Want to learn how to drum. Any suggestions?

[AdrianCC100]

I have always been interested in learning how to drum. So I have been thinking about buying an E-Kit drumset.. But I'm not sure what I should get.. I'm looking for something mainly for beginners that is good quality and won't break the bank. Any suggestions?

[Shadowbane]

Learning to play is super easy, I think drumming is one of those easy to learn, hard to master things. I got a real kit at first but it was pretty big and loud and opted more recently to get an electric kit. If you're just beginning I wouldn't opt for anything too expensive, since you might just do a 180 and realise the whole thing isn't for you. You pay for what you get, though you might get things you don't care much for, like having a thousand different voices to assign to each drum when you might only need, use or want around a hundred.

Even the lower-end electric kits are fine and a quick google / Amazon search can yield plenty with highly rated feedback and reviews. I'd advise going to a music store and talking with some folks in there about it, maybe have a go on both if they'll let you. They'll have some more up to date and appropriate suggestions to offer depending on your preference and budget.

[Fencers]

Electric drum kits are can vary in price a lot. But post #2 has the best advice- just a simple Google or Amazon search will steer you toward kits that well considered and in the price range you set.

As for actually learning the drums, I would suggest seeking lessons. Basic techniques are crucial and get you much closer to actual drumming once you have an understanding of how to drum on a fundamental level.

Disclosure: My husband is a drummer. I live with the damn things pounding away in the basement everyday.

[Sierra85]

find a drum teacher in your local area and ask them. that way you can learn off of something the teacher has recommended.

[Nanaboostme]

Start with just the snare drum. Don't go straight into a drum set.
After snares, add in the Foot Pedal Bass Drum followed by hi-hat.

If you are uncertain whether you would stick with drumming long term, buy a pair of drumsticks and drum pad first. Its something you would still use frequently


That's an example of the Tenor Pad I used while in Marching Band Drumline. The other pic being a version for snare drummers. Easy and quiet to practice with anywhere.

You can always buy a cover pad you put on top of a snare drum.

[Tommy T]

Everyone can play an electric drum kit.

If you're interested in learning and developing a good technique, I recommended hiring out a studio a couple of hours a week. Get a tutor to teach you on an acoustic kit. That bouncy rubber on an electric drum kit is only going to hinder you. I'm a big fan of e kits, but I just don't think they suit a beginner.

You need to develop the correct control techniques. An acoustic will be harder, but you will actually learn how to play and play well.
As poster above said, focus on the snare at first.


Drummer of 15 years. I've been teaching for 7 years.

[Detritivores]

e-drums are soulless and weird to play. I highly recommend getting an actual drum kit. When I started, I bought a midrange Yamaha imperial star 5-piece that served me well for a very long time. As for lessons, I took snare drum lessons for 1 day when I was 5 years old and then never took lessons again. After that, I locked myself in the attic with my drums and London Calling and I didn't come out until I could play every song. Obviously, everyone learns differently. Maybe lessons would help you. But whatevr you do, please play actual drums. You won't regret it. Best of luck.

[Nanaboostme]

As many has said, E-drums are not effective, but I would not recommended buying a drum set right away.
Definitely take classes where you get to use the class drums. Buy a drum pad that you can practice at home.
If you eventually see it as a long-term hobby, then I'd invest in a drum set.

[Nanaboostme]

That's quite the american way of thinking though, rudiments and drum corps. Well, not that I don't think it bad to first learn some hand technique and rudiments.

definitely the hand technique is the primary first chapter since it can easily turn into a bad habit with wrong posture. After that you really have a good portion covered. and of course playing with 30 other people really helped with synchronizing/tempo/coordination but of course that isn't something to be focused on in the earlier part of the latter. It's best to add in each drum part as you get familiar with it than jumping into the whole set since that body coordination takes time to build up

[Nanaboostme]

You can get a used set for like 300 € and sell it again if you stop playing, it's not that expensive. Most people here spend more than that on games, subs and microtransactions each year anyway.

if you look at it independently or from one perspective, yes. When you include the combination of these type of circumstances, its a time saver and any money you can invest or save will add up.

Gotta think in terms of: Getting and moving all that equipment, finding a spot in your house while considering neighbors, having knowledge on the type of set you wanna buy etc. which is best after playing for a while, etc A lot of conflicting factors for someone whos never even held a drumstick to just buy a drum set right in.

Taking a studio class and playing on teh instructor's drum set first is the wisest choice

[endlesswaltz]

first thing i recommend, and this is coming from a guy whose played drums for the last five years, if taking two hours to tune your kit doesn't turn you away than thats a good start, make sure you have friends who also play, drumming Alone can be fun but playing with others is far better. also make sure you have a truck or some means of transport, and lastly drums will always have the most freedom as far as extension pieces and different toms, snare, percussions, cymbals so you can always fit pieces to your preference

btw electric kits are bad kits doesn't teach you anything about where to hit on the toms/snare and the range of different sounds you can make

teachers are okay i guess but take it from someone whose spent all of high school playing, nothing beats the satisfaction of teaching yourself how to play

[Nanaboostme]

first thing i recommend, and this is coming from a guy whose played drums for the last five years, if taking two hours to tune your kit doesn't turn you away than thats a good start, make sure you have friends who also play, drumming Alone can be fun but playing with others is far better. also make sure you have a truck or some means of transport, and lastly drums will always have the most freedom as far as extension pieces and different toms, snare, percussions, cymbals so you can always fit pieces to your preference

btw electric kits are bad kits doesn't teach you anything about where to hit on the toms/snare and the range of different sounds you can make

Drum tuning is definitely for the moderately advanced players hence why its best for beginners to learn from an instructor with his/her own set first. And as for what 'turns off players from drumming' mentioned by others here: it would be the tuning.
As as for someone whos been drumming for 10 years, when it comes to fully mastering drumming, it definitely is best to be playing in a corp or with several others but I wouldn't even worry about that for someone who hasn't even drummed yet until they've learn the all the basics of drumming. Listening to two novices trying to drum at a synchronized pace will be a mess

[Nanaboostme]

teachers are okay i guess but take it from someone whose spent all of high school playing, nothing beats the satisfaction of teaching yourself how to play

I started and learned drumming in middle school into high school and eventually marching the Rose Parade. I think its safe to say that you can learn the skills by yourself, but you master the technique and quality through your drumline instructors.

