Yamaha FGDP - Something truly different 

First. Shalom.

Something quite important you missed out from your Gear Recommendations/ Shopping List: cables/ interconnects. The other thing I wanted to say was thank you, thank you, thank you. I've looked at some of your free lessons, which have helped me make a decision.

@@buxycat Ah yes cables... honestly never thought of that until now. I'll make a not of it. Thanks!

@@TheQuestforGroove I was a hi-fi enthusiast in my youth, so budgeting for decent speaker cable and interconnects is just second nature to me. I think it was more knowing which *type* of cables I would have needed for the Maschine Mikro set up. I've just read this morning that the FGDP-50 uses a micro USB for MIDI, I assumed the MIDI port was the one I've seen USB thumb drives plugged into. An idea I had, when I thought the USB micro port was for battery charging: I've got USB cables that have magnetic tips, for swapping between micro/ USB C or Lightning tips: I was just going to leave a spare tip plugged into the charging port. If those cables are rated for data transfer, can I use those for MIDI?

@@buxycat yeah any usb cable can also be used for transferring midi data. In most cases with finger drumming you only need usb cables and the only audio cables would be the ones connecting the speakers and/or headphones to the audio interface!

😆

Ah yes great to hear! That was my goal, so happy it helped!

Welcome! Make sure to also check out my free beginner courses on questforgroove.com If you're serious about learning. Over the years I moved more and more towards the step by step lessons over there instead of small snippet lessons on RU-vid, so you might want to see if that approach works for you!

Have fun!!

Thank you! I'm not doing that many gear reviews anymore (I now mainly want my courses on questforgroove.com to be top notch), but if something special comes out I do need to talk about it :-) Have fun with your drum kit in a box!

Haha, thanks. I was honestly not super keen on doing more gear reviews but these devices are something special so I had to get back in the game for them :-) I'm still actively making more stuff on my website by the way, I'm not gone!!!

Thank you! And yes, 1 month later I can still say I'm enjoying the ease of use a lot. I have played more than over the rest of 2023

Where did you get it from ?

@@apsyd good question! I was in luck checking thomanns webpage at the right moment when they had a small batch in stock. The FGDPs are hard to find currently!

Nice! Welcome aboard Mike!

Agreed! I have also become very familiar with the interface so I can basically make any. sound I want.

Nice, welcome aboard! I don't have actual FGDP tutorials (yet) but since the core layout is basically the same my courses should work for you. They're mostly about how to play things well and make them groove, which is universal and not dependent on the type of controller you use 😀

@@TheQuestforGroove Regardless they're on my list! I see what you mean on the fact of it not being subjective to the controller rather the player. My finger drumming sounds like me playing actual drums haha which isn't pro or anything enjoyable, yet 🤣

How do you alter your pads?

​@@DrivenCrane1 I can't explain that in a comment here, but Yamaha has this inline guide for the whole process. You do need to read it because it's not super intuitive. manual.yamaha.com/mi/de/fgdp50/en/index.html

Thanks! Yeah for sure give this a shot and let me know if it worked for you!

Hey, I never wrote a book. That might be someone else. My video courses come with sheet music and certain diagrams that are instantly usable on the FGDP anyways so no need to change those. The layouts are also a lot alike so using the videos to get a general idea of what to do is also perfectly possible.

Synido tempo pad, does it have nice pads? I can't buy it here in the Netherlands somehow.

@@TheQuestforGroove I did your standard test on the TempoPad: finger falls onto a pad - no active force. That doesn't trigger it. The needed trigger force is comparable with a keyboard without hammer action. This is good enough for my skills. The knobs are endless, but have mechanical steps - not perfect, but also OK for me. One can use both MIDI outputs at the same time (USB and DIN-over-TRS). So with a two-channel MIDI setup, two devices can be connected. I bought from Amazon Germany (import from Amazon US). I had a bad MPD218 before. After the firmware update (see Akai page), it was dead (no USB connection). Maybe it works for you.

I had to take some time to test it out, then record a bunch of demos and then also make sure I tell the story right, since this is such a special new device that quickly discussing the pad sensitivity just wasn't enough. I'm glad it's finally done!

@@TheQuestforGroove Thank you for your hard work, it was well worth it for such an extensive review! Approaching this not as a finger drummer but just a beginner drummer, I can say for me as long as the pads are "good enough", these devices look really interesting as they offer an opportunity to jam and practice (to some degree) while away from the instrument. It would have been interesting to see a footswitch input for the bass drum, but maybe that would be considered cheating in the finger drumming world! Anyway, thanks again for your review, I think I'm going to go with the FGDP-50!

Makes a lot of sense!

