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The drums is one of the most interesting part of the music history. Drums and drum sets form quite a variety and is almost an integral part of many different cultures.
Making a drum is easy and the standard variety of a drum consisted simply of a hollowed out log or gourd with a piece of skin stretched taunt. Dissimilar sizes of gourds and logs created different sounds and beats.
What is Electronic Drums
Electronic drums are kind of percussion instruments where the sound is produced by an electronic waveform generator or sampler instead of by acoustic vibration. When an electronic drum pad is hit, a change in voltage is activated in the embedded piezoelectric transducer (piezo) or force sensitive resistor (FSR).
The signals emitted are then transmitted to an electronic drum brain via TS or TRS cables, which are then decoded into digital waveforms. The result is the production of the preferred percussion sound assigned to that particular trigger pad.
Popular and new drum modules have triggered inputs for a kick, 3 to 4 toms, 2 or more cymbals, hi-hat, and a dual-zone snare (head and rim). The hi-hat has a foot controller which creates open and closed sounds; there are some models which also offer variations in-between.
The electronic drummer has virtually boundless prospects for configuring many different sounding drum kits from one set of electronic drums, because of its capacity to assign diverse sounds to any given pad.
Electronic drummers, also add up, in sampling non-percussive sounds to use them as drum sounds. This is also called as an advantage over acoustic drums due to tuning and changing aspects. The effect can be simply obtained by merely changing the kit selector switching on the module. The result can have a jazz, rock or ballad drum set.
Electronic Drums Module
The modern drum modules are bundled with amazing features and the power to create unlimited drum kits. Acoustic drum kits build their sound through physical divisions of the drums, such as the shell, head and trapped air pressure within the drums.
In comparison to many other musical instruments, the electronic drums are next to silent. The inbuilt electrical sensors pick up the energy produced by the stick-movement and convey it to the drum module for processing.
Market for Electronic Drums
There are four electronic drum companies that control the market today. Each offers a range of models and prices to suit the choice and taste of the amateurists to the experienced professionals. Roland, Pintech, Yamaha and Hart Dynamics are the four in the business, which covers 80 percent of the market.
Technical Advancements
Drum kits being manufactured today have dealt with many of the inadequacies of early electronic drums. Although each of these manufacturers has basic entry-level products, the kits for professionals are aimed towards creating a sound and playing knowledge which is practically interchangeable with the output of a quality acoustic kit.
For example, there are Yamaha DDrum4SE. DTXtreme IIS and Roland TD-12 and TD-20 V-Drums having 2006 MSRPs are equipped with high quality digital samples, multiple triggers, realistic Hi-Hats, multiple outputs, expansion slots/MIDI connections.
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Are you a student taking drum lessons or are you a drum teacher of music lessons? Playing drums can be fun and you can learn (or teach) drums in a short while, or be a much better drummer, by following two (2) golden rules of drumming. If you want to learn drums more effectively and efficiently, then this article is for you.
So, what are the two (2) golden rules? They are:
1.      Technique
2.      Stick Heights
The first golden rule is Technique. In drumming, this is how you hold your drumsticks or keyboard mallets while playing a pattern of sticking that is suitable for a particular drumming exercise or drum music. The way that you hold the stick is called grip. There are two types of grip in drumming. They are:
·        Match Grip
·        Traditional Grip
Each grip is really a matter of preference. Sometimes, the type of percussion instrument you play will determine the type of grip you should use. In many cases it is good to know how to play drums with both types of grips. This will allow for you to always be prepared no matter the situation.
If you are beginning drummer, recommendations are to begin with the match grip. Match grip is exactly what the word match describes; the hands are holding the drumsticks exactly the same. It is kind of like holding bicycle handle bars with a few adjustments to angle and thumbs. This grip is generally held by many concert percussionists, jazz drum kit players, rock band drummers and by marching percussions tenor drummers and bass drummers. See a hand example of how to hold a drumstick using the match grip by clicking here.
