Back to drumming after several years... "I suck!"

BigG

Member
Hey Fellow drummers, I'm new to Drummerworld here but scrolling thru as a guest and reading, I've found that there are tons of experience and knowledge here by other musicians and it's great to be able to talk "drums" with others in the know.
I played drums for about 10 years and then took about a 12 year break from it after getting married, raising a family etc... Priorities first you know?..anyway, my question is have any of you taken such a long break from drumming as this and what was your playing like when you started back?.. Ill be the first to admit.. I suck bad! My technique is awful, my timing is awful, and it's almost like starting all over again and learning from scratch. I know what I want to play in my head but everything is so off! I'm afraid I'm slowly losing interest in drumming because of it... Any of you (old timers) gone thru this?.. Did you have the same issues? Thanks for your responses in advance and again, it's great to find so many knowledgable drummers in one place!
 
I played an acoustic kit in my late teens to early 20's. Quit when life happened and after a 30 year break (I'm 57), got back into drumming... with an E-Kit.

For me, over all those years, I kind of had in my head doing drum stuff, so mentally I was staying in time, listening to fills, tearing apart song structure. Tap things out in the steering wheel or my desk.

So when I jumped back in with both feet, I was rusty, but got it back fairly quickly. A few months probably. Fact is for me, I know I play way better than when I did young. I'm just a different person. Take things more seriously music wise AND try not to let things bother me. For instance, I'm thrown challenges all the time on new songs. Instead of freaking... I calm down, take it slow and build up.

And if you are anything like me, I need to practice... a lot!!! I can get by being OK, but I know I'm better practicing everyday.

Don't lose that drive. Figure out what works for you and keep the momentum going.
 
Yeah, it's been quite difficult getting back into things. Equipment has changed, drums have changed, it's a whole new world to me right now but well get back in the groove of things before long. After 2 elbow surgeries, both carpel tunnel surgeries and a back surgery from years past, the wrists and arm flexibility just aren't there from years past and it's somewhat frustrating at times.
 
It takes a while. I only took about a 6 year break. And you are right, everything changed over the years. I bought a new kit for the first time since the 80's, and the way things are tuned, and set up are all different now.

Do lots of forum reading, check out peoples kits. Go to open jams. I've been back at it for 4 years now, and I've finally moved ahead from where I was when I gigged all the time. There was a long frustrating stretch of knowing what I wanted my hands and arms to do, but not having them respond. Keep at it, its worth it.

I also bought a good edrum kit, it really helped me a lot.
 
Great advice there Whiteknightx, everything really has changed! ( for the good) I must say. Drums resonate more, equipment is better, and the cymbal choices are unreal!.. The information that's available now via drum forums, youtube, etc. is a drummers dream and something I never had when I was playing a few years ago. Back then, if you wanted to learn a certain lick that you heard on a song, you either bought the sheet music and learned it or figured it out trial and error. Ha!.. There's no excuse for not learning this day and time with the abundant of information out there.. Thanks again guys, your input is much appreciated and encouraging at the same time!
 
Big G....it'll come back if you practice. I took a 40 year hiatus and started up about a year ago. Brain remembered all the stuff I played, but muscles said "are you kidding?".....keep in mind I not only played professionally, but when not gigging, etc., I practiced at least 8, sometimes 10 or 12 hours a day, everyday. After the time away, it took a few months to get it together again. Big difference for me is not technique or laying down rhythms, it's stamina. Things are not the same when you're a geezer. Best of luck and have fun with it Big G
 
Some days I go into the practice room after having not played for a week or so (like last night) and just couldn't bring my flow into focus for some reason and that makes me feel sucky.

Oftentimes it's not your playing that feels off, it's your flow.
 
... Big difference for me is not technique or laying down rhythms, it's stamina. Things are not the same when you're a geezer. Best of luck and have fun with it Big G

same for me: 53 yo, got me a Roland TD-11K about two months ago after a 20-year hiatus and stamina/speed/flexibility in the joints are the major issues.

trying to play at least half an hour each day (but that's not always possible) and I think I feel things are slowly coming back.
 
Played in my teens and 20s and then got back at 55. I decided to try to do it right and devoted a lot of time initially doing rudiments to get my chops back (mixed with playing to keep it fun). I try to always be learning a new technique to keep my motivation going (e.g. halftime shuffle, Bonham triplets). Go for it!
 
I took off about 4 years when I moved into a townhouse and wasn't able to practice. It took a long time to get back to where I was. But Billy Ray hit the nail on the head; even now if I take a few days or a week off, it just doesn't feel right. It is like my brain tells my hands what to do and they just don't respond. Very similar to when I try to run after not running for a while and I feel sluggish and slow.
Keep at it, go back to basics and practice your rudiments. It will come back..just not over night.
 
