Hi all, i think this is my first post in the music forum but i've recently been getting more and more interested in playing drums but for some reason it just seems so hard to play.

I have musical instruments, 2 electric guitars, 1 full size acoustic, 1 mini acoustic, 1 bass guitar, and a keyboard...no with all those you tihnk i would be good at playing but i'm just okay, i just only use them to play songs that i like, not into it hardcore or anything, its a hobby that i pick up everyonce in a while when i'm in the mood, i usually forget everything i've learned if i haven't played a certain instrument in a while...for instance i probably only know how to play 1 or two complete songs that i learned in high school compared to dozens if not more that i knew back then, anyway i digress

Drums on the other hand, i don't know anything about, i don't know what encompasses a set or what certain "drums" are called, i've tried messing around on some friends sets but i have no idea what i'm doing or even the hand motion or even how to play

Just wondering if i could get some advice, treat me as a newbie because a drum newbie i am...help please?!

I honestly just had a buddy of mine teach me a few simple beats and moved on up from there by listening to some good metal. I taught myself by listening to and identifying the different sounds on the drum tracks. The motion i guess comes with time. Try moving your wrist more than your forearm cuz you just look like a fool and will never build enough speed to do anything remotely technical.

your basic stuff

Bass drum is the one on the floor hit with the kick pedal.

Snare is the one that sits between your legs on a stand, it has what are called "snappies" on it, metal wire that vibrates against the bottom head to give the snare it's distinctive sound.

Toms come as both "floor" type with legs of it's own and "rack" which hang from some sort of stand either with it's own legs or bolted to the top of the bass drum.

Hihat is the stand with two cymbals facing each other that can be smacked together with the foot pedal at the bass of the stand or hit with a stick.

The cymbals are the metal disks that sit on thier own stands.

The throne is a fancy name for a chair to sit on.

IMO at the very least to get started you would need the following gear.

bass drumkick pedalsnare drumsnare standhihat stand high hat cymbalsthrone

It may seem like nothing but just laying down a solid consistent beat can keep you occupied for a while. Don't let someone force you to set the kit up a specific way, there is no "right" way. It's your kit and whatever is comfortable for you is the way you should set it up.

Most people for example who are right handed set up the bass in front of their right foot and the high hat the left. They kick the drum with the right foot and control the height of the high hat cymbals with the left. They will hit the snare between their legs with their left hand and reach across their chest to hit the high hat cymbal with their right. Some people position it reverse where the hats are on the right and the bass on the left like a lefty mights but hit the hat with the right and the snare with the left as before. This is called "open handed". Whatever feels right to you is right so don't be afraid to mess around with it.

Sweet...thanks guys and especially TMS

Alright so i know what the parts of the drums are now and how it's setup what should i do about getting a set now...i've seen sets online and at the local music store(s), i've also seen some used ones on craigslist and i really don't want to spend a ton of money on something i might not even be good at or like..i saw a couple sets going for like 175 or 200 around there, would that be good to start out on or is new the way i want to go?

What brands are good/bad/decent..any recommendations?

Thanks again, keep on comin with those noob answers for me, i like it simplified!

How serious are you about learning/playing?

150-200 dollar sets won't be of good quality if it's the price of a new set. If it's a used set, it could be worth it.

Names that are good quality are Pearl, Tama, Yamaha and Ludwig. They each have beginner sets to start off with.

There are other sets, but they start getting up in price.

Take a look through samashe.com and musicians friend. I can also put you in touch with a store in my home town that has really good prices, if you are interested.

I'm 80% serious about actually learning/playing...if i had room to put these puppies somewhere permanantly i would be 100% serious.

It's a used set, and i believe it's Star, it's a really old set, i believe that's what Tama used to be called..it includes the basic things that TMS said to have in a kit.

I'll take a look at those sites too, thanks...if i can't find anything i'll give you a holler for that store...thanks Neal.

Hey dude, you are in Vernon Hills, where bouts is that? I am originally from Galesburg. That's where the music store is located. I'm tellin ya, next to Musicians Friend and Sam Ashe, they have probably some of the cheapest prices in that area.

As far as getting serious. Unless you do some major DIY work like TMS did with his Chinese set, you're gonna need to upgrade to a newer, name brand kit.

Pearl's entry level kit is called the Forum series. It's a decent kit, but the Export is much better, and not much more expensive in pricing.

