DRUMMERS: Advice for a beginner

i stress all of this basics stuff not because i am some hard-ass classicist, but really because a lot of this will have to do with your physical health over the years. take care of your back and your wrists and you can play forever.

And your ears, of course.

5 lessons over a couple of months. I really am a beginner. I started messing around on a kit about 5 months ago.

I always use ear plugs when I play.

I would also add that paying attention to your sound is hugely important. You can get so many sounds of the snare drum, like rimshots with different lengths of the stick, playing in the center for a dead tone, near the edge for more ring, cross-sticks of different pitches, etc, and the same is true for everything on the set. I think experimenting with sound is one of the most fun parts of being a drummer, and being aware of your sound leads to control over it.

in 2 hours i am going to pick up my very first drum set. i have convinced myself +/- that i am not too old or too stupid. i finally have time and a basement and in 2 hours i will have some drums of my own, if this transaction doesn't somehow get screwed up. for a while i was looking for approval to go ahead and do this, but soon enough it became evident that i was just being a chicken. now i'm just going to finally see what i can teach myself in my oodles of spare time. this is one of the most self-indulgent things i have ever done in my life and i just have to get over that because i think it will be super fun and also good for my general health.

g'luck! Fun self-indulgence enriches life.

My 6-year-old niece is apparently very skilled for her age. She watched Ringo in A Hard Day's Night for insipation almost daily.

that'd be inspiration

6 is the best age to get super into the beatles

Get some ear plugs asap.
I spent over ten years in bands and only got ear plugs when I noticed ringing in my ears, it was too late.

omg LL! drumming is SO MUCH fun. I wish I owned a drum set.

xp - already got some! i do need to find a rug or carpet or something.

that's why i want to do it -- it has always seemed like a lot of fun and i need to have more fun.

This is so rad. Fully behind this idea.

Congrats! You are in for several universes of fun.

Get some ear plugs asap.

this this this x1,000,000. I played along to records with headphones for years, and probably the only reason I don't have tinnitus now (somewhat miraculously) is because I finally started wearing earplugs about 20+ years ago. One added benefit (?) of this is that my playing got a lot louder (or so numerous bandmates/neighbors told me).

Although it can be hard to start an instrument at a late age, there are a couple of advantages -- 1) you've already heard and internalized a ton of music in your life, so you may understand things intuitively that a five year old doesn't, and (2) with an instrument like drums, being full-grown can help you physically.

The most important thing imo is to develop feel -- play very simply along with records, even just going "Right, Left" with the sticks in time. Maybe add a kick drum every other stroke when you feel comfortable. But keep it simple, don't tense up, and just try to get a feel and a flow (and don't feel bad if you can't, this will take a lot of practice!). Build your chops slowly -- don't try to play faster than you can play in time.

My favorite instructional book requires an almost zen-like tolerance for boredom -- it's called Stick Control. It's probably 70 or 80 years old, and it has an awesome introduction that you should read that explains how to develop your techinque (hands anyway).

And although Stick Control is all exercises to do with your hands, you can do them with your feet, with hands and feet alternating, with hands on different drums or cymbals, etc.

Yay, LL! This is so awesome.

awesome. let's start a no-wave band.

Ok! There is a mess of drums in my basement.

\(-_-)/

Pictures of drums, please.

it's just a pile of drums, i'm going to set it up now
i have the laptop down here in case i need help (i will need help)

put the thing on the other thing!

thonk thonk thonk thonk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6qqncHL6Ls

ok i got the bass drum and cymbals and snare on their feet

ok it's all set up!!!

ok ok ok ok
i'm excited
will return when i learn something

now let's hear the purdie shuffle

http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/images/drums/km_1975-whitekit-top.jpg

Pictures of drums, please.

most important thing for a beginning drummer: make sure your gong is placed properly!

i'm eating lunch now, and things are all set up with a blanket and carpet under the bass drum but i still need a better seat
the chair i've got down there is not going to work
the doggie seems interested

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7318/9052261870_323fb665af.jpg

also i did manage a basic 4/4 beat i think? i don't know what anything is called. it's the only thing i can do atm. no gong yet. funnest thing so far is establishing a somewhat steady beat and then doing a little fill and trying to get back to the beat
i'm AWFUL but hey it's my first day

That is awesome.

but i still need a better seat
the chair i've got down there is not going to work

Now that you're a drummer you get to sit on a THRONE!

