Music Industry Discussion

Hello everyone... I am getting into jazz music with this new band. I never played jazz, but am interested. I was wondering if an electronic drum set was appropriate for this type of music? I am looking to purchase one along with my analog set, which I may covert to electronic entirely in the near future. Does anyone play on a electronic set? , and are they any good for playing out live?

Thank's....

Hey, how's it going?
Look around - there's a long, long discussion on this posted somewhere . . . models, sounds, everything . . .

I JUST PURCHASED THE YAMAHA DTXPRESS III ELECTRONIC DRUM SET A FEW MONTHS AGO...HAVE NOT REGRETED IT FOR A SECOND...I LOVE THEM...THE DIFFERENT DRUM SOUNDS ARE GREAT...THE BOUNCE ON THE DRUM HEADS ARE AMAZING...I HAVE HAD A REGULAR SET AND THIS SET HAS INSPIRED ME TO START PLAYING AGAIN...IT ALSO HAS A JAZZ SETTING YOU CAN GO TO...I THINK YOU WOULD ENJOY THIS SET CAUSE I HAVE NOT BEEN DISAPOINTED...HOPE THIS WILL HELP YOU TO DECIDE...GOOD LUCK

I play an all electronic setup, and I find that the versitility I have is wonderful. The only thing that I regret at this point is that I bought a set of ddrum SE4's. The pads are great, the drum module is crap. It's been sitting at ddrums/nord for two months waiting for them to replace a burned out motherboard. I'm looking to buy a Roland kit here soon to replace the ddrums module and expand my current setup. I've seen lots of guys touring with their TD-20 kits, and they've had some awesome sound.

It depends on the style of jazz. If it's more like 'lounge/club" jazz, a small acoustic set, (usually played with brushes) does the trick. Now if it's fusion/experimental (my favorite), electronic drums are perfect. Yes they are fine for live gigs. Just don't get them wet!! Keep the drunks at a safe distance. Depends on your budget too. Roland obviously makes the best and most diverse kits on the market, though there are plenty other descent kits, Rolands have been very reliable to me and easier to program.
Check out Bill Bruford's Earthworks band or any post 70's King Crimson. Especially get the King Crimson live in Tokyo (1983 or 84) dvd for some electronic drum inspiration!
Hope this helps!
Derik Rinehart

elec drums never sub in for real ones... but they can be better(in some ways ie access to djembe sounds!). I'm a guitarist, but drummers everywhere tell me I'm wrong on this: I dare ya...
get a roland vdrum brain. It's hands down the best sounding brain out htere. I have all the sounds from the yamaha dtxpress, all the sounds from the alesis dm5, all the sounds from the vdrum, all the sounds from the ddrum. The roland is the best.
I'd get a roland vdrum (dual or triple trigger) for the snare. I wouldn't spen d the money on the vdrum toms, bd, and cymbals, unless youv'e got it. Oh, yeah, there's a vdrum knock off too. They make great stuff. I'd go with some cheaper pads for toms and cymbols cause the diff is negligable.
If you really wan't to do it down lo... get some piezo triggers from radio shack... buy a practice pad kit(150), and wire up the triggers to 1/4 jacks and place them under the practice pads. This coupled with a dm5, and some cymbal stands... your talking under $400. For cymbals use black frisbees.
Just some thoughts from a non-drummer. Take them for what there worth.

Hello. Be careful as to which electronic kit you buy. If you are going to be playing authentic jazz with cross-sticking, manual muffling, diverse dynamics, and all the other nuances that come with jazz percussion, only a top of the line electro-kit will provide these subtleties. If you are looking for an all in one buy, the easy choice, if the wallet permits, the a Roland with a TD-10 Drum Module or a more advanced version. The lower end brains cannot provide the wide dynamic sound levels. I have played with electronic kits for quite some time now and while you can never replace the colorful pallete and wide tonal range of an acoustic rig, I firmly believe that with proper tuning, they deliver a more than quality, realistic sound, and electronic drums offer drummers a new road for percussion to travel down. Thanks for the listen and good luck.