So I’ve been playing guitar for 12 years or so and am probably a 7.3 on a scale of 1-10 in talent, which is fine with me. But the last couple of years I’ve really been losing interest in guitar and find myself really wanting to try my hand at drums. The thing that concerns me is that I’m 30 years old and I’m not sure about a few things so let me aska couple random questions:
How steep is the intial learning curve? It took about 2 months before I was able to have fun playing guitar, you know, playing songs and what not. I’m primarily a rock/metal guy so I would be aiming for fast rumbling beats.
The biggest concern is this though: I THINK that, unlike guitar, drumming is something you either CAN do naturally, or you CAN’T do at all. Basically, either you have it or you don’t and no amount of practising is going to make you a good drummer if you can’t move all 4 of your limbs at different tempos (rub your belly pat your head).
Having played in a few bands I also know that it’s much more expensive, and loud, to jump into drums than it is to try guitar. I can’t throw a bunch of money at a decent, neighborhood friendly kit and find out that I can barely keep any sort of beat.
Bottom line: Can you teach yourself drums and is it a situation of either you CAN or you CAN’T?
If you have the coordination to play guitar, you should be able to pick up the drums. I would say that the learning curve in drumming is not very steep, but it is very long.
You could probably learn a simple rock beat in one day. Almost anything beyond that just takes time and practice. I’ve been playing the set on and off for 10+ years, and I am still learning.
If you know someone that is a drummer, it would be helpful to have them give you some instruction, but you could probably teach yourself.
(part-time drummer) - As a guitartist and keybaordist turned-drummer, I’ve found two things to be true with drums:
It’s much harder to play drums than it seems like it should be; it’s like bowling or golf in that respect, in that it looks really easy until you actually sit down at the equipment and suddenly realize that you can’t make all of your limbs do the things that they’re supposed to do. You WILL get better, even after just a few hours of bashing away at it.
Moreso than many other instruments, it’s important to learn correct techniques when playing drums; if you learn the wrong way, you’ll always be a pretty shitty drummer (or a loud but sloppy one). But if you pick up a few basic correct techniques, you’ll build on that and be a better drummer faster.
If you’re gonna take the leap and buy a kit, don’t go cheap on it. Buy something by a real manufacturer, not one of those generic beginner’s kits. It might set you back $500-1000, but you won’t have to deal (as much) with cracked cymbals, malfunctioning pedals and stands that don’t. I made that mistake, and I’m still paying for it today.
Oh, and to answer your question, yeah, I think pretty much any schmo could do it. As brewha said, you’ve already got the coordination to tell your hands what to do. Now you just gotta add your feet. It’s not that hard. You’ll probably be amazed at how much you suck at first, but it gets better. The best part is, you can practice basic beats on your shiny new air drums sans noise pollution. Try that with a guitar.
I just jammed with my 9-year-old son this weekend for the second time. He is taking drum lessons and inherited a full kit from a friend of mine at work (I would never have gotten him a full kit so early in his learning).
He locked into a standard rock beat (kick snare kick-kick snare, while keeping time on the high-hat) and even changed it up during a switch to the chorus!
The point is that it seems like some basic stuff can be learned pretty early on that would make drums fun and reasonably satisfying. I suppose having a knack for it never hurts - my son appears to have more of a knack for drums than I ever had - but I bet passion and practice can make up for lack of natural talent in most cases. Lord knows, that’s been true of me and guitar!
I’ve taught a few people to play over the years and I think the break point between CAN and CAN’T is a sense of rhythm. If you already play another instrument well I’ll assume that’s something you have. That’s a good start. The rest really is just a matter of putting in the time (not as easy as it sounds, I know). Getting to 7.3 in twelve years is very do-able if you are willing to put in the time, and it won’t take two months to start having fun, either. You won’t be playing Dream Theater any time soon (if ever, but who can?) but you can still have fun playing real music a lot sooner than on the guitar IMO.
You’ve been given some really good advice here already. I would add that learning the hard rock/metal kind of music you want to play is going to take a little longer than just simple beats, but you can teach yourself. A LOT of famous drummers are self-taught, so it can be done.
Having said that, I think the best way to learn is to play on your own long enough to get a feel for the instrument and then take some lessons. This way you don’t waste time and money before you are ready, but you’ll still get the benefit of learning the “proper techniques” that VCO3 mentioned. A good teacher will teach you things you might not think of on your own as well as teach you what “proper techniques” to safely ignore. If nothing else, they can teach you the proper care and feeding of your kit (tuning, changing heads, replacing snares, setting it up so it doesn’t hurt to play and a hundred other things you don’t know about, yet).
As for buying a kit, there are several ways to go. The best thing would be to get a good used kit for a fair price, but that’s going to be very hard for you to do without help. If you know some drummers (that you can trust to look out for you) they can help you find a good kit that can be resold (hopefully for little loss) if you decide it’s not for you. Stick with established brands and stay away from “student” or “beginner” kits. You might get lucky and find a really smoking deal, but I would count on investing at least $800 for a basic kit. Add to that for any “extras” like double pedals or fancy hydraulic motorcycle-type seat for instance.
If that’s not practical, do as Team of Scientists suggests and don’t go cheap. I’d put the minimum at $1500 for a new kit with cymbals and hardware. (I’d count on fifteen and hope for twelve.) Going this route gives you a LOT more choice as to what is available. 'Most any configuration, color, size or combination thereof will be available. But, buying new drums is like buying a new car. When you drive it off the lot, the resale value drops significantly. You’ll be lucky to be able to sell your $1500 kit for $1000 a week later (unless the store has a better return policy than any I’ve ever heard of).
And (so as not to ignore brewha) I’ve been playing for 30+ years and am still learning. (And still having fun.) I’d say “Go For It!”
If nothing else, they can teach you the proper care and feeding of your kit (tuning, changing heads, replacing snares, setting it up so it doesn’t hurt to play and a hundred other things you don’t know about, yet).