# I want to learn drumming **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 19, 2020, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644 "2020-01-19T02:48:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/21 "2020-01-22T05:01:34Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Oh, wow, yeah. That looks like a nice starting kit. Oh yeah, that’s a nicer and more expensive kit than my electronic set (hey, it was on sale). The best part is that you can use whatever kick pedal you like with it. Even the base Pearl kick pedal from my acoustic set was a lot more easy to control than the one that came with my base Simmons set. And yeah, slow any beat you are trying down as much as you can tolerate when practicing. When you have it nailed slow, you’ll be better when doing it fast. That works on any instrument I’ve tried. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/22 "2020-01-22T12:54:09Z")
Oh, and listen to The Who. A lot. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/23 "2020-01-22T14:17:33Z")
That kit looks sweet… I’m tempted! Yeah, practice slowly with metronome. Learn to count quarter/eighths as 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. Add sixteenths if needed as 1 ee and uh 2 ee and uh… Start with good ergonomics from the beginning. The are many good online videos to help you. A drummer should be able to play for hours without getting too tired and without getting cramps, sore back, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/24 "2020-01-22T15:09:11Z")
And familiarize yourself with triplet patterns - they’re one of the most effective weapons in a drummer’s arsenal for adding some variety to otherwise-straight beats. Listen to Ringo Starr’s drum fills for good examples. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/25 "2020-01-22T17:29:01Z")
> [@K364](#): > > That kit looks sweet… I’m tempted! > > Yeah, practice slowly with metronome. Learn to count quarter/eighths as 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. Add sixteenths if needed as 1 ee and uh 2 ee and uh… > > Start with good ergonomics from the beginning. The are many good online videos to help you. A drummer should be able to play for hours without getting too tired and without getting cramps, sore back, etc. Yeah, playing relaxed, with a loose body, is pretty key. You shouldn’t be tightening up your muscles to keep up with a beat. If you are, you’re going too fast and need to build up to that speed. There’s a video – wait, lemme see if I can find it – [here it is](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0tMwlcoJmM). It’s Stewart Copeland giving a class to an amateur drummer. If you watch at around 1:20 onward, you can see just how tight and tense he looks drumming (okay, I might be a bit tense, too, drumming for Stewart Copeland, but you know what I mean.) Note Stewart’s advice at around 1:50 “Relaxing is what it’s all about.” ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/26 "2020-01-22T17:32:14Z")
Easy: just watch some videos of Neil Peart’s drum solos, and do what he does. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/27 "2020-01-22T18:08:37Z")
Oh yeah, and one final thing. Sometimes when listening to the drum part in a song that you want to learn, you’ll hear what sounds like an impossibly fast and precise sixteenth-note rhythm on the hi-hat, and you’ll think, “how in the hell can I possibly play that, on top of all the other things in this beat?” And the answer is, you can’t, because it’s a shaker. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/28 "2020-01-22T18:12:43Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > Oh yeah, and one final thing. Sometimes when listening to the drum part in a song that you want to learn, you’ll hear what sounds like an impossibly fast and precise sixteenth-note rhythm on the hi-hat, and you’ll think, “how in the hell can I possibly play that, on top of all the other things in this beat?” And the answer is, you can’t, because it’s a shaker. Or it’s Stewart Copeland or Carter Beauford playing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/29 "2020-01-22T18:31:54Z")
I just want to be ready when I’m in the audience and the drummer passes out on stage, and the band calls for a drummer from the audience, like [Scot Halpin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scot_Halpin). That happens a lot, right? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/30 "2020-01-22T20:57:58Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Easy: just watch some videos of Neil Peart’s drum solos, and do what he does. 🙂 I used that same technique to learn how to play guitar: I just watched and listened to Frank Zappa relentlessly, then I just put my fingers where he did and _voila!_ I sound just like Frank Zappa! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/31 "2020-01-22T20:59:08Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > I just want to be ready when I’m in the audience and the drummer passes out on stage, and the band calls for a drummer from the audience, like [Scot Halpin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scot_Halpin). That happens a lot, right? Oh man, you have no idea… as a stagehand, if I had a nickel for every replacement drummer I’ve seen needed at the last moment… ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/32 "2020-01-23T00:29:56Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > I just want to be ready when I’m in the audience and the drummer passes out on stage, and the band calls for a drummer from the audience, like [Scot Halpin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scot_Halpin). That happens a lot, right? Follow a Spinal Tap tour. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/33 "2020-01-23T02:37:47Z")
