Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, T Carlson <thcmusic@c...> wrote:
> I am fast approaching 47, have just purchased the DTXPRESSIIISP, 
and am
> learning drums for the first time.  I have played trumpet all of my 
life and
> probably will be giving it up very soon due to embouchure / dental 
problems.
> So, I figured that now is the time to take up drums since my arms 
and legs
> have not fallen off yet.
> 
> The only issue is that I am  a bit behind (late) on the learning 
curve (I
> would imagine).
> 
> So the question I have for you ³Old Folks² is...  If my goal is to 
learn
> drum kit for playing rock/jazz tunes with a praise band in my 
church ...
> Should I be taking private lessons concentrating on drumming 
technique /
> sticking / rudiments first?  Or should I be concentrating on 
learning the
> common drum grooves and limb coordination first or a little bit of 
both at
> the same time?
> 
> In other words ... What would be the most efficient path to playing 
a kit
> well enough for performance (assuming I am typical 47 year old adult
> learner) .... before I become REALLY old?
 
Hi Todd,

What follows is definitely one man's opinion, and I would be happy to 
see other comments as well. As far as I'm concerned, combining 
private lessons for mechanics/stick control and practicing grooves 
privately in a kit context is perfectly reasonable, if not advisable. 
If, as Kiki Dee and Elton John so eloquently put it, you've got the 
music in you, and can carry a beat, you probably can hear a drum part 
better than you can play it at this point. But with a little 
perseverence, the gap will certainly close. Most basic pop and rock 
drumming, stripped of embellishments and individual signatures, is 
relatively easy to play--which is not to say that it offers no 
challenges or satisfaction. But getting a foot in the door if you 
have a sense of rhythm need not take forever. Personally, I never had 
a drum lesson in my life, but because my father was a big-band, 
dixieland-style drummer--and a good one--I picked up a lot just by 
hanging around him. Rudiments became integrated with my routine 
playing. I was a trombone player before I started drumming, with lots 
of lessons in music theory and practice. Drumming released me to play 
more music that I actually liked; I took to it in a way that I just 
couldn't take to any other instrument. 

A lot of technically advanced drummers tend to be skeptical of self-
taught drummers because they often lack versatility. Acquiring 
technical skills can help you not only to play the music that appeals 
to you but also to open up other avenues that you might otherwise 
never consider--let alone keep you from physically hurting yourself. 
All the while you can practice the common beats--4/4, 3/4, 6/8, etc.--
until you can speak them like a second language, with your own style 
and accent. The pleasure of having a time signature fall into place, 
allowing you the further joy of surprising yourself with a perfectly 
executed, tasteful lick of your own, or even someone else's, is 
priceless. 

If you like the instrument (what's not to like), and don't mind a 
little hard work, you'll be a drummer before you know it. Half the 
fun is getting there. I'll let you in on a little secret: No sooner 
do you get the satisfaction of arriving than you're on the way to 
getting somewhere else.

Ed