• Welcome to Drummer Cafe Community Forum.

New to drumming/music in general

Started by Eric, April 28, 2006, 10:01 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Eric

Hey guys. I didn't see a "new members" thread, so I hope I'm not breaking any rules  :).

I've been interesting in drumming for about two/three years now (I'm 18), and I started taking lessons last year. Recently I bought three Tama drums from a local drummer (Rockstar Custom) - 10" rack tom, 14" floor tom, and 20" bass drum for about $150. This was a big step for me, since there's no space to play in my house and getting a drumset had proven to be nearly impossible before. Luckily I managed to convince my parents that three drums weren't going to take up much space by themselves.

Anyway, I wanted to know what suggestions you guys had for a new player (other than taking lessons, which I'm going to be starting up again soon). I need a snare, cymbals, and hardware (looking at the Paiste PST5 cymbal pack, the other two things I'm not sure about). I wanted a double kick pedal, since I'd be getting one eventually and don't see the need in buying a single pedal, but I'm not sure what kind to get. Any advice is appreciated.

I look forward to talking with you guys.  :)

johndurg

Hey Eric,

First of all, well done on your setup.  A 4piece (once you get a snare) rockstar custom will be a GREAT drumest to learn drums on.

It's too bad that kit didn't come with a snare drum.  I'll bet if you looked on ebay, you could find a rockstar custom snare, probably even in the same finish.  If you want something else, thats cool too.  I would recommend going USED.

Cymbals can cost alot of money.  Especially compared to a $150 drumset.  You might want to look in to Zildjian ZBT cymbals.  I taught drums at a sumemr camp, and we had those there.  They sound decent and cost less than $200 for a full set.  Check musiciansfriend.com and ebay.  A couple years down the line, you can upgrade to professional cymbals.

As far as pedals.  I would recommend you starting out playing single pedal to learn the basics.  But if you REALLY want to learn double pedal than you should go for it.  I suppose it depends on what kind of music you're into.

You still need a snare stand, drum throne, 2 cymbal stands, and hihat stand.  Hardware can be expensive too!  I would look into Pacific hardware.  It's durable enough and very reasonably priced.  

Mark Counts

Hey Eric,
I think John has given you some real good advice.  The Tama drums you are talking about will sound great with the right heads on them and everything I have heard you are going about it the right way. I think that John's suggestion of buying stuff on Ebay is the way to get the most for your money.
May I make one suggestion?  If you really want to buy Paiste and I do recommend Paiste.  I am getting my son started with an old set of mine, but cymbal wise I would pick the Paiste Alpha series.  They are made of the same material as the 2002's and they are about $100 cheaper.  They are a real good quality cymbal for the money. You can research Paiste Cymals at, www.paiste.com. and find out how they are made and what they are made of from the low quality to high quality.  You can get some really good prices from www.interstatemusic.com and they usually deliver in 3 to 5 days.  I have bought many 2002's from them.  Good luck
and I hope this helps?
                                   Nutty

onuspro

Welcome to drum world.  All of the above are excellent suggestions.  The Tama Rockstars are excellent drums to start out on, and for cymbals I would recommend Zildjian ZBTs or Paiste Alphas.  They are the closest to sounding like "professional" cymbals but at a fraction of the cost.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting a double pedal starting out the gate.   You can learn proper single-foot technique just as well on a double pedal as opposed to a single, if you're going to get one eventually anyway.  HOWEVER, you would do yourself a great service by getting the basics of the single pedal down FIRST, before going out there with double guns a' blazing, however great the temptation will be.  Crawl before you walk, etc. etc.  Find out what works, i.e. seat height, foot position, heel-up or down, spring tension, beater angle, then apply what you have learned to the other pedal.  Set a single foot goal for yourself, like maybe a samba pattern, then doubles and triples.  To ease this process, you might take the beater off the slave pedal.  Give it to your teacher.  Once you've accomplished your single-foot goals, pat yourself on the back, and "graduate" by getting that second beater back.  You will thank yourself later for all that work.  Best of luck in your endeavors.  

Eric

Thanks for all of the suggestions. :)

I'll definitely work on the single pedal basics first (hopefully I'll have enough self control to). The music I'd be playing with friends wouldn't call for any double bass - it's mostly just for my personal playing. I listen to all different types of music (including a little death metal), so I at least want to play around with it.

