Getting started - Videos - Lessons Etc.

Beefsock

Junior Member
Hello,

I have been drumming for just over 2 months now on my Roland TD-1KV set.

I love it.. I have mainly been watching videos such as drumeo and I purchased another CD on drum grooves.

The great store where I purchased my drums does teach lessons and I am debating whether to drop some money on that to make sure I have a good foundation.

The kicker here is that I am 45 years old and I just do this as a great hobby, although I have told my wife and kids that if I get good enough I will have to leave them to go on tour as a studio drummer.

So this post is just to get some beginner ideas from people who have been playing a while and to make sure I get the most out of my learning how to drum..

Thanks all..

Mike..
 
Welcome to the forum. Start off with the correct grip and posture. Those videos should get you started on a few basic exercises. Keep working at it, a little every day.
 
Beef, sign up for the free trial at Drumeo, i started at 44 myself and spent a year there (and will be signing up again soon) it was easily the best money i have spent as far as lessons/learning goes. I learned way more on my year there than i have since i left (2 years ago, just cheap and stupid of me) and more than i have from teachers in person.

P.S. anyone that cares to dump on this please list how long you were a member as i find most people that put it down actually never tried them or know anything about it. thanks :) (i only am putting this cause someone always chimes in and turns out they have zero reference.. love you guys)
 
Beef, sign up for the free trial at Drumeo, i started at 44 myself and spent a year there (and will be signing up again soon) it was easily the best money i have spent as far as lessons/learning goes. I learned way more on my year there than i have since i left (2 years ago, just cheap and stupid of me) and more than i have from teachers in person.

P.S. anyone that cares to dump on this please list how long you were a member as i find most people that put it down actually never tried them or know anything about it. thanks :) (i only am putting this cause someone always chimes in and turns out they have zero reference.. love you guys)

Thanks for the post. I have been using the free drumeo so far on youtube and I do like how they show how to hit the drums, the timing and the music notes so I can be part of it.

I think I will spend the money on them soon.

R'Amen...
 
I started a few years ago at age 43, so you're not alone (though I love to learn new things, and I hope that feeling never goes away...). The nice thing about a live instructor is that they'll notice things about your playing that you won't notice at first. Eventually, you might be self-aware enough to notice these things, but as a beginner, you probably won't even know what to watch out for (in terms of posture, grip, timing, etc.). Of course, this assumes that you have a good instructor who is paying attention. I also like having someone who can answer questions and provide immediate feedback.

Online lessons are good, too, and I've been using a few in addition to the live lessons. But the live lessons have helped me the most. Your mileage may vary...
 
The great store where I purchased my drums does teach lessons and I am debating whether to drop some money on that to make sure I have a good foundation.

It's probably a good idea to make sure the drum instructor is a working pro, with experience in drum set, marching band/drum corps, musical theater, etc., with many years teaching experience.

Here's some things a real teacher can do, that videos can't:

1. Show you how to swing the sticks, and tell you what you're doing wrong, in real time, and suggest exercises to improve your method.

2. Assess your strengths and weaknesses, and advise you on WHAT to work on FIRST. (Why spend time learning a bunch of beats, if you first need work on coordinating your right hand and right foot?)

3. Keep you accountable for making progress in between lessons, and encourage you.

4. Connect you with other musicians who are also learning.

5. Work with you on the songs and music you like.

Video lesson programs are best when used alongside real lessons, as a supplement.

And, as nice and convenient as e-kits are, they're good for about a year or two, at which point they difference in feel and playability becomes too big to ignore. Not trashing your kit -- just be prepared to jump off the acoustic kit bridge at some point. :)
 
In addition to everything else,
1. Learn to read
2. Start playing with other people.

And not necessarily in that order
 
Thanks for the post. I have been using the free drumeo so far on youtube and I do like how they show how to hit the drums, the timing and the music notes so I can be part of it.

I think I will spend the money on them soon.

R'Amen...

Beef, you won't regret it.. you get out what you put in is the truth.. and they have anything from unboxing/setting up to advanced polys which hurt my head :)

BTW.. as someone above said.. play with other people, i will never play with anyone (anti-social and i hate humans) and it hurts my playing for sure..
 
Drumeo is a great resource, but that's what it is. It's not really in depth in anyting and they cover things that represent several lifetimes of study, not what everyone needs to know. Use it as inspiration for what intersts you and to open up doors.

I teach beginners for a living, that's what I do.

There's really no magic to what I do. There's a basic thing we go through and at some point it turns into a more of a mentor situation. Situations today often make it sort of a mixture very early on.

In any case there a some basics.

Hand technique:
You need guidance with this and even then be prepared for different instructors disagreeing on stuff. For you this really just means try stuff before you decide. The bsics of stick motion are the same though, regardless of technique. Bouncing and getting the tone and feel is the deal. Don't be in a rush with the fancy stuff. Only drummers care and it takes years to master.

Reading:
Yeah. And this isn't necessarily about becoming a great sightreader. It's true that thats's need only in a few situations. It's mainly about having a visual aid to understand rhythm and being able to communicate and store ideas. That's already plenty of reasons.

I build up a routine that's very traditional wih my students. It's just minimized to fit their level, age and what I can get them to do. Like with ostinato pratice we don't do every possible combo I just have a sheet with what I find the 10 most important ones and then be build on it later at some point. A lot of it is based on standard groups of 3 and 4, syncopation, most important styles, working ostinatos, fill every 4 bars etc... That's the framework. I just do it in smaller more managable chunks that open doors and inspire them to keep going and learn to work.

Work on your hands reading and rudiments.
Work on groove indenpendence and styles.
Work on the music you want to play and let that inspire the rest of your routine.
Many songs will be outside your reach tachnically, but understand that song structure and basic understanding of the style is the important thing. That's the real skillset and then build on that.
Don't get bored by simple stuff. Any professional knows a bunch of tricks to make those things hip with taste and control. This is where the little things like ghost notes, flams and doubles make all the difference, so don't skip that even if you don't see the point for a while. A good teacher will show and teach you a few examples, though.

The thing is how you work with that stuff and with what intention.

One can easily go through a whole book without learning anything if you don't work it the right way, in context, get it to a high enough level of technique and concentration. There's a reason one of the greatest teacher's like Alan Dawson always worked in context of a song or Gary Chester had people sing. In the end it's a about sound, groove and musical control.
 
Drumeo is a great resource, but that's what it is. It's not really in depth in anyting and they cover things that represent several lifetimes of study, not what everyone needs to know. Use it as inspiration for what intersts you and to open up doors.

It is great for inspiration, but they also have you send in videos of yourself to critique your technique and help fix any issues and also setup a personal teaching plan for each student if they want it to help guide them in the direction they want to go.. Alot of people never take full advantage of what they really offer on a personal level :)

Now Drumchannel.. holy crap.. that is the worst money i ever spent on anything drum related they would just toss out really bad videos with no actual personal teaching and was a waste of time.

Arne how long were you a member if you don't mind me asking? I am guessing it was before i was there.
 
Oh, I'm still a member and doing Weckl's thing, too. Might take a break now jt to save some money for a while, but it's sort of like the 500 drum books I have on my shelf. I'm a teacher and want to have choices in how I do things. I don't go through them all as my own method of practice, it's just ideas that often inspire my way of teaching.

I'm really just mentioning the experience that might get a bit overwhelming for some. The way I gather information and sort of overload is no way to learn an instrument step by step.

Sort of have to agree on Drum Channel.
 
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