7 Piece Drum Set

This months tip deals with micing kick drums.

You wouldn't believe how many people ask me about micing their kick drums. It leads me to believe people really don't know how to.

-ON SOAPBOX-

It became so fashionable in the mid-90's through the early 2000's to use MIDI or sampled dum sounds in productions that many people now have no idea how to record a "real" drum when the "band" or "live" sound came back in.

All great drummers know their rudiments. Drum rudiments are basically a collection of basic beats and patterns. They are of set of standards so to speak.

The most common are probably the roll, flam and paradiddle, and in fact most rudiments are variation of these three. There are about forty drum rudiments and every good drummer knows them, or at least most of them.

Why are drum rudiments important and which ones do you need to know?

Drum rudiments are like the foundation of a house, and to build any good house you need a secure foundation. The drum rudiments are your foundation to becoming a great drummer.

All drumming is a combination of the rudiments whether those who play know it or not. Every drumbeat is a rudiment of some sort, or a combination thereof. Learn and practice them to become a more effective drummer.

What is nice about junior or starter drum sets is that even though they are quality instruments, they are generally affordable. There are enough on the market now that you can generally find one for between $100 and $150. This is far less than the several hundred dollars you would pay for a real drum kit. Plus, junior drum kits usually come with all the accessories needed to start drumming right away, like drum sticks, bass pedal, throne (drumming seat), and drum key. This means child drummers can usually start drumming right away once they purchase their kit.