I would get some R&R songs from the '60s. They were simple by todays standards, and give you something easy to play along with as you progress up the ladder.
so I am currently learning drums as some of you may know on here who have helped me out with questions I have had and I am just wondering what are some good songs that I could play along to and help me get better.
I'm not brilliant at the minute, I have just started my grade 2, started incorporating flams, drags and 4 stroke ruffs into my playing and I am mostly just playing the pieces I have been given in the grade books.
I have decided that I want to really push on and start putting a lot more time into learning the craft and become a good drummer so I am looking for some songs as mentioned above.
what songs did you play along with when you where still a beginner?
Also are there any good techniques to get better at memorizing the pieces so I can play from memory?
and lastly any techniques to improve my foot control on the pedals as I sometimes struggle getting my hi hat and bass to sound the same when I play to a higher tempo, my hi hat especially, sometimes it will sound loud and good and other times its like I hardly hear it.
Last edited by kryptondude; 01-18-2014 at 04:11 PM.
I would get some R&R songs from the '60s. They were simple by todays standards, and give you something easy to play along with as you progress up the ladder.
I would also find songs that you like that use different types of beats. So, find a good song with a shuffle beat, one with a train beat, one that's fast, one that's slow, etc.
I'm just a beginner myself, but I would imagine what to play along with really depends on what kind of music you like. For example, I'm a metalhead and I play along with some Iron Maiden and Metallica songs right now. They're the simplest and slowest of what I enjoy, so that's what I do.
As for you foot control problems (as with most other technique problems), what my teacher recommends and works for me is to always keep the speed low enough to do it correctly, but near the speed where I start to mess up. By pushing the limit but not exceeding it, you can improve your speed without learning bad habits in the process. I (and I imagine most people) find it MUCH easier to gain speed while keeping correct technique, than to be fast but sloppy and then correct the sloppiness.
I like metal myself, any particular metalica/iron maiden songs you find good to play along with?
Yeah I know, I try and get the technique nailed down but sometimes I just end up going quicker, a bad habit I have I know, sometimes though I still find the hi hat frustrating at a slower tempo aswell, I think it may be just a weak spot I need to focus on.
How long have you been playing for exactly?
I played to anything that was on the radio rock station or in my record and cassette collection which was all rock stuff. Just bang it out you'll eventually find your style. I never took lessons so maybe not the best advice.
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Anything except metal.
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I can't really recommend any specific songs. Just listen to some and see what you think you can do. I did have to simplify a couple parts down to my ability level. And there are some songs that I haven't even bothered trying, mainly due to double bass parts that are out of my league. Specifically The Wicker Man and Dream of Mirrors by IM, and quite a few by Metallica.
I've been playing for a bit under 3 months now, but I already had a very good sense of timing and decent hand speed before I started, so I managed to skip what would take other people a good chunk of time.
^ He sure has.
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It sounds like you need to work timing and control. Try learning some older classic metal songs. Some Sabbath, Priest, Crue.
Red Hot is a great one to learn a good steady dbl kick pattern, NIB is fun, Youve Got Another Thing Comin is a great example of a nice solid back beat.
if i read your post correctly you are in the second grade which makes you 6-8 years old ?
awesome… just like said above put on 60's rock and just play… then move into more advance rock songs like skynyrd !!! and in a gada de vida from iron butterfly !
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Listen to Fortune Sun by CCR. Easy enough, and it was one of my first songs.
They have a simple rock beat that almost are students learn the first week.
In terms of memoring parts.. For a head start, you can watch videos on youtube of people playing the same song. Learn what that part sounds, watch them play it, and then sit at your kit ( with a PC,laptop,tablet, ANYTHING ) and some nice headset or speakers and then go about playing the song while listening to it. Make sure you practice that difficult part separate.
Drums are a lot of muscle memory. Meaning we don't remember anything, we just practice the same damn thing 1000x times until it's stuck in our brain and it comes naturally.
Last edited by dilemma005; 01-21-2014 at 07:43 AM.
Cream's "Disraeli Gears": nothing rrreally complicated.
Keif Hartley's Blues band: blues-based, relatively easy, melodic.
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AC/DC - Highway to Hell
Judas Priest - Livin' After Midnight
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son
My first song I ever played on drums was we will rock you. Then it was black sabbath's Iron man. Then Metallica jump in to the fire. I play many bands today like metallica, slayer, stevie wonder, paul simon, steely dan, dethklok, Johnny cash, (etc). just old music for a young guy. Anything On my dads CD shelf I have played.
Personally, I followed Kansas quite a bit. It taught me solid easy beats, up to crazy off tempo 6/8 beats and grooves. Fills that are open and can breathe but create such an emotion. I don't know. Just really grew up listening to Kansas. I moved on to RUSH and learned every song, note for note, now I've graduated to Avenged Sevenfold. I've been playing for over 20 years, but basically find a genre that is "you" and learn it...master it. Think outside the box and try things that no one else does. That's what is going to set you apart from the rest.
Along the way, dabble in everything: jazz, funk, disco, punk, swing...everything-even world drumming. Some day you'll use these styles to create your own style and it'll set you apart.
Even play songs like we will rock you. There's nothing to it, but playing that simple beat over and over will teach you not to rush or drag-it'll help with your timing and consistency.
Just my two (or more) cents!
i've really been enjoying playing along to alice in chains lately. but usually it depends what kind of mood i'm in
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AC/DC Back and Black was my first song I ever learned, my teacher gave it to me and I really didnt have a choice. Its a easy song to learn. If you can read drum music I have it if you want? lemme know. Keep Rockin
I play along to Motley Crue, Poison, Paramore AC/DC Foo Fighters, Cheap Trick, Journey, Buck Cherry, Social D mostly Rock songs
The whole concept of understanding rhythm changed when I got into reggae via The Police. Before that, I was a '2 & 4' guy, whether it was rock, blues, heavier stuff and so on. Once I knew how to get the 'one-drop', 'four-step' and other rhythms unique to reggae, it wasn't a long step to getting into Latin syncopations and trickier world beat rhythms. Some don't even have to be complicated, but you have to keep your count going otherwise you'll be emphasizing the wrong offbeats. But I'm glad that I spend time doing them, because when I played a gig yesterday subbing in for another player, I only had forewarning the Saturday before that we were going to extend our set by six new songs with no rehearsal, and three of those tunes were Latin, each with their own rhythms. Other songs in the set were rock, funk, reggae, even a country sounding tune. A couple of tunes also had changes that were very much straight ahead jazz swing. Of course the guys knew that I've played those in another band, and I have played with these guys before, otherwise they wouldn't have asked...but I certainly would not been up to it if I was only a straight-up rock drummer who didn't diversify.
For reggae, my start was learning tunes like The Police's "Walking On The Moon" and Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry". And like a lot of other non-Latinos, Santana was but one of the artists I started listening to when I got into Latin-rock, before plunging in to play other Latin stuff. You never stop learning once you go down that path.
Last edited by Drumbledore; 01-27-2014 at 02:28 AM.
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