DevonWelch
Member
If I want to be an amazing drummer, Id say i'm already pretty good but how long would you suggest playing a day if you want to be a top drummer in your area?
How long should I play drums a day?
- Thread starter DevonWelch
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groove1
Silver Member
If you want to become as good as you can you need to not only play but diligently practice
(with specific goals in mind) as much as you can. The other question about "in your area"....well that depends, I mean if you live in Manhattan NYC you may never get there but
if you live in the boondocks and there is only one other drummer within 100 miles...you might
already be the best. Keep the goal as becoming the very best drummer and musician that
you can become and do everything you can to achieve that goal. Have Fun!
btw, I envy where you live...BC wow! Talk about scenery!!!!!!
(with specific goals in mind) as much as you can. The other question about "in your area"....well that depends, I mean if you live in Manhattan NYC you may never get there but
if you live in the boondocks and there is only one other drummer within 100 miles...you might
already be the best. Keep the goal as becoming the very best drummer and musician that
you can become and do everything you can to achieve that goal. Have Fun!
btw, I envy where you live...BC wow! Talk about scenery!!!!!!
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DevonWelch
Member
Yeah, thanks man, I notice that if i'm just jamming out, I do the same fills/beats over and over again I totally get what your saying by practicing with goals in mind, I need to like get a specific challenging fill/beat accomplished every week I think.
I'm a youth drummer (16 years old) so offcourse I woudn't be as good as the adult drummers but while i'm a youth i'd like to be one of the best!
And yup BC is very nice!
groove1
Silver Member
wow..almost in real time! If you are in a band that jams or plays out some...try to learn things that make what you are playing the best you can come up with for each song then
expand on that along with other stuff you can practice.
When I was your age we all tried to play fast and faster, a lot. Full of energy, you know....now I'm in my 60's and can't play that fast like when I was your age but I try to play much
more tastefully than I did when I was young. If I could change one thing about how I played when I was in my teens it would be to try and be a bit more tasteful and less flashy when
rocking out....use the flash and speed more appropriately to fit the music better. That's just me though.
expand on that along with other stuff you can practice.
When I was your age we all tried to play fast and faster, a lot. Full of energy, you know....now I'm in my 60's and can't play that fast like when I was your age but I try to play much
more tastefully than I did when I was young. If I could change one thing about how I played when I was in my teens it would be to try and be a bit more tasteful and less flashy when
rocking out....use the flash and speed more appropriately to fit the music better. That's just me though.
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DevonWelch
Member
Well I notice over the few weeks, when I reherse with my band, I do start implementing new fills, improving tempo, and tight-ning up certain beats, but that's over time i'd like to speed up the process, i'm gonna get really into the rudiments, I do some but theres many I should try to perfect!
jopo
Member
personally I play for an hour then have a 30 minute break then play another hour every day and when I'm not playing I'm listening to whatever I play on the drums and study it by just listening to the drums and then I can learn songs very quickly
Now I can play nearly every song by;.system of a down, lamb of God, slipknot, metallica, korn and a bunch of other bands that I can't even be bothered to write down cost there's so many:-D
Now I can play nearly every song by;.system of a down, lamb of God, slipknot, metallica, korn and a bunch of other bands that I can't even be bothered to write down cost there's so many:-D
groove1
Silver Member
Ref the rudiments...I'm not that good at all of them by any stretch but I get a lot of use
from long rolls, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 stroke rolls, single stroke rolls, and various paradiddles.
I used to practice (in slow motion) different ways of sticking when going from drum to drum about the kit. RRL, LRR, RLR, LRL etc and of course those paradiddles. Practicing things
you want to do fast .... learn by practicing them slowly at first and gradually speed them up.
from long rolls, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 stroke rolls, single stroke rolls, and various paradiddles.
I used to practice (in slow motion) different ways of sticking when going from drum to drum about the kit. RRL, LRR, RLR, LRL etc and of course those paradiddles. Practicing things
you want to do fast .... learn by practicing them slowly at first and gradually speed them up.
Odd-Arne Oseberg
Platinum Member
Quantity comes onto play when were talkin world class levels, but it still needs to be good, well planned, focused and goal oriented practice. Take it slow, focus on details, quality, groove and comfort.
Singing, doing really slow linear and New Breed type stuff both with and without a click comes to mind.
Record yourself.
Work on your sound and dynamic control.
Write quick charts
Work on how to build a song.
You offcourse need to do a bit of technique and conditioning practice, but going nuts with anything else, though needed at an advanced level, is way down on the list compared to this other stuff.
