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Learning to play drums

31 by Peripatetic_Archive
scott wrote:if you play too soft, the drums will not sound their best. if you play too hard on everything, the cymbals will sound like ass. mostly it's good to play damn hard on the shell drums, but cymbals generally sound like shit when you hit them super hard.


The above comment is bullshit. Didn't you learn in like 5th grade drum lessons that a "good drummer can also play soft".

"If you play too hard on everything, the cymbals will sound like ass." What kind of cymbals are you playing? That statement is simply not true. At least not true for every drummer/cymbal combination.

I guess I just think it's bad advice to tell a beginning drummer how hard his cymbals should be hit (not as hard) relative to his "shell drums" (damn hard). It's confusing to someone who at this point only wants to know about limb independence. And it's a weird general piece of advice that I've never heard anything like before and can't find any truth in.

Do you think the above advice about volume would apply to every drummer? No drummer can play softly and sound good? Dave Weckl should hit at the same middle of the road level as Dave Lombardo as Damon Che as the guy in Shellac? And it won't vary from song to song or even note to note depending on the player and the music being played/noise being made?

That said, my advice is to make it as fun as possible even when you're practising your ass off. Don't let it turn into, "ah come on mom, my piano lesson isn't 'til Tuesday, I'll practice tomorrow".

I learned all the technical things/theory, etc. at school. I learned how to play the way I wanted to play by playing along to my favorite records (this was what kept it fun all the time for me).

And as far as your using all your limbs thing, do what Rotten Tanx said above; as always, RT speaks the truths. Get to where sitting down and playing a standard rock beat is like taking a shit.* Other stuff will come.























*Assuming taking a shit is pretty easy and basic for you.
drew patrick wrote:Peripatetic will win.

Learning to play drums

32 by nick92675_Archive
i mentioned this in the bass drum thread, but play from the wrists not the elbows.

also on the loud/soft thing, it's often pretty useful to try things slow and quiet to get your bearings and independence, then once it's second nature start speeding it up and hitting harder. those little hot rod things are good for that. a lot of it is muscle memory and getting your limbs to move without thinking about it.

this is also a great band practice technique to nail down structures and things like that. once everyone has it down pat, crank up the amps and switch to sticks and lay into it - depending on your band of course...
post honeymoon | bang! bang! | new black

Learning to play drums

35 by dontfeartheringo_Archive
Pibroch wrote:
fedaykin13 wrote:
Pibroch wrote:Throw some headphones on, once you get the basics down, some REAL cans, or earbuds, and play along with your favorite music. Start with plain and simple 4/4 stuff, then get a little more complicated. This is how I learned to play more tightly. You'll never find better practice aside from playing with actual other people, IMO.


Thank you Pibroch.

This is how I initial learned to play guitar.
I think once I get the basics down and can move hands and feet as one
I'll try this


I learned drums this way, as well. :)
Redline wrote:Not Crap. The sound of death? The sound of FUN! ScrrreeEEEEEEE

Learning to play drums

36 by The MayorofRockNRoll_Archive
Rotten Tanx wrote:
fedaykin13 wrote:
I think where I may run into my first bit of trouble is the whole
playing hi-hat, snare, and bass drum
the sort of chewing gum and rubbing your belly at the same time

I can keep a beat doing 2 of the 3 but not all three yet.


Excuse me if this sounds condescending but it doesn't sound like anyone's answered this yet and it's pretty effing important.

Everyone who sees my electronic kit for the first time wants me to show them how to play a beat. About 50% can do it within five minutes. I think it just comes to some people naturally. Here's what I tell them:

Start playing the high-hat, slowly, and counting four in your head. Hit the bass drum on one and the snare on three. Some people find this impossible. If/once they can do this I tell them to play the bass drum on one and two the second time around.

At this point start again with just the high-hat and then try to forget it altogether. Let your hand go into automatic mode. Then you're free to add and subtract the bass drum wherever you see fit. Try to put it not only on various beats but inbetween them.


I've noticed some people find it easier to play the bass drum on every beat and then use the snare to make it sound funky. This is fun but probably not the best way to learn.


This is good. Or, what you could do, is do the high hat four-count and say the words 'boom' and 'tap' for kick and snare. Try to kick and hit the respective drums as you say it. You can actually figure out a lot of patterns that way.
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Learning to play drums

37 by scott_Archive
Hey Peri, note my use of the word "too" before the use of the word "soft". And note where I talked about dynamics, and intensity, and how intensity and tempo are something that drummers should learn to vary separately from each other. And then read what you wrote where you make it sound like I said Dave Weckl and Dave Lombardo and "the guy in Shellac", and look at how silly it looks.

Playing soft is important if you're playing jazzy stuff, or highly dynamic stuff, or if you're in a quiet band in general. I don't think I ever said anything contrary to that. In fact, I can recall conversations I've had with drummers in bands I've played in where we pointed out that you don't have to hit hard all the time, that sometimes backing off and hitting softly is what's required.

Also Peri, if you've found that wailing on the cymbals as hard as you hit the snare sounds good, then that's cool. I've noticed the exact opposite. Also, if you've ever recorded your drumming, I would guess that you've noticed that the harder you hit the cymbals, the harder it is to get isolation in the recording, the harder it is to get a useful room sound, stuff like that. The best are the guys who put their hihat as close to the snare as they can get it, so they don't have to move, and then run into shit when trying to record, with the hihat being goofy-loud in the snare mic(s).

There are no rules, surely. But in general, trying to hit the shell drums squarely and solidly, and trying to be mindful of not wailing on the cymbals to the point where they're the only thing a listener is going to hear, these are good things for a drummer to look for, I think. Maybe I'm totally wrong. I'm basing this on my experience as a drummer second, and as a recording engineer first.

Heh. Dave Weckl.
"The bastards have landed"

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Learning to play drums

40 by fedaykin13_Archive
I really appreciate all the responses so far

Unfortunately I've been unable to practice on the actual drumset, but did try the whole "air drumming"

all i can say is i'm really looking forward to the moment when the snare/hi-hat/kick epiphany happens

I feel like i'm playing a video game and i've gotten in trouble in a tough spot and resort to hitting all the buttons

one odd thing i've noticed though is in the past when i do air drumming i seem to want to use my left foot for the kick drum despite being a righty and feel i should be drumming righty.

this might come from tapping my foot to the beat when playing guitar and because my right foot is under the body of the guitar i use my left instead

does that make sense?
scott wrote:It was fun. We laughed, we cried, most of us shit ourselves as far as I know. What a world.
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