Numerous individuals aspire to know just how to learn drumming and become a great drummer. But they often struggle with where or how to begin. If you’re considering embarking on your drumming journey, here’s how to get started. Then there are a few things you should keep in mind.
- First, practice often. The more you practice, the better drummer you’ll become.
- Second, find a good teacher. A good teacher can help you learn the basics and show you how to start improving your technique.
- Third, get a good drum set. A good drum set will help you produce a better sound and make it easier for you to want to practice.
- Finally, Experiment with various techniques to determine the most effective approach for your drumming journey. Find what works best for you through exploration and practice..
The steps can be reduced, presuming you already have a drum kit. Those new steps would be to find a good local teacher and then practice as much as possible.
With a little effort and dedication, anyone can discover how to learn drumming. It’s as simple as finding a local teacher through your local music store. Or by purchasing a good book for beginners. The next step is to begin learning. Once your instructor has shown you the basics such as how to hold the sticks. How to position your feet, and how to hit the drums. You can move on to learning the basic drum beats. And progress from there as you learn a few of the most common drum rudiments.
That’s all there is to it. No overthinking is necessary presuming you already have the drum kit. In this article, I will point to pertinent articles on this site rather than repeat myself over and over. But here, you will come to see a set of topics to pursue as you take your first steps into the drumming world.
Finding A Good Drum Teacher Who Teaches How To Learn Drumming
From this point, let us presume that you already have a drum kit. and so the first step is to find a good drum teacher. This linked article goes into detail to help the beginner find a good drum teacher and so I won’t repeat myself here. Suffice to say that it is as simple as visiting your local music store and asking them to recommend someone. They may have an in-house instructor so you can start there. Most stores would have a good drum instructor to get you started.
I say to get you started because this is a game or path of development. Everything along your new drumming path is a process of development. You develop your foundational skills and you develop your rudiments. You develop your drum beats and your ability to improvise well, over time. And so, you even develop your instructor or who you learn from.
But, this is more about expanding your sources of learning rather than replacing them. Having said that, you should replace a teacher or other source of learning as you grow. It is usually the case that you have outgrown the original source rather than replacing it. But still, when it’s time to move on, move on. And know that your previous teacher helped you get where you currently find yourself. This is one of the vital components of learning how to learn drumming that can be frowned upon. But all said and done, the student is really the teacher and so will know when to move onto different and hopefully better things.
Beginner Drumming Books
I must admit that I am biased in this area as I have written a set of 12 drumming books for beginners that demonstrate in a step-by-step process how to learn drumming. They cover a wide area of drumming in the least amount of time possible. That meant I had to create books of lessons easy enough for the beginner to follow. So developed a step-by-step process to learn to play drums as well as read drumming music. Each of the books has 4-6 drum lessons for beginners.
I won’t delve into the specifics here, but you can explore the initial instalment in the series by following the previous link.
How To Hold The Drum Sticks
Again, I will point you to a more in-depth article to help you learn how to hold the drumsticks in the correct manner.
And remember, this too is a process of development. And so don’t get too bogged down if things feel uncomfortable, to begin with. Everything new is bound to feel a little uncomfortable.
The trick is to not let those minor obstacles stop you from learning how to play drums. And to push forward knowing that you will become comfortable holding the drumsticks. And you can then begin refining your grip on the drumsticks as you grow.
The Importance Of Drumming Rudiments
As in all areas, the fundamentals are the most vital part of how to learn drumming and get the most from those first steps, and from the development process. For example, the better you know the alphabet, the easier it is to create words. The more words you know the better your communication skills. It’s the same with drumming. The better you can play the fundamentals, the better your drumming will be.
So what are the fundamentals of drumming? well, the fundamentals are so simple they hardly need practicing at all. But of course, this is a developing path and so all fundamentals need practice.
After learning the correct posture, how to hold your stick, and position your feet. The fundamentals of drumming are:
- Being able to hit a drum with your right hand
- Being able to hit a drum with your left hand
- Being able to play your right foot on the bass drum
- Being able to play your left foot on the hi-hat cymbals
We must focus on each to advance them one at a time. And that’s accomplished through the practice and development of drumming rudiments. I have linked to a full article that covers the most common rudiments. And so you should read that article and start practicing your rudiments. At your earliest convenience.
Drumming Questions To Ask Yourself
To conclude this introduction on how to learn drumming, there are some questions you should ask yourself to refine where you want to be as a drummer. What you want out of it and so on. So here are a few introductory questions to ask yourself.
- What type of drumming do you want to learn – acoustic or electronic drums?
- Who are your favorite drummers?
- Do you want to take drum lessons from a professional instructor, or learn from books instead? I would do both!
- What type of music do you want to play – rock, jazz, blues, etc.?
- How much practice time can you commit each day/week/?
So there you have it. But before we go, let’s recap what the beginner needs to do to learn drumming. Some tips and advice if you will.
- Buy some beginner-level drumming books or DVDs to get started
- Get yourself a drum kit
- Learn how to hold the sticks ( your instructor will help)
- Find a good local drum instructor
- Start by learning the basic beats
- Practice, practice, practice!
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes – everyone starts out as a beginner
- Listen to music that features drums to get inspired and learn new techniques
- Buy some beginner-level drumming books or DVDs to get started
- Read all the articles on this website and visit often. Because everything here is beginner friendly
Conclusion
I do hope that I have put before you an overview image of how to learn to drum. And so you will now know the steps you need to take to get started in the fantastic world of drumming and how to learn drumming in the most efficient manner. I have gained so much as a drummer and have worked in many exotic locations around the world. And so all that’s left to do now is bid you a bon voyage as you begin your journey into your own awesome world of drumming.
And don’t forget to let us know in the comments how you intend to progress from here. What is your first or next step into the drumming world?
