Robot drummer

After we saw the Compressorhead robot band we decided to create a robot drummer by ourselves. We are three guys, one of us has the money, the other one has the brains, and the third one is me. We have no experience of robot creation, though I doubt we are going to meet any problems with the robot's brains as the second guy is a talented programmer.

So, while we still have to work out its structure, I want to get clear with pneumatics for the beginning. I've got no experience with pneumatics (though I've got some with hydraulics, and some points are similar there), and as I searched Ebay for understanding the estimated price, I was frustrated by the choice and understood I've got many decisions to make before choosing the parts.

So, first of all, how should I power the robot - by a compressed air tank or directly by a compressor? Which diameter should I choose for the air tubes? Will I need only solenoid valves and 1-way and 2-way cylinders?

Sorry for my bad English.

You may want to also consider

solenoids for actuation. Pneumatics will have the noise of the compressor one way or another. With Electricity, you only need to be concerned about supplying the power, and, it is relatively silent.

I believe solenoids wont

I believe solenoids wont give me the speed and power a drummer needs. They should be great if one needs to move only the drum sticks, but I want the robot to move his hands for a spectacular look. A robot with fixed hands with moving sticks wouldn’t look that great.

So I’m convinced I have nowhere to run from using pneumatics.