Learning the Drums

mere_immortal

K so im thinking of getting a drum kit when i next get paid, but needed some advice.

Should I go with a teacher or self teach?

Any good books, DVDs or Websites?

What kind of drum kit should i go for? Thinking around £350-£400

Big Dookie

Are you just doing this for fun ("play drums") or are you really wanting to learn how to become a full blown percussionist? If you just want to do it casually to play with a band and stuff, you can probably get away with just buying a kit and playing along with music and stuff, and eventually you'll teach yourself well enough that you can play on your own with other people.

However, if you want to get any more serious than that, I would definitely get a private teacher. There is a lot more to percussion than just hitting a drum with a stick, and they are skills that many drummers never learn correctly (stick technique, reading sheet music, etc). It's the kind of stuff that would be VERY difficult to teach yourself, if not impossible. I've been playing percussion for almost 15 years now, and even with private lessons for a number of years, there is still SO much I have to learn. So yeah, if you want to get serious about it, I'd definitely recommend private lessons.

Also, do you have any experience at all playing drums? Though it's true that almost anybody can learn to play drums to a reasonable skill level, it's also true that some people simply take to it much better than others. I guess some people just have a much better innate sense of rhythm or whatever, but realize that if you've never played drums before, you might have a tough time with it at first. Stick with it though, because few things in life can bring you as much joy as getting into a groove and just playing for hours on end. So much fun.

DynamiteKid

Keep in mind you will often have to do four different rhythms at the same time, one for each limb, and often move your feet to different pedals, and do an offbeat and an onbeat, etc. etc. Drums is not as easy as all the jokes suggest.

EggyToast

Start small and with a click track. More than any other instrument, rhythm is the most important element with drums.

Start with a kick drum, snare, and hat. You can do a LOT with that; you don't need the full tom set, double kicks, lots of hats and cymbals, etc. Listen to a lot of drummy music, such as Red Snapper's "Prince Blimey" and Soul Coughing's "Ruby Vroom." Listen to the different drumming elements in songs you like and try to separate them out.

A teacher is obviously the best, but if you're adamant to learning on your own, I would suggest starting like I outline above. Perhaps buy a book or DVD to figure out technique, like holding the drumsticks and setting up the kit at home.

beebs_basic

before you shell out for a kit, buy a practice pad, some sticks, and then just practice practice practice the rudiments. singles, doubles, triplets, rolls...all that fun stuff. that's what a teacher can drill into your head, they can also teach you to read drum tab and understand it. they'll also show you the right way to hold the sticks so you don't thrash your wrists.

maybe a couple lessons to begin with just to cover those basics above.

i learned most just watching my drum teacher play and following along as best i could. then i moved to an apartment and had to sell my kit...10 years ago. still miss it.

Virum

I used to play the drums; I bought a book when I first started and got the basic coordination needed out of the way before I started seeing an instructor once a week. I think that was a better use of my money than starting out with a teacher immediately.

SithDrummer

Most of the musical advice I'd have given has already been said, so I'll mention the set: while it's good to be cost-effective, there's still a threshold of quality that you don't want to dip under to save some money. Buying shoddy cymbals and drums (primarily the former, though) will sound terrible and the poor sound will potentially turn you off to the whole thing. If you have to choose between getting five or six crummy pieces or a pretty good three-piece (kick bass, snare, hi-hat), I recommend that you choose the latter. You can always add on as necessary.

I'm probably the odd one out, but I would actually suggest a nice-sounding ride cymbal over a hi-hat, if you're only going to get one. I seem to prefer the variety of sounds and styles I can get out of a ride versus a hat.

CephalicCarnage

I also want to learn the drums. im in the militar and live in the barracks so i couldnt go buy a set and drum in there. if i went to a teacher, do they have like, places to teach you at? or is it like, you buy drums, teacher comes to your house and teaches you?

SithDrummer

I don't know of any places where they have a set prepared for you to come and practice your lessons on, but it doesn't sound unlikely.

However, if you want to learn more than set, I recommend getting a practice pad, some decent drumsticks, and a book or two of rudiments to learn. Usually these sorts of books have some pictures to help guide your technique and form, though of course a lesson teacher is far preferable to that.

Recommended drum pad for silence but resistance and bounce:
http://www.vicfirth.com/products/pads_mutes.html
The PAD12/PAD6 for silence only, PAD12D/PAD6D for silence and loudness, but not at the same time, or the PAD12H for both options on one side of the pad.

As for sticks, I really recommend that you find a music store (Brook Mays, Mars Music, Guitar Center, or something else) and try out a bunch of different sticks to see what you think feels good. Be aware of how much it bounces (generally, you want a healthy bounce as a beginner, unless you are trying to work up your chops), how thick the stick is :winky:, and brand name, if that's your sort of thing. I trust Vic Firth for non-set playing, and don't really have a brand preference for the set.

Also, there are multiple grips to try (generally, traditional grip versus different forms of the matched grip - American, French, or German) out, so you can find a rudiment book that explains each, or use Wikipedia if you're so inclined. Wiki has fairly simplistic explanations, however, and an instructor would be your best option to tell you if you're doing it correctly or not.