Учебники по созданию музыки, руководства, статьи

As we all know,  blackouts  happen to everyone… eventually. And when they do, and your computer shuts down improperly, several bad things can happen… It puts unnecessary wear-n-tear on the hardware, which is a primary cause of most computer failures. It can potentially damage your data in a number of unpredictable ways. And in a single moment, you could lose your entire day’s work…or  worse .

Among the dozens of gadgets we use as musicians… There are few tools more misunderstood than the  direct box ,  aka   DI box . Virtually every stage rig will have them in some form or another… And in the studio, virtually every audio interface has one built-in.

At some point or another…every person on Earth fantasizes about playing the drums. And yet it takes a rare and special individual to actually take that first step… And do what’s necessary to turn that fantasy into a reality… Simply because of the many problems and headaches that inherently come with the instrument itself. Sometimes it’s an issue of  noise … Sometimes it’s an issue of  space … But MOST times… The  biggest  obstacle to getting started with the drums…is that overwhelming feeling you get from the thought of the endless: research, decisions, and purchases… …you must  first  make, before you can even start playing! So for today’s post, I’ve created a massive “all-in-one” ultimate guide that explains every little detail of the process, for BOTH: newbies searching for their very first kit intermediate/advanced drummers looking to upgrade Section 1: First Drum Sets for Beginners When shopping for their first drum set… One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is worrying about the minor details that don’t really matter… At least not for  them …and not  yet . So instead, here are the 4 MAJOR DETAILS you absolutely MUST consider to avoid making a dumb purchase: Shell Packs vs Complete Drum Sets Number of Pieces Double vs Single Bass Drum Shell Sizes And up next, we’ll discuss each of these in more detail, starting with… 1. Shell Packs vs Complete Drum Sets When you look at pictures of drum sets online… They almost always show you a full setup that includes: drums cymbals hardware But what you may not realize is that some of those packages include JUST drums, and no cymbals or hardware. These are known as  shell packs . Compared to the drums included with “complete drum sets“… Shell pack drums are typically higher quality…and the same is often true for individually purchased cymbals and hardware as well. Typically, mixing and matching all these pieces is preferable for more advanced drummers who know exactly what they want… Whereas beginners are better-off buying complete packages, because they’re cheaper and require much less decision-making. Up next… 2. Number of Pieces Depending on what style of music you listen to… And who your favorite drum heroes are… The drum set of your dreams could be anywhere from the simple 4 piece setup that many jazz legends prefer… To the monstrous 30+ piece kits of rock gods like Neil Peart. But regardless of which you  think  you want… For your first kit, it’s always better to start with a simple 4 or 5 piece kit… And expand later on if necessary. Because if you can’t even play a simple beat yet…you won’t have much use for a giant rack of toms. Make sense?  Moving on… 3. Double or Single Bass Drum While it may not make sense to buy a giant rack of toms for your first drum kit… It MIGHT possibly make sense to add a second bass drum… IF and only IF, you consider yourself the “metal head” type, and ALL your favorite drummers play double bass setups. But  even then … They’re generally not ideal for beginners… Because learning to use just one foot is difficult enough…and using both right away is mostly unrealistic. But if you  really  want to learn double bass rhythms, a better solution might be to use a “double bass drum pedal” instead, which allows you to play one bass drum using both feet. Later in this post we’ll go into more detail on that topic. Up next… 4. Shell Sizes While advanced players might scrutinize over the exact dimensions of every drum on their kit… Newbies only need concern themselves with the following two options: rock/standard sized kits  – which have larger shells, and are better-suited for heavier rock n roll styles. jazz/fusion sized kits  – which are smaller and better-suited for lighter playing styles. As a general rule of thumb, compared to jazz/fusion kits…standard kits have: lower fundamental pitches looser heads with slower stick response more volume And typically feature the following sizes for each drum: kick  – 22″ x 14″ rack toms  – 12″ x 8″ and 13″ x 9″ floor tom  – 16″ x 16″ snare  – 14″ x 6″ Up next… 5. Recommended Beginner Sets So now that we’ve covered all the major “newbie decisions”… The only thing left to do is actually choose something. Now besides what’s already been mentioned, the one obvious detail that must still be considered is  price . Regardless of your personal budget, the sweet spot price range for beginner drum sets is always the same:  $600-$1000 . Any lower than $600 and you’re likely to get something that feels more like a toy than an actual musical instrument. Any higher than $1000, and you’re approaching a budget where you may just be better off NOT buying “complete drum set” at all, and instead…purchasing each component individually. Luckily…once you narrow things down to this price range, you’re basically left with the following list of viable options: Pearl Roadshow  – ( Amazon / GuitarC / MusiciansF / Thomann ) Pearl Export  – ( Amazon / GuitarC / MusiciansF / Thomann ) Pearl Roadshow Jazz  – ( Amazon / GuitarC / MusiciansF ) Ludwig Accent Series  – ( Amazon / GuitarC / MusiciansF ) Yamaha Stage Custom  – ( Amazon / Thomann ) Tama Imperialstar  – ( Amazon / B&H / GuitarC / MusiciansF / Thomann ) And if you happen to be looking for a “junior kit” for your child, check these out instead: Ludwig Breakbeats  – ( Amazon / GuitarC / MusiciansF / Thomann ) Ludwig Pocket  – ( Amazon / GuitarC / MusiciansF / Thomann ) Ludwig Junior  – ( Amazon / GuitarC / MusiciansF ) Up next… Section 2: Drum/Cymbal Upgrades Once you’ve been playing drums for around 6 months to a year… And you kinda begin to get a feel for it… You start wondering to yourself: What would I sound like, if only I had some better gear? At which point…you spend the next several years obsessed with drum equipment…endlessly searching the next upgrade to elevate your game. So to help you through this phase a bit faster, in this next section, we’ll take an in-depth look at each of the following upgrades: Shell Packs Drum Heads Custom Snare Drums Cymbals First up… Shell Packs Despite undoubtedly being the most important upgrade of all… Many drummers save the  shell pack  for their very last upgrade… Simply because it feels like the biggest (and often most expensive) decision of all. Which is understandable, and totally fine if that’s what you choose to do. However… I would argue that it makes more sense to save your money and upgrade the actual DRUMS first, because a good shell pack will have a greater impact on your sound than anything else. And to help you understand exactly what distinguishes one drum shell from another, we will now look at the following 4 variables: Woods Shell Construction Finishes Rims First up… 1. Woods The ideal drum shell wood is determined by 3 factors: tone  – it has to produce a nice sound (obviously). abundance  – it can’t be too rare or too expensive. workability  – it has to be relatively easy to mold into a shell, and stable enough to hold its shape over time. And the 3 woods best-suited for the job are: Maple  – which is most popular, highly-versatile, with a well-balanced tone. Birch  – which is ideal for recording, due to its accentuated highs and lows…and abundant enough to be used on both cheap and expensive kits. Mahogany  –  which is the third most popular, more scarce than maple or birch, and known for its warm vintage tone. With cheaper drums, the top 3 substitutes for the “premium woods” just covered are: Falkata Poplar Basswood And among “rare woods”, you can occasionally find high-end custom shell packs made from any of the following: Beech Cherry Walnut Oak Bubinga Ash You can also find  synthetic  shells (usually bass and toms) made of acrylic, fiberglass, or carbon fiber… And  metal  shells (usually snares) made of steel, aluminum, copper, or bronze. Up next… 2. Shell Construction Once a wood is chosen, the next step is shaping the shell. And the quality of the results is ultimately determined by 3 main factors: shaping technique thickness bearing edge First off, the basic shell shape is created using 1 of 5 possible methods: 1. Plywood  – which is done by gluing a bunch of thin flexible wooden sheets together within a circular mold.  This is the most popular method by far. Pros  – cheap to produce, well-suited for mass production. Cons  – less sturdy, high volume of glue may have a negative impact on tone. 2. Stave  – which is done by gluing a bunch of vertical wood strips together into a shell shape, much like you would with a barrel.  Among custom drum builders, it’s the most popular of all designs. Pros  – holds shape well because there is no stress on the wood. Cons  – more costly than ply shells, ineffective with thinner shells. 3. Segmented  – which is done by gluing small strips of wood together in a pattern mimicking floorboard tiles. Pros  – basically the same as stave shells Cons  – more difficult than stave shells as it requires more pieces, and therefore less popular. 4. Steam-Bent  – which is done by softening a single piece of wood with steam, then rolling it into a shell. Pros  – uses very little glue, and according to most drummers, has a better acoustic sound than the previous 3 methods. Cons  – difficult to maintain roundness, difficult to make too thin or too thick, quite rare to find. 5. Solid  – which is done by carving a single piece of wood directly from a tree trunk.  Before the days of modern manufacturing, all drums were made using some variation of this simple, yet labor-intensive method. Pros  – considered to have the very best sound of all, as there are no joints and no glue.  Since the wood is in its natural state, there’s no stress on the shape. Cons  – expensive to carve, not practical for thinner shells, not many suitable woods, and the least common of all methods. Now… Alongside shell shaping, there’s still the matter of choosing a  thickness .  While the process of carving out a particular thickness may be quite complicated, the results of the work are actually quite simple: Thicker Shells  – have brighter tone with higher fundamental note Thinner Shells  – have a warmer tone with a lower fundamental note And that’s pretty much all there is to it. Now for the final part of drum shell manufacturing… We have the shaping of the  bearing edge … Which is simply the rim of the shell where the wood makes contact with the drum head.

