Drumming on the Go

Many drummers often find themselves tapping out a beat on whatever happens to be available. Tapping the steering wheel while listening to the radio, drumming on a desk, or even on your thighs are ways to practice your technique or just to keep your hands and mind busy. However those methods aren’t always ideal, since they can sometimes bother bystanders. Thanks to the influx of smartphones and other mobile devices (such as tablets or iPads), you can now find applications to satisfy your need to drum while not disturbing your neighbors at school or work.

Mobile applications for drumming are available for both Android and Apple products; all you have to do is look. Some applications, such as Dynamic Bongo Drums work on both Android and Apple mobile devices. The sheer amount of drumming applications can be staggering to sift through. There are simple applications like Drums!, for iPhone or iPad, which allows drummers to tap away on a basic drum kit. Other apps are contest apps, like the Hit Hard app, also for iPhones and iPads. It allows drummers to compete against other drummers on tracks by Joey Kramer, a drummer from Aerosmith. While there are many drum kit based apps, hand drums are also fairly well represented in the drumming application world. For Bongo players, there are apps such as Dynamic Bongo Drums. Tabla lovers can check out Tabla HD Free for iPhones and iPads; which promises pitch blending abilities as well as “Dueling Tablas”. If you’re not sure which hand drum you’d like to try in the virtual world, there’s always the Hand Drums app for iPhones and iPads, which allows you to choose from bongs, conga, or any other hand drum. In addition to being able to choose your drum, it also promises the ability to decrease pitch and to change settings to enable AirPlay.

For Android users, there is also a multitude of drumming apps to choose from ranging between drum kits to hand drums. The app Drums HD lets drummers tap out on a simulated drum kit and practice new rhythms. Djembe lovers may find the Djembe Rope Calculator useful as it helps assure the right measurements of rope needed when tuning a Djembe; they can then use the Advanced Djembe Drum app to tap out a beat when the urge strikes them. Tabla lovers can check out the Tabla app by Fredo, which not only comes with five different drum beats to play with, but also includes a Belly Dancer to dance to your beat. Bongos – Dynamic Drums includes professional recorded and mastered sounds which vary depending on where you hit the drum. And finally, if you just want to experiment with different drums, the Droid Drums HD app allows you to choose from 17 different drums and boasts of customizable layouts with up to 20 instruments per layout.

While tapping on a screen will never be the same as drumming on a drum kit or a hand drum, this technology allows drummers to take advantage of lulls in their schedule to practice, without having to carry their favorite drum with them.