obviously in whole. if u talking about individual cymbals its loose...
 
yea i forgot about PST5. Im amazed at how DAMN BLOODY GOOD they sound in cobus' videos. they really sound great. If its an entry level cymbal series its a very good one. Although i d still vouch for Zildjian A customs, PST 5s are definitely great. Paiste 502 series i also think is pretty good but im not sure about the pricing.

Bro u should try and get connections, or look out for some like lets say a guitar dealer u know. Get him/her to bring in whatever cymbal pack that u want for dealer prices, that way u can buy it first hand at dirt cheap prices.

And dont forget the rudiments! seriously it is the one thing to me that is lacking in me right now. Like i can do it averagely well but i never really practised it. And i see people who do practise it and infuse it in their rolls and all, very very awesome. haha so yea remember ur rudiments. :D
 
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