Becoming an all round better player

[currang2905]

Hey guys, new here. Thought I'd make an account to ask for some tips on how to improve my playing. I've been playing drums for maybe about 5 years and would say I'm alright at playing but was wondering what resources you would recommend to get better like with speed etc. I recently bought a double bass pedal and am not too sure how to play it up to speed so was wondering if there are any good exercises, videos or books that could maybe help me with the double bass pedal. I have a copy of stick control but don't know what the best way to run through the book would be since there are lots of exercises in it! Should I play 1 page a week and increase speed through the week or are there better ways to work through it? Would love to hear some tips from experienced players!

[drummer]

Welcome to DrumChat!

Repetition is your best friend and it's free! While books and videos and private lessons help, playing something over and over and over again is where the most progress is made with regard to speed. My advice is to just take 2 or 3 of your favorite and most practical double bass drum fills and work on just those to gradually build the speed up. Forget about pages and pages of licks. Save that for later. You want to build your confidence up and you do that through mastering just a few things first.

Welcome again to Drum Chat. A lot of great drummers and great people here.

[8beat]

I'm always looking to play along with something unfamiliar to me. Right now I'm playing along with Mexican songs on the radio.

[FlyByNight]

Welcome to Drumchat! The way I got better is by listening to a ton of music. I have lots of influences. Mike Portnoy got me into double bass. I tried to play the things he did. That's how I learned new things.

[kay-gee]

Drums love other instruments. The best thing is to play with others as much as you can.

all the best...

[longgun]

Welcome to Drumchat currang2905.

There are a ton of resources online...........the key is knowing what is, or what is not useful.

The guys around here are a very helpful bunch.....................so don't be afraid to ask questions.

[GoyaDrumr!]

Becoming a better player always involves leaving your comfort zone. Trying new things and keeping an open mind. Like Drummer said repetition is your friend. remember the true meaning insanity = Doing the same thing over & over and expecting a different result.
Try purposeful practice, start at your fastest and try to go faster, play music that you are unfamiliar with but still enjoy.

[late8]

Welcome currang2905! To measure your improvement on speed, my suggestion would be to get an metronome. You can download free metronome apps to your phone or invest in a stand alone unit. Charting your daily BPM (beats per minute) while you practice with a metronome will help you actually see some improvements as you build confidence in your playing. Start out slow and build up speed to a point where the strokes fall apart. Note how fast you played before the playing starts to falter and try to improve beyond that point. The goal is to play clean strokes at speed.

[rickthedrummer]

For hand speed, singles, doubles, and paradiddles on a pillow will give you speed and endurance.

For foot speed, check out u-tube.

[Jackie]

Next time your in a music store, take a look at the different double bass drum books.