Where do I start off as a Beginner?

[TSax]

So my primary instruments would be saxophone, and piano,
I play a little bit of guitar.

I performed with my high school drumline as a synthesizer player, so I became really familiar with drumline stuff, such as WGI.

I always wanted to learn how to play drums, just I don't know where to start.
I don't want to get a teacher for this, as I want to learn how to do this myself.

I have some sort of a clue on grips, I use Matched grips for both hands, and variate with traditional on the left, but I can't seem to make it play like my right hand.

I don't have a pad and just drum on whatever.
I don't have a personal drumset, but I could use somebody else easily.

What I want to do is make myself a sufficient drummer that could accompany myself for Jazz, Hardbop, Bebop, blues, and Hiphop.

The drumsticks that I have at the moment are for marching snare drums, that are probably not at its prime anymore for it, or, dead.

[Texdrumr]

I've only been learning/playing for about 3 months now, so take this for what it's worth.

I originally had the same thoughts as you, as far as, not wanting formal lessons from a teacher. But, I decided to try it for one month, just to see. Now, I can't imagine NOT having a teacher. It's awesome to have someone who is an accomplished player (and most importantly, can teach), to measure my weekly progress and give me fundamental assignments to work on.

That being said, if you are firm in not wanting to hire a teacher...go to youtube. You can search for days on end for things like 'learn to play drums' etc.

Best of luck!

Randy

[weebrad]

I've been playing now for coming up to a year and never had a lesson. All I've learnt is from youtube watching lessons and cover and live performances on there and yes ok maybe I have a few bad habits and my technique is most probably wrong for many things but I'm having fun and I don't really think I'm going to be turning pro and touring anytime soon so my main goal atm is to have fun and play my fav songs...I do however intend to get lessons in the future just atm I don't really have the money for them either...Btw, welcome to drumchat You're gonna love it

[jafo]

I've only been learning/playing for about 3 months now, so take this for what it's worth.

I originally had the same thoughts as you, as far as, not wanting formal lessons from a teacher. But, I decided to try it for one month, just to see. Now, I can't imagine NOT having a teacher. It's awesome to have someone who is an accomplished player (and most importantly, can teach), to measure my weekly progress and give me fundamental assignments to work on.

That being said, if you are firm in not wanting to hire a teacher...go to youtube. You can search for days on end for things like 'learn to play drums' etc.

Best of luck!

Randy

I totaly agree. If you can only afford a few lessons it's better than none. You sometimes can't always hear or even see mistakes that once engrained are hard habits to break down the road. Having an experienced drummer or teacher can hear and see these mistakes and correct them before they get engrained.

I've been playing for alittle over a year now, and have had formal lessons. I got to the point where the teacher I had really could'nt take me any further so I no longer take lessons, but, I am going back every three to six months so things don't get stagnet and I don't slip into bad habits. I'm also to the point now where learning rudiments are becomming eccensial to my drumming and should open up a whle new world of drumming for me. I'm actually excited to get to them.

But if at all possible, take lessons. It'll help you accelerate your learning curve. I don't know how far behind I would be right now if it were not for lessons.

[gonefishin]

Welcome to the board TSax.

I suggest a teacher even if you dont want one , thiis will help keep you from learning bad habits that will hinder you later on in your drumming journey.

If you decide definately no teacher then the best option would be to check out the drum links at the top right side of your screen here.

Rudimments and practice is what you will need. There is onlly so much info to get from a book or video, sooner or later you will find the need to get some help on technique questions. Best of luck.

[MartyM]

Tsax, if you want to teach yourself then you will be as good as your teacher!! now of course I am being sarcastic..lessons for anything worthwhile are pricless...why are you so opposed to joining the school program? and you will need a pad to practice on ..they are cheap and will help you get that Feel for using both hands...good luck and welcome to the chat..and most important don't forget to....

[Aaaidn]

I have just started drumming myself, and I also do not want a teacher.
What I found was that finding some sticks that suit you (I personally use some cheap 2B's and the JJ Pro-Marks) then finding buying a practice pad - what £10-15? ($20-30USD) or if your really out of money fleabay usually has them for between £3-10 and P+P. Then its a case of teaching yourself the basic rudiments and getting them to a sufficient speed so that you don't look awful. The basics for any genre (although I play rock) I believe are Single and Double stroke rolls, flams and the most annoying of all Paradiddles.

