What instrument should I learn?

[Unkle Danky]

I am thinking about taking lessons for either drums or guitar. I can play guitar a little and I have messed around on a drum kit and can keep a beat but I want to be good at one of them. I am leaning towards the drums but I just dont know yet. Which is more fun?

 

[HBHoss]

I am thinking about taking lessons for either drums or guitar. I can play guitar a little and I have messed around on a drum kit and can keep a beat but I want to be good at one of them. I am leaning towards the drums but I just dont know yet. Which is more fun?

I learned a little guitar as a kid but my son is a natural on the drums. I would learn guitar. It's a lot cooler to play guitar at the campfire than it is playing the drums. :cross:

 

[Natas]

I've been playing bass, and some guit-box for years. I really wish i could play drums, just don't have the coordination for it, or the large amounts of money that's involved with drums.

 

[HBHoss]

I've been playing bass, and some guit-box for years. I really wish i could play drums, just don't have the coordination for it, or the large amounts of money that's involved with drums.

They have some really cool electronic drum sets now that are reasonably priced. You can use headphones so no one has to listen to you practice. I thought about taking up the bass. Was it tough to learn?

 

[Borisbbadd]

I always wanted to play the guitar, and took lessons for awhile, but I never really had a talent for it.

 

[Bulls Beers]

I am thinking about taking lessons for either drums or guitar. I can play guitar a little and I have messed around on a drum kit and can keep a beat but I want to be good at one of them. I am leaning towards the drums but I just dont know yet. Which is more fun?

Learn to play guitar..You can start with an inexpensive guitar and amp or go with an acoustic..I bought drums for my son. There loud and a pain in the ass to transport, But a lot of fun....Sorry, I wasn't more help....Buy them both..:rockin:

I play guitar and collect them.It's so much fun.

 

[Unkle Danky]

I taught myself what I know on guitar and I am pretty good as long as there arent any solos involved. I just get bored I guess and I dont touch it for months. Thats why I am leaning towards drums.

 

[HBHoss]

I taught myself what I know on guitar and I am pretty good as long as there arent any solos involved. I just get bored I guess and I dont touch it for months. Thats why I am leaning towards drums.

What's fun about electronic drum pads is you can change the sound if you go through a PC.

 

[Natas]

I thought about taking up the bass. Was it tough to learn?

I taught myself to play and picked it up pretty quickly. So I guess it was fairly easy, but I don't know what I'd compare it to.

 

[ChshreCat]

I taught myself to play and picked it up pretty quickly. So I guess it was fairly easy, but I don't know what I'd compare it to.

My friends that play say that the bass is the easiest to learn and the hardest to master.

 

[goodbyebluesky82]

I have played both.

Drums are awesome......
PROS: great stress reliever, always in demand by other musicians
CONS: will annoy your family and neighbors, almosts needs it own room to isolate noise, is hella espensive, buying sticks and heads never ends if you actually PLAY your drums, you will soon think nothing of spending 200 bucks on a new crash cymbal when you already have THREE of them, they are not very portable and require a huge car or truck/van/suv to really get them around, playing by yourself gets boring after a while and you feel dependant upon finding jam mates which can be a pain.

Guitar PROS: Very portable, very gradual learning curve- you can be playing your favorite song in some fashion within the first few months very likely. Variety- you can play acoustic, electric lead or blues, rhythm, noodly jazz. You are actually making MUSIC and not just beats. Very portable- can you say camping, tailgating, sitting on your patio playing music. You can be your own musical accompanient if you wish to sing and write music.
CONS: You have to constantly tune, and deal with wankers wanting to touch your sweet guitar (mine are very precious to me), searching for the right amp/fx pedal/ brand of strings which is a never ending experiment that you will never find contentment in, and put up with people asking you to play stairway to heaven/enter sandman/their favorite song and acting suprised you don't know it.

I don't plkay drums anymore but wish I could have my old set back, but I never gave up playing electric and acoustic guitar.

 

[Mutilated1]

I always wanted to play the guitar, and took lessons for awhile, but I never really had a talent for it.

most guitar players don't let that stop them

 

[drunken_scottsman]

I can't sit here and tell you what instrument will be most fun for you because that depends entirely on the individual. Bass is the easiest to get a basic handle on, and I'm pretty sure almost anyone could strum through a simple song with little or no training, but yes mastering it is a ***** (I sure as hell haven't mastered it, but my dad has). In the end, truly mastering any instrument takes years of devoted practice and a true understanding of the instrument itself and every aspect of it. Guitar is lots of fun and very usefull in many situations, but you need strong, nimble, flexible hands with precision and independence in each finger. But due to the astronomical number of guitarists in the world you had better be pretty damn good to get anywhere with it. At a young age I selected drums to be my primary instrument because I'm naturally very rhythm-oriented and there's a fairly high demand for drummers, especially good ones. I'm a mediocre guitarist, but it's still nice to be able to sit down with an acoustic and seduce a girl by playing/singing :-D

To sum it all up, decide which instrument suits your natural skills the best. Screw around with each one until you determine which you feel most comfortable playing

 

[Unkle Danky]

I was in a band about 4 years ago and I played rhythm guitar and sang. I also played drums sometimes when we were just screwing around. I think I have the ability to be good at both (granted a lot of practice will be needed for either- the reason for the lessons.) Thanks for all the replies but I think I am going to go with the drums. My brother is already really good on the the guitar. Plus I realized when I listen to music I focus on the drums. Basically it would be sweet to be a brick laying drummer.

