To celebrate Pearl's 80th Anniversary, we invited drummers around the world to share their personal stories and memories with Pearl.Here are some of the wonderful stories shared by our Pearl community. [Sergiusz Sęk]As long as I can remember, I've always wanted to play the drums. I had a feeling that it could be something for me, but at the same time, I had a stupid belief that I needed a real drum kit to start and that I would never get one. It was a mistake that was holding me back from my dreams.Everything changed when I went to university. I chose the Academy of Art in Szczecin, Poland, and during a presentation of various workshops, I found a huge hall with a very high ceiling (a terrible place to play, tbh) and a lot of different stuff, including a drum kit. When I saw it, I knew that I had to do whatever it took to play it. It was a Pearl Vision Birch, a 5-piece kit with a clear birch finish.To get permission to enter this room, I had to take classes there, but there was a limit on how many students could be in the group, and unfortunately, I didn't get in. Luckily, my friend was in this group, and she also wanted to play, so we could start together. When I hit the drums for the very first time and felt those vibrations resonating in my body, I knew this was it — I wanted to learn how to play this instrument for the rest of my life.For a few months, we played together, taking turns every 15–20 minutes. It was a real hot seat. It was fun at the beginning, but I wanted more. I talked to the owner of this kit and the room attendant, and I got permission to get the keys. I'm a fan of heavy music, so I had to have a double pedal. After a few months, some parts broke because it was a cheap piece of rubbish, so I decided to buy something more solid. I bought a second-hand Pearl P932 in very good shape. It was a game changer and allowed me to play more efficiently.I have been playing for 3 years now, terrorizing the whole academy with blast beats and double bass. Of course, it's not my kit. It's for public use, but I take care of it as if it were mine, and I'm really attached to it. Unfortunately, one day I will have to leave the academy, and I will lose access to these drums. However, when I finally get my own kit, it will definitely be a Pearl, because it was my very first encounter with drums and I have a lot of good memories with them. I'm very grateful and happy that this drum kit appeared in my life. It brought so much color to it. Below is a photo of my setup for evening sessions and my friend from the period when we started. [Blueyブルー子]I started learning drums a few years ago when I purchased the signature model snare drum released by my favourite Japanese female band SCANDAL drummer Rina @urarina821 together with Pearl @pearl.drums.jp @pearl_drums_global @pearl_drumsPairing the snare drum with Pearl Reference drums as my drum kit, I love the sound and tone especially when I play SCANDAL’s songs. As a female drummer like Rina, I will try my best and continue to play drums.Congratulations to Pearl on its 80th anniversary and I will continue to support by using Pearl’s products.Rinaさんにずっと憧れて、ドラムを始めました。Pearlドラムの音が強くて、心に刻み込みました。これからもRinaさんに目指して頑張っていきます！ [Lior Levy]Before Pearl, the only thing creaking worse than my bass pedal was my aching back.My son is autistic and non-verbal, and he has demand avoidance, so he doesn't respond well to teachers. But he's been drawn to drums since he was four.So I made it my mission to learn, hoping to help him find a way in.Somewhere on our journey, I fell in love with drumming myself.However, I'm over 40, and I soon found that no matter how I adjusted my position, sitting behind the kit hurt after just 20-30 minutes.Then I got my Pearl Roadster D-1500TGL. Now I spend TWO HOURS behind the kit without discomfort.Next came the pedal.I'd spent quite a while debating shortboard vs. longboard before choosing the Pearl Demon Chain P-3000C, partly because its modularity meant I didn't have to commit to either.Suddenly, advice I'd heard from great drummers ("It should feel like dribbling a basketball," "Let the pedal do the work for you") made sense.The pedal carried the weight of my leg rather than fight it, and the unintended doubles disappeared.Today my son joins me in his own way: sometimes he sits at the kit, sometimes he uses my practice pad, and sometimes he just sits in the room while I practice. Drums give us a language that doesn't need words.I'm now slowly building my dream hybrid acoustic/electronic kit, with two separate kick drums. A second Demon Chain for my left foot was already on the shopping list. Winning the Pearl Eliminator Mono Pro Chain would bring that kit closer, and give my left foot its own Pearl moment. [Mike D.]My very first pair of Pearl drumsticks. These were the first drumsticks I ever owned. I got them when I joined my school's concert band in junior high. My family took me to a music store, and my dad bought them for me.After trying out so many different pairs, the Pearl sticks just felt right the moment I picked them up.That was 15 years ago, and I've been playing Pearl sticks ever since.
