Just fulfilling a request. I play drums, played for about a year, I should be able to answer most questions, but not really advanced ones. Ask away!
Captain Socks,
What are the headphones for really? Are you listening to your favorite CD or a good copy of the tune you are trying to play?
SSG Schwartz
Yeah, I use my iPod to play along.
Anaamika is going to be soooooooo happy.
Is it true that damn drummer are two separate words?
Just kidding.
What kind of kit do you play? Do you play all kinds of music or one particular type most often.?
Do you have any use for an Alesis DM5?
I really need to get rid of mine. 
How many pizzas would you say you delivered in an average week?
How far can one go in learning using just a practice pad and sticks?
I want to learn to drum very very badly.
Peart, Rich, or Gadd?
I played for a few years in high school…or…a million damn years ago.
Heck, I can teach you how to drum very badly, I do it all the time.
Did you start out in orchestra in school, or pick up drumming as a hobby?
Woohoo! No time to linger today, but I will have questions tomorrow! THANK YOU!
What’s the 4th drum from the left called in this video (1 min. 30 sec.).
Just a kit? or hand-drums too?
I got interested in the more primitive-type of drums after I’d learned on a kit.
Now I’ve got quite the collection of hand-drums and primitive percussions.
But I do still like to sit behind my Rogers kit (circa mid 1960’s!) and play.
I’ve been a drummer since 1965. Didn’t get my own kit until earlier this summer. Pretty long wait, huh? I’ve been playing them so often, that my fingers have lost the calluses I built up playing bass for years. I found that out last Saturday night, when I went to a birthday party / jam session. I still have blisters under my plucking fingertips from playing the bass. I had a better time on the drum kit, where I actually surprised myself, and some friends who hadn’t heard me play before.
Anyway, I have the kit set up between the stereo speakers, and play along with records. I can do a pretty accurate representation of Jim Keltner, with a smattering of Hal Blaine, a generous helping of the Hi Records house band, and a very little bit of Bernard Purdie. VERY little. It seems to be paying off. None of the neighbors have complained.
Do you have the luxury of being able to play with music at playing volume? Who do you like to play with? What songs can you play exactly like the record?
Have you recorded your kit? Do you have favorite mic placement positions? Have you played much with other musicians? In public, or just in private? Do you have plans to play drums with groups, or just as a hobby?
Todd was right. I don’t wanna work, I want to bang on this drum all day!
How can you tell whether the stage is level?
Drumming takes a lot of coordination. Can you really teach that level of coordination? Do you listen to different music or listen to music differently than say a guitarist? Do you ever wish you played a different instrument? Why is it so uncommon to find songwriters who drum?
a VERY long way. I learned myself on practically that. You have to make sure you know what is where on the drum set, then practice the actual contact on the pad. Occasionally, you need to sit yourself in front of an actual kit. In the beginning, especially, its the best way to learn where everything is. After that though, air drumming and rhythm practice (finger tapping) will take you places.
Just don’t use air drum while driving. Especially if you imagine the bass drum as the accelerator…
Zebra: I use a Ludwig with Zildijan cymbals.
Tristan: I would say not so far. Starter snare drums are pretty cheap and effective, I used one before I got my kit.
Jonathan Chance: Peart. I sometimes practice when I’m not at my kit by air drumming to Rush songs. It’s pretty effective.
Nawth Chucka: Probably a hobby. I vaguely remember liking to bang on things when I was a baby and toddler, to I turned that musical.
Not a drummer, but I grew up around two (dad and brother). You can go a long way using practice pads. 1) You can practice the rudiments over and over without annoying anyone and 2) you can hear the metronone better. Also, a good kit can cost some bucks. If it turns out drums aren’t for you, you haven’t made a huge investment.
I would start with a pad and then upgrade to a snare drum.