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Thread: Learning drum covers

  1. #1

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    Default Learning drum covers

    Okay, I'm a beginner and I need to know an effective way to learn drum covers, as of now I download cover videos off of youtube and I basically just try to rip them off (for example right now I'm trying to learn Blackbird by Alter Bridge), now I need to know if that's alright or am I digging a hole for myself by doing what I'm doing.

  2. #2

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    I never had Youtube when I started out, I basically listened to records through headphones and replicated what the drummer was doing... I still do, in fact.

  3. #3

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    Follow your instincts. Just play along and absorb. You will go nowhere but up.

  4. #4

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    By the way, I noticed you're new. Welcome to our family!

  5. #5

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    Welcome aboard! Covering a tune is a great way to learn dynamics. I'm old. Youtube didn't exist when I started drumming either. Watching a drummer perform in my opinion, can only help to some degree. If you can afford lessons, seek out a qualified teacher who may help guide you away from bad habits which you may or may not be aware of. There are many who learned on their own without any instruction. I did both. Formal lessons taught me to site read which I still struggle at but using what my teachers have taught me has broken a string of bad habits I unknownly picked up along the way. Good luck and feel free to ask more questions....there no such thing as a stupid question here on Drumchat.

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hellwyck View Post
    I never had Youtube when I started out, I basically listened to records through headphones and replicated what the drummer was doing... I still do, in fact.
    This.
    Signature here

  7. #7

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    Although others will disagree, there is nothing wrong with downloading video's off of YouTube and using them for personal use. That's what I do if I need to see what a drummer is really doing if I can't figure it out by just listening. I just find someone on the tube that has already figured it out. Put it on a loop and practice while watching it over and over till I get it. You should try and use both methods. Leaning on the listen and learn part the most. Then falling back on the YouTube method. That way it starts to become easy to recognize what the drummer is doing without having to see it. But both methods work. The technology is there to use, right? Your doing great. Welcome to drum chat.
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  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hellwyck View Post
    I never had Youtube when I started out, I basically listened to records through headphones and replicated what the drummer was doing... I still do, in fact.
    This +2 (Bish already did +1...), plus I also do my own transcriptions when I learn a song so that I have teaching material for my students. Like a number of us over here, I was doing this way before the advent of Youtube, more like in the days of drum instructional videos on VHS format (jeez, remember that?). Mind you, Youtube videos are still pretty neat and do have their place, but you can't totally depend on them at times.
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  9. #9

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    Thank you all for such a quick response, although it's mixed, but still after going through all the responses I now have a better sense of what I'm doing.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hellwyck View Post
    I never had Youtube when I started out, I basically listened to records through headphones and replicated what the drummer was doing... I still do, in fact.
    This was the way. I would put the album on 16 speed to try and figure out certain fills too. Talk about the hard way...lol.

  11. #11

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    I'm Learning hot for teacher by van Halen and basically I am just listening to the part and writhing it in music form.
    Sabian!!!

  12. #12

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    I have to learn a lot of songs very quickly for my gigs, and so far no one has ever handed me a drum chart to play from (unfortunately. That would be awesome). So, here's my method for learning a song super fast - I start off by making a form chart. I take a piece of paper, and starting a few inches down from to top I listen to the song and on the left side I write the section (i.e. intro, verse, prechorus, chorus) and on the right side I put how many bars that section is. Then I go back to the top of the page and I write out in notation the grooves of the major sections (a lot of songs tend to just have two or three different grooves in them at most) and label them A, B, C, etc. Then I write the letter corresponding to the groove in the correct sections, so reading down the page I see:

    Intro - B 8 Bars
    Verse - A 16 Bars
    Pre Chorus - A 8 Bars
    Chorus - B 16 Bars

    And so on.

    Then, if there are any little details I really want to grab, I can write it in the correct section of the song. Like if there's a major fill in to the second chorus, I can write the fill in on the appropriate line.

    By doing this, I have a very clean chart to read down. If I forget what the A or B groove is, it's written at the top of the page. I can easily see where all the major fills or alterations are, and it's easy to keep your place in the song. After you get experience writing a chart like this, you can get the chart done in about 15 minutes and then you know the song perfectly, sometimes (if you already know how to play all the individual grooves and fills in the song) you can know the song completely without ever sitting down behind the kit. When you have a ton of songs to learn in a very short time, this is a great method.
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  13. #13

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    wow... Thankyou guys for agreeing with my advice
    However I will not dismiss the Youtube video route, there is a place for watching other drummers play and I like to watch my favourite drummers on video and, if I know them, live. It's always good to see first hand how a live kit player does things.

    When I am at rehearsals, I tend to get there 1-2 hours before the rest of the band and I have my MP3 player handy and I tend to arm up playing drum covers to warm up (mostly heavier or slower covers than my band already play: Senser, Led Zeppelin, Slayer, Lamb Of God...) but they're usually songs I know anyway or a style I'm familliar with so it's easier.


    I hope to whoever the above is easy to understand.
    Last edited by Hellwyck; 07-03-2013 at 04:49 PM.

