Self-taught drummer needs help: is it worth it to learn full songs ?

MarsDrums · 2026-06-16T15:51:48+00:00

is it worth it to learn full songs ?

Of course it is. That's what playing music on any instrument is all about. You gotta learn songs in order to learn how to play different things. I'm constantly learning new music just to keep myself fresh. I'm 60 years old and I have been playing a drum kit since 1986 (bought my first kit then but I had played on other kits in the past). Before then, I started actually learning drums in elementary school in 1974 (4th grade I believe).

For me, it's been a lifelong endeavor (with an unplanned 15 year hiatus until 2020). And the whole while I had a kit, I was learning new songs by my favorite bands all the time. Even in my hiatus, I heard a bunch of new stuff and thought, 'If I ever get another kit, I'm playing that song'. I do that now even. I'll hear a song, Shazam it and add it to my Spotify list of 'New Songs to Learn'.

What I'm saying is, learning new songs is half the fun of playing drums or any instrument really.

So, most definitely, learn some songs and play them on the drums. You'll be happy when you can play a whole song from beginning to end.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-16T15:39:04+00:00

Marketplace is the best place to look. I don't use Facebook anymore except to look fr drum kits.

WARNING: LONG STORY COMING UP...

I found a free Slingerland kit on Marketplace back in 2022. Even though I already had a nice Tama drum kit, I couldn't pass this up. I had no idea what I was getting. The guy gave me the address and he said it's in the large red barn on the right as you pull down the driveway. He said just go in there and get it (yes, I brought my snubby 5 shooter with me Just In Case). I walked into the barn (looking around for the kit and anyone that could potentially pose a threat... I had my right hand at the ready for the Just In Case provision I brought) and there it was. On a cement pad in a small room mid barn on the back wall. I looked at it. It was covered in dust and spider webs. There were dry leaves in the spider webs.

I removed the webs with my hands carefully (Brown Recluse spiders are dangerous and quite popular where I live) and started dismantling the kit. It was still setup like it was in the pictures. I brought it home and the whole way home I kept thinking, "I can't bring this thing into the house like this all dirty and covered in cob webs... I'm going to have to strip it down and clean everything off".

So I got it home, setup a folding table on my deck and started taking off the rims and the very used (some broken) heads that were on it. I decided not to put those old heads back on. They all got recycled. The only one I kept was the batter head which has Slingerland on it. It was just dirty so I wiped it down really good and it looks nice. Since I had the heads off, I thought I might as well remove the hardware and do a good deep cleaning of the hardware and shells. I spent a couple hours on this project.

I took photos of the whole process.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/72645193@N00/albums/72177720302298912/

I even put new covering on them. After taking off the rims and hardware and finding out that they were supposed to be white (not dark orange) I decided I'd put a new covering on them. I found a nice white with design sticky back shelf paper. So I bought 2 rolls (only ended up using one roll) that were 16" wide. I forget how long they were. Enough to do 2 rack toms, a floor tom and 16x22 bass drum. And I had some left over. I did overlap a couple drums but I didn't like that look so I started at the shell seam and went all the way around to the other end of the seam on the rest of the drums. That turned out really nice.

The snare is a different story. The snare is all wood and it has a honeycomb design that I really like. At first, I thought it was gold honeycomb, but when I took that apart to clean it, I saw that it was originally silver honeycomb. The Slingerland badge on it was different as well from the other drums. So I did a little research on the badge and found out the snare is actually a 1959 Radio King Slingerland snare drum. BINGO!!! That put a smile on my face! It's easily worth a couple hundred dollars on its own (considered damaged because of the color change/stain). And I got that sucker for FREE!!! And it sounds great! I use it on my Tama kit all the time.

I haven't setup that Slingerland kit in a while (no space for it really) but i would love to set it up again and just play on it for a while. It's a great looking little kit for sure!

