dvd/online lessons vs. traditional one on one

Tyger

Tyger

Senior Member
He everyone!

So I'm just starting out my journey on learning to play the drums and I wanted to hear from you all on which route to take? I know everyone one is different but I wanted to here the pros and cons of taking lessons online/dvd vs. one on one. I figure like anything else it's at least best to start traditionally with one and one learning the basics and use the online/dvd tools as I progress to "enhance" my learning. The are things like the Drumming system from freedrumlessons.com or Mike Johnston lessons that can be purchased online that I found very helpful and I've been thinking of going that route.

Lessons here are roughly $30 for 30min, is it worth it in the long run?

I do have music background, played the organ as a child and learned the guitar by ear and tab. In the 6 weeks on learning on my own I'm able to read notes but not too quickly yet, still takes me some time, and play some decent rock and funk beats. I've learned some beginner-intermediate fills, single and double stroke rolls, paradiddle, paradiddle-diddle to name a few. I'm still working on smooth technique and speed which I know will come in time.

I guess I should mention that I'm 36, not a young lad anymore :) Time is limited but I can make time maybe on sunday for one on one lessons. The great thing about dvd/online is that you can learn when the time best fits.

So what are your experiences and what has worked for you?
 
Tyger said:
He everyone!

So I'm just starting out my journey on learning to play the drums and I wanted to hear from you all on which route to take? I know everyone one is different but I wanted to here the pros and cons of taking lessons online/dvd vs. one on one. I figure like anything else it's at least best to start traditionally with one and one learning the basics and use the online/dvd tools as I progress to "enhance" my learning. The are things like the Drumming system from freedrumlessons.com or Mike Johnston lessons that can be purchased online that I found very helpful and I've been thinking of going that route.

Lessons here are roughly $30 for 30min, is it worth it in the long run?

I do have music background, played the organ as a child and learned the guitar by ear and tab. In the 6 weeks on learning on my own I'm able to read notes but not too quickly yet, still takes me some time, and play some decent rock and funk beats. I've learned some beginner-intermediate fills, single and double stroke rolls, paradiddle, paradiddle-diddle to name a few. I'm still working on smooth technique and speed which I know will come in time.

I guess I should mention that I'm 36, not a young lad anymore :) Time is limited but I can make time maybe on sunday for one on one lessons. The great thing about dvd/online is that you can learn when the time best fits.

So what are your experiences and what has worked for you?
Click to expand...

While you can learn a great deal from either type of instruction, it really all boils down to where you are wanting to go with your drumming. One on one is only as good as the time you committ to learning what you are given and a DVD isn't going to cover everything, much less what you will need to know about playing in a band.

Anything is worth it as long as you have a committment to do your part - learn.

I also want to take the opportunity to let you know about my DVD and Video Podcast available here:

http://www.mikemccraw.com

on the products page. It comes with a free book which the DVD follows and guides you through that book.

Hope this helps

Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com
http://www.patentcoachmike.com
http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.facebook.com/mike.mccraw
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemccraw
http://twitter.com/mikemccraw
 
I've learned things from both, but being my age (40s) I've been firmly ensconced in the one on one approach when I was a kid.

Perhaps you could take a one-hour lesson a month or something like that. When I took my few lessons with Ed Shaugnessy, he gave me enough information on three sheets of paper that I still work on to this day. Obviously this would be up to the teacher if they want to work with you this way. But sometimes you have to ask yourself if you're taking private lessons so you can have someone kick you in the butt weekly to make you practice, or if you have the self-motivation to continue working on your own. I say it's hard to not learn when you have an actual human watching what you're doing and making suggestions, which is something you won't get from watching dvds.

If you are a beginner, I highly recommend the teacher route.
 
DrumEatDrum said:
DVDs are cool and fun, but are no where even close to the benefits of a private lesson.
Click to expand...

I agree with this post as long as the teacher is first rate. I have found that many teachers who are very good players are not always first rate teachers. Way to many teachers just kind of "wing it" which may be fine for beginners or more casual players but I think an intermediate to advanced player who spends a lot of time on his/her craft needs a proven curriculum and may benefit more from a dvd by a master teacher such as Tommy Igoe or John Riley.

Like anything else in life it ultimately comes down to what YOU put into it. Try to find the best information you can weather from dvd or a teacher and work your tail off.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone!

Seem like the obvious thing to learn both ways, but yeah I can see how having a live instructor can benefit especially in the beginning.
 
At least Start with one on one lessons. In parallel, you can also work with DVDs if you have the time/energy.
 
Hi Tyger,

I started playing drums late in life (40+) and have now been playing for three years. I was not in a place where one-on-one was available, so had to make do with using DVDs and books. What I discovered, however, is that there are some amazing resources out there in this form now. Tommy Igoe's stuff, Jojo Mayer, Todd Sucherman - all great stuff that can take you a long way, even if you are not able to get one-to-one tuition. I also personally enjoy Rhythm Magazines DVDs a lot which have a good mix of different tuition bits.

