I’ve played drums before, (a long time ago), but am interested in picking it up again. For convenience, an electronic kit would be preferable to an acoustic one. But I am concerned that learning on an electronic kit would influence my touch/feel, later.
Wondering if an electronic drum kit is a good choice for learning or getting back into drumming?
In this post, I’m breaking down the pros and cons of electronic kits for beginners and revealing how they can affect your touch and feel on acoustic drums. Stick around to get the full scoop!
Hey, developing drummers!
Whether you’re just starting out or getting back into drumming after a long break, you might be considering an electronic drum kit for convenience. But here’s the question: Is learning on an electronic kit good for your technique, or will it mess up your feel when you switch back to an acoustic kit?
Today, I’ll take you through everything you need to know about using electronic drums as a beginner, how they differ from acoustic kits, and what you need to be aware of to keep your drumming on point.
Let’s get right into it. Electronic drums can be a great option for learning, especially if noise is an issue or if you need a more compact, convenient setup. But as you mentioned in the question, learning on an electronic kit can influence your playing style and feel, especially if you plan to switch back to acoustic drums later on.
When I first made the switch to electronic kits because of noise issues, I quickly realized that my acoustic technique took a hit. Acoustic drums react differently – they’re harsher, and the way the drumstick bounces off an acoustic snare, for example, is not the same as with electronic mesh heads.
Electronic kits can feel springy, and that bounce creates a slightly, rather, a very different response, which can throw you off when transitioning back to an acoustic kit.
When you hit an acoustic kit, drum or cymbal for example. The sound is immediate. You, the drummer are the determining fact of whether a note is quiet or loud. In other words, you are in control of the dynamics.
That isn’t the case with electronic kits. Because you have to take the triggering dynamics of the electric kit into consideration. The kit mostly determines the dynamics. Of course, this takes a little, or a lot of control away from the drummer.
However, there’s still a lot you can learn from electronic drums. You can really dive into things like sensitivity settings, triggering, and sound sampling. These are skills that can help you refine your overall sound.
Over the years, electronic kits have improved in terms of speed and sensitivity, but from my personal experience, they still don’t fully replicate the dynamics and intricacies of acoustic kits. And most likely never will. They are a completely different beast to tame so to speak.
Now, let’s talk about the drumheads. When you hit an acoustic snare, there’s a certain harshness combined with a natural bounce that’s hard to replicate on a mesh head. The mesh heads on electronic kits, especially the higher-end Roland V-drums, come the closest to mimicking that feel, but they still have a bit of springiness that’s not quite the same as the real thing.
So in my view, they fall very short of being realistic. In fact, the rubber pads are closer to the real thing in my view.
Speaking of Roland V-drums – they’re considered the best in terms of feel, but they come with a hefty price tag. For a beginner, an electronic kit can be quite expensive. You’re looking at spending $400-$800 for a decent low-end kit, and that’s before factoring in all the additional hardware like a stool, bass drum pedal and hi-hat pedal.
My advice? If you’re just starting out, or picking up drumming again after a long break, you could invest in a lower-end electronic kit just for practicing. Keep the electronics off, and use the kit as a practice tool to work on your timing and technique.
This allows you to focus on the math of drumming—hitting the drum at the right volume—without worrying about how the electronics translate your sound.
However, keep in mind that when you do turn on the electronics, it’s no longer about pure physical drumming. You’re compensating for a delay between what you play and what you hear, and this gap, or latency can affect your feel, especially when you go back to an acoustic kit.
Personally, I found this delay too large to get fully comfortable with for some time, and it affected my playing when I returned to acoustic drums. I am a little more used to the latency now having spent some money on a decent computer to record the kit. But that’s all to do with recording rather than the kit itself.
I actually recorded the Time Space & Drums Series, (now called the Drumming Foundation Series), using a lower-end Roland kit, and while I managed to get through it, I definitely struggled with accents and dynamics. That said, for practicing technique and getting the basics down, electronic kits can be a solid option.
So, Whats Next?
So, are electronic drums okay for beginners? Yes, but with a few caveats. They’re great for practice and convenience, but they won’t fully replace the feel of an acoustic kit. If you’re serious about drumming long-term, keep that in mind and just use the electronic kit to practice on.
Now, if you’re looking to improve your left-hand speed and control, check out my next post where I’ll share some tips and techniques to balance out your hands and level up your drumming skills. Click the next post to watch it now!