The next grip, traditional grip, is a technical drumming hold that if done properly, can approve your drumming abilities in terms of speed, endurance, accuracy, finger and hand agility and overall aesthetics. When teaching drum lessons, drum teachers should instruct their students to include door knob turning as part of their daily exercise. The reason for this is because the motion that the forearm performs is the same turn that that is used when playing drums with a traditional grip. Furthermore, the fingers are place properly on to the stick. Two fundamental notes to having better control of the stick when playing with the traditional grip:
·        Never release the thumb from the index finger
·        Keep the pinky and the ring finger together working as one (this can be accomplished by taping the two fingers together)
Traditional grip is often used in marching percussion by snare players. Many jazz drummers, like Buddy Rich performs with the traditional grip as well as Drum Corps drummers like the Concord Blue Devils. There are also many drum videos and drum DVDâs that portray the traditional grip. A great example can be seen at Drumex.com, where the drum video shows a snare drummer auditioning for the UCLA Drumline. A hand illustration of the traditional grip can be seen by clicking here.
The second golden of drumming is stick heights. In marching drumlins and percussion ensembles, the focus is on uniformity. Meaning everyone needs to look the same including their hand positions (grip) and levels of heights. There are two types of stick heights that should be required for anyone playing drums, especially when playing snare drum rudiments. They are:
·        Accents
·        Taps
There is a distinct difference between the two. Bottom line is accents are played higher than taps. Drum teachers usually explain this by saying taps are all the inside notes, the low notes. Accents are taught to be played vertically. The common misconception is that accents and taps is just for marching drumlines, but it can also be played by drum kit drummers too. The benefit to playing drum music with proper stick heights is that it sounds and it looks good. One of the best books that could teach you how to play proper stick heights is Accents and Rebounds by George Lawrence Stone. Stone is well-known for his first book, Stick Control.
The two golden rules, technique and stick heights will improve your drumming abilities. Pay close attention to each of the two in detail when playing drums. You get the most benefit of your drum lessons by practicing and researching. Review drum videos and watch a lot of Buddy Rich and Mike Portnoy to better your drumming. Good luck and donât use drum tabs, read drum music.
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Sonar drums are among the most well liked drums on the marketplace. They are utilized by hobby drummers and expert alike. Sonar drums come in a selection of styles organized into four distinct chain, the Force series, S Classix series, Delite series, and the SQ2 drum system.
Whichever Sonar drums you choose, you will doubtless need to make sure it has a number of these accessories : foot pedals, tom legs and mounts, drum key, hi-hat stand and clutch, stands for the cymbal and snare, and a throne.
If you are a noob, a good way to learn how to use your new drums is by employing an instructional drumming DVD. You can take personal lessons too, but a DVD will be less expensive.
Taking lessons is perhaps the most effective way to learn how to play your new Sonar drums though because nothing is better than individual instruction and instant feedback. Check with your local music store that sells musical instruments to find out more about drum lessons.
Drums vary in cost. Be careful about purchasing inexpensive drum sets because you get what you pay for when it comes to drums. It might not matter a heap to a newbie but as you gain more experience you will probably need to upgrade. And cheap drums appear to wear out a lot faster.
Sonar drums are great but typical drums are not for everybody because they take up so much room and make a large amount of noise. If that’s going to be an issue for you, you should look into electric drum kits instead. These work basically the same way except they are smaller and lighter and the output can go to headphones so you do not disturb anybody.
If you are just looking out for a way to make fun music and aren’t really interested in learning how to play the drums particularly, then you should look at electric drum machines. These come with sounds built in and you are able to add your own. You can use these with headphones too so they are quiet.
There’s nothing that compares to playing standard drums though. They let your style and personality shine thru. If you’ve got the space and understanding roommates and neighbors then you can buy a drum set because it will bring you a lot of delight.
If you are looking to buy Sonar drums be sure to compare prices online too because you might get an improved deal. Because the drum sets are so large, shipping fees might eat up any savings you might see though.
If you have your spirit set on owning a finest series set of Sonar drums but can not afford the price, do not forget to shop for a second user set. High quality drums are extremely sturdy and have a long life. Check the bulletin board at your community music shop or ask other drummers if they be aware of of any used Sonar drums for sale. Even used, you can still get a large amount of use out of the drums at a much lower cost.