In spite of making good progress with these things, I was worried that there could be some important areas where I am making errors technique-wise. I also wanted to ask an experienced drummer a big set of questions. So, I arranged to to a couple of one-to-one lessons with a really good teacher when back in the UK. These were great and I'm certain will help get me towards the next level. However, in a couple of one-hour lessons, it's understandably pretty limited in terms of what can be covered. I could not help but compare the amount of material in some of my DVDs/magazines/books with what I was able to achieve in the 2 x one hour lessons that cost me 30 pounds each. If funds are an issue (as they are with many of us), then my comment would be that you need to be very strategic in determining when is the best stage at which to have your lesson/lessons, and you need to be really clear about what you intend to get out of them.

I think my lessons worked for me. I did completely different stuff in each lesson, and requested specific guidance on a number of problems that I have. I got great advice on how to address these. However, two lessons was enough for me at this stage, and I can go away, work on the advice given, work with all the other stuff, and then perhaps come back for more on-to-one guidance sometime in the future.

So, as others have said, combining both approaches is great. My addition is simply that if funds are tight, be very strategic in planning your one-to-one lessons.

Hope it works out for you!
 
I agree with the one-on-one approach. In the beginning it's easy to pick up bad habbits and if not corrected can be a pain to shake later. And I don't think you need the best teacher at the moment, but rather someone who can help you get the basics, which is any decent drummer really. You do want someone with experience and not just your buddy next door, so be smart about it. You can also hit up your local stores and have them recommend some people. A lot of the shops in my area do in-store lessons at a VERY good price. After awhile, if you feel you have outgrown the intro teacher, then go find a University teacher or a pro to give you those once a month check-ups at $100 a pop or whatever. Cause at that point, you know how to play, it's improving and expanding, and who knows that better than a person who has been through it all?

Dvd's, books, magazines...they are all great. If you can get anything out of them that helps you, then it's worth it. But it's only a tool. You can't expect to grab a series of DVD's and then be able to play drums. Maybe some can, but again, it's those bad habbits that no one is calling you on that will hinder you down the road.
 
Travis22 said:
I agree with the one-on-one approach. In the beginning it's easy to pick up bad habbits and if not corrected can be a pain to shake later. And I don't think you need the best teacher at the moment, but rather someone who can help you get the basics, which is any decent drummer really. You do want someone with experience and not just your buddy next door, so be smart about it. You can also hit up your local stores and have them recommend some people. A lot of the shops in my area do in-store lessons at a VERY good price. After awhile, if you feel you have outgrown the intro teacher, then go find a University teacher or a pro to give you those once a month check-ups at $100 a pop or whatever. Cause at that point, you know how to play, it's improving and expanding, and who knows that better than a person who has been through it all?

Dvd's, books, magazines...they are all great. If you can get anything out of them that helps you, then it's worth it. But it's only a tool. You can't expect to grab a series of DVD's and then be able to play drums. Maybe some can, but again, it's those bad habbits that no one is calling you on that will hinder you down the road.
Click to expand...

What shops are in Wichita?

Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com
http://www.patentcoachmike.com
http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.facebook.com/mike.mccraw
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemccraw
http://twitter.com/mikemccraw
 
Online tutorials are often informative but:

  • It will not correct tour technique.
  • It will not stop or correct you when you are doing something incorrectly,
  • An online tutorial will not be able to assess your dynamic balance on the set.
  • It will usually not be progressive - going from step one to step two to step three.
  • You cannot ask an online tutorial questions.

I highly recommend that you seek out the best teacher in the area and sign up for lessons.

Jeff
 
Skitch said:
What shops are in Wichita?

Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com
http://www.patentcoachmike.com
http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.facebook.com/mike.mccraw
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemccraw
http://twitter.com/mikemccraw
Click to expand...

Midwest Drum and Percussion does both guitar and drum lessons. Senseney Music does a wide variety of things suchs as workshops, lessons, camps... It's amazing what music stores do for music in the area. They bring in pros for demonstrations, set-up concerts...it goes on and on. I suggest checking out what options you have in your area and what kind of things you can get into. I'm sure the bigger the city the more oppertunities that await.
 
Everybody could use more of both . . . it's not an either/or question. The best drummers are the one's who keep taking lessons from more and more teachers, watching more and more DVD's, and listening to more and more music . . . forever.

-sheldon
 
just one thing....youtube, and sites like this one are awesome tools that should complement the in-person instruction. Think about this.....in the 80s when I was getting started, youtube didn't exist. Why not take advantage of BOTH.
1. you can access videos, for free of all types of drummers and performances.
2. you don't have to commit to buying the full dvd of a particular drummer. Even in the 1980s when name drummers came out with their videos...it was such a huge deal. Now it seems like a distant memory. No one could have even imagined drummer's youtube videos then, let alone being able to look at 100 different drum video clips in a few hours.
3. the internet allows SO much more access to drum charts, transcriptions, drum books, etc a good teacher can use that as yet another tool for quick learning.
Don't be afraid of asking about the credentials, playing experience and specialties of each teacher. Good luck
 
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