Out of all the instruments in Rock Band, the drums seem to give people the most trouble. I think it's because we're all used to singing, and to guitar playing, from the many games out already with those instruments. But pretty much no games (except the fun Donkey Konga) use drum like items. We simply aren't good at playing them, so then we fail when tested on those skills :)

That's not to say you aren't a good DRUMMER. My boyfriend loves to play real life drums, and has trouble with the Rock Band drums. I on the other hand have no skills at all with real drums, and can ace 100% on the Rock Band drums. So it's about the technique.

Key 1 - HIT IN THE CENTER. If you're hitting the edge or the rim of the drums, it's not going to register. In real life with real drums it could sound cool, but with an electronic drum set, it's not going to register. Find a way to adjust the height of the drum set, the height of your stool and your distance from the drums so that your arms tend to cause the sticks to hit the center of the pads.

Key 2 - HIT WITH A SNAP. You are not sledgehammering the pads into submission. Don't whallop the pads. You don't get points for strength. Give the sticks a nice "whip" so they hit the pad sharply. If you go through the practice rounds, you'll see that this can be key.

Key 3 - CALIBRATE YOUR TV. Every TV has a different reaction time for visuals. Make sure you go through the calibration routine and get your TV synced up properly.

I know it can be frustrating. My boyfriend kept failing all the time and it was rough. I found it very easy to do. If it happens to be hard for you, start slowly. It's not that you're a bad drummer. It's just that you have to learn the techniques for these pads. Get the calibration done, get used to the whippiness and sharpness necessary here. Really, it'll start to make sense :)

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