The Alphas seem to be a little out of my price range right now (I have a job, but a few things are a bit more important, such as an oil change for the car :)). I was looking at packs simply because they seem dirt cheap compared to buying them seperately. If anyone is curious as to why I wanted Paiste, I'm a huge Danny Carey fan and I've always thought they sounded nice on Tool records. I'm well aware that I wouldn't be using the same thing he is, so I plan on going to Sam Ash Music fairly soon to try different cymbals (and hardware) out.

Once again, thanks for your help.

Jay Northrop

In terms of cymbals going for a package like the piste's is a good way to go. Get the basic set-up,for a good price. And most of the starter lines sounds pretty darn good too ( i'm fond of the Sabian B8's myself ) I would say start with a single pedal. Double bass is awsome but there are days where I have to make myself play a single. I get very out of touch with simple things such as triplets when I have my double pedal set-up. It makes little things that much easier.And for me ( I had only 8 lessons ) and thank goodness I started double bass after playing for 3 years. What I learned with my right foot over that time I applied to my left foot and it made things somewhat easier. But if you really wanna go for it...do it.And welcome to the cafe.

Eric

I forgot to mention, the floor tom has rust on the top (maybe bottom) rim. Will this hurt the drum? I've taken it off just in case, but it would be nice if I didn't have to replace it in addition to the head. It has that StarCast (I think that's right) mounting system.

If I do have to replace it, what are my options?

Louis Russell

Quote from: Eric on May 02, 2006, 12:55 PM
I forgot to mention, the floor tom has rust on the top (maybe bottom) rim.

Try some Naval Jelly from the hardware store.  It removes most rust easily.  Use a very fine scotchbrite pad for stubborn spots.  Using steel wool will work but cause problems later as the fine steel particles that remain will rust quickly.

AdamBlevins

Welcome aboard!

You should learn early on (and probably have) that advice is completely subjective.  You can ask 100 different drummers something and get 100 different responses and none of them will necessarily be wrong...just different ways of doing the same thing and possibly achieving the same results.

Having said that, here's my $.02...

1.  I would advise against buying a double pedal to begin with.  It will most likely make you lazy.  Case in point...a friend once showed me some live concert footage from the Metallica boxed set and I saw Lars playing sixteenth note doubles with his double pedal (actually, I think he had two basses...anyway) and I think the tempo was somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 bpm.  Laziness...

2.  I would advise against buying cymbals without having heard them first.  Every cymbal sounds different that every other cymbal ever made...and I don't mean that a Sabian 16" B8 Pro Crash sounds different than a Paiste 16" Fast Crash, I mean that every Sabian 16" B8 Pro Crash sounds different that every other Sabian 16" B8 Pro Crash ever made.  If you're not sure whether you want to pursue drumming seriously, then buying on eBay and buying cymbal packs are a great way to save money...but do this know that if you decide you like this whole "drumming thing" you WILL buy a new set of cymbals in a year or two...or at least when you start gigging.
Many cymbal companies are now doing this "sonically matched" matched stuff...personally, I don't buy it.  There is no substitute for the human ear and there probably never will be, at least not in our lifetime.

As I said before, everything is subjective...take my advice or leave it.  This is just what I have learned over seventeen years of experience.

santiago

  Hi Eric!
  Something else I'd like to add along with these other excellent suggestions is to change the way you listen to music (sorry if you already do this)! What I mean, is that instead of just hearing the song and enjoying it, listen as close as you can to the drums in all the songs you hear (Jeff Campitelli for one! I LOVE drumming along with him on the Joe Satriani CD's!!). Drummers have done some REALLY amazing things which unfortunately don't always get heard or recognized. After a bit, you will automatically be able to pick out the drums and begin to incorporate different licks into your practice.
Hope this helps!


pak

I know it's been said already, but I too would recommend getting just a single pedal for the time being, especially if money is a bit tight.  I know Yamaha (and presumably others) make their single pedals so that you can incorporate a slave unit later on.

