What to Know About Learning to Play the Drums
Just like learning molecular biology, making soufflé and mastering the one-inch-punch, the more you practice your skills and understanding of drums the better you will be in performance. Browse Roland electric drum kits and read on.
Here are a few important tips that can send you off to a flying start.
Be Patient
The first thing to know in gaining proficiency in any skill is that it will take practice and focus to master your art. It takes many years to become a master musician and you can’t expect to get there without putting in the time. Focused practice and proper guidance are vital to your learning process.
Slow Down
A common mistake beginners will make when they are starting off is to go as fast as possible. But this makes it harder to learn important patterns of movement later in the learning process. Take the time to go slowly and carefully and you will have a better grasp on the lessons that you are learning. As you gain fluidity of motion and more practice you will feel the unmistakable que to speed things up.
Learn To Read Music
It can seem to be scary to read music at first, but this is not actually as difficult as many people think it is. Furthermore, we believe it is absolutely essential to the understanding of music and have made this a mandatory requisite of our learning program.
Seek & Find Inspiration & Passion
Follow the music that touches your heart and inspires you to be the musician you are inside. Then begin to immerse yourself in this music. Afterall you must remember that playing a musical instrument is about making the music that you feel in your soul. So, don’t waste time playing heavy metal if you really love jazz. If you ask any musician, they will tell you they sourced so much of their inspiration and passion from observing their heroes and trying to emulate them.
So, simply find some good musicians who inspire you and make you want to play music and this will be your starting ground.
Practice as Much as You Can
As mentioned before, you can’t realistically expect to become a great musician overnight. It will take many hours of dedicated practice to become great. Even if you are taking lessons
but show up time after time without doing the required practice, you can’t expect that your
level of proficiency will improve. But by the same measure, if you stick to your daily practice you will find your progress in itself is encouraging. You will eventually get to the point where like any real drummer, you are happiest when you are drumming.
Be Open-Minded
While you will certainly want to follow your passion and play what you love, don’t allow that to limit your experience with all types of music. You may stumble across something that allows you to see your own experience in a whole new way. You can also expect your tastes and passion to evolve as your experience as a drummer also increases. For example, I never thought I was a jazz fan until I became obsessed with the style of music after learning from a special teacher — now I can’t get enough.
Find a Good Teacher You Respect
You can read all the books you want and watch all types of online videos and even progress considerably on your path as a drummer, but you will fare far better if you find yourself a good teacher with whom you share a special connection. Ideally, this teacher will be the type of person you will see in a club and then when you see them, you can only say, “I want to play like that”.
Develop Your Technique
Technique can be one of the hardest things to learn but it will really pay off in the long run when you learn to master your skills as a drummer. If you have taken the time to refine these skills you will find that your capacity to play more advanced music comes easier. As a music lover, I implore you to do this. It will allow you to expand as a musician in countless ways.
Play with Other People
Even though there are many other drummers online and you could get a whole band together there, you would do better to get a band together of like minded musicians and start playing the music you love. Music is a team sport and learning to integrate well with your band can greatly improve your capacity as a drummer.