  14. #14

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    Just because you old guys didn't have YouTube back then does not mean it's a good idea. It's good technology. Just embrace all the great resources we have today. There are people on YouTube who are dedicated to walking people through certain songs on the drums, which would be great for beginners.
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  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by ljmarch View Post
    Just because you old guys didn't have YouTube back then does not mean it's a good idea. It's good technology. Just embrace all the great resources we have today. There are people on YouTube who are dedicated to walking people through certain songs on the drums, which would be great for beginners.
    I don't recall any of us "old guys" (I'm 36, hardly old) saying it Youtube is a bad thing, in fact a few people (me included) think it's good and actually do embrace technology.

  16. #16

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    had a listen to the song its not a easy rhythm and some tricky fills ...for a beginner
    i would suggest to pick songs that are way easy,(Beatles) master the song and then move on

    in a nut shell my suggestion is , work your way up to this song

  17. #17

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    AC/DC tracks are perfect for practicing keeping a 4/4 beat and your stamina.
    Try: Touch Too Much or Highway To Hell.

  18. #18

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    Here's what you need.
    *IPod and/or mp3
    *Headphones
    *Computer (in the ear kind)(I-frogz ear pollution work the best, there only 10 bucks at walmart).
    *Recorder and/or camrea

    Put the song on mp3/ipod get behind your set plug in the headphones record everthing so you know what you sound like use the computer to match up the recording and video and put on youtube or whatever to get other opinions or just match up the recording you did with the track and see the results.

  19. #19

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    I have opened songs in quicktime and slowed them down. That's helped me quite a bit.

  20. #20

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    Roni music makes a software called amazing slow downer, its awesome!!

  21. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by dt344 View Post
    I have to learn a lot of songs very quickly for my gigs, and so far no one has ever handed me a drum chart to play from (unfortunately. That would be awesome). So, here's my method for learning a song super fast - I start off by making a form chart. I take a piece of paper, and starting a few inches down from to top I listen to the song and on the left side I write the section (i.e. intro, verse, prechorus, chorus) and on the right side I put how many bars that section is. Then I go back to the top of the page and I write out in notation the grooves of the major sections (a lot of songs tend to just have two or three different grooves in them at most) and label them A, B, C, etc. Then I write the letter corresponding to the groove in the correct sections, so reading down the page I see:

    Intro - B 8 Bars
    Verse - A 16 Bars
    Pre Chorus - A 8 Bars
    Chorus - B 16 Bars

    And so on.

    Then, if there are any little details I really want to grab, I can write it in the correct section of the song. Like if there's a major fill in to the second chorus, I can write the fill in on the appropriate line.

    By doing this, I have a very clean chart to read down. If I forget what the A or B groove is, it's written at the top of the page. I can easily see where all the major fills or alterations are, and it's easy to keep your place in the song. After you get experience writing a chart like this, you can get the chart done in about 15 minutes and then you know the song perfectly, sometimes (if you already know how to play all the individual grooves and fills in the song) you can know the song completely without ever sitting down behind the kit. When you have a ton of songs to learn in a very short time, this is a great method.

    I take it that whatever you've written must be really helpful (it has to be!)
    but d'you think it's something that a beginner could do?

  22. #22

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    I listen to the song a few times, then I sit down and play it a few times.

    I then slow the song wayyy down and write out some of the parts, intro, groove, fills etc..Sometimes I am totally surprised by how I played it just listening to it and how it is exactly written, rarely am I spot on but usually close.

    Then I watch a few youtube video's of other drummers covering it, I usually pick up some good tips here but you have to be careful, alot of guys overplay/showoff and if you play it that way with the band you will get some nasty looks..Trust me on that one

    I then try to play the song atleast 10 times in a row soon afterwards to get the feel for it.

    Once I feel good and have played it with the band I am always looking for little things to throw in or take out to keep it interesting.


    I love the suggestion that dt 344 put up and would really like to start doing that. I have alot of songs that we do and it is easy to forget one that you have not played in awhile and then the band leader calls it out in the middle of a set and I am freaked out

    DT 344 do you have an example or 2 you can post?
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  23. #23

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    Normally I try to figure it out on my own...........I remember the licks better that way.

    But if I'm having problems, I'll definitely watch youtube and get some help....................heck, even licks from years ago, that I thought I had nailed......................were corrected by watching others on Youtube.

    Use whats available

    BTW, welcome to Drumchat

  24. #24

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    Depends on how detailed you want to get reproducing stuff. I'm overly detailed and obsessed with accents and even mistakes, so I'll try and copy those too. Some people feel that if the major parts are there it's acceptable.

    Youtube cover videos aren't always the accurate but you'll get an idea.

    If you can get the master tracks (basically impossible) you have no excuse to not cover perfectly unless the song is just totally out of someone's skill level.

  25. #25

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    Sorry to chime in on this so late....

    I'm a newbie, too and of course the first thing I wanted to do is learn songs...I have been gently pushed towards working on rudiments, which I have been doing. HOWEVER, being an adult with ADD, doing nothing but rudiments means I don't want to practice. So, when I have to do something other than the rudiments, I am trying to work on some basic songs.
    I tried the youtube route, but those sticks seem to fly faster than my eyes can keep up. What I have found VERY helpful is using drum scores. Drum sheet music is very easy to read - completely differnt from vocal/piano etc. music. There are several websites that have them for free, onlinedrummer is probably the most known. There is another site,

    http://rufusdrums.com/index.php?opti...&id=2&Itemid=4

    That has a ton of drum score links on the right side of the page.

    Good Luck!
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