DRUMMERS: Advice for a beginner

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ha! your first paragraph is exactly (well, more or less) what this i now do a new warm-up thing that is making my brain light up a little more and also allowing me to try new things is! i am not goal driven at ALL, i am mostly novelty driven, so i gotta keep trying new stuff or rewarding myself in some way or i give up. the times i am having the most fun is when i don't try too hard to perfect anything, just to keep going and trying different things until i run through all the things i know how to do. then i do the same things on different drums. i like moving around a lot!

ultimately though i do like having a plan, so i appreciate the 1-5 step plan :)

eventually after running through all the things i always default to the same sort of plodding ritual-sounding beat with increasing cymbals. i am a little cymbal crazy, i can admit that.

also fun is adding my own little flourishes to songs that have a really simple beat. that's fun too. i'm not very good at it but it's fun.

sweat pea (La Lechera), Monday, 4 November 2013 20:11 (ten years ago) link

i guess i feel like other people are going to expect me to have a plan? so if i want to play with other people they are going to expect me not to just freak out at my own pace, that i should be able to play "a song"
i mean right?

sweat pea (La Lechera), Monday, 4 November 2013 20:12 (ten years ago) link

for me the only thing that gets me excited about practicing is learning beats in a different genre, which usually requires some kind of independence that i haven't been working on. so you can try figuring out country 2-step beats, or New Orleans beats, or a bossa nova, or some Bo Diddley shit. either just listen to something and try to approximate the feeling in your own way or look up a lesson on Youtube, although that's hit or miss of course.

nb: i don't really practice anymore, except mentally.

festival culture (Jordan), Monday, 4 November 2013 20:17 (ten years ago) link

that is a good idea and i have a head start on it because a while ago i bought a book that has tons of different genre beats and i know +/- how to read it now. it has CDs too so i can verify that i'm reading correctly. that is on my plan.

i guess i am so afraid of my own tendency to give up that i need a lot of structure? i dunno. maybe i'm overthinking but i don't really mind because i have never felt so diligent in my life!

sweat pea (La Lechera), Monday, 4 November 2013 20:21 (ten years ago) link

speaking of which, i played a gig with my sit-down New Orleans jazz band last weekend, and i hadn't played that music for a year at least (and haven't been playing much drumset, except in short spurts at Ch/\nts gigs).

while playing the tunes i felt totally comfortable and relaxed, even moreso than in the past. however, the thing that goes when i don't practice is any ability to solo, at least in a jazz context, the ideas and the instinct just aren't there. so i get through the whole gig just fine and then, while i was taking some bars at the beginning of the last tune, my brain stopped talking to my limbs for a moment and i had a totally embarassing gap before bringing the band in. just horrible, i couldn't believe it.

festival culture (Jordan), Monday, 4 November 2013 20:22 (ten years ago) link

xp - is learning to write music something you want to do?

like i remember one of the early exercises my teacher gave me was to write 10-15 fills and then practice them at various speeds with the standard rock backbeat.

sarahell, Tuesday, 5 November 2013 03:44 (ten years ago) link

My advice is to find people you feel comfortable with and start a band.

dan m, Tuesday, 5 November 2013 04:02 (ten years ago) link

I learned and played so much more when I was in a crappy band for six months than I have in the combined six years since then.

joygoat, Tuesday, 5 November 2013 06:38 (ten years ago) link

is learning to write music something you want to do?
yeah i think so. it has taken me 100 years to come to this conclusion, but yeah. why not?
i am going to try your teacher's advice too. that gives me a task. thank you (also sarahellll you were in my dream last night. you and a bunch of your friends, including val kilmer, came over to the house i was cleaning and took turns applying this tube of purple lipstick that looked more like oil paint. we also ate a ton of carrots and you were driving a moving truck in the middle of the living room.)

i am assuming based on various irl conversations that no one i know has the time or the inclination to commit to being in a band with me, so i made a flyer. it has yet to see the light of day, but the whole process is equally appealing and intimidating. i keep waiting for some magic moment when i know what to do, but that hasn't happened yet. i've waited this long. i guess i can wait a little longer.

sweat pea (La Lechera), Tuesday, 5 November 2013 13:39 (ten years ago) link

fwiw, "being in a band" can sound like a big commitment. If a friend asked me to come jam sometime, I'd say sure. If they asked me to be in a band, I'd say, I don't have time for that right now... But of course, if I jammed with them and had a great time, and then did it again, eventually it could turn into a band. Who knows?

something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 5 November 2013 13:51 (ten years ago) link

You mean no one wants to marry me without going on a date first?

