Hi Eyal, I actually got the Ludwig accent kit. Acoustics

If you're looking at acoustic drums, I did well with a Pearl Export set.

@Raviteja welcome to the beginners club 🙂 I have Alesis Nitro Mesh for a year now. Its price is attractive though I would buy a higher class. 1 . During this year I had to replace 3 times the HH cymbal and snare. 2 . The snare diameter is only 8 inch - it is challegning. There is nkt enough room for two hands when you play 16th notes or flams. 3 . The HH pedal is creaky. 4. Its sound is not so good. It may be a good starting kit but not for more than several months.

Thanks Stephen, I already got these ones. I love them

How has you search going? I started, last year, with the 5pc Ludwig Accent. Teach ( @Stephen) did a great video about it recently. It’s a nice kit. Check it out! Good Luck!

Hi I am a Beginner and brand new to drums. I am looking for suggestions on drum set to get started with. I did a little research for couple of days and what currently I have in mind is E-drum set from Alesis - Alesis Nitro Mesh. Please post your suggestions it helps a lot. Thanks in advance.

Hi Renee. Your struggles sound familiar. Your accuracy hitting the drums will improve as you accumulate practice time. But check for things that may be making you hit sticks more often. Like your position and that of the instruments. Make the moves slow looking at your hands, then faster and check if the trajectory is so close that makes it easy to hit sticks. Speed is a common cause. On one hand moving our hands faster we are less accurate, and on the other we have less time to plan our moves and those doubts at the last moment rush us. So in each exercise try to start doing it slow enough to feel in complete control, and add speed gradually, not moving on until you are confident again. That is not a beginner thing to do, bit the common trade of practice.

Well, I can read music, but I can usually hear the notes and then the notes get reinforced by reading the notes and then its in my memory. But for the drums, I am hearing/feeling the beats of the different drums and cymbals and when they get struck, but my sticks go flying because I realized I'm not hitting the fills and runs with the correct stick positions. I have a stick holder just in reach that I can quick get a stick when they go flying. I go fishing for my sticks after every practice. So that is why I am kinda stuck on the grooves then fills section. I can play it, but sometimes the next move might be a traffic jam. Also, I have to keep reminding myself that the drummers on all of those songs put A LOT of practice to it and played each one hundreds of times. I can't expect to hit it 100% right out the bag. But I'm close.

So being able to play something and being able to READ that same thing are two different skills. I would much prefer you be able to hear it and replicate it. Reading is just a tool for us to use to keep expanding our learning. I will learn things by ear many times and then check it/adjust it/correct it by looking at a transcription. I like that you're able to hear and play something though! That means you have sensitive ears that can hear what is happening in the music.

I'm having a real hard time following along when I look at the sheet music. But if I just listen to when the beat is played and by which drum head I''m supposed to hit, I can do it correctly. Also, I have to close my eyes to play. Anyone else have this issue? More practice for me!

I played a few instruments when I was younger but never really dedicated myself the way I should have. Trumpet and tuba in school band. Electric guitar as a teen and then again as an adult. Tried the e-drums as well as an adult. Life never really let me pursue music, and I didn't push myself enough. 2 years ago at age 51, and because of the support of my girlfriend I got back into it when I purchased a Yamaha DTX403(I think is the model). Then a friend of mine gave me the PDP kit that was in his storage. Figured out self teaching wasn't working because I didn't know what I was doing anyway, so I came here. Absolutely love playing the drums because I'm a fidget-er and the complexity of drums helps that. I've always liked things that kept me moving and kept my mind occupied.

I just retired after selling my business and at 58 I'm ready to learn something new. My best friend who seems to be able to play any instrument suggested I learn to play the drums.

I loved the drums since I was 5, my parents used to take me to church and there was an orchestra. From the first time I saw the drums I was so amazed. Since then I always wanted to play but my parents couldn't afford that amount of money neither wanted to get me a kit so I waited until I had my own salary and here I am now, having my own kit. In the meantime I've learned how to beat box Haha almost every song I heard I was tapping the rhythm on my leg or something. Sometimes I hate the fact I have to go to sleep because that means to let the drumsticks down Haha.

