Drumming and the neighbors

By far the biggest reason not to play acoustic drums at home has to do with the amount of noise it makes. People who stand next to a drum kit for the first time while it is being beaten vigorously are usually shocked. Of course, advanced drummers can play softly as well, but it is only when a good rock song is beaten that one knows how much noise it makes. Put this in a dorm room in a halfway house and the sound easily reaches 3 to 4 houses away, both ways. So on day one of your drumming career, you can immediately have an argument with a lot of neighbors. Insulating a drum room is almost impossible. You can find a lot about it on the Internet, but keep in mind that it will cost you a lot of money and a lot of work. For the same money you can at least buy a very professional top quality electric drum kit.

Starters: Buying Acoustic or Electric Drum Set?

Many people starting out in drumming these days choose an electric drum set. The analog acoustic drum set is also still very popular but is being bought less and less often by beginning drummers. Drummers who have already started with an acoustic drum kit often run into the noise problem. Even this group regularly chooses to get rid of the acoustic drum kit and switch to an electric drum kit.

With an electric drum kit on stage?

It is increasingly common for drummers to have 2 drum kits, an electric drum kit to practice with at home and an acoustic one to perform with. However, there are also drummers who rely entirely on their electric drum kit for live performances. The reasons for this include:

It’s less lugging. An electric drum kit doesn’t weigh much and can usually even be folded.
It’s much easier on the technical side. An acoustic drum kit usually needs to be completely surrounded by microphones, whereas for an electric drum kit, only a few jack cords will do.
Different sounds can be chosen for each song, from acoustic to hip-hop and everything in between.
No crosstalk. A traditional drum kit makes an enormous amount of noise which is also picked up by the other microphones on stage.
There can be much softer play on stage.

The fact remains that an electric drum kit still does not sound as true to nature and real as a good traditional quality drum kit. Moreover, most drummers feel that an electric drum set on stage just can’t be done because it wouldn’t look like it. Fortunately, these days there are manufacturers who disguise electric drums as acoustic, such as the Pearl ePro drum sets.

Combination acoustic/electric

What has also been happening for a long time is that drummers have part of an e-drum set in addition to their acoustic drum kit, or a drum pad or sample pad, for example.

The advantage of this is obvious: you have the original acoustic feel and sound, but can supplement it with a sampled sound such as a handclap, tambourine or a home-made sample if desired.

Is it possible to learn to drum properly on an electronic drum kit?

Yes, it is definitely possible to learn to drum well on an electronic drum kit. As with a traditional drum kit, you will need a lot of practice and hard work to learn to drum well on an electronic drum kit. It may also help to take lessons from a professional drum teacher who has experience teaching on electronic drum sets. As with any instrument, regular practice and dedication is the key to success.

Does and electronic drum kit play and feel different from an acoustic drum kit?

Yes, an electronic drum kit can feel different than an acoustic drum kit because the pads of an electronic drum kit are often made of a different material and have a different shape. This can make the feel of playing an electronic drum kit different from playing an acoustic drum kit. In addition, electronic drum sets produce electronic sounds instead of acoustic sounds, so the sound you hear when you play on an electronic drum set will also be different from the sound you hear when you play on an acoustic drum set. Despite these differences, with hard work and lots of practice, you can learn to play the drums on an electronic drum kit just as well as on an acoustic drum kit

Conclusion Buying Acoustic or Electric Drum Kit?

Electronic drum kit advantages

Causes less noise pollution
Different sounds present
Easy to record
Easier to carry
Usually connection option to connect mp3 player
No crosstalk

Disadvantages electronic drum kit

Doesn’t usually feel like a real drum kit, especially the rubber pads
Reinforcement is needed at performances
Only the more expensive kits have really good natural sounds

For both electronic and acoustic drums go to Thomann!