Then I think its a case of just sitting down at a kit, and getting a-custom to its layout and what it feels like to play. Then learning a VERY basic song that incorporates one or more of those practised techniques - the training program should be arduous but believe me - the reward of all those hours of rolling and keeping in tempo and time are EXTREMELY gratifying.

Good luck, take care and welcome to DC.

[pastor_bob]

Welcome to Drum Chat Tsax!

Learning to play on your own can certainly be done, as there are plenty of people on this forum that have done it. However, as some have noted, there is always a chance that you will develop bad habits. I did that when I was between teachers for a year. I spent almost 6 months working to undo the bad habits, and even now I have to pay close attention to things so that the bad habits don't creep back in.

If you are a gifted multi-instrument musician, then you might be able to do fine. As you go along, feel free to ask any questions here, because the people here are very encouraging, and there are plenty of people that can help you.

[stanhandler]

Just echoing the lessons-are-best thoughts . A good teacher will give you the tools you need at the correct time , stuff that might take you years to figure out yourself .

[Dagon2000]

Here's my obligatory agreement with those who say get a teacher...get a teacher.

Now, as far as learning goes - if I were to undo the last few months but still have the knowledge I've gained from my teacher, I'd probably teach myself like this...


1) Learn to count beats if you don't already know how to do so. Typical counting would be like this:
Quarter Notes: 1 - 2 -3 -4
Eighth Notes: 1 and - 2 and - 3 and - 4 and
Sixteenth Notes: 1 ee and uh - 2 ee and uh - 3 ee and uh - 4 ee and uh
Trips: 1 Trip Let - 2 Trip Let - 3 Trip Let - 4 Trip Let

2) Get a good warmup routine down. Start by playing quarter notes for 2 minutes or so at about 60 bpm's. Then move into eighths for 2 minutes. Then sixteenths. For all of this, just go left/right/left/right. - DO THIS FOR HANDS AND FEET

3) Learn rudiments. Flams, diddles, and rolls. Practice each rudiment repeatedly for 2-5 minutes each as fast as you possibly can. NOTE: "Fast as you can" does not mean as fast as your arms will move. "Fast as you can" = The quickest you can play without tensing up and without missing any beats and without slowing down. You want one consistent speed for the duration. - HANDS AND FEET

3a) Now start working around the drum set as you play your rudiments, starting with your snare. Imagine that you are playing a 4 beat measure - beat 1 is on the snare, beat 2 is on the small tom, beat 3 is on the other small tom, beat 4 is on the floor tom. Work in the bass drum on each hard count. So, for example, if you are playing a paradiddle it would look like this:

Snare: R / L / R / R (Bass drum on the first "R") 1 ee and uh
Tom1: L / R / L / L (Bass drum on the first "L") 2 ee and uh
Tom2: R / L / R / R (Bass drum on the first "R") 3 ee and uh
Floor: L / R / L / L (Bass drum on the first "L") 4 ee and uh

Ok, with all of that done, work in your left foot to open the hi-hat on "uh" and close the hi-hat on the number count.

4) Develop your own beats. Start by practicing them on your snare or practice pad, then start moving around your kit. I find that when I do this I tend to find some pretty cool beats and often times I come upon beats of songs that I like and never knew how to play.

5) If you want to learn some covers, try to find a video of someone showing a drum demo of the song you want to learn. It's hard to catch all of subtle beats when you just listen to the song.

Anyway, I think that's about all the tips I have for now but if I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

[66musicmaster]

No one has said this, so I'll be the first - learn to hold the sticks PROPERLY. This may be old school, but it works well. When playing a snare or drum on front of you with matched grip, the back of hand should be close to horizontal. Sticks should be an extension of your forearm, not necessarily in line with forearm but close. Sticks should meet in middle of drum head or whatever you're beating on at close to a 90 degree angle. When you start playing the kit or really moving along, this will all go out the window, but good technique from the start always helps. Elbows tucked in to your side comfortably.

IMO, thumb up is not the best technique, although tons of drummers do it and can do it well. Most drumming comes from wrist, and you get better action and control if you have you hands flat instead of vertical. Then you can start flailing away.

The second thing I learned 30 years ago was to try to control the rebound of the stick. No need to pull each stroke back or let it bounce madly. Rebound should be low so you're ready for the next stroke. After you've become proficient at stick control you can flail away later. Then begin to put the tapping together. One hand will be weaker. It is the one that needs the most attention. Once you can keep a nice smooth CONTROLLED L-R rhythm with some speed, begin learning the rudiments.

