Alex Warwick
  • Posts: 4
  • Joined: 29/01/2020
I want to share with you all an amazing experience I had yesterday, demonstrating my ekit (Pearl Mimic, ATV Artist cymbals, Drum-Tec Pro Series) to a roomful of acoustic drummers. This is a copy of what I have posted on various drum FB groups -

I'm utterly stunned, and very emotional, about the reaction I got from the audience of drummers I performed for today, at Ian Bee's drum camp. All the way back up the traffic-ridden M1 I've been trying to process it - an audience of drummers, spontaneously jumping to their feet and screaming, shouting and clapping at the finale of my drum demonstration. It's just staggering.
I've spent sleepless nights building up to today, and have put in a lot of work preparing for it. An Edrummer playing for (mostly) traditional acoustic drummers, is a big bleeding deal. There is an awful lot at stake!
I wanted to entertain them. I wanted to show that edrums can look and sound pretty sweet. And ideally I wanted to play in a way that showed some skill, and both excited and inspired them - hopefully even making them forget that they were listening to electronic drums. I wanted them to be so involved in the drum performance, that THAT was the focus, rather than constantly thinking 'yes, but these are edrums'.
It seems that I achieved all of this. When I played the final snare note on Sting's "Seven Days", the room literally erupted. I knew I had just played it pretty much note for note, and with passion and feel, and certainly I was mighty pleased I had actually pulled it off, but I was not ready for that reaction. I think they were genuinely stunned, and I do think they were focussed on the performance, not the edrums. I am so, so proud :)
They also loved my solo's, and the Shadows tracks (Apache, Wonderful Land, Dance On and Footapper) I played. A few of them have a new-found respect for The Shadows I suspect - they really appreciated the drumming. And all of this (including Seven Days) was done using drumless backing tracks - they knew that what they were hearing was all me and my drums, not the original drummer or sounds.
It was fantastic answering all of their great questions and discussing edrums generally, and the specifics of my kit. All of them so open-minded. They were, without a doubt, mighty impressed by the Pearl Mimic Pro module, the ATV Artist cymbals, and of course the Drum-Tec shells. I am not saying they have all converted to edrums, but they do have a new-found respect for them, and it was a great session.
Two years running I have been nominated by Digital Drummer magazine as 'Edrummer of the Year'. Today I felt like I was really, really doing what that award is intended for - promoting the use of edrums. This is what it is all about!
To all of the drummers in that audience, thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how happy and humbled I feel to have elicited such a response from you all. That's my first ever 'clinic' or 'demo', and it has given me the confidence to know that I can actually do this sort of thing - and I have one or two other similar type events coming up later this year (one in Germany!)
The lovely drummers today said something to me that so many others have said to me at shows with the bands I play in - they loved my passion and emotion and found the manner in which I played to be very, very exciting to watch. That's an incredible compliment to be given by fellow drummers.....
Thank you so much. And special thanks to Ian Bee for letting me perform at his camp.

My post has got a big reaction on FB and I thought I should share it here. These acoustic drummers were all fascinated by the module, the cymbals, the kit. They were amazed by the sound quality. It was an epic day. It was the third day of a three day drum camp, and I was the final session, on the last afternoon. Loved it 🙂
Drum-Tec Pro Series shells, ATV Artist cymbals, Pearl Mimic Pro module.
mvdput
  • Posts: 21
  • Joined: 23/01/2020
WOW! Reading this made me almost re-enlive the emotions that you felt while playing!

There is always a little bit of disbelieve or aversion from true acoustic drummers against electronic drums. And for the most kits that is true, unless you have the right gear, which is only limited to a few brands and models.

I love it that the audience was so enthusiastic. Do you have a video of it? Love to see it 😃
Previous 2Box owner, currently Roland TD-12, Linko A2E-converted-kit, SuperiorDummer 2, BFD3, Low-volume cymbals
H3nsStick
  • Posts: 4
  • Joined: 23/01/2020
this sounds like an amazing chance you got and luckily the response was great too!
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