It is now time to talk about myself a bit. Of course the Electronic Drum Web is not directly about me (that would take a much larger site) but it would have never existed if I wasn't a typical stubborn acoustic drummer who for some time actually hated electronic drums!

I first picked up a set of Duplex 5B drumsticks over 2 decades ago due to my love for such musical acts as KISS, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and later The Police, Thin Lizzy, Hanoi Rocks, The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, etc. I also had some Big Band and Jazz influence from listening to my fathers records. All of these groups had great drummers which I recognized at a very young age. I had no lessons, MTV, or drum magazines. I just knew what I heard and what I saw in music stores. Subsequently disco became very big thus came the Syndrum and not long after Simmons, the birth of MIDI and MTV.

Now New Wave and Heavy Metal music is popular and so are these oddly shaped electronic gizmos. If Neil Peart and Alex Van Halen got ‘em, I gotta buy some too! So I indulged in a set of Simmons SDS 4’s. I also indulged in limited sounds and carpal tunnel syndrome! I must mention that Simmons did come out with some much nicer products there after but for a youngster with limited cash and feeling so let down in the first place, I totally abandoned electronic percussion for a few years! All of this before puberty!

A few years (and cans of shaving cream) later; I am in a music store hanging out like all starving musicians do and decided to sit behind this strange new compact electronic percussion system. Noticing first that the pads had become much smaller and much rounder. The display model was set up with a set of headphones which I expected to put on and hear phew- phew, zap, zing, sounds through. Needless to say, I came home with the module and a set of drum silencers to mute my acoustic kit with (I made some makeshift "Radio Shack" triggers). I was gigging a lot at the time and thought this would be a great way to practice at late hours with out disturbing the folks in my neighborhood who had "regular" sleep hours.

To make a long story short, I bought a few pads, then later some electronic pedals, then some electronic cymbals, and a standard electronic drum kit formed from there. All of these items were by various manufacturers and worked nicely together. I am usually the type of guy who buys one brand of acoustic drums with matching hardware and all one brand of acoustic cymbals (no mix matched stuff). I didn’t at that time, and still don’t feel this way about electronic drums and modules. I think of them as instruments but also as I would a system such as a PA system or a hot rod car engine. Various manufacturers make products that do what I want them to do with my other components as well as my style of playing and the applications which I may use these instruments. E.g. quiet pads may work better in the studio or for practicing. Acoustic style pads commonly look better on stage and usually feel as good or better than an acoustic set. I may also use a combination of pad types and styles for various applications. The use of various brands of modules can be combined to obtain different sounds and this will obviously add more inputs for more pads. I will sometimes use a combination of electronic and acoustic instruments in live or studio situations (hybrid kit). The options are limitless!

The main point I want to stress is that even if you are a stubborn but serious acoustic drummer, you must consider at least getting a set of these wonderful learning tools for practice and keep your acoustic kit for other applications. Many modules have metronomes and some even have sequencers which will help greatly in learning odd time signatures as well as various types of jazz, techno, and Latin rhythms etc.! Please do beware that electronic drums are very addictive and you may find your self using them for many other applications whether live, rehearsal, or even in the recording studio. If you are ready to have a great time, progress in your playing greatly, or save a bundle of money in the recording studio, give electronic percussion a try. Welcome to the future! Practice makes perfect!