 

[drunken_scottsman]

Yeah drums pretty much kick ass Good drummers get almost as many women as good guitarists, too. Though I must agree with goodbyebluesky that they can be a bit obnoxious to practice because of the volume, but that's not always a bad thing when you want to piss someone off :-D Usually I wait until there's no one in the house but me, and I sort of soundproofed my room with foam which helps. And yeah it's a great stress reliever to bang out a beat on the drums when you're pissed off.

Be sure to practice rudiments AT LEAST half an hour a day (especially as a beginner) and find a teacher who will teach you hold your sticks and strike correctly. My first teacher wasn't that good (but I was 11 and didn't know any better) but after 6 months my parents wondered why I wasn't getting any better at drums so I switched teachers. My second teacher was a friend of the family who is an INCREDIBLE drummer and he re-taught me to play the drums while using proper form and grip, which may not be essential for a good drummer but is entirely indispensible for a great drummer. Good luck, and above all, have fun

 

[Stew!Brew!]

If you get drums I wouldn't recommend electronic drums, They just dont have soul. Sure they are a lot more convenient for other people, but $%^& that. Your playing an instrument for your own pleasure, make it work for you. I know that sounds selfish but common its music, its a good thing. Especially since you said your bro is good at gitty, you will progress so much quicker playing with guitarists, and bassist. My advice for buying a kit would be to spend the money on some solid drums because if you stick to it you will soon find out those sunlight's you bought just dont cut it.(believe me I know from experience) I would even recommend getting a used set. You can get better used drums for the price of crappier new ones.

 

[talleymonster]

Drums are great, but you have to think about your living situation. Do you have neighbors who will ***** about the noise?

 

[drunken_scottsman]

I just try not to play before 9 am or after 9 pm, and I've never had any major problems. The only time I couldn't play whenever I wanted was when I was about 15 living in a townhouse (where my house was sandwiched between two houses that were connected to mine), and that was when I bought my electric drumset. Not a very good investment, and I wouldn't even want to play if that was the only set I had. I have to agree with stewbrew about the lack of soul. However, they come in handy now because I can make a hybrid acoustic/electric set. It's my original acoustic setup, but I can throw in another cymbal or two, some roto toms, whatever. Very nice for playing gigs and shows because you can get any sound you want to compliment your acoustic sound without taking the "real" feel out of it.

I would recommend that you get a gently used Tama or Pearl drumset, those are my favorites because they both usually have a solid sound with a good resonant tone. As for cymbals, I would recommend Zildjian, Sabian, or Paiste. Getting good cymbals can be quite expensive, but musiciansfriend.com usually has some pretty good sets for about as cheap as you will ever find them. Be sure to go to your local music store and try out the cymbals you like before you buy

 

[Stew!Brew!]

For cymbals you cant go wrong with a Sabian B8 pack. It costs about $200 and they give you hi- hats which sound decent, a 14" and 16" crash which also sound fairly decent, and a 20" ride which I happen to really like the sound of. All in all you get pretty decent sounding cymbals for a pretty good price. You will probably eventually want to improve your cymbals but for now $200 is not a bad price to get you started and keep you content for a good couple to few years. Another route you can take if your still not sure about the drums are do a rent-to-own deal. You rent the kit each month and it eventually gets payed for if you decide to keep it. I did this when I was younger but then dropped the drums for a couple years, then started back up but had already ditched the set. I kick myself about that all the time because little did I know but I once was the owner of a damn good set of pearls.

 

[goodbyebluesky82]

I got a taste for Paiste cymbals after playing for a few years and starting compiling a Paiste 2002 setup. Eventually I did not own a cymbal that cost LESS than $200. Unless you counted my little Wuhan china trash.

Drums are hella expensive. I could replace my acoustic guitar (which i love dearly) for less than my hi-hats cost, replace my tube amp for less than my 18" crash cymbal cost, and could nearly replace my electric guitar for what my 22" ride cymbal cost me. Thankkfully (for those who are starting now) prices on a lot of that gear has come down significantly.

