Drummers have different ideas and attitudes toward electronic drums. For example, I have heard drummers say, “The electronic drums are great; I don’t need acoustic drums any longer.” I have also heard the comment, “Those things sound awful. I refuse to play on them.” Some drummers have said, “They may sound interesting, but they just don’t feel good when you play them.” Tim Root, a resident of Houston, Texas, has probably done more clinics on electronic drums than any other drummer in our industry. Tim also plays acoustic drums with great skill. I talked with Tim at length when doing research for this column, and we both feel that the term “electronic drums” is misleading. A more precise term would be “electronic percussion instruments.” For example, all electronic keyboards cannot be adequately described as “electronic pianos.” They are different from, and in some ways much more than, electronic pianos. The […]

December 1985 Issue