sk any drummer what the most precious element of his kit is and chances are they’ll tell you it’s the snare. Why? Well… Look at it this way: Imagine you were playing a gig and suddenly your whole kit broke apart, leaving you with only ONE element (which would suck, I agree), which one would you prefer to have left?

Ever noticed how when you buy a new drumkit you never actually KNOW what heads it comes with? And it doesn’t matter how expensive your kit is, you’ll always get random, low-end heads labeled with the drum company logo, without further details. That’s why most drummers proceed to change their heads right off the bat when they acquire a new drumset.

Even as drumming newbies… It doesn’t take us long to figure out how important the drum throne truly is. Does it? As the base from which we support all our movements, and attain our leverage… A  good  drum throne not only makes it more comfortable to play for extended periods… It actually makes a noticeable difference in the speed and precision of your playing itself.

They might not seem as such a big deal, but come to think about it, drumsticks are the DIRECT link between you and the drums. So, as simple as they are, they’re also FUNDAMENTAL. The thing is, when you see the huge range of models offered by manufacturers…

It’s hard isn’t it?…time-keeping I mean. While it may be one of the most important skills in music… It’s also one of the most frustrating. Because its quite boring to practice, and it takes  forever  to truly master. In fact many musicians go their entire lives without ever developing a good sense of time.

“She’s such a talented singer!” they all say. “I wish I could sing like that, but I can’t carry a tune to save my life.” We’ve all heard comments like these a million times… From those who want more than anything to become great singers themselves… But are trapped by the all-too-common belief that: It’s something you’re born with. And you either have it, or you don’t. The truth is though…that singing is a skill-set, just like any other.  And it CAN be learned.

So you wanna play guitar, huh? Congrats.  It’s about damn time. Just like every guitar player before you… You’ve finally reached the point where just listening to your favorite songs is no longer enough… Because you know deep down…the only thing that will make you truly happy in this world…