Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

OK that's just one of the many problems I have...

I am NOT a drummer and I never really will be but I bought the kit 
because I like to air drum and plus my buddy is a drummer and we can 
use it to play around with and record demos and such.

Next, I have NO rythm... no I'm not just bad I have NONE!  When I 
used to sing a few songs with my previous band (I am a sound guy) the 
drummer would have to cue me in with his splash cymbal to start 
singing!!  Seriously I just have no internal clock... I think I also 
have just as much trouble listening while playing which just adds to 
my "condition"... I'll just be jamming along with the songs in the 
dtxpress III and then I realize I'm half a count off or I can easily 
play the snare on 1 and 3 instead of 2 and 4 ... it won't matter to 
me till I try to hit that crash on the down beat ;)

OK that said, what is the best exercises and ways for me to learn how 
to play these here drums... I understand most of the basic beats (I 
have been attempting to play drums pretty much all my life... but I 
can't play with a band)... one of my problems is my right foot just 
wants to go to town merrily tapping away at quater notes, eighth 
notes whatever I happen to also be playing on my right hand (see a 
pattern?)  I can sit there and dillegently play a striaght rythm with 
the song but that's pretty much no fun and not much fun to watch 
either.  I "groov checked" myself playing a straight quater note beat 
to a song forever (I think it was in loop mode on accident) and I 
would drag the beat slightly... not sure it that helps... oddly if I 
try and just tap quater notes on a pad with the stick I will rush the 
beat!

Is there any hope for me?  Besides BORING drills of just hammering 
out quater note patterns for hours and hours?  I've noticed counting 
helps a good bit... I guess it keeps me focused but I definatly loose 
the count when I try to do a fill.

Sorry for the novel but I figured I would let you in on the severity 
of my handicap ;)

Thanks,
Gilligan

If drills are boring to you, and you don't pick it up naturally, I 
don't know if there is helpful addvice. Are you sure yer name isn't 
William Hung?   };o)

Lol. You need to start small now. (SAVE THIS TO YOUR HD SO YOU CAN 
SEE IT FOR A FEW MONTHS) Play some 4th notes on your snare, then 
eighth notes, then sixteenth and gradually get faster over about 2-3 
weeks. Learn the way to hold the dumstick as well. Then do basic rock 
beat for a while to get rythm in your blood, getting faster and 
faster Gradually. 

Basic Rock:
1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-     (Count)
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-     Ride
----o-------o---     Snare
0-------o-------     Base Drum

Next, when you feel ready, try a little more difficult basic rock 
pattern.

Basic Rock:
1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-     (Count)
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-     Ride
o---o---o---o---     Snare
o-------o-------     Base Drum

Continued down the page...Gradually step up through these and in 2 
months you'll be good enough to play with peeps. It takes practice, 
at least 10-20 minutes a day.

1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
----o-------o---
o---o---o---o---

1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
o-------o-------
----o-------o---

Now, after a while, change ride to just 1,2,3,4 counts

1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
x---x---x---x---
----o-------o---
o-------o-------

1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
x---x---x---x---
o-------o-------
----o-------o---

1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
x---x---x---x---
o---o---o---o---
o-------o-------

Move on to more base drum:

1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
----o-------o---
o-o-----o-o-----

1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
----o-------o---
o-o-o---o-o-o---

1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
----o-------o---
o-o-o---o-o-o---

1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
o-------o-------
----o-o-----o-o-

1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
o-------o-------
--o-o-o---o-o-o-

Practice these patterns, remember to try to count your beats so you 
know where you are. After a while playing, counting becomes...I guess 
you could say sublimitable, you just do it and play because your 
muscles get trained. Drumming is a lot about just training your 
muscles to move to beat and music...then you will have rythm. You 
have to practice, its the only way to buld up you muscle 
coordination. Believe me, in a month you will begin to see a 
difference. Oh, and remember, spread these patters out, don't do them 
all at once...learn one till you can play it at different tempo, then 
move on and do the same. Drumming is fun, and you'll love it even 
more when you can play any basic beat...then you can improve some of 
your own stuff and really kick ass!!!! (Pardon my language, but there 
is no other way to explain it lol.)

-Zack-

P.S. I hope this helps you a lot. Do save it so you can reference it. 
Printing might be a good idea too =). Gah, I've had too much red 
bull, funny what racing does to ya lol. That was off topic I guess. 
Well, time to get some sleep...I hope. 3 a.m. and I'm wired, good 
lord. Well, bah bye and good luck. Keep drumming!

