Drummer's Toy

[cytania]

Googleblundered into the Roland RMP3 and RMP5 Rhythm Coach.

[url="http://media.roland.com/en/IT/RMP-3_IT/index.html"]http://media.roland.com/en/IT/RMP-3_IT/index.html[/url]

I'm sorely tempted to get one since my timing sucks and there's no kidding yourself with this little hitler.

On the other hand it's a pad and presumably going for the snare hit. Opinions. Anyone played drums to improve their bass skills? Does it work?

Any similar products/software for bass? The ahead/behind meter and scoring looks fab...


(I'll make the jokes about hitting the bass strings with sticks or my foot and get them out the way!)

[Huge Hands]

I just tried the online time check.

No wonder I gave up drumming

[Waldo]

I was expecting a thread about a peice of paper with PTO written on both sides.

[cytania]

Alternatives are to get a digital recorder and listen back to myself playing to drum loops but there the trap is thinking 'good enough' (which I do when I ain't).

Edited December 8, 2008 by cytania

[cytania]

Managed to get one of these gizmos cheap from Anderton's. Unit had been on demo duties at a few NEC type shows but shows little sign of drummer abuse. It really is a hard task master but if I 'push into the beat' in just the same way as I might trying to tighten up a bass groove I _can_ improve my scores.

Now all that's needed is a bass version. Some kind of MIDI pickup instead of the drumhead. Do they make MIDI pickup for bass guitar?

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='Huge Hands' post='348520' date='Dec 8 2008, 12:43 PM']I just tried the online time check.

No wonder I gave up drumming [/quote]

I tried that too. I could hit 'good' much of the time but to me the beat didn't actually seem to be constant.

If you try to play behind the beat or in front of the beat on purpose then the speed seems to change. Weird.

[Guest]

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='357304' date='Dec 17 2008, 08:27 PM']I tried that too. I could hit 'good' much of the time but to me the beat didn't actually seem to be constant.

If you try to play behind the beat or in front of the beat on purpose then the speed seems to change. Weird.[/quote]


I found the same thing but interestingly my score was twice as good with my eyes closed.

[katana_manatee]

[quote name='cytania' post='357289' date='Dec 17 2008, 08:07 PM']Managed to get one of these gizmos cheap from Anderton's. Unit had been on demo duties at a few NEC type shows but shows little sign of drummer abuse. It really is a hard task master but if I 'push into the beat' in just the same way as I might trying to tighten up a bass groove I _can_ improve my scores.

Now all that's needed is a bass version. Some kind of MIDI pickup instead of the drumhead. Do they make MIDI pickup for bass guitar?[/quote]

You can get midi pickups but so far I have only seen them as part of Roland's VGuitar and VBass units:

[url="http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.aspx?ObjectId=241&ParentId=116"]http://www.rolandus.com/products/productde...mp;ParentId=116[/url]

I am sure they could design a patch for the VBass so you could use it for rhythm coaching but I doubt they'd do a standalone system.

[KevB]

[quote name='cytania' post='357289' date='Dec 17 2008, 08:07 PM']Managed to get one of these gizmos cheap from Anderton's. Unit had been on demo duties at a few NEC type shows but shows little sign of drummer abuse. It really is a hard task master but if I 'push into the beat' in just the same way as I might trying to tighten up a bass groove I _can_ improve my scores.

Now all that's needed is a bass version. Some kind of MIDI pickup instead of the drumhead. Do they make MIDI pickup for bass guitar?[/quote]

Roland GK2B or 3B perhaps? No experience of them though.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='steve-norris' post='357793' date='Dec 18 2008, 12:21 PM']... my score was twice as good with my eyes closed.[/quote]

I was gonna make a joke about Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder but I decided it was best to get my coat. :blush:

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='Huge Hands' post='348520' date='Dec 8 2008, 12:43 PM']I just tried the online time check.

No wonder I gave up drumming [/quote]

I couldn't even get it to work and give a result. Going back to coils and magnets.
Which is a pity, as I've got an electronic drum kit coming for Christmas...

[cytania]

The actual item works alot better than their web page. I am finding my accuracy improves if I 'lean in' but not too hard. Sort of Zen thing. So far I'm so bad it's a surprise when the voice clocks in with a 'Good' or 'Excellent'. However after I've worked out on the pad I do my usual bass practise pieces and I can feel/hear the difference. Has prompted me to simplify some lines into a pulse and drop arpeggios that I now realise didn't work.

Edited December 19, 2008 by cytania

[cytania]

Goddamn sticks! How do drummers cope with them! Naergh! (sound of sticks flying out of window).

Have started using the coach in my lap like the pad was a guitar body and the display the lower cutaway. It's sensitive enough to give me decent scores by tapping with my two fingers, just like playing the bass. This is more like it!