Video of me playing on my Visions Kit!

[1337Drummer]

I might have screwed up a few times.
NOTICE: Might have to update video might not work due to it having to finish processing.
Enjoy!

Constructive Criticism is appreciated, warm and cool feedback is fine as well.

[1337Drummer]

Sorry for the wait it'll be up tomorrow, computer screwed up. :(

[xwestcoast]

1337...............yeah, build us up ..............then knock us down!!

[AndJustice4All68]

Lies

[1337Drummer]

Not... lies?

[Mr.BoJangles]

Is it tomorrow yet?

[1337Drummer]

Bad news, I tried uploading the videos to YouTube, but to no avail (even though they were under the maximum ten minutes length) the size of the files were to large. I might attempt to trim off a bit of the movie next time I'm at my dad's house (my parents are divorced). Sorry for the delay!

[weldrum]

The video made your parents divorce!!I'm sure your playing will get better! Just kidding! Can't wait to see it.

[Against]

The video made your parents divorce!!I'm sure your playing will get better! Just kidding! Can't wait to see it.


Lmfao!

[MattKeaton]

Damn. Wasn't it tomorrow... a few days ago?

[1337Drummer]

IT HAS BEEN DONE... THE VIDEO IS PROCESSING ON YOUTUBE RIGHT NOW!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAAAAHAAAAH!!!! *Hack* *cough*

God damnit now it won't show up on the forum... meh I'll post a link.

[1337Drummer]

Please comment if you have a youtube account! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzwcYBhu4lk)

[TWH]

Not bad. Fills were a little off. You might try a metronome.

[The Dorian]

In all honesty...

That was horrible.

[1337Drummer]

Don't worry I ain't pissed off, I am going to see if I can get a metronome, I admit it wasn't my best playing I've been playing for 1 1/4 years now.

[kayaun]

Not bad. Fills were a little off. You might try a metronome.
In all honesty...

That was horrible.

In all honesty, I agree with the above quotes. The timing was off, the fills boring and repetitive, and you looked like you were struggling with the tempos.

But to be fair to you, I think you are fairly new to drumming(maybe less than 1year?) and you look like you progress quickly from a numbnut who doesn't even know how to hold sticks to a guy who does know how to play a bit of drums. Your ideas of rolls and fills are interesting for a drummer your level.

I'm sure given another 3-4years and you will be far, far better. :) You played alright dude, don't let all these criticisms break you down. This is probably not what you expected to hear. But keep it going dude. You look like the type of guy who picks things up quick and progresses fast.

What you need, friend, is to get used to drumming, learn how to hold and hit your sticks properly and develop your chops. That is something noone can teach you. You have to learn it yourself. And the only way to do this, is PRACTICE. ;)

It's all about getting used to the drums and beats so you look and feel at home when sitting behind the kit and playing either ridiculously fast tempos or slow smooth songs.

How old are you by the way? I admire your b@llz to put up a video and openly ask for criticisms. You're a young guy and you will probably be far better than I am now, when you are my age. Hope this helps! :)

Cheers,
KayAun

[Got_Milk]

^ What he said. I liked the poppy sound of the snare, but the toms sounded like pillows with pitches. Do you use muffling on them? Could've been the camera's sound. Then again, each to his own in terms of tuning, but I think you would be much happier if you sit down and tune the drums well to get a more open sound. Those are mighty fine drums you have, so make them sound their best. Best of luck to you! And again, take that previous post to heart. Some great advice there.

[1337Drummer]

I put silly putty on my toms, there was some on the bass drum but it didn't sound present enough on the video, so I took it off after that. I like to have my toms sound thumpy and puddy, like Ringo Star's toms sounded on Abbey Road. I'm probably gonna get Some ebony Evans Hydraulic heads on my jet black w/black hardware (black hoops and lugs) Export kit at my Mom's house, with black resonant heads, it should look pretty cool. I have been taking lessons for a while (1 1/4 years) but I've been able to practice on a kit at home for about 9 months now. Also I will work on my chops, but, I don't know the exact definition of what "Chops" are. Could you explain perhaps?