Hey...
Lots of us 50 something's getting back into it. After donating my double bass Vistalites to the local High School about 20 years ago, the urge to get back my chops was too strong to resist. ( or maybe to much beer and Styx in the garage!) I found a Pearl Export for a couple hundred bucks on Craigslist and have been working on it for the last couple of months. I can see it, feel it, just can't quite do it.........yet😊
 
I'm getting back in the game after 18 or so years. Same as you...marriage, kids all that good stuff. I've found that a lot has changed...the stuff I want to play is really different from what I played as a kid into my 20s. I played a lot for 20 years and find that my brain says go, but my limbs can't get there yet.

One thing I think I have now is more maturity, patience and hopefully discipline. I took lessons and practiced a lot in the early years, but I focused on rocking out. Now I'm really interested in approaching drums in a more musical way. I'm also psyched to get my kids involved in music with me.
 
So I played on and off, mostly on, from 5 years old until 23 years old. Because of medical reasons I had to stop playing and sell my kit. Then family and life. Kept saying I can always play again and finally at 54 I decided I better get going.

It has been 2 1/2 years since I started playing again. I am playing in a band and playing out so that part is a success. But I still don't think I am technically as good as I was even at 14. So it takes time and a lot of practice.

The best part about starting up again after all that time is this thing called the internet. Heck, I did not even know about home computers when I stopped playing so many years ago.

Like all things, practice the right things well and set a goal to keep getting better. Record yourself and honestly assess your abilities and work on the things you need to fix the most.
 
I had a 3 year lay over about 6 years ago.

I am in my mid-50's as well. The best advice I can offer from my own experience is to get out the Stick Control book and the practice pad and start doing the rudiments at least 30-45 minutes a day on a practice pad. I promise you it will pay off in as little as a few weeks.
For many years, I used to view drumming as physically demanding, but now I play better than I ever have at any point in my life. I started at age 8, peaked at about age 19, but that was mainly due to the benefits of youth. Now, thanks to practicing rudiments, looking at YouTube lessons from greats like Joe Morello, and others, I have focused on improving my grip, playing relaxed, wrist and finger involvement, and really just going back to the very basic stuff I had skipped over in the days of my youth.
 
I have taken a few different breaks in my life.
I'm just coming back from a few year break.

Good news is - the values in new kits are better than ever.

It will come back. I would recommend just enjoying the return to play with just playing along to things you are familiar with. Just to get the brain and body connecting again. I wouldn't look too closely at all the monster instruction yet - if you are like me, it can sometimes get discouraging.

Enjoy the return, and then maybe pick a couple of specific areas you want to work on. If you are not a geezer like me yet, maybe you even want to look for a band.
 
Similar thing here, although I had to quit due to injury. It's been about seven years now I think and just recently got back to drumming. I never practice though. I just sit on the drums and try to have a good time.

I am hoping to take lessons again but they are very pricey in Melbourne and I now have a mortgage so will see...
 
Like everything else in life, get back slowly to avoid injuries, practice every
day and it will come back. And enjoy every minute of it !
 
Hey all, good to see I'm not the only one getting back into this after 25 years off! Like everyone, I find that my hands and feet are not always ready to do what my brain says, although I am much less rusty now (5 months later). Stamina also is a problem, I am almost back to where I think I could play with a band, except I am not sure I could play two sets. I try to practice drumset at least 1/2 hr to 45 min per day, and do rudiments/drum pad 20 -30 min. And, I am sure I will be better than I was as a kid, I have more sense of dynamics and subtlety than I did as a headbanger. As others have said, the equipment is so much better it encourages dynamics - I picked up a pristine used Yamaha MCAN set and it really 'sings' - especially compared to my old Tama Swingstar.

Stick with it and check in often!
 
I'm a hobbyist player, and had taken lessens for about a year back about 1981. I've been a hobbyist bass player for the last decade, and a couple years ago picked up a Gretsch 57 jazz kit on closeout. Hadn't done as much as I had wanted for the last year.

Picked up a couple additional shells off Ebay. This gives me 10, 12, 14, 16, toms with the 18 kick. Planning to add an additional 20" bass drum which will give me a wide variety of ways to use it all. Mostly plan to run a basic 4 piece and move shells around as the mood and music calls for. Picked a decent collection of cymbals and just recently upgraded all my hardware to mid, and better pieces that work well.

I'm working daily now going through Stick Control, and Joe Morello's Master Studies. Checking out Drumeo, and Mike Johnstons stuff, and really working to play, and not just make noise from the throne..

I suck bad at trying to play, but that's ok. I do this for fun, and treat the learning process as something I get to do, and not something that I need to get through as fast as possible. I'm just enjoying it, and working to improve one small step at a time. With age, (53) comes a different attitude and focus to study and learn in a better way.
 
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