Playing drums to your favorite music is one of the big reasons why many people take up drum lessons. There is a high level of satisfaction when one is able to play a song. A lot of time and dedication is required and often a large investment in music equipment. Drums are especially difficult due to cost, space and complex setup required. In addition, family members and neighbors do not want to hear the noise while you learn how to play. An innovative product called mi Jam™ Pro - Air Drummer allows potential drummers to learn how to play drums without the complex setup or noise associated with a conventional drum set. The mi Jam™ Pro - Air Drummer system incorporates wireless technology that allows the drummer to use a pair of high-tech drum sticks much like a conventional drummer would use wooden sticks.

The mi Jam™ Pro - Air Drummer includes an amplified speaker system that allows the user to play drums without wires. The system simulates a full drum set with a pair of wireless drumsticks, a bass drum foot pedal and an amplified speaker unit. The wireless speaker has 6 built-in rhythms, volume and tempo control, audio in cable and audio out jack. The audio input cable is about a foot long with a 3.5mm stereo plug and is designed to connect to a stereo source. Simply turn on the amplified speaker and you can instantly jam along with any songs played through your music system. The wireless foot pedal plays the bass drum sound. The speaker system runs on four "AA" batteries and the foot pedal uses two "AA" batteries.

The wireless drumsticks perform snare drum, tom tom, floor tom, crash cymbal, hi-hat cymbal and ride cymbal sounds by detecting movement. Each stick has a three position thumb switch that controls the sound. When the stick moves downward and hits a quick stop, the sound is heard from the speaker. The left stick plays a tom tom or a floor tom. The right stick plays a crash cymbal or a ride cymbal. A drum roll can also be performed by pressing the thumb switch inwards using the “follow” buttons. It take practice to get used to the controls, but it works pretty well once you spend some time with it. Each drum stick uses a pair of "AAA" batteries.

Conclusion
The mi Jam™ Pro - Air Drummer is an inexpensive system that gives a potential drummer a feel for playing drums without the high cost, large size and loud noise associated with a real drum set. While it is no replacement for the real deal, it offers a fun way to play drums with little impact to one's finances and is very portable for experienced drummers who want to play in places never imagined.

- Kevin Nakano

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