Seriously though, I get it. It's just a whole new set of things I've never done before. I'll send out some invitations and brace myself for some flops (my own flops).

sweat pea (La Lechera), Tuesday, 5 November 2013 14:57 (ten years ago) link

If I had a bass or guitar I'd come awkwardly rock out w/ u LL.

dan m, Tuesday, 5 November 2013 16:05 (ten years ago) link

otherwise, i have noticed that continued motivation to play requires focused listening to things that i know i can probably come close to playing, so i've been making a lot of mixes to listen to in the car and i forgot how fun THAT is too. so overall, good news. just in case anyone was wondering if had given up.
nope.

― sweat pea (La Lechera), Monday, November 4, 2013 2:49 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

RAD.

Listening is so key. I mean, you know that. My drum teacher in high school was complaining to me once about another student of his who kept wanting Neil Peart transcriptions. My teacher wrote them out -- he wasn't averse to writing things out by any means -- but said to me, "I told him, the best way to learn those parts -- to learn anything -- is to listen." Kind of blew my mind/made perfect sense.

Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, 5 November 2013 16:29 (ten years ago) link

The times I felt I grew most as a player was when I listened to recordings (jam session tapes, practices, actual "pro" recordings, whatever) of myself & others playing and then adjusted my playing to fit better.

dan m, Tuesday, 5 November 2013 16:33 (ten years ago) link

listening is great. WATCHING helps a lot too. Going to the transcription is a last resort after you've listened your brains out and "know" the music but can't figure out what's going on.

#fomo that's the motto (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 5 November 2013 16:36 (ten years ago) link

otm re: watching. I didn't know what the fuck Rob Ellis was doing until I saw PJ Harvey live. And obsessive viewings of Who videos helped immensely in my understanding of how Moon used two bass drums.

Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, 5 November 2013 16:40 (ten years ago) link

I will jam with you. I also have extra bass/guitar gear for dan m. to play if he wants to jam too.

Immediate Follower (NA), Tuesday, 5 November 2013 17:31 (ten years ago) link

yeah I think drummers need to actually see other drummers playing possibly more than any other instrumentalists. Youtube is kind of a goldmine -- I think I would have learned like 10x faster if I had been coming up now.

#fomo that's the motto (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 5 November 2013 17:34 (ten years ago) link

totally

festival culture (Jordan), Tuesday, 5 November 2013 17:44 (ten years ago) link

i know that for brass band drumming my learning curve went through the roof, being able to watch hours of it on Youtube vs going there to watch bands once or twice a year.

festival culture (Jordan), Tuesday, 5 November 2013 17:45 (ten years ago) link

So let me see if I get this straight:

I'm supposed to listen to music and go to shows and watch people playing the drums on youtube whenever I can? OH GOD NO! NOT THAT! ANYTHING BUT THAT!! (this is like someone telling me that two glasses of red wine and two cups of coffee are required daily minimums)

But seriously -- I have definitely enjoyed seeing live music on a whole new level since I began this experiment. It's really all-consuming though, huh?

na/danm -- i am about to email you to make an appointment with me (not the with the wicker man)

sweat pea (La Lechera), Tuesday, 5 November 2013 20:00 (ten years ago) link

update: plans are being made
before too long (before the end of the year at least) i will have my first jam on the drums!

sweat pea (La Lechera), Wednesday, 6 November 2013 20:59 (ten years ago) link

update: i have been playing along with songs more and managed to record one! the whole thing -- 5:05. i screwed up in the middle for maybe 2 measures and also had some trouble maintaining a steady pace, but i think it sounds ok. not great, but ok. i'm not ashamed of it.

playing along with songs i can actually keep up with has been top notch fun. and then i have also found that working on speed is more fun if i am trying to keep up with an actual song rather than just speed up til my arms hurt sans accompaniment.

sweat pea (La Lechera), Wednesday, 13 November 2013 15:54 (ten years ago) link

I've just started to play around with recording drums (and guitar) and it's making me realize how awful I am at keeping time.