DannyMeazell

At your level I think everyone has made excellent suggestions. One place you can look too if your in a larger town is Pawn Shops. I was in a pawn shop recently looking for Cymbals. I had been keeping my eye out on ebay for an 18" floor Tom for my kit. I walked in one pawn shop and there behind two drum sets was a 18" floor tom encrusted with dirt and a couple lug nuts missing. It actually looked like it had been stored in a barn! It was All Maple with a Red Stain Finish on it. I knew it would be easy to clean up and recover to match my kit, and I had a bag full of Lug Nuts at home! I ask how much the floor tom was, and he said walk out the door with it for 50 Bux. I said "I only have 32 Dollars in my pocket!"  "He said thirty two dollars is all you have?" I said  "yes, I was just looking for cymbals, I wasn't really planning on buying." He said "ok $32.00 and its yours." These same toms had been out of my range, because they had been going for $300.00 plus each on Ebay! It cleaned up and tuned nicely by the way. I took the rims and everything off and gave them and the shell a good cleaning! It was a Tama Superstar. So check pawn shops and make friends with the owners. Never take the first offer there, always try and get it cheaper! I bought a $400.00 Vintage 1969 Ludwig snare at a estate sale too. The guy was asking $75.00. I called him to the side and said Dude I am a dealer (Which I am, we trade and sell Antiques and especially jewelry) how much is dealers cost on this. He said make me an offer. I thought and said I will give you $50.00 He said OK. I had expected him to laugh at me, but he said ok! So don't limit yourself to music stores or Ebay. Keep your eyes out everywhere." Now for advice on playing. Practice for 2 to 5 hours every day 7 days a week. Your tired, you don't feel like it, you have something else to do, Still practice anyway. I recommend double pass pedals. I have played double bass since the 60s and still do and love them. Do not burn yourself out. I recommend CDs too by John Blackwell Jr. and others. But what is going to really pay off it , Triplets doublets and 16ths played flawlessly with hands and feet. Start out slowly, your not in a race. Good solid technique is better than speed, especially when your learning. Speed will come later.  It is the key to everything else! Good luck and call on me any time
Danny Meazell  

Eric

Well, I went to a fairly large music store the other day and walked out with Paiste PST5s. I gave them a try, and I certainly like them better than the Zildjians I've used in the past. $250 was the pricetag, and that was $30 cheaper than what was posted on their website. I thank my tax return, since I wouldn't have been able to get them without it :).

I also tried out a Pearl double pedal, which was very fun :). The model name escapes me at the moment, but it was $150.  I'm pretty dead set on getting a double pedal, but if I could find a single that will take one of those conversion kit things, I think I could handle that for awhile. If I were to buy the Pearl pedal that I tried out (just looked it up), would I be able to disassemble it and use it as a single, since they sell an add-on that is the same model?

I don't know any rudiments or anything, so basically the only thing I've been able to practice is the "double stroke" roll (I believe that's what it's called). The Danny Carey sticks are my weapon of choice, since I'm a skinny guy and wanted to use heavier sticks for awhile to build up muscle - it seems to be working pretty well :).

Also, I'm starting lessons again next Tuesday (work schedule permitting), so that should help out some, too.

DannyMeazell

Ok Eric,
Hereââ,¬â,,¢s a really useful  and free lesson for you! With your sticks you hit on a drum, your bed  or practice pad you go 123 123 123 123. On the one you accent or hit slightly harder. You will find that you alternates from the left hand to the right hand. Its R23 L23 R23 L23  The R for Right and the L for left. It is pretty basic but as you will find out it is something you will use the rest of your drumming life. It is called Tripplet. It is and can be used with any style music! In school instead if thinking 123 our teacher had us say Trip Eh Let Trip Eh Let. As you get more efficient I advise switching because the brain processes it faster. Eventually you wonââ,¬â,,¢t think about it because it will be automatic! I recommend a rubber practice pad so your parents wonââ,¬â,,¢t have to be put in a rubber room lololol.
Good Luck!
Danny Meazell  

Eric

I took the advice you guys gave me and got a single pedal yesterday (Tama Iron Cobra Junior). Hopefully I have it set up decently... it feels comfortable enough I suppose. After I'm a bit more comfortable with playing and have a decent amount of money saved up, I'm going to get the double Iron Cobra. That won't be for another few months, though, so that should leave me a fair amount of time to practice with the single. Any exercise ideas on it? I've got the heel-toe down alright. I'm sure there are more important things to worry about though, so that's why I'm asking :).

The hi-hat stand is my next objective. I should have it in two weeks. I'm trying to take this one step at a time, and with my current budget it's pretty easy to do just that. Thanks for your help so far guys.

Mark Counts

Very good choice for a pedal.  No real pointers from me.  Just practice.
I wish my first bass drum pedal was that nice!
                                           Nutty