That would be my suggestion anyway. But I learned a LOONG time ago.

MArching sticks used to be big and heavy. If they still are, they are fine to learn with, because you will have to work with them. But then switching to lighter sticks will feel even better.

Good luck.
Randy

[Drumbledore]

Well, as a teacher myself, even if a person is adamant that they don't want to learn the ins and outs of how to play how I play and what styles I can also teach, at least get some guidance on these things: proper grip technique and some rudiment techniques. Even if you don't care to learn to read the dots on a page, so to speak, knowing how to do good clean singles, doubles, maybe some five and seven stroke rolls, triplets, flams, paradiddles......it all helps. I get people coming in saying they don't want "to do this or that" when I explain the finer points of technique to them, which is fine if they want to do a few basic things....but if they've come to me because they need someone to help with their left hand when it comes to rolls, or feet when it comes to double kick and yet they flat out refuse to take in and practice what I advise them to do, well, it's that saying, "you can lead a horse to water.....". Only earlier at last night's gig (I'm writing here at 4.50am Thursday) I was talking to my bassist, who's asking me if I'm willing to tutor one of his sons drums, so long as I was going to instruct him properly. He wants me to, in a way, get him right back to basics, because even though Glen's son can pick up rhythms and some fills by ear, and obviously has some good timing, Glen says that his biggest problems are that he's sometimes trying to be over-ambitious trying stuff that is beyond his limited technique, and that the other problem is that he is not thinking "beyond the drumkit" in approach.....in other words, listening to the song as a whole and playing musically enough to compliment it. Plus there's the problem with him tensing up every now and then, Glen says, and he advised his son to look at going for lessons with me, because I do try to cover everything as much as possible. And one or two things that I often encounter with people who come to me who have been "getting by" teaching themsleves, well, several things.....and very few if any books cover these....correct posture when playing, because if you got the grips happening, but the back's all hunched, well you're still reducing efficient body movement.....thinking of the song form when playing....this, going hand in hand with a lack of regular counting contributes to poor playing....and finally setting up the kit efficiently for yourself....the ergonomics of the drum kit. Sad to say, there is scant information on that, apart from a few articles that I've spotted in back issues of Modern Drummer. To me, it seems like this area is rarely explained in lessons from drumstores (my feeling....the lack of time, I know.... a half hour lesson at any drum store will never cover this at all). You know when you get parents or grandparents that say "sit up!, don't slouch!"....well, a teacher tells you that for a reason (and when I used to work as an OHS officer in an office enviroment years ago, that's exactly what I had to do...correct people's postures). All of these areas can only be addressed by someone who observes you in action.....you yourself will never be able to pick it up straightaway.

[TSax]

...why are you so opposed to joining the school program?

Well....haha.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pAzd_3LH1U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pAzd_3LH1U[/ame]
I performed with them, lol.
Oh, but thanks for the advices given here.
Should the Single stroke roll be learned before the Double stroke roll?

[Skillful Kai]

Don't take it seriously and airdrum to any tracks on the radio in your car. This is the best practice you get on a day to day basis

[tselanne]

Thx for all the tips everyone, I'm kinda in the same boat as the TS... lots of great info posted, I will be implementing lots of this.

[Execrated]

I'm not quite sure if this thread is still alive, but I have another question of a somewhat similar theme:
I am also an aspiring drummer, who plays the guitar, and have sat in front of a drum set a dozen times or so... I managed to lay my hands on a pair of Vic Firth sticks (thus quality isnt the worst), but am still *ahem* drumless.
I was wondering what skills can I develop without actually possessing a drum (or pad), as I don't wanna simply sit around and spit at the ceiling until I get a set... I've been practicing rudiments, but is that my only option?

Any suggestions? Don't leave a brother hanging, m8s - it's a newfound passion of mine

[Bish]

I'm not quite sure if this thread is still alive, but I have another question of a somewhat similar theme:
I am also an aspiring drummer, who plays the guitar, and have sat in front of a drum set a dozen times or so... I managed to lay my hands on a pair of Vic Firth sticks (thus quality isnt the worst), but am still *ahem* drumless.
I was wondering what skills can I develop without actually possessing a drum (or pad), as I don't wanna simply sit around and spit at the ceiling until I get a set...