I knew a drummer who thought “five to the bar” meant the combo was taking a break. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/34 "2020-01-25T17:28:41Z")
Been ‘playing’ for years, badly. Nothing to add. I’m not so much a drummer, just a guy that owns drums. Have fun. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/35 "2020-01-25T22:32:10Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Plus, if you’re trying to protect your hearing, you probably want to be nowhere near a snare drum. The cymbals, though (especially a nice 20" Paiste “Rude” China Crash:)) are significantly worse for causing tinnitus. (A moot comment, though, if we’re dealing with electronics.) Unfortunate, **markn+** , you didn’t get an acoustic one soley for the joy of standing up on the kick drum in moments of narcissitic glory and world domination. Bought your flashpots yet, I trust? ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/36 "2020-01-26T00:34:11Z")
I’ve had the set for two days now. I don’t think I fully appreciated before now how inept my left hand is. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/37 "2020-01-26T03:54:57Z")
What exactly are you trying right now? Playing to songs? Any instuctional videos / manuals / in person? As mentioned earlier - crucial to have the kit as ergonomically set up to your comfort / striking zone as possible. Fighting with your kids over it? Can you (still) kick their ass technically? Will you need to soundproof the room or is it down in the basement (so that your wife won’t hear)? Yeah, not a bad-looking kit. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/38 "2020-01-26T04:20:25Z")
I’ve been following some YouTube videos. I did watch a couple about setting up a drum kit, and have spent some time fiddling with mine to where I think it’s pretty good for me. I’ve done a few of the beginner lessons from this guy: [Beginner Drum Lessons - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7lhIEq2-30Bzh9biiS1IO31tE16CjUr2) He also has a structured series of lessons that you can get from his website. I started the first lesson. He wants me to do alternating eighth notes, then alternating 16ths, then alternating sextuplets. I’m really noticing that at higher speeds my right hand is doing fine and my left hand gets very sloppy. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/39 "2020-01-26T04:43:47Z")
I suggest you play along with an **easy, slow** song from whatever genre of music you like, and just do nothing but play with that song until you can play along with it perfectly. Then, after you’re able to duplicate the original drum part, add something to it. And just keep experimenting with adding your own little fills to it. Keep at that one song until you are as comfortable with inhabiting the rhythmic space of that song as you are with breathing. With a slow, easy song, this should not be hard. I think this is the best practice you can get and I’d do this before you even try to watch any instructional videos. When I started playing drums, my song was [Cripple Creek Ferry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_4qLDUoBX0) by Neil Young. I swear I didn’t play a single other song on those drums for about a week. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644/40 "2020-01-26T05:10:52Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > I’m really noticing that at higher speeds my right hand is doing fine and my left hand gets very sloppy. I’m aware you know this (and stated multiple times earlier), but does needs to be reiterated - slow is beautiful. Especially when you say your left hand has been lacking: in a perfect world, it’s good to advance so that your left hand can do what your right can. It’s possible that this might not be achievable to a 100% extent, but at least (especially when practicing rudiments on snare, say) try to focus maybe a little more on your left hand, for a bit, with, dare I say, boring weaker-hand exercises. One example, [this dude](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clap3PLe82c) shows some good exercises (as well as having a metronome click, _and_ showing tab!). While his explaining might be a bit much, when he gets to the [actual demo](https://youtu.be/clap3PLe82c?t=96) it’s really easy for any beginner to follow, and one of the advantages here is that his weaker hand is the left one, which he’s accordingly tailored the exercises to. And, as **Lamoral** said, something off _After the Gold Rush_ won’t hurt, either.🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-drumming/846644.md?page=3)