Q: Hi, so I REALLY wanna learn to play the drums. I play guitar and bass, so I'm already familiar with playing music and how rhythm works (all the note/rest values, ties, triplets, etc. I'm even comfortable playing syncopated lines, polyrhythms, different time signatures and all that stuff) But when I actually try to sit down at a set and play around, I sound awful.. Do you think its mostly about building up muscle memory, just getting used to the technique and feeling of the drums? Another roadblock is that I don't own a kit (I live in an old apartment building, with VERY thin walls), so I practice either by tapping my feet while tapping on stuff with my hands, or by "air drumming". I really only get to play on an actual kit once a week or so at most (when I go over to a friends house for band practice). Any tips or advice???
A: you can probably get pads that use a kick pedal, and you'll also need some regular drum pads, and then get like 3 or 4 snare stands, make sure they can go up high (so you can simulate the position of a high hat) and get a drum throne. and sticks of course. mentally, you can do a lot just in your mind, and simple tapping, when it comes to pattern practicing and independence, etc. You can actually even practice patterns with just the slightest twitch of your arm and leg muscles, and you will be able to simulate hand and foot patterns, and give your mind the necessary practice for integrating hand and foot patterns. But another important piece is the physical mechanics of the sticks and pedal, which you'll need to do on pads