future of drums

[FitchFY]

VERY interesting thread. I agree with WillyRay - we play an antiquated instrument that we all know and love, and creativity and variation are probably going to continue to be the driving force for innovation. If anything, I think electronics will become more prevalanet, but I plan on fighting it tooth and nail behind my wooden drums!

I'm hoping for more durable sticks, heads, and cymbals, better technology and hi-hat and bass drum pedals allowing us to play faster, and some kind of "noise depreciation system" that allows the drummer to turn down his entire band.

Oh yeah, and I think muffling technology will expand.

[Kunac]

lets just hope they stay round.(in shape i mean)

[Palaver]

Realistically, the acoustic drumkit will not change. Perhaps with 'green' incentives, we will see new materials come into play. I think there will probably be a transition to more acrylics.

I think the real revolution is in technology. With electronics, and with advances like the Roland TD20S, recording and playing is going to become a whole lot easier... without sacrificing sound integrity.

The beauty behind electronics is obvious: it's more portable and versatile, and you can use different kit setups for each song. So you're playing a ballad? Throw on a gunshot snare.

I think the advances to be made on the acoustic kit lie in the hardware. I think the next major advancement is experimenting with extremely light materials in order to cut down on stand weight. What needs to be worked on is lighter hardware, that breaks-down more convieniently, and some how can be bound together for gigging portability/ease. This hardware could also be setup the exact same way every single time. The company closest to this is Pearl, but it's still so damn heavy.

I think arguing about the 'next-thing' in drum acoustics... is illogical. Yes, there will be slight changes in mounting designs, etc., but the concepts will remain fundamentally the same. Look at pianos. They haven't 'fundamentally' changed in hundreds of years. However, technology made them more portable and versatile (think keyboards). The piano was always used as a major 'composition tool.' Now we have workstations to sequence orchestras and backing tracks, etc. The same sort of principle is kinda being carried over to drums. Technology is making things more convienient and accessible.

In acoustics, we will continue to see companies re-inventing the wheel. Year after year, we see new products doing the exact same thing... just a little better and more efficiently... sometimes not.

[TuMadre]

Thump a crystal glass . Beautiful , ringing tone . Not to mention the novelty of see-thru cymbals with optic fibers makin' them glow ! RONCO all the way!

Ya know, that's not really so far out in left field. Tempered glass is mostly resistant to breakage and could easily be manufactured to different sizes and thicknesses to offer different sounds.

As far as that goes, Pintech makes pretty see-thru cymbals that look really good under the lights. Here's my practice kit, ain't it purty!

[Kunac]

Here's a really out there idea.

What about holographic drums, AKA Star Trek...

You go to the gig with your cell phone thingy.

Then you hit a button.
Up pops a holographic drum set with holographic sticks.

You can sit down there and it all all the same feel and sound as a real kit.
Only difference is, you can program up any kit you want in any combination.
And change it from gig to gig or tune to tune.

Now that's what I call a drummmmmmm seeeeettttt

[Carminemw]

You know Kunac...I think you really are onto something, but it won't be in the next 10 years my friend. You're in the right ballpark though. we already have virtual reality games...drumming cant't be that far away...like all music. Everybody says "just like Star Trek"...isn't it amazing how many of those devices on ST have made it to fruition today...ahumm...cell phones anyone?

[Drumming4Him]

It would probably work like something similar to this, a holographic keyboard.

[Walt Disney]

You can't hit a hologram or hold a holographic stick, as it's not matter. Just light or whatever.

 

I'm from the future.

 

I know these things.

[1001gear]

Well a couple trillion things about that. I'll stick to the first.

 

Roland and a couple other makers already have that light beam thing. Works pretty well too. Okay one more thing, I don't think it unreasonable to expect holographic simulations to eventually have mass as well.

 

[Old Steve]

Realistically, the acoustic drumkit will not change. Perhaps with 'green' incentives, we will see new materials come into play. I think there will probably be a transition to more acrylics.

Although the environmentalists probably don't like Acrylic much either since they're made with petro chemicals. When oil prices jumped back in the 70s it was one of the contributing factors to killing acrylic drums the first time around. Meanwhile, trees are a 'renewable resource'....chop one down to build a drumset, and plant a couple new ones to replace it.

I'm going to build my next drumset out of animals, use real live working firearms for hardware, and put it on a rotating drum riser that runs on coal.....just to piss people off.

[Wellhungarian]

In the future, in order to play drums you'll have to shave your head because the leading manufacturer will be MindDrums. Electrodes and sensors will be attached to your head which are then connected to a computer with DrumGod software. You'll sit in a pod like device that is easy on your back and feeds you intravenous drugs. You'll be catheherized and you'll have a {censored} bag, so you never have to get up during the performance. You will have to have special hearing devices, so that you'll be able to hear the new sound waves coming from the other instruments like the snuk, twerbel and mjup. You'll play from the mind instead of the heart.

[robbyg]

In the future, in order to play drums you'll have to shave your head because the leading manufacturer will be MindDrums. Electrodes and sensors will be attached to your head which are then connected to a computer with DrumGod software. You'll sit in a pod like device that is easy on your back and feeds you intravenous drugs. You'll be catheherized and you'll have a {censored} bag, so you never have to get up during the performance. You will have to have special hearing devices, so that you'll be able to hear the new sound waves coming from the other instruments like the snuk, twerbel and mjup. You'll play from the mind instead of the heart and if people really like your band they'll say, "Man those guys really gave me a good mind {censored}ing."

Sounds like the movie " THE MATRIX "

[Kunac]

In the future, in order to play drums you'll have to shave your head because the leading manufacturer will be MindDrums. Electrodes and sensors will be attached to your head which are then connected to a computer with DrumGod software. You'll sit in a pod like device that is easy on your back and feeds you intravenous drugs. You'll be catheherized and you'll have a {censored} bag, so you never have to get up during the performance. You will have to have special hearing devices, so that you'll be able to hear the new sound waves coming from the other instruments like the snuk, twerbel and mjup. You'll play from the mind instead of the heart.

im learning to play the snuk at the moment.cant find any tutors tho.