I guess the only time I ever actually played consistently it was for like two months ages ago with drunken people and it was all close enough but playing along with a metronome is super humbling.

joygoat, Wednesday, 13 November 2013 18:00 (ten years ago) link

update: my last lesson was supposed to be last night. unfortunately, when my teacher came up the stairs, i could tell that he thought he was going home and his face kinda dropped when he saw me. i confirmed that he had forgotten and also was on his way somewhere, so we agreed that this was unfortunate and planned to reschedule. this did not leave me with the best feeling, but it gives me more time to practice/accumulate questions so whatever.

on the bright side, i am not making leaps and bounds of technical progress, but i am much better at keeping up with songs. i recorded another one on tuesday. i'm not going to post links here but i'll share if anyone's interested.

practice time is still the bright spot of my day.

sweat pea (La Lechera), Saturday, 23 November 2013 19:14 (ten years ago) link

Progress in terms of facility may not be noticeable in leaps and bounds, but one day you'll be practicing or playing and you'll suddenly realize that what you're doing at that moment was something you had always wanted to be able to do.

Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, 23 November 2013 20:08 (ten years ago) link

Thanks, I'll take what I can get.

Ok, I have a minor dilemma. Friday was my rescheduled last lesson (that I had been anticipating tbh) and as I explained above, I basically went all the way there only to turn around and go home. I was disappointed, but it was a different kind of disappointment than I am feeling right now.

i emailed teacher on saturday, the day after our lesson that didn't happen, to try to reschedule. i also updated him on what i had been doing and what i was hoping to get from my last lesson. i thought this was reasonable, it was organized, contained minimal babble/no asides or jokes, and not too long. that was on saturday morning and he still hasn't responded.

to recap: final lesson was cancelled and rescheduled for a month later, i show up and he forgot, now he has taken almost 4 full days to respond to an email from an earnest (and paying!) student. and that student is me!

i'm not angry so much as disheartened. being a total beginner at something is a really big challenge, an steep uphill trek in every way, esp at this age and esp being who i am. all i am asking for here is what i consider basic minimum professional courtesy.

i guess i'm just disappointed and i don't like it. maybe i will write a song about it and then make him listen to it if he ever reschedules our stupid lesson.

sweat pea (La Lechera), Tuesday, 26 November 2013 21:51 (ten years ago) link

an steep uphill trek
you can tell i'm mad because i added "steep" but forgot to change the article

sweat pea (La Lechera), Tuesday, 26 November 2013 21:54 (ten years ago) link

:( It's possible whatever made him so tired/forgetful last week is also making him tardy at replying?

Tottenham Heelspur (in orbit), Tuesday, 26 November 2013 21:54 (ten years ago) link

so? i mean, i understand shit going on in one's life, but like i said, professional courtesy. it's not too much to ask.

sweat pea (La Lechera), Tuesday, 26 November 2013 21:55 (ten years ago) link

musicians, even professionals, have a tendency to be huge flakes

dan m, Tuesday, 26 November 2013 21:58 (ten years ago) link

lol I was gonna say, what did you expect, he's a drummer.

