I've finally decided to get lessons

[JT1]

Yep the time has come, i feel that i am stuck in a rut that i can no longer get out of. I want to be able to express myself in different ways and be able to execute things accurately and fluently.

I have agreed to one hour a fortnight as he is a busy guy and he will be teaching me to learn sheet music and i can't wait.

Does everyone here think that this is an appropriate amount of time or do you think that i should be getting more hours in from a teacher? I will be putting in about 4 hours a week practice (on my kit) on top of my lesson do you think this is ok? I can also spend a bit more time on just the pad.

I think what i'm looking forward to most is practicing properly, if i don't have someone pushing me then i never bother to learn anything new which is a huge downfall. Knowing i have things to learn for when he comes back will be a huge motivation for me.

I'd be grateful for your thoughts everyone.

[Big Foot]

Hey JT1,

I just started lessons also for very similar reasons; "to execute things accurately and fluently" but also musically. I found I needed help to understand the song and it's structure and how I should be playing it. My teacher is a 25 yr old university grad w/ a degree in jazz studies - I'm 45 yrs old. I'd heard good things about him so I gave it a shoot, so far so good. He motivated and knowledgeable now I just have to do my part. And that's the hard part - finding time to practice in a house full of people...

I think you can have you lesson plan fit your ability to practice the actual lesson. Some of what you're going to learn will probably be away from the set, like transcribing and just lestening etc. But ultimately your teacher will and should know how much you can get done and how and when.

[Witterings]

An hour every 2 weeks should be fine, I found that now I need probably less lessons because it pointed me in the right direction of what I should be practicing and once you realise that you start finding other things to practice yourself, your limitation then becomes practice time rather than how much he can show you during the lesson - that's my experince anyway.
Don't expect miracles overnight either it still takes time but strangely enough it's about a year ago now I started having lessons and this morning I refelected about where I was a year ago. It has taken a long time and relentless practice for me to really start feeling comfortable and using some of what I've learnt other bits came into effect almost immediately.
Before you go to find someone have a clear idea in your mind what you want to try and achieve from them and talk to whoever you're considering about it 1st and how they'll help you get to where you want to be. One of the things I was paticularily interested in learning was gospel style so teh person I chose is a gospel drumming freak :-)

[Drums101]

Yeah that's definitely enough lessons and practice. I get lessons once every 3 weeks and I do fine. I get pointed in the right direction for the lesson and then I have a good amount of time to really perfect it.

[JT1]

Hey guys, thanks for the replies.

Well luckily the guy is my friend who has been taking lessons himself for years and he knows almost every style in the book.

I had my first lesson last night and he brought along some basic swing for me to try. I had never played swing in my life but i really got into it. So anyway he told me to have them learned for my next lesson so i'm gonna practice like crazy.

Well anyways he pushed me way out of my comfort zone and i like that, it has me interested in a style that i've never even considered playing.

Can't wait to get practicing now!

[toddy]

in terms of the time you put in, well it depends what level you want to achieve. in terms of teaching, an hour every two weeks could be fine. it really depends. there are so many people here with different ambitions when it comes to drumming that what is fine for one person may not be for another.

you will only get out what you put in. if you are happy with that amount of practice/lessons then its fine!
i will say that it is a much better idea to have a teacher than not to! good luck.