boomstick
Silver Member
When I was a beginning drummer, I took lessons from the same teacher for about five years. Since then I've grown and learned quite a lot, and in doing so I've come to realize that my teacher was not a very good one. It saddens me to say this, because I really liked the guy, and he was super enthusiastic. But he failed to identify and correct numerous problems with my technique, both hands and feet, that took me years of practice and research to overcome, although I'm not fully there yet even now. I also realize now that this teacher was not very focused. He had me working out of several instruction books simultaneously, and I don't think I got past the halfway point on any of them, so I never achieved what those books were designed to accomplish. He never introduced me to a metronome. He never taught me how to tune drums. I could go on. Unfortunately, since I was a beginner, I didn't know any better, and so continued to be his student. He was a good player, and he would amaze me with his skills, but he was simply no good at teaching them. The thing that really bums me out is I think I would be a much better drummer today if I had a better teacher.
So how can other beginning drummers avoid this fate? I will say that anyone who starts out these days is extremely lucky to have so many online learning resources, like this site, youtube, etc., none of which were around when I was learning. Aside from my teacher, the best I could do was read Modern Drummer, or painstakingly search for concert footage of drummers so I could figure out how to play certain things, but I don't think anything quite matches in-person instruction from a good teacher. But since there is no sort of certification for drum teachers (none that I'm aware of) how is a prospective student supposed to know whether a teacher is qualified or not?
So how can other beginning drummers avoid this fate? I will say that anyone who starts out these days is extremely lucky to have so many online learning resources, like this site, youtube, etc., none of which were around when I was learning. Aside from my teacher, the best I could do was read Modern Drummer, or painstakingly search for concert footage of drummers so I could figure out how to play certain things, but I don't think anything quite matches in-person instruction from a good teacher. But since there is no sort of certification for drum teachers (none that I'm aware of) how is a prospective student supposed to know whether a teacher is qualified or not?