Any suggestions? Don't leave a brother hanging, m8s - it's a newfound passion of mine

Find yourself an instructional book of rudiments and wrap your brain cells around it. Then use your fingers to actually tap it out. This will give you a good foundation for when you have something round to hit.

[rickthedrummer]

You can teach yourself to play. I did by listening to records and watching the few drummers that were on TV back in the 50's. So it can be done.

BUT

If you can find a good teacher, that's the way you want to go.

[pastor_bob]

I was wondering what skills can I develop without actually possessing a drum (or pad), as I don't wanna simply sit around and spit at the ceiling until I get a set... I've been practicing rudiments, but is that my only option?

Any suggestions? Don't leave a brother hanging, m8s - it's a newfound passion of mine

We'd never leave a brother hanging Execrated, and welcome to Drum Chat! All current posts come up when ever you click on "New Posts" on the gray nav bar at the top of the page, so we'll always find you.

If you don't have drums or a pad, you can use a telephone book or a pillow to practice your sticking, or you can tap out the rudimental rhythms on your thighs with your hands. These will get the basic rhythms in your head for when you do get a pad, or drums.

[Execrated]

Ooh, yummeh! I got a reply already!
I think I can find a telephone book somewhere... and a pillow.
But as their surfaces are different, which would be better?
Or is one better for some things then others?

[TPO]

Speaking as a fairly new drummer (just over a year), who started without lessons, I've got a slightly different take on this from everyone else.

Rudiments, counting, grip and all the good technical stuff is important....

BUT

Learn to have fun first!

Teaching yourself a lot of the technical stuff is, to be honest, a bit boring. It tends to involve playing very repetitive simple loops for minutes on end so as to build muscle memory. This is important to do and as you get better you will want to do it to improve your technique. But I'm a firm beleiver when learning that 'all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy'. Practising rudiments is like doing scales on the piano, important but not fun or particularly musical and unlikely to make you love the instrument.

The first thing I learnt to do was the most basic groove beat. Eighth notes on the hats, kick on one and three, snare on two and four. Alternatively play the kick on all four beats, whatever is easiest for you.

Once you can play this groove, you can play along loosely with the majority of pop and rock songs out there, with the occational crash hit for fun. You won't neccesarily be accurate as you likely cant follow the fills and rolls, but you'll be playing and enjoying the music.

If you want to hear a fairly clear example of this, listen to 'Another one bites the dust' by Queen. Almost the whole song is a basic groove, with a very simple roll in a few places and a relatively relaxed pace. There are many other examples as well, I'm sure the other chatters can make recommendations of really simple songs.

If I had started out trying to learn nothing but rudiments, I'm not sure I would have stuck with it. But learning to play along to Queen and ZZ Top meant I was playing music almost immediately and enjoying myself. Once I learnt to love the instrument, it wasn't so hard to build in the rudiment work for technique.

Oh and try to see a tutor when you can, even if for just one lesson, but see if you can learn the basic groove first so they have something to work with.

[-sean-]

I am a new drummer as well - just around 20 months of drumming . I'd started off with exercises only. Independence exercises like the ones from www.drumlessons.net. So for 2 months I was practicing those things over but also I've decided that I need to "profesionally" mark my progress so I went to a teacher. I was doing a pretty good job with those independece exercises because , after just 2-3 months , I;ve realised that the teacher was not furthering my knowledge the way I was hoping (I was doing better with those exercises). So then I took the best choice of my "career" I went to another teacher and this time it was a long term relationship

Although I agree with most people who say it's important to play different songs which use different patterns in order to develop as a drummer and maybe the most important thing as a begginer - don't get bored!; but personally I haven't done that. I am strictly working on my progress from the weekly exercises I receive from my teacher . Of course , now, after more then a year and a half , I can enjoy myself sometimes along tracks without drums just trying to put in there a new fill or new beats.

So in order to develop as a drummer I just do 5 minutes a new exercise for 5-6 days per week - you can do the same thing with the exercises from www.drumlessons.net.

[inthpktplayer]

Get a teacher.

[inthpktplayer]

Now.

[kyle102565]

self taught here and full of quirky habits but i have fun. my only suggestion is to play every day. for the first few weeks i could lay down a mean polka beat. today i can play just about anything rock or blues. its taken and still takes alot of dedication.
i figure had i taken the time for lessons i couldve saved a ton of frustration. for instance i miss the hihat on "and" between beats 2 and 3. ive tried to correct it but its set in stone. i compensate by kicking the hats open and shut on that beat.