 

[drunken_scottsman]

When I was 14 I blew all my hard earned summer job money on a $220 Pearl double bass pedal (glad I did, very high quality), $90 for ebony tom heads (pretty steep for heads, but they sound AMAZING), and over $400 for a ZXT Titanium cymbal set. They look great with my black and silver (steel snare) drumset, but if I would have known better I would have spent a couple hundred more bucks on a better sounding cymbal set. They're not terrible and they work okay for shows, but they have too much tinny kick at the strike and die off too fast for recording. Fortunately I have an unused 20" Zildjian A custom ride that sounds absolutely gorgeous, powerfull, resonant, and has a distinct responsive "ping" with every hit, no matter how soft or hard. I'll get some hi-hats and a crash or two to complete the set by the time my band is ready to do any serious recording, but it could easily cost me $600 because A customs are some of the most expensive cymbals you can buy. Once I get them I'll save them for recording only. Actually come to think of it, I think I prefer Paiste hi-hats and Zildjian crash and ride. I wonder how they would blend together :-/

 

[Homercidal]

Constantly having to tune a guitar is mostly untrue. I've had several guitars that could sit for months without needing to be retuned. Others would need a touch after nearly each song (especially on new strings). Most of mine are using floating bridges, Floyd Rose.

Don't forget that drums sometimes have to be "tuned" too.

 

[jds]

[musician joke]

Q: What do drummers get on IQ tests?
A: Drool

[/musician joke]

I was an OK piano/keyboards player once upon a time, but haven't touched it in years, thanks to life. I've been kicking around the idea of getting a cheap six-string acoustic guitar for a while.

 

[Homercidal]

[musician joke]

Q: What do drummers get on IQ tests?
A: Drool

[/musician joke]

I was an OK piano/keyboards player once upon a time, but haven't touched it in years, thanks to life. I've been kicking around the idea of getting a cheap six-string acoustic guitar for a while.

Acoustics are good for building finger strength. Electrics are (generally) easier to finger. Some more expensive ones are easier to play than the low-end ones, and in general will sound better, although sound quality is subjective.

I play a $50 sidewalk special that needs a little bit of TLC, but it works for me. I recommend spending a little less on a good used guitar and see how you like it. Then maybe buy a more expensive new model if you like playing enough to stick with it. Many people drop the hobby after a short while.

 

[Donasay]

If you want to play in a band pick the drums, bands are always in search of drummers, and have a hard time finding them, so if you want to get a band together, play the drums.

 

[Homercidal]

If you want to play in a band pick the drums, bands are always in search of drummers, and have a hard time finding them, so if you want to get a band together, play the drums.

+1. If you like to play drums, you will never lack for people wanting to jam with you. But, you got to lug those babies around too.

I, for one, have never figured out how to make them work. I know what I like to hear on drums, but no idea how to make them sound like they are supposed to. I am hoping that Guitar Hero: World Tour will help me out!

<-- Drummer standing ovation

 

[Unkle Danky]

Thanks for all the info guys. I am seriously stoked about the drums now. I talked to the guy that I am going to get lessons from and he said he wouldnt care if I went and jammed them daily for practice-just cant be there when he has other lessons. So for now only cost will be the lessons. And time is something I have a lot of right now so it should be fun. Now I just need a banana hammock and a mesh tank top and I will be ready to rock.

 

[DeathBrewer]

i think you should learn the accordian...it's done wonders for weird al!

 

[Beards Brews]

Neither...Accordion all the way. Accordions are the sex! You could join a polka band or if you are more into the South-of-the-border flavor you could be in a Ranchero band.

You should give it some consideration. :rockin:

 

[Beards Brews]

i think you should learn the accordian...it's done wonders for weird al!

Dammit...you beat me to it.

 

[DeathBrewer]

hehehehehe...

 

[HBHoss]

i think you should learn the accordian...it's done wonders for weird al!

Plus then you can be in one of those German Oompa bands and get lots of beer and women in pushup dresses.

 

[Homercidal]

Oh, don't get me started on Weird Al! That man can play a serious squeezebox!

 

[flyangler18]

Sounds like you've already made your choice into knocking about on a drum kit.

Spend some time learning hand percussion as well, or at least some ethnic drum traditions- the styles can be applied to drum kit if you want. But I love playing West African patterns on a solid wood djembe, rope-tuned, goatskin head. You just can't beat it! :rockin:

 

[homebrewer_99]

Both..., but a guitar is easier to carry around...:rockin:

 

[Homercidal]

Guitars are for getting chicks. Drummers get sloppy seconds. Bass players get.. Oh, no. Never mind.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Guitars are for getting chicks. Drummers get sloppy seconds. Bass players get.. Oh, no. Never mind.

How do you mke a drummers car more aerodynamic?

You remove the pizza delivery sign from it!!




How do you get a guitar player to stop playing?

You place sheet music in front of him/her!!



What do you call a guy who hangs out with the band who's not a groupie?

The bass player!!

 

[david_42]

Old rock n roll joke:

What is the last thing the band's drummer says?

"Let's play one of my songs."

I learned to play drums & various other percussion instruments back in High School. Haven't touched any since. Good sets are expensive & a pain to move around.

 

[Unkle Danky]

Well I wont have to move them around for a long while. its going to be a fun hobby for now. I dont plan on playing shows or anything. But if any punk bands need a singer, holler at me!

 

[TheJadedDog]

I recently started playing guitar and I love it. I'd also like to learn the drums, but there is no way my wife will tolerate listening to me drum while she is in the house whereas she loves listening to me muddle through on guitar.