Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "brown8700" <brown8700@a...> wrote:
> My original position in this debate was not questioning whether e-
> drums are 'real' drums or something else. Of course they are real 
> drums. I can see them, feel them, hit them and hear them. They're 
> real fer cryin' out loud. However, here's a question for you. My 
> Yamaha keyboard has drums sounds, and pianos are considered a 
> percussion instrument. Is my Yamaha DX70 a real drum? Think about 
it.
> 

Stephen,  that is an interesting point, but if I remember correctly 
in elementary school mucis class the piano was classified as 
a 'percussive' instrument, because, ultimately, the strings were hit 
by a hammer that was set in motion by the pressing of a key.  This is 
certainly analogous to sticks/hands and drums heads.

The real question, IMO, is really, what isn't a drum?  

I can make music from a pot lid and a license plate (anyone who's 
seen STOMP live knows what is possible) does that not qualify them as 
drums?  Personally, I beat on just about everything with my hands, 
but oly just recently put together an e-drum kit to learn how to 
formally 'play drums.'  In no way though, do I call myself 
a 'drummer,' not because of the e-drums, but because of my lack of 
experience in an ensemble setting.

I don't disagree in any way that playing e-drums is different than 
acoustic drums, but then again, playing the garbage can is different 
as well.  The distinction is semantic, at best.

Learning to manipulate sticks and pedals to produce the sounds you 
want to produce is truly the essence of drumming, not the things that 
you hit with them.  A swiss triplet played with hands on a djembe or 
with sticks on an acoustic snare is still a swiss triplet (of which, 
mine need lots of work).

I'm a former bassist and I'm completely lost playing my friend's 
Fender Jazz as opposed to my Rickenbacker: less musical, less 
dextrous.  No one would argue that I can't play the bass, though, 
just that I blow chunks on a Fender Jazz.  I'm sure that if I sat on 
someone's acoustic kit, the experience would be similar.   

What this amounts to is that there are a number of skills under the 
heading of 'drumming' that are available for study.  We all have 
strengths and weaknesses, some of which are more portable than 
others.  But, to make the distinction that one is true and the others 
facsimilies is, IMO, intellectually dishonest.

Question:  Lionel Hampton -- Drummer?
           Future Man -- Drummer?
           
In both cases, I think yes.  Of differing skills sets and quality?  
Absolutely.

Ta,