I plug Pearl every chance I get because I am a big fan of their mounting hardware for the toms. I've been playing those and Zildjian cymbals ever since I have started and have never been unhappy with them. Not saying the other brands are bad, I just don't care for their tom mount system and some of their stands.

It's about 15 minutes southwest of six flags, and yea i know who you are, we were supposed to get together for your bbq last august but i blew my motor on the s14 on the way to nashvill last year so i couldn't make it to your place before ya left for jay-pan

I know what the great brands are, like you mentioned, pearl, and zildjian, but i'm just starting out and hopefully if i like it and get better i will move onto those things but for now i'm just trying to get a starter set and not spend a whole lot on it.

There's a couple used sets on chicago craigslist goin for 200-300 bucks from tama, ludwig, royce and a couple others but i just wanted to get the jist of what i needed and you guys have answered my questions.

I guess i'll just have to see whats in my budget and i might have to just go to the stores and see what they have as cheap starter kit.

I would say Tama but the recent "hyperdrive" short toms really pissed me off and I would not buy their stuff only because of the sizes. The build quality is still top notch but I am a powertom kinda guy.I use Pearl hardware these days because the set i built used the tube type of tome mounts and that is Pearl's style. If the drums are as quality as the stands I have you can't go wrong.

i picked up an export 10 years ago and added a snare id had for ~6 months and thats been my kit ever since, just gradually added stuff over time...between both my investment was $950, plus a $250 sheet bronze cymbal pack and the stands for them

god i cant believe how long ive been playing this kit

anyway you just have to keep an eye out at stores and stuff, you can piece together a decent kit with cymbals for $1k

when i get out of school im replacing everything, hoping to put probably $5-6k into it, cant wait for that

its fairly simple just start off small to get your coordination, play some music that has a real simple drum beat like 1234 and on the 4 you hit the snare and on the 1 you hit the bass..all while keeping your right hand on the hi-hat.

I recently got my drum set back in august cost 600 brand new ddrum it didnt come with throne or cymbals but i got a good deal when i got the cymbals . ...I can tell you sucked nuts then ...im alittle better now i dont get headaches ne more from playing lol . I played guitar two for over 5 years ...and drums are a good way to let stress out lol...i tore my bass drum today though damn ohhwell

learning stuff like ACDC and a few other 70s/80s bands on the drums is like learning smoke on the water on guitar, its just naturally one of the first things you do, because its fairly simple

either play it by ear or get somebody to show you real quick, with 0 experience itll take a couple hours or so and get you on your way to coordination

i was going to put a tab in but it came out looking ****ty, maybe i can record myself playing the simple baseline stuff and ill post that up

going to be later today though, i just got back from college and havent set my kit up yet

I have a question. I recently started playing drums(about 5 days ago) and I wanted to know, How come some people count off, 1 2 3 4, 2 2 3 4, 3 2 3 4, 4 2 3 4, and some people count off 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 1 and 2 and 3 and 4. I got one friend teaching me one way and another saying its the other way, I'm like wtf? Guy #1 says hit hi-hat + bass on 1, then hi-hat alone on 2, then hi-hat+snare on 3, then hi-hat alone on 4, then repeat. Guy #2 says hit hi-hat+bass on 1, then on "and" hit hi-hat alone, then on 2 hit hi-hat + snare, then on "and" hit hi-hat + bass, on 3 hit hi-hat + bass, on "and" hit hi-hat alone, then on 4 hit hi-hat+snare.I know I probably didn't explain myself right, but hey my bad I dont know squat. PLease help I dont know what I'm doing, and it sounds like some of you guys know your 5hi7.

guy number 2 is how i play 1/8th notes basically

get a metronome. You can say "ham, and cheese, and bread, and chew" if you want as long as the rate is consistent with the proper time.

Yeah I too am curious about the whole coordination thing. It seems to me that I cant do anything but the extremely basic beats, does this come with practice or is it something you have to have from the start?

practice, at least for me

although i do know people who seem to have taken to it more naturally than me, but by that i mean faster learner, not able to play redic stuff right off the bat

I stared playing at 8 years old. Just put on a cd, slip on the head phones and bang along with it. Now you have youtube.. there are all kinds of awesome training videos out there. Learn what goes where and just bang it out with some head phones.. an hour a day and you will be a solid drummer in no time!