Tottenham Heelspur (in orbit), Tuesday, 26 November 2013 22:02 (ten years ago) link

i guess i take teaching/learning to a serious humorless extreme

sweat pea (La Lechera), Tuesday, 26 November 2013 22:05 (ten years ago) link

no excuses

sweat pea (La Lechera), Tuesday, 26 November 2013 22:05 (ten years ago) link

Dan otm

This is pretty much par for the course with many music teachers

Ornate Coleman (Moodles), Tuesday, 26 November 2013 22:14 (ten years ago) link

I reserve the right to find that a laaaaame excuse.

sweat pea (La Lechera), Tuesday, 26 November 2013 22:23 (ten years ago) link

i think it depends on how much teaching they do, how significant a part of their income, how much they need the money. i have friends that teach music lessons for the majority of their income, and they are not flaky. My drum teacher was primarily a musician and recording masterer who was barely scraping by financially, and he was very much not flaky when it came to scheduling lessons.

sarahell, Tuesday, 26 November 2013 22:29 (ten years ago) link

I never had a flaky teacher, and some of them needed the teaching money, some didn't. I'm at a loss to understand why this dude wouldn't respond immediately and apologetically.

Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, 26 November 2013 23:03 (ten years ago) link

unless he's on tour

sarahell, Tuesday, 26 November 2013 23:11 (ten years ago) link

He probably would've told me that when he saw me on Friday. I dunno, it's cynical and insulting to treat drummers/musicians/artists like babies who can't keep their shit together, so I tend to expect just a basic level of professionalism, like rescheduling before the better part of a week passes.

We'll see. In the meantime, I'll keep doing my best to improve and not lose steam.

sweat pea (La Lechera), Tuesday, 26 November 2013 23:39 (ten years ago) link

also thank you for listening to my gripes

sweat pea (La Lechera), Tuesday, 26 November 2013 23:50 (ten years ago) link

i think it depends on how much teaching they do, how significant a part of their income, how much they need the money.
about this -- he has mentioned that he needs the money on several occasions, and understands that the lessons are expensive, but I don't really think he understands how seriously i am taking this. and there's another thing, but i can't really explain it. i have made efforts to keep my guard down, but i always feel way overnervous and overexposed.

the teacher-student relationship is so weird to me! esp from this angle. it's embarrassing to talk about!

sweat pea (La Lechera), Wednesday, 27 November 2013 00:02 (ten years ago) link

I would switch teachers if that happens again. It's not excusable.

i wish i had a skateboard i could skate away on (Hurting 2), Wednesday, 27 November 2013 16:49 (ten years ago) link

drummers can be huge flakes all they want, and they can flake their way out of earning a living if they want too, but you don't have to put up with it

i wish i had a skateboard i could skate away on (Hurting 2), Wednesday, 27 November 2013 16:50 (ten years ago) link

still haven't heard from him
have email drafted
so disappointed

sweat pea (La Lechera), Wednesday, 4 December 2013 03:09 (ten years ago) link

BUT that hasn't stopped me from starting a new practice playlist and trying to expand my skill set, which is pretty small atm but jam is scheduled for this sunday so who knows

sweat pea (La Lechera), Wednesday, 4 December 2013 03:10 (ten years ago) link

Ugh, that sucks about your teacher. What an unprofessional douche.

Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 4 December 2013 14:49 (ten years ago) link

I feel bummed about it in a lot of ways but I don't really have emotional capital to spare feeling bad right now, so i'm not gonna make a big stink about it
still
wow, how disappointed am i

the stuff he taught me is the only somewhat cool sounding stuff i can do
i'm gonna need some more help at some point here and now i have to start all over with someone else? ugh indeed.

sweat pea (La Lechera), Wednesday, 4 December 2013 15:08 (ten years ago) link

i couldn't wait and i sent the same email for a third time (after 10 days of silence) with a much toned down version of what i wanted to write, which boils down to "i honestly have no idea what is going on here and being confused about it is taking up too much of my energy so please let's settle this situation" and he wrote back.

not sure what will happen next but at least i don't feel edgy about it anymore

sweat pea (La Lechera), Wednesday, 4 December 2013 21:05 (ten years ago) link

FIRST JAM: COMPLETE!

it was so fun that i feel the need to digest it a little bit but mostly i'm just enjoying feeling excited about playing music with other people. it is so fun.

sweat pea (La Lechera), Sunday, 8 December 2013 22:25 (ten years ago) link


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