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Drummer help

Meine liebeMeine liebe Posts: 203
edited December 2006 in Musicians and Gearheads
I just bought a Yamaha drum set and I am just starting to play. Any tips for a first timer? Any good DVD's or books or even websites for drumming novices?
I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too.

Mitch Hedberg
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Comments

  • Stardog ChampionStardog Champion Posts: 19
    Play..... play play play and play some more. Doesnt need to even be on the set. Carry drum sticks around your house and just work on making your wrists better. If possible take lessons for a while from a known drummer in your area, they really help. Also don't just try to make yourself the fastest drummer. Work on control of the sticks especially in your non-dominant hand. Also try to work with different types of time signatures like 5/4, etc... Playing with music helps some times once you get the basics down. Listen to all types of music too. Jazz especially since it's drumming is often non-conventional. Just remember to always play whenever you have free time. If I learned one thing, you only become better at drums if you practice your heart out.
    "Ok... if I smoke a joint Pittsburgh will soon be my favorite place on the planet. Somebody throw up a lighter come on. Ok we got the lighter. And this is a Marlboro Light, what kind of fucker..."
    -EV

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  • PatrickBatemanPatrickBateman Posts: 2,243
    Start by playing/tapping these patterns and count out loud while doing it (unless in public) Repeat each line like 8 times. and most important, DO NOT try and whip through them, play them slow until you get them nice and clean.

    Picking up a metronome would be a good idea as well.

    L=left hand or foot
    R=right hand or foot

    (1234,1234,1234,1234.........)

    LRLR LRLR LRLR LRLR

    LLRR LLRR LLRR LLRR

    LRLL RLRR LRLL RLRR

    RLRR LRLL RLRR LRLL

    LLLL RRRR LLLL RRRR

    RRRR LLLL RRRR LLLL

    For these count 123,123,123,123


    LRL RLR LRL RLR

    RLR LRL RLR LRL

    LLR LLR LLR LLR

    RRL RRL RRL RRL

    RRR LLL RRR LLL

    Then play the above patterns with your hands and tap your left foot on the '1', then switch to your right foot.


    should get you started
    If a man speaks in a forest and there is no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?
  • sp0kesman40sp0kesman40 Posts: 2
    not taking away from the two above replies but the best way to get started on drumset is to pick your favorite song and listen to that all the time. dont try to play it. just listen to it for like a week or so until you can play it back in your head. then try to play it on drumset, youll be surprised. youll do better than you would think. then just practice that song. once its mastered, pick a different song. good luck my fellow drummer
  • MichaelMcKevinMichaelMcKevin Posts: 1,161
    Once playing basic and simple rock beats gets easier, i'd set some speakers up and turn em loud enough so u can play with a cd, perhaps a mix of songs u want to drum to. I did that for 3 years before i got my first lesson. You learn a lot just from listening and playing along. If you can afford it, I recommend a month or 2 of lessons just to learn the right positions to hold the sticks and whatnot. It's not uncommon for drummers to get tendonitis in your elbow, and it sucks
    Camden I '06, Camden II '06, Bonnaroo '08, Camden I '08, Camden II '08, Philly Spectrum II/III/IV '09, MSG I '10, MSG II '10, Made In America '12, Wrigley '13, Brooklyn II '13, Philly I '13, Philly II '13, ...
  • yosi1yosi1 Posts: 3,272
    PatrickBateman wrote:

    For these count 123,123,123,123


    LRL RLR LRL RLR

    RLR LRL RLR LRL

    LLR LLR LLR LLR

    RRL RRL RRL RRL

    RRR LLL RRR LLL

    Why'd you leave out the parradiddle in 3/4?


    More tips, get a teacher. They help, a lot. Also, there are some great books that can help too. Try stick control. The different patterns that Patrick Bateman posted are also a really good place to start. By a drum pad (just a piece of rubber on wood) and practice those on your pad with a pair of sticks. Then try working them around the set. But at least for a while, I'd get a teacher.
    you couldn't swing if you were hangin' from a palm tree in a hurricane.
  • PatrickBatemanPatrickBateman Posts: 2,243
    yosi wrote:
    Why'd you leave out the parradiddle in 3/4?


    That was next weeks lesson :)
    If a man speaks in a forest and there is no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?
  • yosi1yosi1 Posts: 3,272
    PatrickBateman wrote:
    That was next weeks lesson :)

    Oooooh. That means next weeks lesson is really fun! Also, there are lots more paradiddles that I can bring for practicing!
    you couldn't swing if you were hangin' from a palm tree in a hurricane.
  • PatrickBatemanPatrickBateman Posts: 2,243
    Also:

    LRLRLL RLRLRR LRLRLL RLRLRR


    Practicing RLL RLL RLL RLL at a fast tempo helps with my ghost notes

    BTW, I just watched Chad Smith's dvd and although it isn't the best for teaching beginners, it does show how he plays alot of songs from Blood sugar sex magic and how playing for the song not to show your chops really matters.

    Watching the drummers play really helps as well.

    Thomas Lang's dvd is great but is pretty advanced and may make you give up too soon....haha
    If a man speaks in a forest and there is no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?
  • alice's pearl gardenalice's pearl garden Posts: 33
    ive been playing for alittle over 3 months and i havent looked at a single sheet of music or read anything about drumming. i just listen closely to a song and rewind a part i wanna learn. just listening to a song can do alot. from doing that i can play the main rhythm of stinkfist by tool, intro of angry chair, a much more simplified version of no excuses, and i can probably play all of the song grind by alice in chains. pick simple songs to listen to and try to play. u may be surprised. but i do reccomend learning how to read music. sometime i just jam and play some cool stuff i guess and i have no idea wat im doing. i want to learn how to read music and learn some rhythms.
  • mol.cameronmol.cameron Posts: 94
    just play dude. to begin with, playing along(not exactly but closely) to music helps. after a while, its fun to play with other musicians as well. listen to lots of music, identify drum patterns. most of all, enjoy!
    'we were coming close to being on lunchboxes'- e.v 2000
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