@@TheQuestforGroove I had an epiphany last night: Around 20 years ago, I bought a copy of Rock Band Beatles and the Rock Band Portable Drum Kit, for my Xbox 360. I had so much fun. I bought Rock Band 3, and also paid for downloadable songs. Microsoft switched off the 360 servers a while ago, I think I can still access my paid for songs (including some Fleetwood Mac).My point is, I've got access to a library of a few hundred songs, by the original artists, where I can turn the drum track off and have some kind of visual guide of what to hit and when. This is going to make learning so much fun. Back then, I had an opportunity to play a real drum kit. Over the course of a few hours, I went from never having played drums before, to being trusted with a snare drum that costs more than the FGPD-50 does, then being able to hold a basic beat together for a few minutes, whilst three other semi-pro musicians jammed with me. I was so into it, that I was seriously looking into an electric kit, but the reality of my physical problems stopped me, as well as where the heck do I put a drum kit? It was ending up looking at electric drum kits on Amazon that lead me down the path the the FGPD-50. I'm so excited.

@@TheQuestforGroove So..... the FGPD-50 arrived today. Took a few hours to establish the battery is faulty. I'm going to return it for refund. It's not all bad news though: I was interested in using GarageBand is the first part of it, I have the silly Rock Band Keytar thing, which can be used as a MIDI controller, thought I could get a wireless dongle and connect to my iPad or MacBook and use my bluetooth earbuds. I don't think I mentioned that I played sax for a few years. I had to give it up, jaw issues. But this is how I have a Yamaha WX-5 MIDI wind controller (the limited edition blue one, with a tone generator that specialises in wind, strings and synths). It's eight octave, amongst other tricks. I didn't touch The Stick (as I called my WX-5) after I had to stop playing acoustic sax, too heart breaking. I think I can play it in a way that doesn't make jaw issues, certainly could with an expression pedal. I may need ot send it back to Yamaha though, as the sax style mouthpiece is absolutely stuck on their, there's delicate stuff going on under there; I really need to swap to the recorder style mouthpiece so I don't end up using jaw for expression. I have the option of a MIDI keyboard with pads at a later date, and I'll have the wireless dongle. I have one thought to leave with you, that might be of benefit to new students.My first 30-40 minutes were naturally just going through kit sounds. My second session, I'm working through your beginner lessons and I'm working on the Basic 8th Note Pattern. I get to a point where I'm getting frustrated with myself a bit because I was having trouble hitting the kick with my thumb hard enough and I could play this beat on a real drum kit, nearly 20 years ago. I make a cup of tea and I really want to pick the finger drum up again, but I know my hands are tired, my brain is tired, which is a bad time to practise. So, I just started tapping my fingers on my leg or side table, and saying or thinking the beats. If it needs saying, I'm using using my fingers as I would on the pads, just not having to be so mindful of wrist technique. I did that for a few minutes here and there, as I'm relaxing with my cup of tea. I soon had the correct fingers doing the correct things, at the correct time, without having to think about it. I finish my tea, reach for the finger drum and within seconds I'm doing the Basic 8th Note Pattern, without thinking about it, for a few bars at a time, before it would fall apart. Good enough to have a sense of satisfaction and progress to have crack at the the Basic 16th Note Pattern, which was back to tricky and frustrating, so time to give it a break. Put finger drum on charge, go make tea, come back and discover the battery is faulty, which I had suspected earlier on in the day. But my point is that a student can be practising their patterns and beats (to get it under their fingers), any time, any place. I took a photo on my phone of the practise patterns, so I could always have it to hand, if away from home. I had completely forgotten that when I played sax, I'd sometimes just lean back in my armchair, left hand on my sternum, right hand belly button and I'd practise fingering scales, modes, runs in thirds. Anyway, I have the option of buying a MIDI keyboard with pads in the future, a 4x2 might be better for my hands anyway there's a reason I was having an issue with activating the kick pad, I'd just fingers on a 4x2. I've always got an iPad and GB, if I get the itch. Learning some drum patterns would be useful, so I'll carry on with your lessons. All the best to you Rob, thank you for your part in my musical journey.

@@buxycat I'm a huge proponent of taking breaks. In future courses I actually promote practicing some things for only 5 minutes and then just calling it a day and come back the next day. That seems to work very well for a lot of difficult things. I hope the new pad controller arrives soon, with a working battery!

@@TheQuestforGroove thanks Rob.

Where did you purchase FGDP 50? Currently in US, all the major online/offline shop had backorder on FGPD50, so I had no choice but only 30.

Netherlands :-) It looks like these things are very successful and Yamaha's gotta ramp up production.

@@JaeH0202 In South Korea, funding was provided in limited quantities last month (November). All prepared quantities were sold out in one day.