One other thing...don't worry about fills yet, but when you do, here 
are some patterns for you to do backwards and forwards: (I'm getting 
a sist)

   1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
t1 x-x-x-x-
t2         x-x-x-x-
t3 


   1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
t1 
t2 x-x-x-x-
t3         x-x-x-x-


   1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
Sn x-x-
t1     x-x-
t2         x-x-
t3             x-x-


   1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-   1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
Sn x-x-x-x-
t1         x-x-x-x-
t2                    x-x-x-x- 
t3                            x-x-x-x-


   1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-   1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&
t1 x-x-        x-x-           x-x- 
t2         x-x-           x-x-
t3     x-x-           x-x-        x-x-

-Zack-
P.S. Highlighting patterns in alternating colors will help 
distinquish. I want to here back from you every week =). Mini drum 
lesson lol.

Zack, I have saved them if nothing else for the fact that you put so 
much time and effort into my question that it would be an insult if I 
didn't do as you said ;)

Thanks for the mini lesson... I can do a few of those patterns with 
out any problems... actually I have more problems if I do 1/4 notes 
on the ride then my foot doesn't want to do 1/8th's or my hand wants 
to double up with my foot :(

also I hate to be a pest but unfortunately the spacing didn't work 
out with your fills... unless you have more hands then I do ;)

If you have this saved on a file you could email it to me.

Thanks for your help and I'll keep you updated ;)

Gilligan

PS: doubt I'll ever have rythm in my bones but maybe I can fake it if 
I try hard enough ;)

Well, it was like 3 am when I posted, so they may be off. I have some 
beginner/intermediate patterns written somewhere from lessons a while 
back, maybe I can find em.

-Zack-

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "Kevin Richard" 
<kevin_richard@b...> wrote:
> OK that's just one of the many problems I have...
> 
> Hello Gilligan,
                After reading your post I think the problem may not 
be as bad as you think. I can guarantee that every time someone 
visits me, they instantly go over to the drum kit and ask me to 
teach them something. So I sit down show them a simple beat and 
explain how to play it. Now here is where most problems start, they 
will sit down, start the count and attempt to play. Naturally they 
havent played before and dont get it right. Now what usually happens 
is they start to tense up, which makes the difficult task they had 
even harder. 
  If you compare this to my godson who stayed up here with me. 
Obviously a drum kit in the front room is a natural draw point for a 
two year old. So he hears a few songs he knows on the radio and 
thrashes away. Ok, he may be to small to reach the pedals and what 
he is playing may be a bit random, (it worked for Keith Moon) but he 
is in time. 
  So the difference between them is and adult is trying to be 
precise and is aware of his failings. On the other hand the child 
couldnt give a damn, he is having laugh banging things and naturally 
plays in time with the music. 

  As it says on the Dave Weckl practice video, RELAX.

  I think I went on a bit there, but hopefully you get the idea. 
Just remember, inside everyone there is a drummer screaming to get 
out.

Daz

Unfortunatly I would have to say you are probably wrong here... I 
have ALWAYS amazed people, especially drummers, with how little rythm 
I have.  I was just playing guitar to a midi drum track I created 
(from the drum editor screen ;)  and a buddy was singing over it... 
VERY simple "rif" but yet I would actually forget the drums were even 
there and start going off of what he was singing... I'm just glad he 
was paying attention to the drum track!  I even had to have 
the "layout" on the screen scrolling the cursor over the beats to 
keep my place... and I'm talking this was a VERY simple rif I wrote.  
Also made me realize when I played the rif with not drums I would 
drag my last note probably an whole extra count!

I'll say this in my defense... I'm unique, not many ppl have as 
little rythm as I do ;)

Thanks for the encouragement though... I won't give up no matter how 
much it tourtures my buddy that tries so hard to "jam" with me ;)

Gilligan

> > Hello Gilligan,
>                 After reading your post I think the problem may not 
> be as bad as you think.

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "Kevin Richard" 
<kevin_richard@b...> wrote:
> Unfortunatly I would have to say you are probably wrong

  Hmmmmmmmm, it seems to me it is more of a concentration thing. 
There are a few people on the forum who dabble in electronics, and 
who may be able to rig up the groove check function, so it will give 
you an electric shock as you start to go out of time. (the more you 
go out of time, the more pain you get) :-)
  Apart from that it may be the hours of practice with a click 
track  option. 

 Good luck, 

 Daz.

Hmm well we'll start with the click track first and see where I go 
from there ;)

Thanks guys!
Gilligan

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "reetaprice" <reetaprice@y...> wrote:
> --- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "Kevin Richard" 
> <kevin_richard@b...> wrote:
> > Unfortunatly I would have to say you are probably wrong
> 
>   Hmmmmmmmm, it seems to me it is more of a concentration thing. 
> There are a few people on the forum who dabble in electronics, and 
> who may be able to rig up the groove check function, so it will 
give 

> you an electric shock as you start to go out of time. (the more you 
> go out of time, the more pain you get) :-)
>   Apart from that it may be the hours of practice with a click 
> track  option. 
> 
>  Good luck, 
> 
>  Daz.