UwantRadie
12-18-2007, 07:44 AM
First let it be known that as a person with virtually no rhythm or coordination, the Drums have been a blast for me, even if it is going to take some time to get down fully. We got the game on the 28th of November (UPS screwed us for a week) and have been practicing since. Minus one day/night where I beat the Solo Guitar tour on Medium (and did a few Hard ones), all my time has been spent in front of the Drums.
I can now just about finish almost every song on Medium in the 97%-99%. The kick pedal has just now (like literally in the last few days) gotten to the point where I am fully comfortable with it, only occasionally having issues when it doesnt match up with a note. I feel like I am at that point where things are starting to really make a lot of sense and I am finding my groove easier and easier in each song.
I will share some thoughts on the whole deal and see if other people have had similar experiences...
GENERAL
I have seen a ton of people saying that the best grip to use is a very soft one. Honestly, this makes a HUGE difference. With a soft grip, the sticks bounce off the pads and instantly give you a better position to hit your next note. Not being a drummer and being thrown into it like I (and most of you) have been, that is very hard advice to follow. When you see something new, you tense up. It is natural to do so and it will result in your hands hurting and your sticks getting very sweaty and dirty. So how do you follow this advice? By practicing. More specifically by practicing loosening your grip. Go into a song that you are already plenty comfortable with. Dont even sweat the score. You are NOT practicing the song, you are practicing your GRIP. Just play as you normally would, but without the pressure of the score, plus the concentrated effort of trying to loosen your grip will get you there. Do it with a 2nd and maybe a 3rd song. By then you will have a good idea of how to hold them. Keep that feeling stored in your head, because the first new song you play you will grip the stick tightly again as the new notes scare (lack of better word) you. Then as you learn the notes in the first parts of the song, focus on that feeling of loosening up that I told you to remember and apply it to the rest of the song. Before you realize it you will be tackling new unknown notes with a soft grip.
Playing on easy is obviously a good way to learn everything , but I found the that possibly the best learning tool is the Bonus Setlist. While what I am about to say is way more prominent in the Guitar tour, it carries plenty of water for the Drums too. It feels like every song teaches you a new beat or tactic that will be critical in the future. While you will come to some songs that are tougher then you might be up to, you will learn the new things that will help tremendously later on in the game. I highly suggest going through the Bonus Setlist very early on in your Drumming Career.
I could be wrong for doing this when I set up my Drum kit. I set it up so that my body is almost right in front of the YELLOW pad. Not fully, but almost. If you have a quick right hand (years of... ahem... practice), then I think this is the ideal set up. Most GREENS are scattered about sparingly and the BLUES are still very easy to get too as they are just where your right hand is. The YELLOW and RED ones are the most used pads and this set up allows the pads that are used the most are in the best positions. This also is VERY helpful if you are a tall guy like me (6'4") and have a wide stance. It helps keep your leg straighter when placing it on the PEDAL.
PEDAL
The PEDAL will become your worst enemy. It hurts and t is VERY tough to get the hang of. You will often miss PEDAL notes or add some where they shouldn't be. I just recently got used to this and as such, cant really give any good advice on how to do it. I will say that when you find a beat that has a lot of PEDAL notes in it, you should go into PRACTICE mode and just do that beat for a little while until you HAVE IT DOWN. Once you have one, down, you will start to "feel" it and it will make tackling the next beat a lot easier.
A good tip for easing the pain of your leg is to set the PEDAL up in a slightly different configuration. Once again, I have no idea if this will hurt me in the harder difficulties but it works for Easy/Medium excellently... Set up the PEDAL with the hinge part (the side closest to you) propped up so that the PEDAL when not pressed, it is horizontal to the floor. Now you can just rest your foot on the PEDAL and push downward with your foot. It might come back to bite you (and me) in the ass later but this will help you early in the game and if that means helping you understand the PEDAL any sooner, then it is worth it in my book.
LINKS
A guy on these boards named CigDangle has made some pretty good Drum Mods for lessening the sound. They can be found here...
DRUM PAD NOISE REDUCTION (http://generationgamerz.com/v2/insight/time-for-rock-band-arts-crafts.php)
DRUM PEDAL NOISE REDUCTION (http://generationgamerz.com/v2/insight/cigdangles-0.99-band-bass-pedal-quieter.php)
If you like his guides or have suggestions, then head over to this thread and let him know... CigDangle's Official Guide to Quieter Drums and Bass Pedal (http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=13539&highlight=guide)
ROCK BAND ZONE (http://www.rockbandzone.com/)
A great site with tons of news and some good guides for the Drums and other instruments.
