How To Get Started With Finger Drumming

Finger drumming is a relatively new art form that's still in its infancy.

You may have seen viral videos of impressive pad pushers on YouTube, and wondered exactly what they were doing.

In this article, you'll get a quick overview of the art of finger drumming, and how to get started.

What Is Finger Drumming?

Essentially, finger drumming is the art of playing a pad controller with your fingers in a rhythmic way.

Finger drummers use electronic musical instruments called pad controllers, which are outfitted with grids of square buttons (usually 16, but sometimes up to 64 buttons).

When a finger drummer uses their fingers to hit these buttons (known as 'pads'), a sound is triggered in whatever software they are using. This is why they're called pad controllers, because the pads are used to control computer software.

These pads can be programmed to trigger any sound imaginable.

Some finger drummers hit the pads to trigger melodic samples, or bass chops, or drum hits.

Finger drumming is very popular in hip-hop music production, because it gives the producer the ability to play certain parts of their tracks in a live, musical way, rather than just clicking them in on their computer.

How To Get Started With Finger Drumming

Finger drumming is very easy to get started with; all you need is a pad controller and some software!

Compared to the cost of buying an acoustic drum kit, this makes finger drumming one of the most accessible instruments to buy.

Many pad controllers cost between $100-$300, and software can vary from totally free to around $200.

Imagine buying a full high-quality drum kit for only $400 total! That's basically impossible, and the same is true for guitars, bass, and most other instruments.

Here at Dragon Finger Drums, my top recommended pad controller is the Maschine Mikro MK3.

For the price, this controller is completely unmatched, and it has the best pads on the market.

If you want a more full-fledged production system, I'd recommend the full size Maschine MK3, but if you're only interested in the highest quality pads possible, you can't go wrong with the Maschine Mikro.

What Software Should I Buy?

When it comes to finger drumming software, my top recommendation is Addictive Drums.

It's an extremely high quality drum emulator software, which means that your finger drumming will sound as realistic as possible.

The full version of Addictive Drums is an excellent value for the price, but if you need a free option, I'd recommend checking out Steven Slate Drums.

This is another high-quality drum emulator software, and the free version is an excellent choice for those on a budget.

I Have My Hardware & Software. What's Next?

If you're already set up with a pad controller and some software, you'll want to find some good lessons to study so you can start finger drumming!

There are some great tutorials on YouTube, and a few good educational options scattered throughout the internet.

However, finger drumming is still a very new art form, so there isn't a huge amount of standardized education available for those who want to get into it.

This is exactly why I created Dragon Finger Drums.

It's a full-fledged finger drumming curriculum with courses that cover every level of finger drumming from beginner to highly advanced.