Aspiring drummer looking for guidance

zeppelin19

Junior Member
Hey everyone, I've had an account here for a while and only peak around every once in a while.. I have been interested in drums for quite a while but finally have the time to start practicing and getting into it fully. I recently just bought a drum pad and some sticks to get started because I heard rudiments is a great place to start...

I have an iPhone 4 and found a great metronome app and was curious if any of you knew any great apps for rudiments or any kind of tools to get me started with them.. Or any other advice to help me get started and improve pretty rapidly. I have the time to put into learning and am psyched to get started and learn everything I can.

Any advice it greatly appreciated,

Thanks in advance
 
Alright!..great to hear you are underway!


I don't have any good app suggestions...

...but I can suggest taking some lessons to get a good set of basic exercises...learn to read!

I can also suggest getting out to play with other musicians as soon as you can keep a steady beat appropriate to the situation!

Playing to a metronome at various tempos at all times is a great way to internalize the feel of being 'in time'.

Focus on keeping time...let the "fills" come along later...and try to see the artificial distinction between keeping time and playing "fills".

...watch for your ego becoming bigger than the songs...


Combine those things and I bet you will have a great start!
 
Welcome and great to hear that you want to start drumming. First things first...get a teacher. It's the best way to learn correctly the first time...everything from grip to rudiments and beyond. Otto is correct, learn good timing before worrying about the fancy stuff like fills. And I know you want to lean and improve as rapidly as possible but realize that there is more to good drummig than most people realize and be willing to learn at a realistic pace. It's not somethimg you comprehensively learn in 6 months or a year.

And again...find a teacher! :) You sound like you have a great attitude, that's half the battle. Good luck!
 
Not only is it good to get a drum teacher, it's even better to get one that inspires you to play drums.
Out of the two drum teachers I've had in my life that have inspired me, there was a couple traits they had that I find important.
1) Do they play out?
2) Do they make the band, or bands they play in, sound awesome?
Watching and hearing what they were playing within a band setting was so important to me as far as how to conduct myself as a drummer.
They both could read music and play many styles of music.

Also, another important aspect on good drum teachers, is that they should give you a feeling of inspiration to play the drums when walking out of a lesson.
 
I've been seeing a rudiment app ad on the Drummerworld front page recently. I wonder if that's what you mean. My phone is rather dumb, so I haven't tried any of that stuff. But, if you haven't got yourself a copy of the Stick Control book, then you should probably do so. Almost every drummer here has dipped their toes into that book.
 
It's always good to practice with tunes you love.

Second that. I wish when I was younger that was something I did more. It would of built my drum and song vocabulary up a lot more.
I'm forced to do that now that I'm in a band that plays many covers.
I think its improved my drumming.
 
Very cool that you're getting started! However, after you get started with a teacher, I would suggest putting the phone away, sitting down with sticks in hand at your pad, and drill away.

Nothing can substitute for the time being put in. I know you were talking about a metronome app, but I would suggest just spending another $30 and getting a cheap digital metronome. But even without a metronome, studying the mechanics of striking the drum is invaluable and doesn't always happen in time. When I was first starting out, I'd spend hours drilling on a pad, or on my lone snare drum. Sometimes in front of the tv, sometimes with the actual drum in my room. Good hands and reading skills are the keys to unlock all those ideas you have in your head!
 
There is an app developed by a member here that is cool- its called livebpm and it will tell you, in real time, what speed you are playing at. You can set it next to your pad or kit and play whatever you want and it listens and displays your BPM as you go and even graphs your work. Very cool.

I use it now and then when I get to jam to see how my tempo varies through a song. Sometimes its only a couple of BPM over a few minutes but sometimes its much, much more :0.

Congratulations on starting- if I were more savvy I would post some links to some hand technique videos (they are out there) and suggest a teacher as well if you can afford one.

I would take drumming one day at a time too- dont worry about getting good "quickly"
as you said because it could lead to disappointment. If you put in the time, you will get there but if you start out with a rushed mindset, you may get frustrated before making any progress. A little patience goes a long way.
 
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