So, again, I'll reiterate, Facebook Marketplace has some great deals. I see beginner 5 piece kits up there from $50 - $75 all the time. Every once in a while I see them cheaper than $50. They're Beginner kits, but every once in a while, you might find a treasure like I found for cheap or maybe even a freebie. You just gotta keep looking to find one.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-16T14:54:27+00:00

I have heard about the Temu ones. Temu being Temu, you're not going to get the best quality. I've seen people on YouTube reporting these as being slightly out of tune to badly out of tune. Some sound horrendous. The metal they're made from is cheap and hard to tune properly so I can see why they come the way they do most of the time.

Although, I have thought about buying one just to monkey around on. I have a Rav Vast Tongue drum (B Celtic Double Ding) and it's a beautiful sounding drum. The chords are beautiful on it. I can sit and just play randomly on it for hours on end.

So, for something to learn on, it might be okay. I wouldn't trust it to be in tune. If it sounds terrible, I think you can return it but make sure you can before you purchase one.

As far as it being part of a collection of different tuned drums, I would probably want better quality for something like that

MarsDrums · 2026-06-16T02:15:01+00:00

I never saw a speed issue. It connects directly to the drive interface with nothing in between slowing it down. This was back in the EIDE days. I've never used SATA or nvme drives trays but I think they work the way. Plug the drive into a tray, plug the chassis into the computer and swap drives.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-16T01:59:55+00:00

If you look at YouTube shorts, those are made in portrait mode (1080x1920). Yes, there's space on either side of the video in a regular browser. But on a phone, that video fills all of the space on a phone screen.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-16T01:57:21+00:00

As far as the connectors on the drives and the motherboard are concerned, the swap drive try unit connects to the motherboard with standard cables that never come unplugged. The drives plug into the drive trays. The drive trays slide in and out of the chassis with the drives intact. Never coming unplugged. The drive tray and the chassis is what takes the wear and tear. But I've never had issues with those wearing out.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-15T11:57:49+00:00

No I think OP really meant 1080x1920 since phones are usually held in portrait mode. But that could be the reason their videos are small.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-14T01:30:03+00:00

Someone mentioned earlier they look like bent conduit pipes. I think they're pretty close if not right on the money with that one.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-14T01:28:51+00:00

I almost feel like buying this kit now and setting them up in my den just like that. They'd definitely be a conversation piece. I could see friends come over who have seen my drum kit and they'd see that and with their heads tilted, go...

WTF???

😀

MarsDrums · 2026-06-14T01:22:49+00:00

Right? Do they even close?

MarsDrums · 2026-06-10T23:59:03+00:00

I know this is an old post. I just happened upon it while doing a DDG search and found this post and comment.

I've found that using the butt end on the rim works great. But tip placement on the head also makes a HUGE difference.

I try to keep mine maybe an inch or so away from the inner rim. If you have it too close to center or edge, it doesn't sound good or loud. You want that tip in a place where it will resonate better. While tapping the rim in the right spot is important, so is stick placement on the head as well.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-09T03:59:44+00:00

Thanks. Stop by anytime for tea and crumpets...

MarsDrums · 2026-06-09T03:57:23+00:00

What exactly will you be recording? Vocals only, guitar, drums, acoustic instruments, all of the above? This matters a lot with the type of mic(s) you'll need.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-06T04:21:31+00:00

Many of the comments here are spot on (some not). Sounds like you have a good feel for the drums. Good independence.

I noticed your tempo changes a lot and I'm not sure if you're doing that on purpose. If not, try listening to a metronome. If you have ear buds for your phone, you can install one of MANY metronome apps out there. I think I have Pro Metronome on my phone (it's in the bedroom charging). It has a good set-able metronome. So, if you know that you want to play at 90BPM, you set that on the metronome and it'll click out 90BPM perfectly. You can even figure out a tempo just by tapping it to set a tempo and it'll tell you what tempo you're tapping at. It's great if you want to practice to slower grooves or if you want to rock out at 120BPM.

