Tips for a beginner

[Spencer709]

Hey guys, I started playing drums about 7 months ago and its amazing! I'm finally doing one of the things I always wanted to do. I guess my question is about timing. Are there any tips and tricks for a beginner to learn the timing and beat of specific songs. I like to learn songs by ear but sometimes I just can't get that timing down. Is there anything special some of you do to help in this area?

[Wavelength]

Each groove revolves around a certain type of subdivision -- that is, how many parts each quarter note is divided into. A basic rock beat is all about 8th notes, a shuffle is based on 8th note triplets and a funk groove is built of 16th notes. When you're learning a new groove, the first thing to do is to figure out the subdivision, and once you've figured it out, start counting it out loud. 8th notes are counted "one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and...", 8th note triplets are counted "one-and-a-two-and-a-three-and-a-four-and-a..." and 16th notes are counted "one-e-and-a-two-e-and-a-three-e-and-a-four-e-and-a..." -- notice that the rate of quarter notes (one-two-three-four) stays the same in each subdivision. While counting and listening to the groove, try to listen where each note lands. If you can't remember it all at once, you should write the rhythms down. When you have figured out the groove, start practicing it slowly. Keep counting the subdivision while playing, and try to line each note as accurately and consistently as possible.

Getting better at drumming doesn't involve any tricks. It's all about hard work, dedication and a pair of good sitting muscles.

[DestinationDrumming]

Getting better at drumming doesn't involve any tricks. It's all about hard work, dedication and a pair of good sitting muscles.

LoL Oh yes, this has to be a contender for quote of the year! Well done that man.

[Deltadrummer]

Yes, and it IS all about the work, but fun and enjoyable work. I would add that the use of a metronome is not to be slighted.

To reiterate, you may hear a lot of fancy and dynamic drumming; but is is all about getting to relax into the groove in the end. Nobody really cares about you double bass speed, unless your in a drum competition, and nobody really cares about drum competitions, except drummers. :)

[NUTHA JASON]

my simple advice is to always tap a foot or snap fingers to every song you hear. this way you begin to hear the pulse within songs that might otherwise be ignored if you were still concentrating on patterns and other drumming conventions.

[blade123]

You as a drummer have two jobs, no matter what the style.
A.)Time
B.)Feel
Keep on time, and help shape the feel of the band, and you are doing perfectly.
Essentially, every drummer is working on improving those two things.
I've been playing for four years, and I'm STILL working on those, and assume that 20 years from now, I still will be....

[zambizzi]

To build on what everyone else has said; once you find the pulse of the song (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4 which are quarter notes in a straight 4/4 groove), start tapping your left heel on the hi-hats to this pulse.

Play along to a lot of AC/DC ;)

Also, if you don't have a teacher, I'd highly recommend finding one and taking lessons, at least for a while. This will get you farther, much faster, and ensure that you don't develop poor habits early in your drumming.

[mrchattr]

Hey guys, I started playing drums about 7 months ago and its amazing! I'm finally doing one of the things I always wanted to do. I guess my question is about timing. Are there any tips and tricks for a beginner to learn the timing and beat of specific songs. I like to learn songs by ear but sometimes I just can't get that timing down. Is there anything special some of you do to help in this area?

Learn as much as you can not only about drums, but about music in general. One reason I started getting session work when I started trying to turn drumming into a career was that I could be told something like, "Ok, this song is in a melodic minor key, but has a bossa nova feel to it." From that, I knew already the basic feel of the song, and had a basic beat idea, and also knew what kind of music the band would be playing (melodic minor is very Middle Eastern-sounding), which gave me additional ideas. So, by the time I was ready to sit down and try to come up with a beat for the song, I already would have a great idea in my head of what type of beat, fills, etc, to use, and also what to expect from the music. This led to a lot of "finding the right thing to play" on my first listen through a song, which led to a lot of work.

Remember, drumming is great, but it's usually best when collaborating with other musicians. Learning as much as you can about those musicians, and they styles and instruments you might encounter, can really help you learn to approach the drums with the right attitude.

[punkuzz900]

I think one of the best tips I can give is the following:

Do not neglect your rudiments, practice them with reverse sticking too!

