Jamming

[BoRazzman]

Hey, i'm pretty new to drums but I seem to have gotten the hang of the basics, I can hold time with simple rhythms and my fills are getting better, as long as i'm confident enough would you say its safe enough to jam with a band without making a fool of myself?

[aydee]

Its always safe to jam with a band.

However, theres a big difference between playing by yourself and playing with others.

Good jams need a lot of listening and slowly fitting yourself in to a bigger picture. I sometimes take a few jams to get there.

Dont worry about making a fool of yourself, cause even if you did, you learn a good lesson from it.

Listen, and dont dive in head first....dip your toe and test the water first, and then slowly climb in.

That would be my advice.

[BoRazzman]

Thanks man, i've jammed before but i'm usually the bassist or vocalist so i'm sure about the dynamic behind a kit, i've only been playing since january but I feel happy enough with my playing to lay down some basic 4/4 stuff

[dairyairman]

do you jam along to recorded songs? that's a good way to warm up to playing with real musicians. i'd say go ahead and start jamming any time. when you play, just focus on keeping good time and playing within your limits and you won't make a fool of yourself.

[BoRazzman]

i like to jam along with easier manowar songs and acdc but my cd player just isn't loud enough lol i try not to overstretch myself and try and keep it simple

[dairyairman]

that sounds good, about keeping it simple.

if you can't hear the music from your cd player while you play along, you can try using some of those earbud style headphones that fit in your ears, then put noise reduction earmuffs over them. you know what i'm talking about? they look like headphones, but they have no speakers. you can get them at hardware stores like home depot.

[davidr]

If you want other musicians to appreciate you as a drummer just keep it simple to start and concentrate on tempo and groove rather than trying to impress with your most advanced fill. If you focus on the task of keeping time you will enable other people. Also remember that the other musicians will appreciate playing with a real drummer even if your still figuring stuff out.