[kayaun]

I put silly putty on my toms, there was some on the bass drum but it didn't sound present enough on the video, so I took it off after that. I like to have my toms sound thumpy and puddy, like Ringo Star's toms sounded on Abbey Road. I'm probably gonna get Some ebony Evans Hydraulic heads on my jet black w/black hardware (black hoops and lugs) Export kit at my Mom's house, with black resonant heads, it should look pretty cool. I have been taking lessons for a while (1 1/4 years) but I've been able to practice on a kit at home for about 9 months now. Also I will work on my chops, but, I don't know the exact definition of what "Chops" are. Could you explain perhaps?

Haha. Chops are just another term for beats, grooves, fills and stuff. Drumming basically. :) Keep drumming dude, practice, listen to music. I found Travis Barker's music to be very inspiring when I was at your level. He has GROOVE, if you know what I mean. And his fills were pretty sweet too. I still like his music. I don't know why people here hate him so much though. :rolleyes:

No I dont think putting ebony's on a jet black kit will look good. At least not for batters, resonants are fine though. I've seen some before, and frankly I think they look horrid.

There's one dude on this forum who did this. Dysphoric_Axis I think. But his was okay, a Trick kit with ebony resonants and batters. Do a search.

I personally find black kits with black hardware which use coated heads to look very nice. :cool: They sorta give a contrast which really brings out the black in the drums. Do a search, I'm sure you'll find some.

And coated pinstripes will give you the sound you want, dead thumps. Put them on both sides, coated pinstripes on batters, and clear/ebony(if you wish) pinstripes on the resonants. They will give you the exact sound you describe, dead, muddy thumps with barely a tone.

I personally prefer toms to SING, as most people would, but that's just my opinion. It varies from person to person. :)

Good luck and keep drumming! :cool:

Cheers,
KayAun

[Got_Milk]

Another drummer that I found inspiring at your level was Lars Ulrich of Metallica. Not sure if you like the music style, but his playing is solid, simple, and complements the music very well. At the same time he has plenty of speed and chops. It's really gratifying to be able to play a hit song like "enter sandman." Good luck!

[kayaun]

Another drummer that I found inspiring at your level was Lars Ulrich of Metallica. Not sure if you like the music style, but his playing is solid, simple, and complements the music very well. At the same time he has plenty of speed and chops. It's really gratifying to be able to play a hit song like "enter sandman." Good luck!

Haha. Agreed. :) His drumming was straightforward and solid. Something easy to learn and really improves your chops/strokes. His ocassional fast tempo fills made me feel proud of to be able to imitate. That's at the start, a great inspiration for someone your level. :)

Bear in mind I'm not putting you down by saying "your level", everyone HAS to start. I must say you are far more fortunate than I am, I started drumming at the age of 14.5 and now I'm 18. You're obviously younger than when I started, so chances are you will be better than me by the time you hit my age. :D

Eventually, you will learn to TRY to imitate the greater drummers like Jojo Mayer, Dave Weckl, Tony Royster and others. ;) Their more technical style of playing may seem somewhat impossible to imitate at first, but if you keep trying, regardless how difficult a beat/fill/roll may seem, you will end up with your own flavour and style. Which in my humble opinon is FAR better than copying directly what someone else does. It sort of allows you to be unique and have your own signature style. :)

I see you are really open to criticism and I really admire that. :) The fact that you are willing to stick your neck out, ask for advices and most importantly, LISTEN, proves that you indeed are a very passionate drummer. Passion is the MOST important element in drumming. Something that will boost your progress tremendously if you have and slow you down ridiculously if you don't. You seem to have that and that's what's most important. Don't let the flame die dude. Haha. Take care and keep drumming!! :cool:

Cheers,
KayAun

[1337Drummer]

Thanks, I have a coated pinstripe (on my export) and I will take your suggestion, maybe I won't have to use so much moon gel on it. I think I'll take up your suggestion and listen to travis barker, I like the stuff he does, and I haven't heard much of Lars Ulrich. Thanks for the friendly advice!

