That's quite a hi-hat you have there

September 7, 2007 5:58 PM

"DrumPants are a set of pants that enable the wearer to produce drum sounds by hitting various parts of the pants with his hands. The wearer thusly becomes a cyborg musician, his body assuming the roles of both player and instrument, allowing for spontaneous electric hambone solos or even collaborations with other musicians in a band setting."
posted by mr_crash_davis (46 comments total)

I really don't want to see the rimshot
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 6:02 PM on September 7, 2007 [4 favorites]

Is that a hi-hat in your pants, or are you just happy to see me?
posted by eriko at 6:05 PM on September 7, 2007

Drumroll pleats .
posted by nola at 6:07 PM on September 7, 2007 [8 favorites]

Holy Hambone
posted by timsteil at 6:08 PM on September 7, 2007

Awesome! What fun!
posted by nickyskye at 6:11 PM on September 7, 2007

Well, "body assuming the roles of both player and instrument" is (a) stretching it, and (b) nothing new. But this is still pretty neat-looking. Wish the samples were higher-quality.

You know, if you really wanted to blow some time and dough on it, you could make it force-sensitive—use a proportional response from the contact mic sensors to select one of several samples with different timbres, and play back at the appropriate volume. Yes. That would be cool.

/retires to tree, resumes thumping chest
posted by eritain at 6:18 PM on September 7, 2007

This is gonna make my spin cycle ROCK.
posted by krippledkonscious at 6:19 PM on September 7, 2007 [3 favorites]

Beats chords cords.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 6:21 PM on September 7, 2007

spontaneous electric hambone solos

Hmmm. I've been doing those for years, often with no pants on at all...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:24 PM on September 7, 2007

But do they come in lavender? Or mauve?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:27 PM on September 7, 2007

That guy in the top video: his time is awful. Really bad. These guys really should've gotten somebody with some frikkin' groove for their demo.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:29 PM on September 7, 2007

I'm in the process of building something similar. It's quite simple once you have the drum module or "brain." The triggers are simple piezo elements, available at Radio Shack for less than $1.50 per unit. Wiring them to the brain is as hard or easy as you need it to be, and all you have to do is hit the piezo to tigger the drum sounds.
posted by lekvar at 6:37 PM on September 7, 2007

I wish the page would load for me, because this sounds like the sort of thing I've wanted to see (own) for quite some time.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 6:55 PM on September 7, 2007

I got ants piezos in my pants and I need to dance!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:58 PM on September 7, 2007

But do they come in lavender? Or mauve?

flapjax, you're naughty!
posted by nickyskye at 7:01 PM on September 7, 2007

Glad you caught my little shoutout to ya there, nickyskye!

But now I'm wondering, what does Señor Pantalones have to say about these trousers?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:06 PM on September 7, 2007

But are they roomy in the thigh and seat? I'm not as svelte as I used to be.
posted by tommasz at 7:18 PM on September 7, 2007

With the right dinner and a snug pair of Levi's I can do a bass solo.
posted by hal9k at 7:18 PM on September 7, 2007

Laurie Anderson did that almost twenty five years ago.
posted by dogwelder at 7:21 PM on September 7, 2007

I just barely got past the first few seconds of the dorky Conan O'Brien kid acting all surprised that his pants make noise.
posted by chococat at 7:24 PM on September 7, 2007

DogWelder beat me to it.
posted by ZachsMind at 7:26 PM on September 7, 2007

Drummers have enough problems getting laid as it is.
posted by malocchio at 7:28 PM on September 7, 2007 [2 favorites]

Drummers have enough problems getting laid as it is.

Yeah, the random crash cymbal sound produced by your pants in the middle of something would kind of put a damper on things.
posted by DMan at 8:07 PM on September 7, 2007

Yeah, but it might be a sizzle cymbal. And that'd be hot.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:13 PM on September 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

Of course, quonsar couldn't wear these: that fish in his pants would just make an ungodly racket, I'm sure.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:15 PM on September 7, 2007

quonsar doesn't need them - he's already got scales in his pants.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 8:25 PM on September 7, 2007

he's already got scales in his pants.

Would those be major, minor, or diminished?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:26 PM on September 7, 2007

Musical clothing: Making the Music Sway to Your Beat and Smart clothing gets musical.
posted by nickyskye at 8:27 PM on September 7, 2007

Far be it from me to suggest another guy has minor or diminished pants-scales.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 8:34 PM on September 7, 2007

Bleh.
posted by strawberryviagra at 8:45 PM on September 7, 2007

Far be it from me to suggest another guy has minor or diminished pants-scales.

But you seemed so authoritative on the subject of these scales, Florence...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:22 PM on September 7, 2007

Most boring video ever. I should be at a jazz club instead of wasting my time on the internets.
posted by kozad at 9:40 PM on September 7, 2007

This idea makes me think of the kind of sick things that can be done with tap shoes
posted by Rubbstone at 9:52 PM on September 7, 2007

I've got a Fish in my pants.
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:55 PM on September 7, 2007

Drummers have enough problems getting laid as it is.

What a bunch of gloomy glindas you guys are. After watching this my first thought was that I'm going to make these and play them out and afterwards get it on with a rage like Valkeryian thunder. Or make a dozen pairs for my local swinger's club in exchange for the right to record and produce The Drum Pants Orgy Symphony.

This thread is yet more sad proof that life's a pair of drum pants and most poor suckers are walking around wearing chinos.
posted by melissa may at 10:05 PM on September 7, 2007 [2 favorites]

Life's a pair of motherfuckin' drum pants
But I bet you motherfuckers can't dance
Y'know the girls don't think you're worth a glance
Y'got no profile, y'got no stance
Y'sad motherfuckers ain't gotta chance
'Less you get yourself a pair of these drum pants.

Yo, yo, yo, you chino-wearin' motherfuckers, I'm outta here. Peace.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 10:33 PM on September 7, 2007

I'm waiting for the DrumSharkSuit.
posted by bwg at 1:14 AM on September 8, 2007

I saw this on The Young Ones 20+ odd years ago.
posted by Henry C. Mabuse at 1:19 AM on September 8, 2007

I see this as an attempt by the Americans to close the serious gap in one-man-band technologies it has with Canada.

For the state of the art in Canadian OMB technology, one has to look no furthur than McRorie. (As mentioned on MeFi in 2004)
posted by toftflin at 1:32 AM on September 8, 2007

If you were a cyborg musician, wouldn't it be DrumLegs?
posted by Samizdata at 1:57 AM on September 8, 2007

And, given that, I suppose the hambone would be electric, come to think of it...
posted by Samizdata at 1:58 AM on September 8, 2007

I've been doing this for years. I assumed everybody's pants did this.
posted by Eideteker at 6:04 AM on September 8, 2007

I've got a pretty good hanky solo worked out.
posted by StickyCarpet at 6:28 AM on September 8, 2007

melissa- just wanted you to know that this morning when I got up, the first thing I said was 'Life's a pair of drum pants.' This is my new philosophy of life. (until the next one comes along...probably soon)
posted by MtDewd at 7:10 AM on September 8, 2007

freshwater drum - they make repetitive throbbing & drummming sounds and are at least 14 inches long.
posted by quonsar at 7:29 AM on September 8, 2007

That's lovely, MtDewd. But put the blame on Mame.
posted by melissa may at 7:47 AM on September 8, 2007