[TommyB]

Hi everyone,

I feel a bit sheepish, in that I don't consider myself a drummer. I tried playing when I was in high school in the 1970s but failed miserably. I ended up selling my old Ludwig kit not long after.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, I tried reconnecting with drumming. I spent some time playing djembe and doumbek, with an occasional foray into frame drumming. But I couldn't get drum sets out of my mind: I pined for that experience of all four limbs moving in concert, like dancing while sitting down. And yet, through the years, I kept putting off a return to drumming.

So now I'm closing in on my big five-oh, and I've decided that once and for all, I want to try learning to play properly. With Youtube and all the great DVDs, there's so much instruction that wasn't around 30 years ago. I picked up Jojo Mayer's DVD, as well as two by Tommy Igoe. Both seem like amazing teachers.

Two months ago, I bought a Trapps A400 shell-less set. My thinking was that I could stow the Trapps in the garage and haul them out when my wife was out of the house and the neighbors were away

But the problem with that strategy is that I was treating the drums as a forbidden indulgence instead of making it part of my regular life. So now I've decided to try to build some kind of sound enclosure in the garage where I can practice regularly. I'm sure my wife would approve I'm also shopping for a regular acoustic kit. (Although the Trapps are quite a cool invention, they're not what I would want for my one and only kit.)

Anyway, it's nice to be around all these drummers. Forums like this are another thing that wasn't around 30 years ago. I look forward to gaining a lot of insight from y'all.
-- Tom