Help for a beginner

[TheRummer]

hey people!i love percussion(and the drumset most) and wanna try to play the drumset...but i am a beginner and dont have a proper time to learn from a teacher...can an advanced/expert drummer advise me a source?(or even what to do to learn how to play it best?)

[NUTHA JASON]

look at the section of this forum about DVD reviews there will be many there worthwhile getting. in particular both the DVDs by tommy igoe.

welcome to the forum.

j

[Casper "DrPowerStroke" Paludan]

hey people!i love percussion(and the drumset most) and wanna try to play the drumset...but i am a beginner and dont have a proper time to learn from a teacher...can an advanced/expert drummer advise me a source?(or even what to do to learn how to play it best?)

Learning on DVD is not "faster" than learning from a teacher. Who gave you that idea? A teacher can answer all your questions. A DVD answers a few if you're lucky. They are fun to watch, but in no way an alternative to personl instruction. DPS

[Rebige]

nothing beats a teacher but some excellent websites include

this one http://drummerworld.com

really good one---> http://vicfirth.com (under education)

http://drumdatabase.com

[Class A Drummer]

Yeah i agree with Jason on this one. The Tommy Igoe stuff seems really good for beginers, and advanced players. Also check out the book "stick control" just for a little bit of fine tuning on the snare. Another thing i would do is check out the Dom Famularo cyber lessons on www.vicfirth.com .

[jiltednut]

I went through a major phase of not being able to play anything, the I tried "The New Breed" by Gary Chester, really helped me, something to try at least. Also try playing along to music you like, and of course get a metronome and practice "Stick Control" by George Stone.

[wy yung]

hey people!i love percussion(and the drumset most) and wanna try to play the drumset...but i am a beginner and dont have a proper time to learn from a teacher...can an advanced/expert drummer advise me a source?(or even what to do to learn how to play it best?)

Welcome to the world of drumming! I hope you can find information here that is helpful to you.

As others have said, Tommy Igoe has released some very good educational DVDs. I recently bought his beginning drumset DVD for a niece of mine who lives many miles from me. She has told me it is very helpful for her. It's called "Get started on drums". Tommy takes you right through many of the basics. He's also a superb drummer with a killer feel and his delivery is very personable and easy to watch.

I know you lack spare time, but if possible try to get at least a couple of lessons from a pro player. This is so that you can learn the proper grip and other basics so that you don't develop bad habbits.

Good luck and have fun!

Tommy's website. http://www.tommyigoe.com/Home-TommyIgoe.html

[gcarlet]

I went through a major phase of not being able to play anything, the I tried "The New Breed" by Gary Chester, really helped me, something to try at least.

Same thing with me. I highly recommend The New Breed.

[JacobKaye]

In our haste, we often look for shortcuts. Who hasn't driven to an unfamilar area, found what looked like a shortcut on the map...only to discover that it really was a very slow route ... As someone once said, " A shortcut is often the fastest way to get to somewhere you don't want to be."

You are correct in asking for guidance from older/ wiser people who have had the experience... so that you may avoid the mistakes that they have made.

[zambizzi]

Speaking from personal experience - there really nothing that can substitute a drum teacher. I bought my first set about 1 1/2 yrs. ago and hardly progressed at all until I started taking lessons about 4 months ago. I wasn't really trying but that wasn't for lack of interest...I've always been obsessed w/ drumming! For a few hundred bucks over the past few months I've learned A LOT. I can sight-read, I've learned independence, lots of grooves, and a lot of marching-band style music. It's been an incredible experience so far!

No one can give you direction, oversight, and inspiration like a good teacher can. The next best thing would be throwing on some headphones and playing along to your favorite songs. Also play music you're not really into for new ideas and inspiration.

I haven't found a lot of DVDs that I found *great* for instruction...personally this just isn't the best way to learn...you might have a different experience.

Make sure you learn to read music, as someone else recommended - Stick Control is a fantastic beginners book that you can later apply to a drum set in literally any infinite number of ways.