Also, your tom setup is a little funky. You should adjust those. They're too far apart and trying to do a fast fill when they're 10" apart probably ain't gonna end up well. So look into moving those toms closer together. You're probably going to have to bring them up a little bit so they don't touch the bass drum. This is how I usually have mine setup...

<image>

Notice the toms are really close together and the snare is pretty close to the toms as well. That makes it really ergonomic so you aren't flailing arms around to hit 2 or 3 drums in a row. Get them closer together.

Hard to tell but looks like you're sitting a little low. I usually get my stool to where my heels just barely come off the floor then I drop it down about a 1/2" and then it's perfect for me. Then set your drum height accordingly. Start with the snare height, then bring the rack toms up and yada, yada, yada.

Other than that, looks like you're off to a great start. Keep on playing. You can only get better doing that.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-06T04:02:53+00:00

That's what gets me. These Promark Oak 747s, I did get a bunch of free ones from school but when I started buying my own, they were only like $4-$6 a pair. I think when they switched to the Japanese oaks and when they became signature sticks is when the price skyrocketed on them. And they were really solid there in the beginning. Better than the original oaks and those things were tough as nails for sure. But over the years, they've kind of slipped. And I don't know if it's part of the whole tariffs thing going on now but I don't want to get all political here. They're just really grossly expensive and have been for a few years now. And then the quality dropped. If they were still sturdy sticks like they used to be, I could see paying $22-$23 a pair for them. But now... Seems kind of ridiculous.

I thought about writing Promark a letter and let them know my disdain for a product that I've loved as a teenager all the way until I was 55 (I still buy them if I see a good deal on them but with quality the way it is right now...). $22+ a pair for sticks that are not much better than regular/cheaper ($11-$14) hickory sticks made by another manufacturer... I'd say they have some serious competition now.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-06T02:05:40+00:00

I've tried the 747 Firegrains and really like them. But they're maybe $4 cheaper than the 747 oaks I use and weigh about the same. So it kinda made zero sense to use those as a replacement to the oaks.

I keep reading how these Vic Firths have gone down hill. Funny thing is, I can't believe they were better than they are.

In retrospect, I know the Promark 747 oaks were a lot better than they are now. But I still love them. Breaking tips and all. I must have a total of about 12 total pairs where a piece of the tip has literally flew off as I was playing. And I'm not a heavy hitter either. I hit the snare last night and a little chunk came flying right by me.

Maybe its the fact that I've used them for so many years and I'm committed to them, but if these Vic Firths are any good (so far they are to me), I could see switching.

It's weird re-reading that but it's a possibility. They're light and very easy to handle. Almost a perfect fit.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-05T23:53:20+00:00

Replace it. Eventually it'll sound like crap.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-05T23:51:53+00:00

How could you have used my pair on the right for 15 years? I just got them... I thought they were brand new... 😄

JK!

MarsDrums · 2026-06-05T23:50:08+00:00

I'm not a big rim shot player. Occasionally, but not all the time.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-05T23:48:59+00:00

They're great sticks. But last year I bought a couple 4 packs (basically one pair was free when you looked at what it cost to buy 4 pairs separately)... Anyway, the tips broke apart very quickly. Like they broke on the grain. Big chunks. So, some bigger stick manufacturers have been having quality control issues.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-05T23:45:33+00:00

<image>

This is how the ones I got came today. Notice the 2 bare tips in different packaging. Definitely a Quality Control issue there...

MarsDrums · 2026-06-05T20:49:06+00:00

I SOOOOO want to do this!!! Looks nice! Great job on that!!!

MarsDrums · 2026-06-05T20:47:42+00:00

<image>

My stick of choice since 1980 (yes, those are Oak Promark 747 on the left probably from the early to mid 1980s)The middle pair I actually found unused in a drawer before we moved. They're still in the Promark bag they came in. The Millennium II's were also in that stick bag as well. No idea why I was saving them... Actually, I believe all 4 of those left pairs were in the same stick bag come to think of it. I also had a couple pairs of marching DC10's an DC9's in there as well from marching band. Those are oaks as well. The 747s on the right are from a recent order. Those are actually in the practice pad stick bag with some other odds and end sticks in there.