Before you
buy sonar drums online,
Make sure to check John Watersexcellent writings at his.
electric drum kits blog
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‘The Mandala is the Best and Most High-Definition Way to Control All the Pro Audio Software Out There,’ Says Mandala Inventor Vince De Franco
Laurel Canyon, Calif. – Showcasing the Mandala’s unprecedented ability to control pro audio software, Synesthesia Corporation today released 50 Native Instruments Battery 3 presets for the Mandala 2.0, along with an HD Black Beauty Battery 3 Player for Mandala.
They are available now to anyone via free download from the company’s website at http://www.mandaladrum.com
The presets configure drum sampler Battery 3 for use with the Mandala (Battery 3 required, and is not included with the Mandala), using only samples from the Battery 3 12GB library of more than 100 drum kits with more than 23,000 individual samples. The presets configure the Mandala pad as a straightforward MIDI controller. The Battery 3 presets also:
* Assign samples in up to seven circular trigger zones across the Mandala pad.
* Extensively use the Mandala’s 128 circular strike zones to change triggering and effects parameters as drummers play, for true HD drumming.
* Cover playing styles from straightforward grooves to experimental sonics.
The HD Black Beauty Battery 3 Player for Mandala offers drummers the most accurate digital representation of an acoustic drum, via 3,360 samples of a single vintage 1970s 5×14 Super Sensitive Ludwig Black Beauty Snare Drum.
A drummer’s sound changes with every strike anywhere on the surface of the Mandala, just like with an acoustic snare. Four separate players include: (1) Snare On, and (2) Snare On with Rim, each consisting of 10 zones center to edge, 20 velocity layers and 6 round robins; (3) Snare Off, and (4) Snare Off with Rim, each consisting of 4 zones center to edge, 20 velocity layers and 6 round robins.
“The Mandala drum controls pro audio software with unprecedented resolution,” said Vince De Franco, Synesthesia founder and CEO, and inventor of the Mandala.
“These Battery presets really just provide an example of what drummers are capable of accomplishing with this instrument. Our goal has always been to give drummers and musicians a way to experiment and let their imaginations fly, while never losing the basic functionality that they’re already comfortable with.”
The Mandala works seamlessly with most major music software as a USB MIDI controller. In addition to Battery, it works with Reaktor, FXpansion BFD, Ableton Live, Propellerhead Reason and Apple GarageBand.
Mandala’s Virtual Brain software is available online for free download at http://www.mandaladrum.com. Even without buying the Mandala, anyone can download the software and tinker with it – on its own, or with other PC or Mac-compatible musical devices.
Synesthesia also is producing a series of video tutorials for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. The company will make them available on its website and on YouTube later this year. The series of videos will walk users through the entire process of using the Mandala – from physically connecting the drum to a computer, to using the EZ software, on through to setting up advanced audio techniques using the pro version of the Virtual Brain software.
The Mandala 2.0 retails for $349, and is available online at http://mandaladrum.com . Each Mandala is hand-crafted and thoroughly tested before it is shipped.
About Synesthesia
Synesthesia Corporation ( http://www.synesthesiacorp.com ) is exploring new sonic terrain with the Mandala™, its patented high-def drum and synthesizer – the only electronic drum that faithfully emulates an acoustic drum, and then transcends it. A new kind of synthesizer, the Mandala offers the world’s fastest trigger, precise strike detection across the entire pad, and a musical range so wide it can be the top of the line Black Beauty® Snare Drum or virtually any other instrument imaginable. The Mandala plugs into PC or Mac via USB cable, and works seamlessly with most major mixing programs. Co-developed with professional drummer Danny Carey of Tool, Mandalas are used by professionals and hobbyists the world over. Vince De Franco – inventor, physicist and musician – founded Synesthesia to develop his state-of-the-art electronic sensor technology and to use it to create products that inspire imagination and exploration. Based in Laurel Canyon, Calif., the company currently has several other products in development.
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