Good luck and welcome!

[DWfan20005]

Speaking from personal experience - there really nothing that can substitute a drum teacher. I bought my first set about 1 1/2 yrs. ago and hardly progressed at all until I started taking lessons about 4 months ago. I wasn't really trying but that wasn't for lack of interest...I've always been obsessed w/ drumming! For a few hundred bucks over the past few months I've learned A LOT. I can sight-read, I've learned independence, lots of grooves, and a lot of marching-band style music. It's been an incredible experience so far!

No one can give you direction, oversight, and inspiration like a good teacher can. The next best thing would be throwing on some headphones and playing along to your favorite songs. Also play music you're not really into for new ideas and inspiration.

I haven't found a lot of DVDs that I found *great* for instruction...personally this just isn't the best way to learn...you might have a different experience.

Make sure you learn to read music, as someone else recommended - Stick Control is a fantastic beginners book that you can later apply to a drum set in literally any infinite number of ways.

Good luck and welcome!

Zambizzi pretty much summed up what I was going to say. Anatomy of a drums solo by Neil Peart and Tommy Igoe's educational dvds I highly recommend. Good luck ,find your style and please use DW drums in the future.

[maddrummr]

Speaking from personal experience - there really nothing that can substitute a drum teacher. I bought my first set about 1 1/2 yrs. ago and hardly progressed at all until I started taking lessons about 4 months ago. I wasn't really trying but that wasn't for lack of interest...I've always been obsessed w/ drumming! For a few hundred bucks over the past few months I've learned A LOT. I can sight-read, I've learned independence, lots of grooves, and a lot of marching-band style music. It's been an incredible experience so far!

!

Now my experiences are the total opposite. I bought my set 2 years ago and in two weeks I was playing solid grooves, adding my own little fills (in time!!!). I'm sure a teacher would help me a ton, but I can play, and play well so i dont feel the need right now. I guess I just "have it" like wayne gretsky and hockey. Some people need to work to get places and other people just seem to "get it" right away. I shouldn't depend on this, but I do : (

You should get a teacher.

[zambizzi]

Now my experiences are the total opposite. I bought my set 2 years ago and in two weeks I was playing solid grooves, adding my own little fills (in time!!!). I'm sure a teacher would help me a ton, but I can play, and play well so i dont feel the need right now. I guess I just "have it" like wayne gretsky and hockey. Some people need to work to get places and other people just seem to "get it" right away. I shouldn't depend on this, but I do : (

You should get a teacher.

Sure, I did the same...I bought a kit and just started "playing". I could also play grooves, fills, and my own silly little solos. I had a basic understanding, I grew up around the drums and took lessons from my dad from time-to-time, who was a career Jazz drummer.

However, there's so much more to the art of drumming that you miss out on w/o proper instruction. Learning a good pulse, timing, dynamics, proper form, and more things than I can rattle off, off the top of my head.

If you're satisfied w/ playing along to music and doing your own improvisations....and you're not worried about the holes you'll have in your knowledge - then you certainly don't *have* to have a teacher.

However, I'd highly recommend it to every beginner...even if all you get from it is motivation and encouragement.

[maddrummr]

Sure, I did the same...I bought a kit and just started "playing". I could also play grooves, fills, and my own silly little solos. I had a basic understanding, I grew up around the drums and took lessons from my dad from time-to-time, who was a career Jazz drummer.

However, there's so much more to the art of drumming that you miss out on w/o proper instruction. Learning a good pulse, timing, dynamics, proper form, and more things than I can rattle off, off the top of my head.

If you're satisfied w/ playing along to music and doing your own improvisations....and you're not worried about the holes you'll have in your knowledge - then you certainly don't *have* to have a teacher.

However, I'd highly recommend it to every beginner...even if all you get from it is motivation and encouragement.

You know, I bet you middle school band had a good influence on that stuff.
Totally forgot that I played percussion! So I wasnt tought on form/technique, but more rather, dynamics, tempo, phrasing and such.

IDK now I have split personalities.