Originally Posted by jkloring

hmm... well im a synth drummer, does that count? i use FPC and live* drum synths... when i reach 15 posts and i can actually posts links or videos or whatever ill post some of my totally epic drum *synth* solos =P

Originally Posted by Kamikazi Kat

You can produce melodies with drumming. Drumming is not only about creating beats, its also about crafting unique sounding and textured sounds and rhythms. Of course "melodic" drumming is different from melodies produced from a guitar, but I believe there is much more to percussion then just "keeping the beat," even when you are the one that is the rhythmic backbone.

I understand what you mean though when you have a desire to create the sound more heard and recognized in a band, especially when the kind of music you guys most likely play is rock where the drums "keep the beat" attitude is very strong.

For a portable drumming alternative, you could beat box .

Originally Posted by Neapolitan

Why are most songs in 4/4 time signature?

Because four is the highest number drummers can count to [pid dat dat - crash]

Originally Posted by Vengeance

Actually...according to me:
- The drums and the bass guitar are the very heart of the band.

DRUMS: They keep the rhythm of the song, the tempo of the song...the very beat of the song.

BASS: The bass is perhaps, the most important thing in a band. It keeps the melody full, fills the rhythm and deepens it...the bass guitar is a bridge between melody and rhythm.

I play a lead guitar and I'm a singer, but without those two instruments, you are going nowhere

Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA

Hi, Sam-Y,
You wrote about the limited power of drums to produce melodies. As a novice drummer I haven't had a lot of experience playing, but for the few songs I've played (during home recording) I've tuned the drums so that they make the notes that match certain parts of the song. For example, right now my high tom is D, my mid tom is B, and my floor tom is G. So, when I play with the melody I do feel very much part of it and I am helping to create it (beyond just the rhythm, which is of course important). I am going to try to adjust the tuning to match additional songs and see how that works. I wondered if you do this with your drumming, too?

I am envious that you get to play with a band at all! Since I'm doing home recording, my band usually consists of Me Me Me and occasionally one other person. The advantage of this is I get to play a lot of instruments, and so can compare how I feel about them (violin vs. electric guitar vs. drums vs. electric piano, for example). I do like the electric guitar because of the versality others mention, and the feeling of power combined with sensitivity, but in actuality when I play the drums (with earplugs in), it feels very cathartic and I can understand drums being your passion. I like the fact that you interact with the drums with your whole body (feet and arms).

I also agree with others that the drums are the backbone and they provide the basis of a lot of the drive in rock music: the sense of the heartbeat, which can be subtle or intense, but always is very much of the primal draw of beat-based music. The drums are cumbersome to move them around, I agree. Piccolo players have it a lot easier.
--Erica