Should i learn another instrument?

drummingman

Gold Member
Should i learn another instrument or should i just continue just to focus on becoming a better drummer? I have been told that it would be a good idea if i were to learn guitar, bass or keys to help me become a better musician and to be able to write music. That thi in turn will help me in a band setting more. I do believe this to be correct but i was just wondering what all of your thoughts on this may be?

When im in a band a lot of the times i will come up with guitar riffs in my head and sing them to the guitar player. I have always does this that way i could contribute to that aspect of the writing process. I already own a keyboard, but not a guitar or bass. Are there any good keyboards out there that have a really good distorted guitar patch that would be good for writing metal riffs?
 
Learning another instrument is Great, having something
more in your arsenal, but on another note, if it's taking away
from your drumming (ex.. sloppy/forgetting parts or tired,)
put that secondary instrument on the backburner & get
back into your drum groove!
 
My thoughts on this are that every musician can benefit greatly by having at least a basic grounding in music theory and by learning to functionally play the piano. It opens up so many doors and new paths and you can take it as far as you want. It's what got me started composing and what a great trip that's been. Now I couldn't live without a piano.

Also it's fun, when a couple of guitar players are trying to figure out a chord, to go to the keyboard and be able to play it and tell them what it really is!
 
I'm a brass musician by trade and you could say having that experience has helped me as a drummer as it has given me a better understanding of the framework of music. Drumming has helped me as a composer have a better idea of rhythm and keeping in time while playing brass has given me the theoretical knowledge of scales and melody.

My advice is that if you're looking to compose, pick up as many different instruments as you can, you will notice patterns when it comes to scales and chords and it should help your writing skills, the day you can pick up any instrument and find notes on it and play a tune is the day you'll become an excellent composer.

If all you ever intend to be is a drummer and you see yourself as a performer, not a composer, I'd stick with drums. Your drum playing wont improve playing a guitar anywhere near as much as it would if you just played more drums.

A lot of drummers do pick up bass because traditionally it's a time keeping instrument, drums also tend to follow the bass.If you've read drum sheet music you should be familiar enough with bass clef and slapping/tapping is quite percussive, just know that becoming a gymnast on the fret board won't directly influence how you play with a pair of sticks in your hands.
 
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For me playing another instirment is about being able to write music and being able to communicate with the guitar players and bass player.
 
Looking back, I certainly wished I had learned more about piano or guitar when I was younger. There are a million times in my drumming life where it would have come in handy.
 
If you want to learn how to read notes and stuff but still have percussion, xylophone (and mallet percussion in general) would be the instrument to learn. It has helped me a lot.
 
The more you know about music, the more musical your playing will be. The more you know about harmony and arrangement, the easier it is to place musical fills in the song.

My parents made me take piano when I was 6 because they wanted me to learn a "real" instrument before they bought me a guitar. I picked up drums playing in bands when I was 12 and now that I'm burned out on guitar and spending my efforts on drums, some really good drummers have told me that being a musician first, and drummer second makes my playing much more enjoyable for them. They tell me that they would rather listen to a song with me playing than lots of folks with much more chops, because I have a feel for what makes the music move.

For a musical understanding, you can't beat keyboard/piano. Most harmony and theory classes are taught on that, regardless of what you're main instrument is. Most schooled musicians can play keyboard to some reasonable degree.

But if you're just looking to fool around with something to get an understanding of a different band instrument, I'd suggest the bass. Folks like Jordan and Drayton swap back and forth all the time. It takes a long time to learn all the harmony of a really good bass player, but learning how to groove with the drummer and support the upper register instruments is invaluable for someone who's primarily a drummer. When you go back to the drums, you're less conscious of how to blow chops and more aware of what the song is doing.
 
Hey D.M.,


Go for it, man! I'd go for keyboards, since there's so few good keyboard player where I'm at. besides- keys can "do" other instruments' sounds, as well as minor percussion.

I play harp (harmonica), drums, and do lead vox, yet I've been thinking about taking up another instrument, too.

Let us know what direction you go.

cheers,
C. P.
 
I started out learning guitar before I started playing drums. I can also play keys, not that well, but enough to help me write. I feel like it helped me understand how things fit together in a band, and has a large influence on how I write my drum parts. I don't know if I can imagine not knowing about the melodic side of things.
 
Something valuable I have learned from playing guitar, is speaking through your instrument. I think it's easier to put your heart in a song by playing guitar (or some other melodical instrument) than it is on drums, just for the fact that the drums don't really have melody. But when you've got the knowledge how to put your heart in, then I think that'll definitely improve your drumming. However, this might now apply to you if you already play long enough to know what this means.

Also, communicating will be a little easier ("dude, I really like that part where you start off at that B#").

It's another point of view.
 
If you want to learn how to read notes and stuff but still have percussion, xylophone (and mallet percussion in general) would be the instrument to learn. It has helped me a lot.

That's what my drum teacher is like, he can play keys and even composes his own percussion pieces, but he wouldn't be doing it without learning both marimba and drum set.

He states that it improved his drumming, makes his technique precise (eg. hitting small keys with mallets) and that his drumming becomes more musical.
 
That's what my drum teacher is like, he can play keys and even composes his own percussion pieces, but he wouldn't be doing it without learning both marimba and drum set.

He states that it improved his drumming, makes his technique precise (eg. hitting small keys with mallets) and that his drumming becomes more musical.

That's one instrument I haven't considered buying before, I think I might now, a few of the points made in this thread have given me some new perspective.
 
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