[1337Drummer]

Haha. Chops are just another term for beats, grooves, fills and stuff. Drumming basically. :) Keep drumming dude, practice, listen to music. I found Travis Barker's music to be very inspiring when I was at your level. He has GROOVE, if you know what I mean. And his fills were pretty sweet too. I still like his music. I don't know why people here hate him so much though. :rolleyes:

No I dont think putting ebony's on a jet black kit will look good. At least not for batters, resonants are fine though. I've seen some before, and frankly I think they look horrid.

There's one dude on this forum who did this. Dysphoric_Axis I think. But his was okay, a Trick kit with ebony resonants and batters. Do a search.

I personally find black kits with black hardware which use coated heads to look very nice. :cool: They sorta give a contrast which really brings out the black in the drums. Do a search, I'm sure you'll find some.

And coated pinstripes will give you the sound you want, dead thumps. Put them on both sides, coated pinstripes on batters, and clear/ebony(if you wish) pinstripes on the resonants. They will give you the exact sound you describe, dead, muddy thumps with barely a tone.

I personally prefer toms to SING, as most people would, but that's just my opinion. It varies from person to person. :)

Good luck and keep drumming! :cool:

Cheers,
KayAun

What kind of sound would I get if I put emperor batters on the toms as resonant heads? Or ps3s?

[xwestcoast]

hey 1337 drummer............stick with it and you will get better with time, not all that bad, just keep at it and when you are my age drumming will be second nature!!

[cezegg]

What kind of sound would I get if I put emperor batters on the toms as resonant heads? Or ps3s?
if you put emperors on your toms they'll get a warm singing type tom.

ps3's are bassdrum heads.

[kayaun]

What kind of sound would I get if I put emperor batters on the toms as resonant heads? Or ps3s?

Okay, from the type of sound you described earlier, and from the type of sound in the video shown(i'd imagine that is the sort of sound you want to achieve), Emperors as resonants will not do that. Emperors will make the toms sing, with a warmer shade, not too ringy though, I'd imagine, but definitely more than pinstripes. PS3s are generally for bass drum and snare drums purposes, they are basically a 1ply pinstripes(pinstripes are 2plies). So they will sing more than pinstripes, but less than Emperors. I havent tried ps3s on toms before though.

Personally, I don't really like the kind of sound you described. It's just not my thing. I prefer toms to sing with nice initial attack and punch, not dead, toneless thumps. That's just my taste. Anyway, everyone has his own taste. I hope you find the sound you are looking for. :)

Cheers,
KayAun

[1337Drummer]

Okay, from the type of sound you described earlier, and from the type of sound in the video shown(i'd imagine that is the sort of sound you want to achieve), Emperors as resonants will not do that. Emperors will make the toms sing, with a warmer shade, not too ringy though, I'd imagine, but definitely more than pinstripes. PS3s are generally for bass drum and snare drums purposes, they are basically a 1ply pinstripes (pinstripes are 2plies). So they will sing more than pinstripes, but less than Emperors. I havent tried ps3s on toms before though.

Personally, I don't really like the kind of sound you described. It's just not my thing. I prefer toms to sing with nice initial attack and punch, not dead, toneless thumps. That's just my taste. Anyway, everyone has his own taste. I hope you find the sound you are looking for. :)

Cheers,
KayAun

I understand you don't like that, and thats fine since everyone has their own kind of sound, but I would like my drums to sound like Neil Peart's more than a pudding sound, thats probably my second favorite sound for toms. I don't want them to sound entirely dead. Hopefully you'll catch my drift here!

[kayaun]

I understand you don't like that, and thats fine since everyone has their own kind of sound, but I would like my drums to sound like Neil Peart's more than a pudding sound, thats probably my second favorite sound for toms. I don't want them to sound entirely dead. Hopefully you'll catch my drift here!

