I'm a bassist but life has been very tough recently and I have found myself feeling like I need something new in my life to focus my time and energy in a positive way.
I played snare way back in middle school and always missed playing but my parents were never cool with me having a set and I never had space until recently.
Does anyone know if there are any good beginner DVD's I should look into getting? Or should I say fuck it and get actual face to face lessons?
All I know is that I'm very excited to finally have this opportunity and I'm 100% motivated to learn and dedicate time to learning my kit.
Please let me know!!

Hey good for you boss, happy for you, and quite inspiring. If you are already familiar with basic drumming beats, then I would advise you to seek out some face to face lessons, or at least someone that is experienced in drumming that you can physically share your practice with. I have been a classical piano player all my life, but I took a leap and started to learn the drums these past 2 years. From my experience, you can honestly teach yourself a lot, just from being already musically trained in another instrument. I started by watching some lesson videos on Youtube and simply trying to freestyle simple beats from some songs I like. Soon though, I found my growth to be stagnated, because I didnt really have a real point of reference aside from my own opinion.
So I reached out to my local community, I met some drummers, and they shared a lot of insight. I even paid for some lessons just to compare what I have learned myself and through others. Some lessons were excellent, while some seem like scams. However, having someone experienced jam with you or guide you in person, really develops your basics and foundation in the instrument, which I found invaluable.

Thanks for the reply! I’ll have to seek out some drummers in my area and see if someone can show me the ropes 😁

This is the most powerful advice that helped me become a solid drummer:

1. Practice fundamentals. There are 40-44 drum rudiments that you need to practice to be good. Get a practice pad and sticks, this is the practice you can do anywhere, and should be doing as much as possible.
https://vicfirth.zildjian.com/education/40-essential-rudiments.html

2. COUNT, and learn to read sheet music. From the get go.

Sheet music can be a pain, and counting can be a pain when you first start out, but developing good habbits early will save you time re-learning down the line. I played my drumset for like 4 years before I actually re-learned good habbits. I could have saved myself a massive headache by not listening to my ego, "I can play it without counting" is a fools quest.

3. Disciplined practice.


Small tips would be make sure you're using a proper grip, there are a few to practice with, and proper posture when playing.

Worry about specializing your sound once you master a few modes. Some people put themselves into boxes, "I'm a metal drummer, I only need to practice blast beats" is a mistake. Drum lessons online are plentiful, and you can absolutely focus on improving almost any single element of your playing, should you know where to look, and who to study.

Doubles:


Quads:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSrO1fqZElQ

Fills:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB-6KfIhTW0


A lot of speed on the drumset is just mastery and application of rudiment, I find a large overlap between metal drummers and blues drummers in terms of raw skill.

Finally, politics:

Neal Peart was the greatest to ever do it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWRMOJQDiLU


Gene Hoglan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FArpzF1Sn68


Mike Mangini
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe8XKgOuNtk


Chris Adler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6fO_UYrLN4

This post was edited by swmtrunks on Jan 23 2022 04:05am

Also checkout these kind of videos.



This post was edited by swmtrunks on Jan 23 2022 04:19am

badass dude thank you so much!

Most of all, have fun, make noise, and trust the process.

Remember, pound your drums if want,
but please don't hit your cymbals hard.
Your bandmates will thank you.

One thing I’d like to add to is one of my favorite things to do after any practice routine would be to finish with listening and playing along with your favorite music. Grab some headphones and try to copy everything you hear.. it helped me dissect songs and get a deeper understanding on what the drums are doing. One of my favorite drummer I try to emulate is carter Beauford.. check him out;)

It's all about context...

Edit: skip to 2:22 - timecode didnt work in the embed



This post was edited by dysgenics on Apr 5 2022 05:35pm