Sigh

[ericcoleman]

I was in a wistful mood yesterday. gundo posted about Toyboat practice, then we all went to Guitar Center and I was foolish enough to go back into the drum room. I am shopping for a djembe (probably next year), but there are other drums in that room.

I miss playing the drums. I miss playing in Toyboat. And I have had 4 surgeries on my hands, and I don't want any more.

Yeah ... sigh.

I want a Handsonic 10, which would at least let me simulate the sound of a drum kit, but they are pricey. I want more hand drums, since I can play hand drums.

Doesn't change that I would love to be able to put a pair of sticks in my hands and pound away.

Comments

[tlunquist.livejournal.com]

As a drummer, I suspect you don't have a lot of use for drum machines. But I will just throw out there that I supported a kickstarter for some guys making a spiffy toy called a Beat Buddy, and am expecting mine to show up sometime in the next month or so. It's a drum machine that is a guitar pedal.

http://mybeatbuddy.com/ (Feeling too lazy to embed the link)

Either you will believe it to be a total and complete abomination, or you will decide you want one.

(Heck - maybe both.)

[ericcoleman]

I've looked at them, they look kinda cool, but it doesn't help me in wanting to play the drums. I have lots of drum machines on my iPad.

[ericcoleman]

And it's $250 that I don't have. If I had that, I would spend the extra 200 and get the used Handsonic that is on Ebay right now.

[tlunquist.livejournal.com]

Understood. It's two separate problems, really - the problem of wanting to play drums vs. the problem of wanting drums played.

[glitch25.livejournal.com]

I don't know if this would cheer you up at all.. or maybe make it worse... But I feel somewhat compelled to share something with you.

Because of you (or at least as an influence of you), I've STARTED playing drums.

I think I've always had a little of it in me. I was tapping out rhythms and following all sorts of music since as long as I can remember, but my instrument as a kid was piano, and I never really did much with drums back then. I remember going to music camp one year, and getting to have a basic drum lesson for the first time, and other kids and the instructor were confused that, while I had never even held a drumstick before, or stood in front of a snare, I was already capable of doing double-stroke rolls at a pretty good tempo.

Anyways, being involved with a musician, as I'm sure you know, kinda motivates you. Since solcita popped in my life, I picked piano back up after having dropped it for 20 or so years, and started getting back into playing. She managed to get me playing in a concert of hers as well! For that, she decided to cover Daughter of the Red recently, as I'm sure you know, and well.. somebody needed to play snare. :-) We picked up a lap snare and a pair of brushes and away we went! I found myself playing in a few different sets of a few different people after that, and having a blast with it!

I still have a lot to learn, and I really need to carve out some time to really dig into rudiments and build up some comfort in my playing. That, and there is this Cajon that is really calling to me. And I should get a proper snare... and a cymbal or two... (or five!). Never enough money and always more toys. But it is good to have goals, right? :-)

So I feel like I owe you a thank you. Your music with Lizzie helped push me over some self-created rut that I was apparently in, and got me looking at my mindless finger tapping as something more than just a thing I do that annoys people. :-) It helped me find an outlet for this thing that has been nagging me for most of my life, and I'm grateful. :-)