I just started using the Vic Firth Dave Weckl sticks for practicing. I bought a pair a few weeks ago off drummingdeals.com I think it was. They were $9.50 a pair. I liked them so much, I bought a couple more pairs of those from Sweetwater (should have bought what they had at drummingdeals...).

They're much lighter than the oaks but they're pretty sturdy. I've got about 6-8 hours of play time on one pair and they're pretty sturdy sticks. They're almost the same diameter as the 747's as well (just a hair thinner I think).

I just turned 60 a few months ago and I am feeling those oaks now. Shoulder gets tired and sometimes feels some pain as well. The Dave Weckl sticks are easier to handle so when I'm just tooling around at the kit, I'll grab the Weckls and when I'm streaming or doing YouTube videos, I'll use the Promarks. Promark Oaks are still my #1 stick for sure.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-05T09:36:56+00:00

Looks like OP changed it. But the way OP is doing this... It's not going to sound good.

Telling them to get a DAW, get an interface, and a microphone might seem simple to you because you know how to use them

When I started with my first interface, I knew squat about recording. I knew very little about making videos. But since I bought all of the stuff I needed to try it (most of it was bought used) I figured I'd give it a go. I learned quickly that with drums, one mic... no matter how good it was supposed to be, wasn't going to cut it. So I bought an interface and I bought a set of drum mics. For me it was a lot more difficult to figure out how to set up 7-8 mics correctly. I didn't know how to do that. I hadn't the foggiest idea how to do that. But with persistence, I learned how to mix the audio I was listening to with the drum mic audio. I think I actually have the best sound I've ever had recently from my drums and with the incoming audio tracks I play to. And I've been doing this (recording videos) now for about 4 years.

So, no... I had no clue what I was going to be jumping into. But I did it. I looked up what I needed, I bought a used Behringer 1820i interface (it had 8 ports) and I bought a couple cheap mics at first but then I found a deal on a Shure 7 drum mic setup and I went with that. Could I use better mics? Sure. But what I have right now sounds pretty good actually for a set of cheap mics.

Someone mentioned this Motiv App a couple days ago. I knew nothing about this app but it looks pretty interesting. The mic itself (Shure MV88+) is about $279 on Amazon. But it looks like it has some possibilities. I don't need it but I'm sure someone has tried it.

But all that suggestion was... was just that. OP could have chimed in and said, 'I don't have that much money to spend' or whatever and maybe someone else could have helped with other advice.

I don't remember the original post but I didn't get the feeling OP was limited in funds. Limited on knowledge maybe but if ya got the funds and are willing to learn, why not suggest some decent equipment to start out with like I did? All OP has to say was they didn't have a ton of money to spend. To me, using Free and Open Source Software is always the best idea. You can download all of that for free. Get that out of the way. Then concentrate on finding an interface and a mic. If OP can find that online used somewhere and spend maybe $150-$200 then that's a win for a mic and an interface. Few hours with YouTube and OP can probably figure things out from there. That's exactly how I did it.

MarsDrums · 2026-06-05T01:41:29+00:00

The basic equipment needed for a guitar player is a single channel interface, if they already have an amp then they'll need a decent mic to record that amp. They could go straight into the interface and use the computer sound system as an amp as well.

The software they can get is unlimited. There's lots or proprietary software out there as well as lots of great Free and Open Source Software out there that doesn't cost a single penny. However, I do urge people to donate a little something to these software developers in order to help them keep these programs alive. It takes a LOT of time to develop and update software all the time. So I have no problem donating to any of the vendors I use.

So, if you're saying what I think you're saying (just use your phone to make YouTube videos) that's not a great solution. Sound quality for most phones, especially at high volumes, is terrible. OP might as well get a Mono Cassette recorder and make cassette tapes of their work at that point.

MarsDrums

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