What do I do?!

[Candlelight Chaos]

I have no access to drums of any kind, I have no sticks, or practice pads.
I feel that I am going to suck really bad when I get to some drums, and I DON'T want to suck.

Anybody have any thoughts/suggestions?

[drum_chick]

Go buy a practice pad and sticks........

[Candlelight Chaos]

Oh well...that just about solves it...I feel stupid
What if I can't?

[drum_chick]

Why can't you?

[Eons]

Go to your kitchen get some knifes and a piece of meat and have fun!

[Church Drummer]

I have a beginning instruction video where the teacher says if you don't have a set to think about the beats your playing and air drum along. Not as good as the real thing, but probably better than nothing.

[sprink311]

Pots and pans, buddy.

[hellsbells58]

Absolutely right, mental practice is good at keeping you sharp. And don't forget, tap incessantly.

HB58

[Lafirin]

well man.. if this makes ya feel better, everyone usually sucks when they go without the kit for a long period of time, but it takes a few days and ur back and runnin in no time. just the few days really suck, but u can get threw em. and yeah i drum on my knees and tap on everything.. but i guess if its something you don't want to do its kinda hard.. i suggest just buying a pratice pad, and just doin rudiments and stuff, although might be boring and hard, harder since u dont have a set to have fun on. thats all the advince i got for ya bud.

[vinnysimmo]

Just play with your hands.

[drummerboy60]

Hi, I just read your post and just wanted to let you know practice make perfect. When you get your drums either take private lessons or get some books and practice. I started out with just a snare drum for years. We all sounded bad when we first started even the pro's. Just remember practice makes perfect.

[rjf1986]

Get yourself some sticks, or wooden spoons, find yourself some pillows and some rope to tir them into tight bundles, put them on a bed and play music inh your ears, I did this when I was waiting for my kit to come, Id sit down and play rudiments to the time of the music for an hour a day. When you get your kit, you will be able to hit harder, and play more precisely than ever before, because the drum heads will make the stick jump, whereas with pillows, your wrists are always doing the work.

I used to carry a wooden spoon in my left (weak) hand and tap it on my leg at a steady even beat until my left hand got good to.

This is actually a blessing in disguise Chaos! You can get really sharp before you get your kit!!! I improved dramatically in the time I was between kits.

[Stevo42w]

Why cant you get 8$ for a cheap pair of sticks. Then use a phone book?

Practice ruidiments and technique. Its what i have done my whole drumming life :P

I know how you feel though. I can always see myself getting better then no kit. Then i suck when i get back to it. Its a shame but new kit for me soon! :>

[rjf1986]

Hey Steve-O, are you going with the reference yeah?

[Stevo42w]

Yeahp! :> Pretty sure. Going to the drum shop around the 10th of next month. Being sent to perth for a course for work getting a payed holiday! :> yay and not being taken from my normal payed holidays :>

I got monday all free so im gonna spend the day picking all my drums and cymbnols out. Im going. the drum set 6piece. with a popcorn snare and a piccalo... ontop of the standard snare...... Cymbol pack. Prolly ZXT (Used by the monkeys:P) Or ZHT's pack. Then another crash. Splash and china. And any other cymbols i want. Im gonna try everything. And then the eliminator 2002c with all the changey thingys :>

Then ill prolly have it all ordered and payed the next month and get it delivered i think. :>

[rjf1986]

Very Nice, I have an Eliminator myself, a single though! What finish are you going with???

[funkymcstain]

like everyone says...practice mentally. i was a profesional air drummer before before i ever touched a set. when i finally got to a kit i was already able to play most cheesy radio songs.

ps. stevo...please dont buy a baddass reference kit and put ZXT or ZHT cymbals on it. at least not if you can afford better.
oh, make sure you get a different finish than purple craze,. i want to be the first on the forum to have that one hopefully in august.

[rjf1986]

like everyone says...practice mentally. i was a profesional air drummer before before i ever touched a set. when i finally got to a kit i was already able to play most cheesy radio songs.

ps. stevo...please dont buy a baddass reference kit and put ZXT or ZHT cymbals on it. at least not if you can afford better.
oh, make sure you get a different finish than purple craze,. i want to be the first on the forum to have that one hopefully in august.

I was myself thinking that a Masters kit with higher-end cymbals would be a better buy than a reference with lower end ones...??

[DarkSoldier21]

Mental practice is one of the best things u can do without a kit. if you don't kno it in your mind, you definately won't be able to physically play it. use ur hands or by some cheap sticks and a cheap pad. it ain't that expensive.

[Candlelight Chaos]

I bought a pair of Vic Firth 2B's, just so I could keep my skills up. I wanted to buy a practice pad, but the music store I bought the sticks from had no practice pads in stock.
I'm doing batter now that I have an actual pair of sticks in my hands, and I can be jamming to this and that to keep my skills from regressing.
Thanks for your advice guys/girls!

[vinnysimmo]

Play on pillows. Itll build strengh.

[funkymcstain]

yup, the more different surfaces you can consistantly do your rudiments on, the more comfortable and consistant drummer you will be.

[Stevo42w]

I was myself thinking that a Masters kit with higher-end cymbals would be a better buy than a reference with lower end ones...??

I have heard a couple of people say masters is better but thats because they love maple sounds.

I like things different and the birch would give anice sound to compliment the maple i would say :>

Im going to the drumshop on the 10th of july or the 9th. Im going through every custon Zildjian cymbol they have (which will be everyone available) and ill pick out a custom set...... I really dont see whats wrong with ZHT's or ZXT's though. But i guess ill see when i get back from perth.

[Lafirin]

like everyone says...practice mentally. i was a profesional air drummer before before i ever touched a set. when i finally got to a kit i was already able to play most cheesy radio songs.

ps. stevo...please dont buy a baddass reference kit and put ZXT or ZHT cymbals on it. at least not if you can afford better.
oh, make sure you get a different finish than purple craze,. i want to be the first on the forum to have that one hopefully in august.

your kidding me! i thought i was the only one. When I didnt have a kit I had only used 1 once and after that I knew were the toms and snare and hi hat was so I air drummed almost everyday to my music. When I got my kit, I had no idea how to hold a stick, how to hit the drum, but I could drum to chessy songs too. mental is the best.

[rjf1986]

I have heard a couple of people say masters is better but thats because they love maple sounds.

I like things different and the birch would give anice sound to compliment the maple i would say :>

Im going to the drumshop on the 10th of july or the 9th. Im going through every custon Zildjian cymbol they have (which will be everyone available) and ill pick out a custom set...... I really dont see whats wrong with ZHT's or ZXT's though. But i guess ill see when i get back from perth.

Sure you will know when you hear them. Loads of proffesionals used the Masters before the Reference was released, and there is no way that anyone could find fault with that kit ANYWAY!! it is up to you really in the end. I think the slight majority would favour Masters & better cymbals though. Its your kit though, so you decide!!

even if you do have low end cymbals, you can upgrade at your own pace with a Reference kit beneath them...