Oh. Neil Peart you mean. Phew. :p Haha. Okay. Errm. Then I'd say Pinstripes over Emperors. Batter and resonants tuned medium/low. Should give that sort of sound.

[PanamaDrummer911]

You should DEFINITELY look into buying a metronome, and don't take this as one of those comments that "MIGHT" be useful, I'm telling you (and I speak for most people here) that you HAVE to go buy a metronome. Your playing and ideas will get so much better with the right timing. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't consider it solid either.

[1337Drummer]

Should I tune the smaller toms higher on both sides i.e. Batter: Medium Resonant: Tight on the 10" tom and Batter: Medium-low Resonant: Medium/Tight (somewhere in between medium and tight)?

[The Dorian]

Clear Pinstripes over Clear Ambassadors will get you a nice thuddy rockin sound without making them sound that dead. I guess silly putty is not the way to go from what I hear in the vid. Moongel is great for controlled sounds, and not overmuffling.

[Got_Milk]

About that last tuning question 1337 Drummer, it all matters on how you want it to sound. If you think that a 12" tuned low coupled with a 10" tuned high sounds good, then go for it. If you tune them about the same amount on each, you'll get a good range of sound. Toy with it over the course of your drumming career and you'll find a system. Also, make sure that you tune 'em well, so you get nice sounds. It takes a long time, but it's worth it, especially with your kit.

And on tuning... Some people (and by some I of course mean almost everyone) use the Tuning Bible as their, well, tuning bible. Search drum tuning bible on google and you'll find it. It's got incredible information in it, but their drum tuning method does not jell with me. That's a completely personal thing. I used to go with the tuning bible, but I got some second opinions and changed my mind. The Tuning Bible uses a method of cranking the tuning to higher than you want it, then toning it back down. Some say it makes the head last long and hold its sound. I feel that it stretches it out, which is what makes heads sound used.

The way I tune a head is to put it on, crank all of the tension rods to as tight as your fingers can do it, maybe a little bit lighter, but that's it. Then I use a drum key to precision tune each rod (in the criss-cross fashion) to make it sound good and get rid of bad noises. Obviously the snare needs more tension (a lot more) than your fingers can provide, so I use the key on that, but only up to what sound I'm looking for, not past.

There it is, and I'm probably gonna get flamed for saying that, but choose whatever you like. For me, my method goes much quicker than if I go by the drum tuning bible's method. So ya, make those drums sound awesome (and awesome is completely subjective ;)).

[1337Drummer]

About that last tuning question 1337 Drummer, it all matters on how you want it to sound. If you think that a 12" tuned low coupled with a 10" tuned high sounds good, then go for it. If you tune them about the same amount on each, you'll get a good range of sound. Toy with it over the course of your drumming career and you'll find a system. Also, make sure that you tune 'em well, so you get nice sounds. It takes a long time, but it's worth it, especially with your kit.

And on tuning... Some people (and by some I of course mean almost everyone) use the Tuning Bible as their, well, tuning bible. Search drum tuning bible on google and you'll find it. It's got incredible information in it, but their drum tuning method does not jell with me. That's a completely personal thing. I used to go with the tuning bible, but I got some second opinions and changed my mind. The Tuning Bible uses a method of cranking the tuning to higher than you want it, then toning it back down. Some say it makes the head last long and hold its sound. I feel that it stretches it out, which is what makes heads sound used.

The way I tune a head is to put it on, crank all of the tension rods to as tight as your fingers can do it, maybe a little bit lighter, but that's it. Then I use a drum key to precision tune each rod (in the criss-cross fashion) to make it sound good and get rid of bad noises. Obviously the snare needs more tension (a lot more) than your fingers can provide, so I use the key on that, but only up to what sound I'm looking for, not past.

There it is, and I'm probably gonna get flamed for saying that, but choose whatever you like. For me, my method goes much quicker than if I go by the drum tuning bible's method. So ya, make those drums sound awesome (and awesome is completely subjective ;)).

