Do i suck at drums?

rachelle94

Junior Member
I've been playing for about 4 years and started out my 1st year in a school then subsequently self taught. During these years i mostly learnt songs by ear and i don't practice stuff such as strokes and rudiments. Also i'm in a averagely known local thrash metal band and many drummers from the scene say i'm great(maybe they didnt mean it). Just today I signed up lessons with one of the most respected drummers in my country and he said some of my basic techniques are incorrect and i should start from scratch. I feel like a loser and i should give up drums. Should I?
 
Just because a drum teacher tells you that some of your technique is incorrect, doesn't mean you have to or should quit...if the teacher is right, then I say listen and learn from them..constructive criticism isn't a bad thing...
 
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I've been playing for 30 years without a lesson (someday). If a teacher was to evaluate my style, he'd probably tell me the same thing. Does that keep me from playing Black Dog or Smells like Teen Spirit just like on the record? Hell no! If it's in your blood, then it's in your blood and that's all that matters.
 
hey man, even if you DO suck, don't worry. EVERYONE sucks at some point, and there isn't a time hack to reach your full potential (Peter Erskine, a jazz legend of our time, started drums at 18). if your peers are giving you the thumbs up, then they see a class act drummer in the making! there's a difference between a drummer who's at the basics phase, and some guy that just makes noise. just keep at it, remember: with learning new exercises, start off slow, keep your wrists relaxed, move the sticks smoothly, nail the riff then REPEAT REPEAT REPEAT!!!
 
So you've been playing four years. So you've just now started taking lessons. I would say that you're actually in a really good position to drastically improve. Four years isn't a lot of habits to unlearn. But it will take some dedication and hard work to do.

Four years is a long time to fruit flies, but not to musicians. Imagine how well you'll play in twenty, thirty, forty years. And you're doing the right thing by taking lessons. Stick with it, don't get discouraged. I see drummers older and younger than me every day who are miles better than I am, and it doesn't frustrate me (much) - - it inspires me.
 
I feel like a loser and i should give up drums. Should I?
No matter where you are as a player, there are always gonna be people better than you .... and worse. No big deal. You need a little technique adjustment. We probably all need a little something somewhere. No reason to throw in the towel. A little guidance from an instructor is always a good thing. And as long as you enjoy thumpin' the tubs, that's all that really matters.​
 
Sounds like your pride was hurt a little! Maybe you believed your peers (who think you're great) a little too strongly.

You can play a lot of drums with limited technique. Rock, thrash, punk -- those genres of music don't require a lot of sophisticated training or experience. The question is: don't you want to go beyond where you are? Right now your thrash band is exactly where you want to be, but your musical tastes will change eventually.

Excelling at a musical instrument is not so much about talent, it's about attitude! And right now, your attitude is "after a few years, someone thinks I need lots of work, so I guess I'll quit". My advice is: learn to enjoy the learning!
 
If drums are in your heart that's what matters,if you enjoy it & have a good time playing then you will get better.

don't. give up.

Bonzolead
 
You need to get the "quit" word out of your vocabulary.

We all suck, welcome to the club.

Your self worth should have nothing to your drum skills, they are 2 separate things.

Learn to work positively with criticism, not want to quit over it.
 
I think teachers are often set on a few basic truths about technique that comes from an accumulation of knowledge and experience over a long time. If a self-taught drummer shows up, more than likely they are going to want to improve everything you're doing. It sounds like your teacher phrased it poorly, big deal, but in the end s/he sees a lot of ways to help you.

The smartest thing you can do, imho, is get a teacher. The best way to use a teacher is to throw yourself wholeheartedly into his or her method. Trust and commit. I promise you will be happy with the results.

I see you as this: the local acclaim and compliments from your peers is a sign that you have the natural ability, and the fact that you went out and made yourself a drummer on your own steam means you have the heart required. The next step, young Jedi, is your teacher, your Yoda.
 
You need to get the "quit" word out of your vocabulary.

We all suck, welcome to the club.

Your self worth should have nothing to your drum skills, they are 2 separate things.

Learn to work positively with criticism, not want to quit over it.

+1.All good advice.I think unless you were classicly trained for four years,any good teacher will find flaw in your technique.Thats why lessons are important from the very beginning.
Mike Portnoy says he is self taught.So do quite a few pros,and I would guarentee,if you sat them down with a great teacher,he would find plenty of flaws.You're still in a great position to learn.

Steve B
 
I've been playing for three years and I say I suck most of the time.

But if I listen out, I'm really happy with how I play and what I can play.



Don't start getting locked into the "I'm bad, I'm gonna quit".
 
Look at it this way. Dave Weckl, Steve Smith, Neil Peart and some others went to Freddie Gruber for lessons later on in life and he corrected their technique. We can all use some guidance at any point in our careers. If you're able to keep a gig in a band then chances are you don't suck. Take the lessons, learn something new and you'll just be that much better. Would Chuck Norris quit?? I don't think so!
 
Keep your day gig and take some lessons and keep moving forward. Most people think if your in a band and someone comes to hear you and someone else hires you that you must be pretty good. Now we know thats not true and all though I have no idea what a "thrash metal" band sounds like it does sound like music lessons are needed.
I didn't know Freddy Kruber played thrash metal and I've heard Chuck Norris play drums and he better not quit his day gig either. Doc
 
Good advice given already. Come back and ask that question after you've been going at it for at least 30 years. But usually by then you would've gained perspective and if you love doing it, you'll find that it just doesn't matter.

You could thicken your skin a bit, though. If you can't take constructive criticism, or at least see it for what it is (either constructive or a criticism) then being in the entertainment business is probably not going to be your cup of tea.
 
he said some of my basic techniques are incorrect and i should start from scratch. I feel like a loser and i should give up drums. Should I?

No! You shouldn't quit because "a respected" drummer teacher says that some of your technique is incorrect, it is a "normal" comment. You're self taught, therefore, you could make some "mistakes" in his eyes and/or are lacking some basic technique, or at least the interprertation of your technical abilities.

Technique is not just rudiments, it's much more than that, you should have a go with the teacher, see what he will bring into your playing, you have nothing to loose, if you don't like it, you can change the teacher or not taking lessons at all. It's your call...

I play for over 30 years now, and I'm self taught, but if I had the chance of starting again, I would have a teacher, that's for sure, so I would propably "suck" a little less when I play sometimes....

many drummers from the scene say i'm great

Well, here we are, that just prove my points, you are doing something great, technique is only a "tool" that will help you to perform better, with more ease, and in the end, you'll end up even greater....

....don't give up drumming :))
 
Just today I signed up lessons with one of the most respected drummers in my country and he said some of my basic techniques are incorrect

as long as you r comfortable in playing those techniques and the final product sound good to your ears, you should keep on doing it. In my opinion, there are no basic "rules".

General trent is "if a famous drummer does it, people approve!!"
 
OK why did you go to the teacher in the first place? Was it to learn something? If so what did you expect you were going to learn? So a very good teacher tells you something and you get all upset! Wow you are going to be hard to teach.

Everyone tends to be good at certain things and less good at others. The best players tend to be more versatile and the best students are those that try to extend themselves. So no you don't suck at what you can already do. But do you want to do more and better?

as long as you r comfortable in playing those techniques and the final product sound good to your ears, you should keep on doing it. In my opinion, there are no basic "rules".

General trent is "if a famous drummer does it, people approve!!"

This is very poor advice. Technique is fundamental and nothing to do with the fashion set by 'famous' drummers. Sort out technique and everything becomes easier and your musicality can start to express itself. Having a poor technique is a huge disadvantage and will limit you for the rest of your life.
 
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