[endlesswaltz]

Drum tuning is definitely for the moderately advanced players hence why its best for beginners to learn from an instructor with his/her own set first. And as for what 'turns off players from drumming' mentioned by others here: it would be the tuning.
As as for someone whos been drumming for 10 years, when it comes to fully mastering drumming, it definitely is best to be playing in a corp or with several others but I wouldn't even worry about that for someone who hasn't even drummed yet until they've learn the all the basics of drumming. Listening to two people trying to practice drumming at a synchronized pace will be a mess

as someone whose always been "diy" the first time i "tuned" my kit was horrendous but it brings that satisfaction of learning how to and actually being confident in doing it again at later times instead of relying on help but everyone different(youtube rocks!), corps does teach you alot about drumming, mostly technique but in my opinion nothing beats crudely playing and learning with a pal who plays guitar or bass

[Nanaboostme]

as someone whose always been "diy" the first time i "tuned" my kit was horrendous but it brings that satisfaction of learning how to and actually being confident in doing it again at later times instead of relying on help but everyone different(youtube rocks!), corps does teach you alot about drumming, mostly technique but in my opinion nothing beats crudely playing and learning with a pal who plays guitar or bass

Nothing will ever be important that just having fun and doing what you love. And if drumming is that, technique will always be first step, just like how technique is in almost anything else. Im certain this is what most drumming instructors would make you learn first too, properly holding the drumstick etc, not just jumping right in

If you practice in the wrong form and it becomes a habit, and drumming becomes more of a regular hobby of yours, then you will have a very hard time kicking out of the bad habit. Learning how to tune or use proper hand form is obviously not a fun first step, but necessary and crucial in long-term drumming. If it is just something you wanna try short-term, then sure. But starting a band with your friends? Id definitely consider it

If you mainly to be a drummer in a band, its always great to learn the basics together. But you definitely wanna focus on the fundamental basics by yourself first. No doubt about it. Im just speaking in terms of reading music, basic rythm notes etc.

Back in Middle school my ground of friends were all interested in the idea of being in a rock band. They all bought guitars while I already had my drum set but eventually after one or two days of rehearsal they lost interest and ultimately ended up playing it maybe couple of times after selling it. Was saddening but didn't seem uncommon with many others that attempted to

[Deleted]

Buy a full kit and start banging on them 24/7. No babysteps bullshit.

[endlesswaltz]

Buy a full kit and start banging on them 24/7. No babysteps bullshit.

as from someone who plays metal and punk genres this is your answer^

[Deleted]

Watch that and despair. No, just kidding. He's nothing.



There we go. Also, btw...



That's who'll be your role model!

[Detritivores]

as from someone who plays metal and punk genres this is your answer^

That's basically it. Your DIY ethic will teach you what you need for punk, metal, and like-minded genres. That's what I was alluding to when I said I locked myself in the attic with London Calling and a full drum kit as a kid. If you're looking to be more classically skilled, by all means, take lessons and follow traditional advice. But if you're looking to bring the noise, just get the equipment required and play along until you can bring it.

[Pull My Finger]

I'd take lessons - from a teacher that understands and knows the style & music you wanna learn and has that stuff down. It has several benefits. Consistency of practice is obviously a big one. Quality of practice another one - staying on top of things and doing shit that's important on a regular basis, because someone's expecting it from you and can tell right away when you haven't been practicing. Much better than just playing by yourself, because that ends up being banging on shit and doing only stuff you already feel comfortable with.

It's also very important to have a relationship and constant musical contact with a more accomplished player. Just seeing and hearing this person do stuff on a regular basis very, very much calibrates your system and hones your ear. It's an invaluable reference point.

Another obvious benefit is that bad habits are gonna be recognized and tackled early. Bad shit is extremely hard to erase and re-learn once it creeps into muscle memory. I see that with completely self-taught people very often. They're often quite limited.

A trap especially beginners fall into is their natural inability to gauge their playing. You've been banging along for a while and are starting to feel good about it and think that you're kinda starting to get it down - but that's because you're still not experienced enough to listen to yourself while you're "in the zone", and chances are, you're totally oblivious to how terrible you're actually sounding. Classic trap, happens to everyone.

Finally, making music not just your private bedroom/garage thing, but a social thing makes it much more fun, and you're far more likely to stick with it. If you have a cool teacher, he's not just gonna show you how to play stuff - you're also gonna have nerdy conversations with him/her about instrument brands, technique, musicians ... they're gonna turn you onto cool players and records you weren't familiar with yet (and vice versa) ... I used to go to live shows with my teachers and check out bands. It's cool to actually have music pals who love and do the same stuff as you. Playing by yourself to records gets so incredibly pointless and boring after a while. Which is why I would also strive to find people to play with, as soon as possible. Put a little band together, or jam with people whenever you have the chance.