@@pastor_dannykim9153 세계적으로 재고가 없나보네요.. 일본 직구도 $600으로 팔고 있어서 미국에선 그냥 30으로 구입했습니다.. 감사합니다 목사님

I can tell you I still play it every day. Simply because it's laying on the couch and it's easy to quickly play for 5 minutes without any hassle or turning on my computer or stuff like that.

Hey, the problem with cover videos is that they often get blocked because of music rights. So while they're a lot of fun, they can be a waste of time when they get blocked. Even if they don't get blocked now, they can get blocked a year from now for example so I decided to stay away from them. I do. put out playalong tracks on my website by the way. If you ever want to try that, send me an email I'll give you a free trial!

Hey it's still on my list but it keeps falling through the cracks because it costs a pretty penny and if I like it I cannot really use it in my courses since it's so very different. But I am curious. There's gonna be a time with money and extra spare time and then I'm gonna try it out. Even if it's just for myself.

Great! I hope you'll get a lot of mileage out of this unit. I'm still playing it almost every day.

You should upload more of FGDP 50@@TheQuestforGroove , great video btw greetings from İstanbul I have one too

I need them to do a DM3-Rack next as an update to the TF-Rack. 32 inputs + Dante in 2U with built-in wifi control and a useable small touchscreen + some key knobs on the front for under $2k please.

It's a personal decision. I would pick either the FGDP or the Maschine mikro. If you want the best, most sensitive pads get the Mikro. If you want portability and quickly being able to play, get the FGDP.

@@TheQuestforGroove Thank you👍

Yeah I might do that. In all honesty most of the stuff you need in order to play this thing well I already have course about. On a 4x4 controller, that's true, but as I say in the video the difference between that and an FGSP is not that big so learning the basics can already be done on questforgroove.com

It does send out midi and receive it via usb. I've played some midi from my computer into the fgdp and it produced a drum part. Other way around obviously also worked. The question is what type of other devices can you hook up... so far I only managed to get it to work on my computer. I don't have any real hardware synths though so no idea...

Yeah all pads feel the same. The tom placement up top is still not ideal with the smaller pads though... So I can recommend also trying the Yamaha tom layout.

Hey that's not possible. You need to use the onboard sounds and otherwise it's simply using it as a midi controller and hooking it up to your computer.

This is the thing I'm most interested in. I want to recreate a portable hang drum or similar digital tuned percussion device. I've got the patience since I just want to get this one thing done... maybe the 50 is for me! Would love to see a more detailed video on how to do the layered samples.

Time to fire up that eBay account :-) :-)

Hey I haven't tested the Roland so a comparison is hard to make. My guess is the Roland has better response. I've heard some other students mention it and they were all very happy with it.

Oh man that's a hard decision to make for me. I would personally bring the FGDP along if I went for a long bike trip, but that's my personal preference. I don't think anyone but you can decide which option is best.

@@TheQuestforGroove Thanks for the reply! I really want to include my wife and other people we meet along the way in jamming and general music playing. How would you compare the pad sensitivity of the FGDP to the Xjam? I watched your video on the Xjam as well and it was really insightful. I would say that the majority of the the time I will be the one doing the finger drumming, mainly building short loops for playing indian music, but I really like the idea of the FGDP being an immediate instrument for others to play along. Thanks for you advice!

Thanks! The Xjam pad sensivity is a little better. How much? Hard to say... If the Xjam is a 10-10, the FGDP is an 8-10... Something like that?

@@TheQuestforGroove Thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it. Still on the fence but maybe leaning towards the Xjam a little... The FDGP looks really interesting but I think it will bug me if the pads aren't as good as possible. It is a little hard for me to try one in person because they are out of stock and I live pretty far from any music stores, but maybe I should be patient and see of I can get one to try. Cheers man! Thanks for the great videos and amazing playing.

The built-in speaker is really impressive given its size. Definitely punchy and loud enough, not tinny and good enough for practice. Both can be connected to an external amp via a stereo 3.5mm stereo jack socket. You can also choose to mute the internal speaker or not when the external audio jack is inserted. I have the FGDP-50 and it's amazing fun. Yamaha just released a firmware update for the 50 which fixes an issue where some user samples did not load correctly.

Thank you!!

Hey 100% agree with this as well. I was surprised there was no editor software! It might come later when enough people bought these things.

Thanks Paul!!

Hey at first I thought it did because there is an "operation volume" setting, but when I enabled it just now it seems like that's just a little beep when you press a button. No voice saying where you are in the menu. I looked in the manual and cannot find that option on the FGDP-50. So yeah, for voice assistance the FGDP-30 seems to be the smarter choice! I wish I had figured that out sooner so I could have mentioned it in the video.