When I look back now I wish I had spend more time learning my rudiments and it will make your left side equal to your right or vice versa, don't underestimate this!

It's often the worst thing though, everyone hates to practice rudiments, they are so boring.....but I guess you just gotta sit there and grind through it because then people come up to you and tell you how awesome you are!

It's all worth it in the end, it takes time, lots of hard work, lots of patience and love.

[Vinnysimmo]

Work relentlessly with our singles and doubles in different subdivisions to a metronome.
VERY boering but also VERY rewarding.

[aydee]

Here an article I pulled off the web, which might be of interest to you not in a immediate sense but rather on the whole:

Drummers can be categorized into one of four skill levels. On the bottom we have the Bangers.
These are the guys with no style, no technique, and only one dynamic level: Loud! They give the rest of us a bad name and, unfortunately, perpetuate the dumb drummer jokes (http://www.tigerbill.com/drummermusicjokes.htm) like: "Our band has five musicians and a drummer."
The next step up, are the Average types.

They're not bad, but they're not great. They are simply average.
On the third level we have the Competent players. These are guys who play very well with an ensemble, but they seem to be missing something. They're missing the magic, the feeling you get when you see (and hear) a really great drummer in action. Very few drummers have ever given me that feeling. Buddy Rich, Louis Bellson, Joe Morello, and Steve Gadd are some of the drummers in that fourth category.

These guys are the true Artist Drummers.
They've got it all. They're on top of their game.


I have identified eight techniques necessary to become an Artist drummer. Learn what it takes and maybe someday, I'll include you on the list of those who are in the elusive upper echelon.
Here are the eight essentials that make up the Artist drummer:
Solid Time
First and foremost is the ability to keep solid time. You can develop this by using a metronome every time you practice on the pad. Without a solid time foundation, you'll never be able to build solid chops.
Musicality
Learn to play musicially is something that comes naturally to some and takes lots of practice for others. The key is to listen to as much music as you can and, when playing with other musicians, listen to each of them and enhance the overall sound of the band. Never overpower it.
Authenticity
Learn to play many styles of music and play them all an authentic feel, and this goes for the drum solos and breaks as well. Listening to the best bands in each musical genre will help you develop this ability.
Never Overplay
Notes may be good, but rests are even better. Develop the ability to fill in the right places, but learn when to lay back and let the other band members have some too.
Good Dynamics
Drummers have a tendency to cook at loud levels but die when volumes get low. Work hard to "cook" at all dynamic levels, from ultra-soft to mega-loud.
Strong Chops
Develop the fastest chops and the best coordination you possibly can. Why? Because you need to be able to play anything that comes to mind. If you get a great idea in the middle of a song but fail to execute it properly, you'll completely blow the groove. The best players have the ability to play anything that comes to mind, effortlessly. That's want you want to strive for.
Early Bird
Although not related to your performance on stage, this is directly related to the number of opportunities you'll get to appear on the stage! No leader likes holding up the gig so the drummer can finish setting up. Try to get to the gig early enough so you can set your gear up and have at least 20 minutes to relax before show time.
Positive Attitude
The is the eighth and final essential element of an artist drummer. Positive people radiate an energy that is infectious and makes everybody around them feel great and play better. Louis Bellson has this ability.
Negative people, on the other hand, drain you and leave you totally exhausted. Life's too short for that. Don't hang around the negative types and if you have tendencies yourself, change. It may not be easy but you can do anything, if you want it bad enough.

That's my take on what you need to join the ranks of the elite artist drummers. Try working on one of the essentials each week and, before you know it, you may find yourself among the artist drummers of the world. Good luck.
Until next time: Stay Loose.
Tiger Bill Meligari (http://www.tigerbill.com/tigerbillsplace.htm)

[Knowthyself]

Metronome Trick

ok say you have a song with an 8th note feel like

woozyfly.com/girlinacoma

put the metronome on double the 1/4 note

so if the BPM is 110
or something

put your click at 220

this will give the 8th notes

and help you subdivide

then just keep on 1/2ing your click till you get comfortable to playing it when you are down to a tempo thats 1 click a measure