Well, there is some wordage from me on the topic. Feel free to post any tips and what not. Maybe even a story or two if the mood suits you.
Let me know what you guys think.
I can now just about finish almost every song on Medium in the 97%-99%. The kick pedal has just now (like literally in the last few days) gotten to the point where I am fully comfortable with it, only occasionally having issues when it doesnt match up with a note. I feel like I am at that point where things are starting to really make a lot of sense and I am finding my groove easier and easier in each song.
I will share some thoughts on the whole deal and see if other people have had similar experiences...
GENERAL
I have seen a ton of people saying that the best grip to use is a very soft one. Honestly, this makes a HUGE difference. With a soft grip, the sticks bounce off the pads and instantly give you a better position to hit your next note. Not being a drummer and being thrown into it like I (and most of you) have been, that is very hard advice to follow. When you see something new, you tense up. It is natural to do so and it will result in your hands hurting and your sticks getting very sweaty and dirty. So how do you follow this advice? By practicing. More specifically by practicing loosening your grip. Go into a song that you are already plenty comfortable with. Dont even sweat the score. You are NOT practicing the song, you are practicing your GRIP. Just play as you normally would, but without the pressure of the score, plus the concentrated effort of trying to loosen your grip will get you there. Do it with a 2nd and maybe a 3rd song. By then you will have a good idea of how to hold them. Keep that feeling stored in your head, because the first new song you play you will grip the stick tightly again as the new notes scare (lack of better word) you. Then as you learn the notes in the first parts of the song, focus on that feeling of loosening up that I told you to remember and apply it to the rest of the song. Before you realize it you will be tackling new unknown notes with a soft grip.
Playing on easy is obviously a good way to learn everything , but I found the that possibly the best learning tool is the Bonus Setlist. While what I am about to say is way more prominent in the Guitar tour, it carries plenty of water for the Drums too. It feels like every song teaches you a new beat or tactic that will be critical in the future. While you will come to some songs that are tougher then you might be up to, you will learn the new things that will help tremendously later on in the game. I highly suggest going through the Bonus Setlist very early on in your Drumming Career.
I could be wrong for doing this when I set up my Drum kit. I set it up so that my body is almost right in front of the YELLOW pad. Not fully, but almost. If you have a quick right hand (years of... ahem... practice), then I think this is the ideal set up. Most GREENS are scattered about sparingly and the BLUES are still very easy to get too as they are just where your right hand is. The YELLOW and RED ones are the most used pads and this set up allows the pads that are used the most are in the best positions. This also is VERY helpful if you are a tall guy like me (6'4") and have a wide stance. It helps keep your leg straighter when placing it on the PEDAL.
PEDAL
The PEDAL will become your worst enemy. It hurts and t is VERY tough to get the hang of. You will often miss PEDAL notes or add some where they shouldn't be. I just recently got used to this and as such, cant really give any good advice on how to do it. I will say that when you find a beat that has a lot of PEDAL notes in it, you should go into PRACTICE mode and just do that beat for a little while until you HAVE IT DOWN. Once you have one, down, you will start to "feel" it and it will make tackling the next beat a lot easier.
A good tip for easing the pain of your leg is to set the PEDAL up in a slightly different configuration. Once again, I have no idea if this will hurt me in the harder difficulties but it works for Easy/Medium excellently... Set up the PEDAL with the hinge part (the side closest to you) propped up so that the PEDAL when not pressed, it is horizontal to the floor. Now you can just rest your foot on the PEDAL and push downward with your foot. It might come back to bite you (and me) in the ass later but this will help you early in the game and if that means helping you understand the PEDAL any sooner, then it is worth it in my book.
LINKS
A guy on these boards named CigDangle has made some pretty good Drum Mods for lessening the sound. They can be found here...
DRUM PAD NOISE REDUCTION (http://generationgamerz.com/v2/insight/time-for-rock-band-arts-crafts.php)
DRUM PEDAL NOISE REDUCTION (http://generationgamerz.com/v2/insight/cigdangles-0.99-band-bass-pedal-quieter.php)
If you like his guides or have suggestions, then head over to this thread and let him know... CigDangle's Official Guide to Quieter Drums and Bass Pedal (http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=13539&highlight=guide)
ROCK BAND ZONE (http://www.rockbandzone.com/)
A great site with tons of news and some good guides for the Drums and other instruments.
Well, there is some wordage from me on the topic. Feel free to post any tips and what not. Maybe even a story or two if the mood suits you.
Let me know what you guys think.
