An Introduction to Electronic Drums

By Adriana Noton


In a world where digital is replacing everything in its path, it should come as no surprise that drums, the oldest instrument on earth, now has an electronic counterpart. Fortunately, advances have made these drums of today much improved over the first ones to come out. While they'll never replace traditional drum kits, they don't have to, and they offer some serious advantages that can't be obtained any other way.

The first electronic drums that came out where fascinating as a concept, but there were too many serious drawbacks. The heads lacked sensitivity, so hitting different places along the surface of the head produced the same sound. One of the great charms of the drum is the variety of sounds you can produce with each component. There isn't simply one sound called snare, hitting in the middle produced a very different tone than on the side, and in between are countless shades of tone that electronic models ignored. They had one tone for the head, and another for the rim. This fault has been rectified in newer models which offer much more sophisticated synthesizers. The result is a viable instrument for professional musicians. There are a fair amount of albums recorded with electronic drums today, something unthinkable a decade ago.

Another obvious benefit of the electronic drums is the variety of kits that can be programmed. Not only can you get different kinds of traditional kits, but kits of all kinds of themes. This was true since their inception, but now that the heads are more receptive and developed this benefit can be used to much greater effect. To switch to a Caribbean or jazz kit or South American sound without having to get off your drum stool offers massive possibilities to the professional musician on stage or promises of fun for the amateur musician jamming with his friends.

These kinds of drums are not cheap. Indeed, drums are a relatively expensive instrument, but electronic drums also require the purchase of an amplifier. This is true of all electronic instruments. Anyway, they have grown and developed to the point where they are worth it! The list of professional recording artists who use them is growing, and this is the most reliable indicator that these instruments are serious and not just a novel alternative concept. Actually, they haven't been for years. They are worth the money.

For parents, the largest complaint about drums, historically speaking, is the volume. With electronic drums this problem disappears, as you can simply lower the volume on the speaker, or even play with headphones. It's reasonable to tire of hearing an amateur drummer learn to keep up a basic rhythm. It takes a certain amount of tenacity and love from a parent to put up with it! Parents no longer have to sacrifice their ear drums for their children. It's a win-win.

There are different models, different price brackets, and other things to consider, but buying Roland electronic drums, unthinkable years ago, is a wonderful modern alternative to the traditional kit.




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