I do that as well! But I might get a DTS just to get the tuning done a bit more quickly.

[trickg]

I do that as well! But I might get a DTS just to get the tuning done a bit more quickly.
I wouldn't wast time or money with that - Learn to tune by listening and by feel. I'm of the opinion that there really are no shortcuts to tuning - torque keys only work if every tension rod turns the same with the same amount of friction. Drum dials and tension watches might show you even tension on the drum head but that won't necessarily mean that the head is in tune and resonating the same across the head. If you can train your ear to listen for the pitch, you can tune up a drum pretty quickly with just a key and your ear, and the more you do it the better you will get at it.

[Mr.BoJangles]

I like the sound of your sensitone, what kind of head do you have on it?

[1337Drummer]

I have the stock head on it.

[Mr.BoJangles]

****tt...I was never able to get a nice, dry pop from it like you do.

[Genius Switch]

Hey that wasn't all that bad considering you're young and only been playing for a year or so. I think your snare sounds awesome, but those toms.....silly putty? Maybe try a little gaffer tape instead, more towards the edge so it doesn't kill all the resonance. You cymbals sound pretty nice too.

Just keep practicing man and you'll be shredding before you know it.

[trickg]

You should DEFINITELY look into buying a metronome, and don't take this as one of those comments that "MIGHT" be useful, I'm telling you (and I speak for most people here) that you HAVE to go buy a metronome. Your playing and ideas will get so much better with the right timing. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't consider it solid either.
I thought that I would comment on this.

A good metronome that has the ability to divide and subdivide the beat such as a Boss DB-88 or a Yamaha Clickstation (I own a Clickstation) can be a fantastic tool to use to work on timing, not only for general time, but also in timing of the coordination of your various limbs so that everything fits well and sits in the pocket.

Working on musical concepts and ideas applied to drumming however is another animal and that can't be helped with a metronome, even if it does improve one's sense of time.

I believe that a great way to learn to incorporate concepts and ideas AND work on your time keeping abilities is to get a set of sound isolation headphones or earbuds and get to work on learning some songs. To take that even further, until a foundation of concepts pertaining to fills and kicks has been built, a great way to learn the right way to do those things is to simply copy the drummer from the recording, even stroke for stroke when you can.

My reasoning for this is simple - the guy who laid down the drum track is a professional and in many cases is a session player who gets paid because everything they play sounds right. Why not emulate that? By copying and playing along to recordings you can learn:

1.) Good time keeping
2.) How to set up transitions, kicks and fills
3.) Good grooves to use with various kinds of music
4.) Dynamics - session players not only keep good time and have good musical concepts but they also play with deep dynamics
5.) Good fill ideas that are tasteful and WORK!

It doesn't matter at first if none of the licks or grooves are your own. The overall goal for a fairly new drummer is to get to where they can successfully function in that role and if the worst thing you do is copy a Josh Freese drum track stroke for stroke, that's actually a good thing.

The last thing I'm going to suggest is in regard to goals and personal expectations. If you have only been drumming for a year or so, trying to copy a Neil Peart track or a Keith Moon track might not be a good initial goal. Always keep in mind where you are as a player and set reasonable, attainable goals. I have yet to try drumming to Rush because simply put, I don't have that kind of ability yet - maybe one day, but not today. However, AC/DC Phil Rudd drum tracks are within the scope of my abilities and would be a great place to start. Something to keep in mind though - Phil's playing might sound simple, but he has a fantastic sense of groove and time, and even if you can copy the strokes, getting that same feel is a tougher nut to crack.

But, I'm not saying that you shouldn't push yourself with things that might be a bit out of your reach - that's also a great way to improve - but always keep in mind the difference between things that are just out of your reach and things that are so far beyond your reach that failure is a certainty.

[Eric]

Well put trickg !!

