I just ordered my first pad machine (Mikro Mk3) and have been watching tons of finger drumming vidoes. i noticed that the Quest For Groove pad layout is a bit different than most all of everyone else’s: mostly utilizing the center pads for the kick, hat, snare; where most everyone else i have watched uses the corner bottom for kicks, middle bottom hats, outside second row snare. Is there an advantage to the Quest For Groove layout? i do not want to start off on one layout and have to relearn
There is no perfect Pad layout for everyone. Everybody is different. Some pad layout good for alternative, some for independence technic. QFG very usefull for second. You should try different and find which works for you. My opinion is QFG pad layout most ergonomic and usefull for 80% of music. I change couple pads for my style of playing and its works fine for me.
The standard position of the sounds on a pad controller that most people use is simply an industry standard. It was never designed to be ergonomical or efficient for playing ‘drums’. So imho you’re better off with the QFG pad layout if you want to play beats that sound like regular drum grooves.
Once you got through the beginner lesson and into the advanced sections we’ll be focusing more on playing patterns with our hands like RLRRLRLL and then translate those patterns to the kit. What I found is that the more patterns I master, the easier it becomes to play grooves no matter where the sounds are on the pad controller. It’s not like tuning your guitar differently and then having to learn all your scales and chords all over again. Somehow with drums on 16 pads it’s less hard to switch to other layouts than with melodic instruments.
I think the standard “layout” is just based on the kit piece general MIDI assignments decided in the 90’s based on the piano keyboard. The layout lost meaning when manufacturers designed pad controllers with notes starting at C1 in the bottom left corner and going “up” from there. QFG disrupts that tradition and puts the kit pieces where the strongest fingers can reach and play with the best dynamics, just like an acoustic drummer does with hands and feet.
WOW Robert!.. you made my day, just watched your latest youtube video “What pad controller to buy for finger drumming in 2021: The long story” and having just ordered my first pad controller i was biting my fingernails worried that i had made a colossal mistake… now i know every unit from every manufacturer is going to be different, and getting on with a machine may come down to something as silly as where the USB plug is… but … i bought your top pick! YAY ME!!!