@TheQuestforGroove, thank you very much. I truly appreciate you taking the extra steps to verify it for me. As a visually impaired drummer it is very helpful to have voice guided menus. Don't have to memorize how to get to different settings and have cheat sheets.

Yeah I can imagine. In your case the FGDP-30 is probably a great device for a lot less money.

It seems that that is not possible. Only audio.

Yes that's possible!

@@TheQuestforGroove Thanks a lot!

I don't think so. The midi port in the back is only for a USB stick to either record on or to play an audio file. It doesn't not seem to be a MIDI port or anythng like that.

Thanks for the reply! Keep up the great work@@TheQuestforGroove

Hey@@PatrickNathan I did manage to send midi messages from my DAW into the device over USB. So maybe it can work actually! I don't know how the output of the launchpad works and if it supports midi over usb though. But maybe there are converter plugs available or something?

@@TheQuestforGroove Hey! Thanks for following up! That's very interesting. From some online research I've done it looks like Push 2 needs a laptop and probably wouldn't work for this setup. That said, if you somehow manage to connect the FGDP with a controller with superior pads, it would be an interesting option for us who already have good pads and want to play laptop-free. If you have any breakthrough, please let me know. Many thanks

Yes!

It's hard to say because it seems like a very personal choice. If you want to have a device that just turns on and drum sounds come out, the FGDP is the obvious choice. If you want bigger, more sensitive pads and/or if you want to do my finger drumming lessons online and you want to copy them 1:1, and you do not mind setting everything up and using your computer every time you want to play then a traditional pad controller like Maschine mikro will be better for you.

Well, I also practiced on the device and adjusted my playing style to get the most out of the FGDP. A bit like a good guitar player can play pretty well on a not great guitar. But that does not mean that the "great" perfectly tweaked guitar with perfect response and sustain would not have my preference if you understand what I mean.

There's definitely a lot of configurability on the 50, though checking out the manual for the 30 shows there's a lot you can tweak as well. The UX is very intuitive although an app definitely would save time on the 50 adding your own user samples and configuring your own pad setups (there's a lot of settings you can adjust).

It doesn't seem to have a real looper function for your drum performance. It does loop the "session" on the FGDP-50, but that's the track to drum along to. Your drums itself are not looped since you're playing along to it live. I'm not 100% sure but it seems you'd need a separate looping pedal or something to fully capture and loop your performance.

The FGDP can help you to play every day, because of it's standalone capabilities. My guess is that if you want to mess around and jam a lot, you want the FGDP. If you want to for example go through my courses and learn the basics step by step, there is also a case to be made for the xjam.

@@TheQuestforGroove also is the difference between the 30 and 50 worth the extra £100 I'll have to spend or not? I might be able to get both if not.

@@mechatecha8514 I cannot say because it's personal. The last section of the video basically says that if you think you will not need a screen and you're fine with 2 presets and just jamming, the 30 is enough. Otherwise you want the 50, which is a sneaky move by yamaha because a screen is not that expensive, but it is inconvenient for most people when it's not there.

@@TheQuestforGroove I decided to get the 50

There's nothing like this out there at the moment. So I have no other recommendations.

​@@TheQuestforGrooveDo you think it's good as an introductory then? Would it make sense to take the 50 instead? As it seems to give some extra space for utilities. Thanks anyway!

Yeah it's a good one to get started with. I talk about the differences between 30 and 50 in the video. Which of the two to buy is a personal decision!

@@TheQuestforGroove yeah I aw that, as you said, great marketing! I was asking more for my case as I'm a total newbie. But I think I'll go with the 50 if I find it, as I probably won't get another one for years to come. Thanks a ton! I will follow your teachings when I get it 🙏🏼

Yeah you can mess around with the pad gain. The does not mean the pads will trigger with soft touches, because that's the pad threshold which cannot be changed to be more sensitive. But fixed velocity can be achieved I believe.

No it has 39 kits, a wide range of sounds but it does not have the Drum n Bass kit.

@@TheQuestforGroove 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 Guess I'm buying the 50 then. Thank you for replying and have a great day.

As a beginner I would probably just get a good old 16 pad 4x4 controller like the Maschine Mikro mk3. That way you can just copy what I do in the lessons. Otherwise you might need to translate that a bit in your head. On top of that the pad sensitivity on the mikro is better so you will probably have a better experience over all. The only thing to consider is if you're going to practice a lot more if you have a standalone unit. In that case, more and frequent practice sessions is almost always the better choice.

Thanks! I hope you have a lot of fun with this device despite its shortcomings. Pad sensitivity is a bitch for all finger drummers. A rabbit hole that never ends 😀Just know that if you feel like it's "decent" that already means you're doing pretty well and there's much worse units out there!