[timdrums08]

Well, you look kind of young, which might influence your immature playing style. But we all gotta start somewhere. I notice you use french grip alot which is not good for drum set so make sure you're palms are down.
To work on chops, I reccomend getting a nome and shedding some 8s or something.
It seems like you haven't been playing for awhile so you're pretty much playing at your level right now. But, you need to learn good habits not bad ones so in the future you won't have problems or waste time resolving bad habits. The biggest one was your hands (from what I saw)

To get more ideas/ better ideas of what good fills are and what fills should sound like, listen to some professional drummers like trickg said below. I recommend Led Zep because Bonham is like a god for triplet fills. A lot of jazz drummers like Buddy Rich are great to listen because, not only is Buddy Rich one of the greatest of all time, but, his timing is impeccable, and his fills and solos are all within in reason, good taste, and really REALLY cool.

So, having read all of these comments, go forth and shed!!

[trickg]

Um....color me crazy, but isn't Buddy using a lot of French grip on his right hand in this clip?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgeX9iYOFSQ&mode=related&search=

I don't think that French grip is inherently bad for kit - I use it quite a bit when I'm playing kit even though I turn my grip over and use the German grip when I do rudimental snare stuff. I find that any time I need extra speed, I can use my fingers to help while using the French grip.

[1337Drummer]

****tt...I was never able to get a nice, dry pop from it like you do.

Yeah the coating is worn off from my playing in the center already. That might be whats getting that amazing sound. :D

[1337Drummer]

Well, you look kind of young, which might influence your immature playing style. But we all gotta start somewhere. I notice you use french grip alot which is not good for drum set so make sure you're palms are down.
To work on chops, I reccomend getting a nome and shedding some 8s or something.
It seems like you haven't been playing for awhile so you're pretty much playing at your level right now. But, you need to learn good habits not bad ones so in the future you won't have problems or waste time resolving bad habits. The biggest one was your hands (from what I saw)

To get more ideas/ better ideas of what good fills are and what fills should sound like, listen to some professional drummers like trickg said below. I recommend Led Zep because Bonham is like a god for triplet fills. A lot of jazz drummers like Buddy Rich are great to listen because, not only is Buddy Rich one of the greatest of all time, but, his timing is impeccable, and his fills and solos are all within in reason, good taste, and really REALLY cool.

So, having read all of these comments, go forth and shed!!

Thanks, but I have one criticism of what you just said... Buddy Rich IS the greatest and will always be the greatest drummer to ever live.

[timdrums08]

chyea son :)
also about the french grip thing, i try not to make a habit of doing it when im not playing timpani and such even though you do have a better angle for your fingers to stroke the stick + control rebound, that's just the way i was taught.
another thing is that i find if you want to just use wrist to stick in all your strokes, french grip isn't as easy as german grip

[drumizta]

I feel a bit awkward on how you hit the hi-hat @_@

[skywalker2]

Haha. Chops are just another term for beats, grooves, fills and stuff. Drumming basically. :) Keep drumming dude, practice, listen to music. I found Travis Barker's music to be very inspiring when I was at your level. He has GROOVE, if you know what I mean. And his fills were pretty sweet too. I still like his music. I don't know why people here hate him so much though. :rolleyes:

No I dont think putting ebony's on a jet black kit will look good. At least not for batters, resonants are fine though. I've seen some before, and frankly I think they look horrid.

There's one dude on this forum who did this. Dysphoric_Axis I think. But his was okay, a Trick kit with ebony resonants and batters. Do a search.

I personally find black kits with black hardware which use coated heads to look very nice. :cool: They sorta give a contrast which really brings out the black in the drums. Do a search, I'm sure you'll find some.

And coated pinstripes will give you the sound you want, dead thumps. Put them on both sides, coated pinstripes on batters, and clear/ebony(if you wish) pinstripes on the resonants. They will give you the exact sound you describe, dead, muddy thumps with barely a tone.