oh one more thing while i'm eating - i've figured out where everything goes, but i'm not sure what the purpose is for the third thing down in this picture
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7338/9052256004_26e16861df.jpg

for real

you can pick up a decent throne for relatively cheap ($30-40). i'd recommend that you do it soon. the reason is that using a normal chair is unlikely to put you at the best angle, and since you're just starting out you could accidentally get used to an awkward sitting position/poor technique. everyone likes to sit at a different height and with a different angle (i tend to sit higher than most drummers for example) but as a starting point maybe think about sitting so that your leg makes a 90 degree angle.

the third thing down is an all-purpose auxiliary thing. you wrap one side of it around an arm or stand of some sort - could be a tom arm, a cymbal stand, or really any metallic piece that's sturdy and has some extra space on it. tyou can use it to attach extra tom arms, a tambourine, etc. let me see if i can find an example image.

ok, so it's extra. that's what i thought -- nothing seems to need to be attached, so i figured it was an auxiliary doodad.

additional conclusion: i would like something that can bounce a little or at least has some give? the cymbal pedal is a little tight/difficult to push, so i am going to need some leverage. i also enjoy bouncing. i also already noticed the chair getting in the way of my arms, so yeah -- def in the market for a THRONE.

it's an obvious joke but this would be such a badass and nerdy choice:
http://i.imgur.com/LZUDIQd.jpg

now you have to make the crucial life decision: heel up or heel down?

Pearl actually makes a bouncy throne: http://pearldrum.com/products/hardware/drum-thrones/d-1000spn/

Dunno how much you can adjust the bounce/give, though. I tried it once but found it really disconcerting.

Latest revive of this thread is the awesomest news!!!!!

Almost as urgent as a throne: you need a placard that reads YOU JUST HIRED THE HITMAKER

Woo, great revive! I started some drumming last week when I was round at my father-in-law's. Completely impossible to do a fill and land back on your feet afaict. But it's so much fun. (It was the Daft Punk album gave me the idea btw)

I'm not being as self-indulgent and buying like you, LL, though I am contemplating how I might be able to manipulate his otherwise-unused kit into making its way to my house.

I miss my drumset :(

You said you managed a basic 4/4 beat but...how I was initially taught by my friend and how I get others going on the "mother beat" is: hit (closed) hi-hat 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4, hit kick drum 1 . . . 1 . . . 1 . . .
once you got a handle on that, add snare . . 3 . . . 3 . . . 3 .
get that down so you can do it w/o thinking. every other beat is a variation of that m/l

yeah that's what i did
i don't know what it's called so i was totally guessing

i started super slow and then got faster and faster til i felt like jaki (i did not sound like jaki)

Gr8 thread.
A drummer friend tells me that AC/DC are a good band to play along with when you are starting out because the beats are pretty simple and solid but have enough swing to make them fun to copy.

AC/DC and New Order, actually. Haven't touched drums in a few years, but I always found a lot of fun and ideas playing straight 4/4 robot beats. You build up strength and patience and a great sense of time, which never really goes away when you start to do other stuff.

Awesome LL!

FWIW since you're setting up on what looks like a cement floor, my advice would be to find a section of remainder carpet you can put on your floor to keep your kit from sliding/bouncing around.

and yeah i am 100% positive you could sit down to play no problem if you had played in the past

it was timely because i bump on my birthday every year ;)

the only reason i posted late this week was bc work hijacked my birthday
i take my development extremely seriously!

happy birthday!

thanks!
i'm 7
i feel like i am getting old! that is why i asked if i get to graduate to low-intermediate at this point

or maybe i have to wait til i'm 12 or 13 to go to junior high

i mean i am kidding about asking permission
mostly i am curious where other drummers were at 7

for old time's sake, my original post itt
look at me now

in 2 hours i am going to pick up my very first drum set. i have convinced myself +/- that i am not too old or too stupid. i finally have time and a basement and in 2 hours i will have some drums of my own, if this transaction doesn't somehow get screwed up. for a while i was looking for approval to go ahead and do this, but soon enough it became evident that i was just being a chicken. now i'm just going to finally see what i can teach myself in my oodles of spare time. this is one of the most self-indulgent things i have ever done in my life and i just have to get over that because i think it will be super fun and also good for my general health.

― free your spirit pig (La Lechera), Saturday, June 15, 2013 9:22 AM (seven years ago)