So glad you are able to dive back in @Scott! It's an awesome feeling!

Growing up I had a friend who was part of a family dance hall band. His Aunt was my music teacher in school and kind of coached me into it. I played for a few years but stopped due to life getting in the way of dreams of making it. Now I am just getting back into drums and music.

Ha! Love it! Such a great way to dive into the drums, just from pure enjoyment!

My 8 year old son is learning piano but showed an interest in doing drum lessons as well at school. We bought a practice pad for him and I think I used it more than he did before I went out and bought an electric kit a couple of weeks ago for us both (me) to use. Never used the drums before that, mainly because one of my best friends back in the day was an amazing drummer and I was drawn to the guitar. Been playing that on & off (mostly off) since the mid-90's but haven't played with others for about 20 years. Really enjoying the drums at the moment - haven't picked up a guitar in weeks!

@Martha, what a great way to get started!!

I started with the piano and studied classical music for 15 years. Then work and children came along. In my free time I started tap dancing - loved it! I got to create rhythms and melodies with my feet. My daughter then took up the drums and became the drummer of a death metal band. She has moved away but left her drums behind (she can no longer play due to a wrist injury). So I sat down at her well-used set and decided to give it a try. I'm finding it an excellent challenge. This love for percussion also has me playing in an amateur concert band.

Thank you very much.

Yes @Tony!! I love it, that's a great way to get started playing the drums...playing for the love of music. It sounds like the drums were made for you, and you will go far with them.

I played guitar on and off for years. Me and a few friends decided to try get a band together to play a couple of small gigs for fun, turns out I wasn’t the best guitarist in the band. So we had two guitar players and one bass player but no drummer. It also turns out my friend had a drum kit in his barn. I tried it out and knew instantly I wanted to be a drummer, it just felt natural where the guitar never did. That was 5 months ago, I’ve got two songs under my belt so far. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes and Gimme all your Lovin - ZZ Top. Fingers crossed a better drummer doesn’t move into the village 🤣

Thanks for the explanation Tim - that is pretty much what I understood but put much more clearly. Basically for those of you TL/DR Pocket = Nate Smith 😂

David. This is a GREAT question. There will actually be a lesson released a few weeks from now where Scott Williamson (from the recent member's live stream Q&A) talks about pocket. Pocket is really referring to how the groove/fill/solo/song/etc FEELS. And what I mean by "feels" is - does it feel "good"? Does it "groove"? Think about a metronome ticking constant 16th notes - it is metronomically perfect (because it is a metronome haha) - but it doesn't really FEEL GOOD. There is no dynamic contrast, there is no vibe - it is just constant 16th notes. BUT. What if you make the metronome play each downbeat very strong, then make the "ands" 50% quieter, and the "e" and "uh" 75% quieter. NOW it isn't constant 16th notes at the exact same dynamic...it is something with push and pull, and dynamics. Still metronomically perfect, but now it FEELS better. So there are many different types of pocket. But it is basically striking that balance of "in time with the music" and "adding a human feel to the groove to give it life". I would say pocket is the unique feel a drummer gives everything they play. Vinnie Colaiuta has a certain pocket that is VERY different than Brian Blade. Travis Barker has a different pocket than Dave Grohl. But they all know how to take a groove and make it feel "good". This is also where music becomes totally subjective because the way that Travis Barker plays "pocket" can be a huge turn off for a lot of people because they think it is "too loud" or something like that. But it is HUMAN and it has a time and a place that fits into the music he plays. So the short answer is "being in the pocket" is making a groove or fill "feel good" and making it fit in the music you are playing with. The long (and more philosophical answer) is that "pocket" is the unique fingerprint every drummer has, it is the essence of "their sound".

As newbies, it is easy to fall through the cracks with even semi-technical discussions because we don't always have the vocabulary which relates to music in general or to a specific instrument in particular. Terms such as "pocket" are often used and generally understood... I am often the one to ask the questions which are on others' lips, hence this topic. I'd love to hear your thoughts.