This means you could easily spend the whole day on something related to drum practice including all the stuff to find new inspiration.
Though, if we're talking about songthing isolated like e.g. building endurance and speed on double bass drums there's an obvious limit to how long one could do focused high intensity exercise in that regard.
Short focused bursts are great. There's a different limit with each of us to how long we could stay totally focused on a task. It's usually somewhere between 15 to 45 mins. Part of practicing is to increase that time.
You just have to analyse and see what works for you on a regular basis. Regular being the important thing here. Marathon practicing isn't very constructive unless that marathan lasts an entire vacation or something. Make a plan and spend a few minutes at the end of each day commenting, analysing and refining it.
This being said, a day off here and there is important.
Also learn to practice without your instrument or even just in your mind. Good alternative to counting sheep.
Singing, doing really slow linear and New Breed type stuff both with and without a click comes to mind.
Record yourself.
Work on your sound and dynamic control.
Write quick charts
Work on how to build a song.
You offcourse need to do a bit of technique and conditioning practice, but going nuts with anything else, though needed at an advanced level, is way down on the list compared to this other stuff.
This means you could easily spend the whole day on something related to drum practice including all the stuff to find new inspiration.
Though, if we're talking about songthing isolated like e.g. building endurance and speed on double bass drums there's an obvious limit to how long one could do focused high intensity exercise in that regard.
Short focused bursts are great. There's a different limit with each of us to how long we could stay totally focused on a task. It's usually somewhere between 15 to 45 mins. Part of practicing is to increase that time.
You just have to analyse and see what works for you on a regular basis. Regular being the important thing here. Marathon practicing isn't very constructive unless that marathan lasts an entire vacation or something. Make a plan and spend a few minutes at the end of each day commenting, analysing and refining it.
This being said, a day off here and there is important.
Also learn to practice without your instrument or even just in your mind. Good alternative to counting sheep.
DrumEatDrum
Platinum Member
Most of the top guys talk about 8-10 hours a day.
Mad About Drums
Pollyanna's Agent
It's not so much how long you should play in a day, it's what to "play" and "how" to play it. It's also how much can you take and still remain focused, concentrated and productive, maybe 10 hours is too much and you'll achieve more in 4 hours, many factors will depend on "how long and how much" should you play/practice.
You want to be an amazing drummer, fine, it's good to have a vision, but to be an amazing drummer in many styles takes a lot of work, knowledge of music, being and sounding authentic whatever style you play (rock, pop, jazz, funk, reggae, hip hop, metal, prog rock, etc.)
Have you got a teacher? he/she be able to guide you as far as learning and practicing is concerned, with a proven method that has shown results with students who really want to learn.
You want to be an amazing drummer, fine, it's good to have a vision, but to be an amazing drummer in many styles takes a lot of work, knowledge of music, being and sounding authentic whatever style you play (rock, pop, jazz, funk, reggae, hip hop, metal, prog rock, etc.)
Have you got a teacher? he/she be able to guide you as far as learning and practicing is concerned, with a proven method that has shown results with students who really want to learn.
Atrocity89
Junior Member
As long as you practice for an hour or so a day your going to get better without even noticing. I find that when i sit down at my set and focus on a couple of songs to play along with and learn, i end up playing for hours without even noticing. Learning a variety of different bands music really helps when it comes to jamming with other people...will have a lot more fills and ideas floating around in your head naturally from playing different styles of music when you practice by yourself.
richkenyon
Silver Member
Until the neighbours come round!
Atrocity89
Junior Member
Haha right, sometimes i gotta remind myself i can't play at midnight
Just enjoy your playing and dont sweat this "top, amazing drummer" thing, that is subjective anyway.
Play what you love and enjoy playing/practicing. When you are not enjoying it, or forcing yourself to practice, that is the time to stop.
Also, have other things in your life, find a balance. There are lots and lots of amazing drummers, sitting in there practice spaces 12 hours a day, that no one has ever heard of and probably never will.
Play in bands, play in the real world, and enjoy the experience of being a "good" drummer.
I would take that accolade any day.
Play what you love and enjoy playing/practicing. When you are not enjoying it, or forcing yourself to practice, that is the time to stop.
Also, have other things in your life, find a balance. There are lots and lots of amazing drummers, sitting in there practice spaces 12 hours a day, that no one has ever heard of and probably never will.
Play in bands, play in the real world, and enjoy the experience of being a "good" drummer.
I would take that accolade any day.
slowrocker
Silver Member
When you get out of school, practice until about 8 at night, and when there is no school, play 8 hours a day. If you don't want to be average or even good, then don't practice like everyone else.
