Have you always wanted to play the drums but didn't know where to begin or where to start? I'm not going to lie to you, drums are not as easy to play as others would make out. But with the right direction and a little natural rhythm you can be playing along to your favourite songs in no time at all!
So what's first? Well, some might say that getting a drum kit is pretty important but this just isn't the case. I learnt to play drums on the side of chairs and on cushions before my Dad bought me my first drum kit. Also, you might not be able to afford a drum kit to start off with so what else can you do? Well, you could...
1. Try to become friends or get to know a drummer local to you. Do you have a friend that already plays the drums? It's always good to learn some stuff from somebody you already know and most musicians are more than happy to show a beginner a trick or two. Just ask!
2. If you're lucky enough to still be going to school then does your local school own a drum kit? If so then ask if you can have a play on it sometime, either in break time or after school. This could be a great chance for you to either practice some ideas if you don't have a drum kit at home or just to try out the drums for the first time. Also gives you a chance to experience the full volume of a real drum kit for the first time... BANGBANG!!
Of course, nothing beats (no pun intended) owning your own drum set but don't feel like you can't learn without one. Drums are different to other instruments in that you can learn to play by tapping on any surface. Sure, it's not the same and you will soon reach a wall in your playing but at least you get a chance to learn before making any financial commitment on a drum kit.
Once you've either got a drum kit or are satisfied with your practice equipment/chair situation then the next step has to be...
3. Play along to Music (CD/MP3's). Start with simple songs and just dive in. I'm completely self taught (originally) and just started off by listening carefully to my favourite songs and trying to copy the drum beats. Looking back I made loads or mistakes but I learned from every single one. Each time I made a mistake I would remember it for next time and slowly over time I improved and (to my surprise) became very good, considering I didn't have a teacher for the first 6 years of my playing! Just be brave and start playing, you'll be surprised how quickly you pick things up!
4. Get free drum lessons from online websites and YouTube. There are so many online sources of free education available out there that it would be silly not to take advantage of it.
5. Learn to play at least a few common beginner drum beats and learn to play them in your sleep! You will find that most songs contain just a few basic beats that drummers then chop and change (add and remove notes) to suit the song. One of the most common and basic drum beats can be seen and heard from the Beginner Video Drum Lesson link above (listed as Part 1 - Eighth Note Hi-Hat) This basic drum beat can be heard on countless recordings and is well worth learning... in fact, it's unavoidable if you want to play drums.
You now have a few options open to you depending on where you want to take your drumming.
6. You might like to learn how to read some basic notation. I talk about the benefits of this in one of my articles under the Free Drum Lessons/Article section of my website. This article explains all of the positives and negatives for learning to read music. I'm obviously biased but with good reason, I think learning to read and write music notation is one of the best things you can do for your playing. It's also no coincidence to find out that most other readers also think the same.
7. Get yourself a GOOD drum teacher! Yep, there's no denying that a drum teacher is going to have a huge affect on your playing. Finding a good drum teacher (and it's worth shopping around) will not only make you a better drummer but will improve you quicker and help you to avoid the little pitfalls and dead ends that most self taught drummers (including myself) suffered within those first few years of playing.
Also, it's worth mentioning that a teacher might not always know best. I try to be as humble as possible with my students as we all make mistakes. Sometimes what I think is best for the pupil might not be. I trust that my pupil will speak up when they feel that perhaps a better direction might be more suitable for them. Let your teacher know exactly what you want to learn. If you want to learn just Jazz then say so, it's your money!
This has been just a quick and brief introduction to getting started on the drums and you can find further drum articles relating to this subject on my website. Just take a look around the site and have fun learning!
Please feel free to email me if you wish to ask me any questions at all. I'll be happy to help you in any way I can.
Happy drumming to you!
Rob (Drummer and Self Confessed Drum-Nut)
Robert Litten is a Drummer and Teacher of 20 years experience who now spends his time building and running the webs premier online Video Drum Lesson & Sheet Music website http://www.drumstheword.com/.
Drums The Word - 100's of Free Video Drum Lessons, from Beginners to Advanced. Easily learn how to play drums to your favourite songs!
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