Zendrum
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A Zendrum is a hand-crafted percussion instrument which is a MIDI controller. It consists of a triangular body made from quality hardwoods onto which 24 plastic pads have been mounted. These pads are touch sensitive and serve as MIDI triggers that are played by tapping or slapping with the fingers or hands. The Zendrum does not make any sound by itself. Rather, it uses an electronic interface called MIDI to control other music gear that generates musical sound.
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[edit] Playing
The Zendrum is very intuitive to play; one simply taps or slaps the pads, and (assuming it is hooked up to a MIDI sound module), sounds will be played. The pads on a Zendrum are velocity sensitive -- the volume of each note played depends on how hard the corresponding pad is hit.
The Zendrum is most often used to play drum or percussion instrument parts, but it can also play tuned instruments. Tuned percussion such as steel drums or vibraphone is a natural. The Zendrum can also play any other instrument; it works best with percussive sounds that die away after a few seconds, such as piano, bass, guitar, or bells. Sustained sounds like organs or strings can be played, but are awkward and difficult to control; a sustain pedal can be plugged into a Zendrum, but it is tricky to coordinate tapping the pads and depressing/releasing the pedal to produce useful note phrases.
The playing styles and techniques that work best on the Zendrum are quite different from those of a traditional drum. Traditional drumming (especially for a drum kit) requires a certain amount of "limb independence," whereas the Zendrum requires more "finger independence." Also, traditional drumming is more than just triggering sounds; a drummer playing a physical kit gets important feedback in the way his or her sticks bounce and react from the drums and cymbals. This feedback is limited in MIDI drum kits, and missing completely from the Zendrum. With a Zendrum this responsiveness is traded-off for having more triggers which are sensitive to the slightest touch and accessible to all ten fingers.
[edit] History
MIDI sound generators have long been able to make realistic drum sounds, but the traditional keyboard of a synthesizer is not well suited to playing percussion. One solution to this has been to retrofit MIDI triggers onto the traditional drum kit. This makes it easy for drummers to play MIDI sounds using their comfortable drumming skills.
But some years ago people started experimenting with alternative MIDI controllers. One of the first of these to take it all the way to a professional music career was Futureman (a.k.a. Roy-El, a.k.a. Roy Wooten), the percussionist for the eclectic group Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Futureman uses a custom MIDI controller called a Synthaxe Drumitar to trigger drum sounds on several MIDI sound modules.
Inspired by Futureman's custom instrument, David Haney and Kim Daniel decided to try to build their own MIDI percussion controller. They used their electronics and woodworking skills to design a modern, triangular wood body with a variety of touch-sensitive pads on it.
[edit] Compared to traditional drums
Zendrums and traditional drums each have different strengths and weaknesses. Theoretically, a physical drum or cymbal has a huge number of nuances in the way that it can be played and the sounds that it can make. MIDI percussion has some expressiveness and flexibility, but it can't match physical drums. However, these nuances are not generally noticeable by most people, especially in a mix with other instruments. On the other hand, a single percussionist can play more sounds and do things with a Zendrum that they could never hope to do on a traditional kit.
Being much smaller and simpler, a Zendrum does not require anywhere near the time and effort needed to setup or break down a drum kit. On the other hand, some people enjoy the visual appearance of a traditional drum kit, and the vigorous actions of a drummer. The Zendrum is worn like a guitar, which allows the player to stand up and walk around, within the limits of the MIDI cable. Some Zendrummers use wireless MIDI technology to allow complete freedom to move around on stage or even around the audience.
The Zendrum creates no sound of its own, it is limited only by the MIDI sound modules it drives. Rather than having only one set of sounds, a Zendrum player can have dozens or potentially hundreds of different drum kits to choose from. Since the Zendrum doesn't make any sound itself, some kind of amplification or sound system is required for the MIDI sound modules. Many bands use a sound system or P.A. for their other instruments, and the Zendrummer can simply make use of this, eliminating the problem of matching the volume of the band to the drums. This is also true for a studio or recording situation, where the Zendrum eliminates the need for microphones or sound insulation.