I personally prefer toms to SING, as most people would, but that's just my opinion. It varies from person to person. :)

Good luck and keep drumming! :cool:

Cheers,
KayAun


i disagree on your suggestions for his tom sound: you don't have to put fat, 2ply heads with muffling rings on BOTH sides of the drum to acheive a fat drum sound; you don't even have to put a 2 ply head in GENERAL on the resonant side to acheive this sound.


to sound like ringo, you need a maple kit. :cool:

nah, just joking. But a nice fat 2 ply head with a solid 1 ply coated or clear resonant will do the trick. the rest is tuning. your toms can sound low, solid and fat without sounding dead.


for many, unless they sing to no end, that means your tom's are 'dead'. not true.

[kayaun]

i disagree on your suggestions for his tom sound: you don't have to put fat, 2ply heads with muffling rings on BOTH sides of the drum to acheive a fat drum sound; you don't even have to put a 2 ply head in GENERAL on the resonant side to acheive this sound.


to sound like ringo, you need a maple kit. :cool:

nah, just joking. But a nice fat 2 ply head with a solid 1 ply coated or clear resonant will do the trick. the rest is tuning. your toms can sound low, solid and fat without sounding dead.


for many, unless they sing to no end, that means your tom's are 'dead'. not true.
Actually, in that post, I sort of misread what type of sound he wanted. I based that suggestion on the video, thinking that's the type of sound he wanted, WITHOUT the muffling. In which case my suggestion you quoted fit perfectly, actually. I've tried that combo, and it sounded nearly the same, dead, muffled, toneless thumps. Not my taste though.

If you read later, when he said he wanted something like Neil Peart's sound, so I suggested Pinstripes over Emperors(or was it Ambassadors? :confused: ). It actually fits his ideal "Neil Peart sound", short big and boomy. Again, I have tried that combo and I find it to sound very alike.

Personally, I think clear g2s over clear g1s will make toms sing. And like he mentioned earlier, he wanted "muddy, puddy, thuds" which IMO don't fit that head combo.

However, I do agree with you on the subject of tuning. Even a 2ply over a 1ply can sound "muddy and puddy", but it'll take a h*ll lot more time tune the drum to achieve that kind of sound rather than the pinstripe over emperor combo.

Thanks for quoting my post though. :) It's nice to have someone disagree on it rather than simply pass it by and ignore it. I'm sure we can continue to debate in a polite manner if we still have different opinions. :)

Cheers bud,
KayAun

[pearlygates]

You're doing alright little brother..keep it up!
Check out this websitr..it might help you along!

http://www.onlinedrummer.com/

[halfshovel]

My .02 is this:

1. Great kit, well tuned snare.

2. Love the enthusiasm - heck I don't think I've got the guts to post myself playing on youtube, and I've got 20 years and 11 albums behind me. Good for you!! With guts like that, you'll do well.

3. Like most have said - a metronome is your friend. Most drummers underestimate just how hard it is to even play a basic beat "in the pocket" - meaning right on with perfect timing, and every hit having the same volume level and tone (center of drum, correct HH technique, getting the kick pedal off the head each time, etc.). Yet, this is the thing that makes people really oooohhhhh when they hear a good drummer - that big fat solid groove.

4. Practicing snare rudiments and basic beats is boring, but practice thinking this way - if what you're playing causes you to lose your timing and rhythm, then you need to simplify what you practice, and gradually build. Take a basic beat (1 & 3 on the kick, 2 & 4 on the snare and 1/8th notes on the HH), and a basic fill, and practice that sucker until it is S O L I D. Start out playing slowly, and build speed with the metronome. Gradually add complexity, and as others have said, don't get into the habit of playing complex stuff poorly, just to play complex stuff.

Finally, remember that playing slowly requires you to really focus on timing. Playing quickly requires good hand position, good posture and balance. Both are keys to good drumming.

KEEP IT UP!

[Incognit05]

Bravo, on putting something up and you did a pretty good job for a starter. don't try to rush your playing. Work on some rudiments, and work on the simple set, not trying to do anything really fancy. Other than that, you did pretty well, and you'll improve a lot