Best way to learn a song?

O

oEndwaRo

Junior Member
So i just got a drum set about a month back. I am at the point where i want to start learning songs. So whats the best way to do it? I haven't learned tabs yet because i view them as pointless. But what i have been doing is downloading Guitar Pro Tabs and using the notation on there. So whats your guy's opinion?

Thanks.
 
By listening, memorizing and then put it into drums, continuous practising. It works for me.

Cheers,
 
Ian Williams said:
By listening, memorizing and then put it into drums, continuous practising. It works for me.

Cheers,
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I don't agree with one thing there. The word memorizing. Drumming shouldn't necessarily be about memorization. He should feel the song when he plays it and should be able to contribute to the song rather than play exactly what the initial drummer plays. That's just my opinion.

I've had a lot of experience with playing to songs. The first thing you can do is become familiar with the song. Know all of the pauses, breaks, and critical points. Listen to the song everyday and work at the song at the kit everyday. Start from the beginning and if you make a mistake, start over.

You'll nail the song in no time.
 
I learn songs by listening and playing air drums. I like to write down notations that remind me of the progression of the song. I sometimes take lyric sheets and make my little notes under the lyrics and in the margins. I can read music a bit, (I can't sight read) I very seldom work with a music sheet. I mostly just use my memory.
 
Start simple and *listen*.

Pick a few songs that you really like but have very simple drum parts. The Beatles, AC/DC, etc. During the day when you're not practicing, listen to the songs a few times - they'll be in your memory when you sit down to play them. After a few days of this you're able to marry what you've been listening to with what you're doing, physically.

Get a teacher and learn the basics; counting, simple transcribing, some basic rudiments, and so on. Recognizing time signatures and being able to work out the sticking helps a bunch. You'll also be able to transcribe the parts you get stuck on and work them out through practice.
 
joshisaces said:
I don't agree with one thing there. The word memorizing. Drumming shouldn't necessarily be about memorization. He should feel the song when he plays it and should be able to contribute to the song rather than play exactly what the initial drummer plays. That's just my opinion.

I've had a lot of experience with playing to songs. The first thing you can do is become familiar with the song. Know all of the pauses, breaks, and critical points. Listen to the song everyday and work at the song at the kit everyday. Start from the beginning and if you make a mistake, start over.

You'll nail the song in no time.
Click to expand...

Fine with me, colleague. I respect your opinion, You must respect mine, don't you?
When you say, listen to the song everyday, what that means? memorizing maybe?

Thanks,
 
Ian Williams said:
Fine with me, colleague. I respect your opinion, You must respect mine, don't you?
When you say, listen to the song everyday, what that means? memorizing maybe?

Thanks,
Click to expand...

Yep that's what it means. That's how interpret it anyways. You listen and you remember the parts(which also means memorizing) and then you apply what you memorized and you will eventually have a perfect drum cover.
 
oEndwaRo said:
So i just got a drum set about a month back. I am at the point where i want to start learning songs. So whats the best way to do it? I haven't learned tabs yet because i view them as pointless. But what i have been doing is downloading Guitar Pro Tabs and using the notation on there. So whats your guy's opinion?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

What's pointless about looking at a tab. You can find out where the snare drum is hit (usually on the 2 and 4 in rock) and you can also find out when the bass drum is hit. After you have that down you can work out the fills on your own.
 
Amen brother sheet music for drums is crap. What I do to learn a song is I don't listen to the song, I absorb the song. My brain has like been wired to listen intently to the drums on any song I hear, and if the song doesn't have any I make my own beats in my head. Just play it by ear, drumming shouldn't be about sheet music, its all about playing what you feel.
 
jwildman said:
Amen brother sheet music for drums is crap. What I do to learn a song is I don't listen to the song, I absorb the song. My brain has like been wired to listen intently to the drums on any song I hear, and if the song doesn't have any I make my own beats in my head. Just play it by ear, drumming shouldn't be about sheet music, its all about playing what you feel.
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To some degree this is true but let me add my 2 cents. I've been a professional drummer for better than 20 years. Initially I find great help in reading a piece of music once I've heard it for the first time. I use the sheet music to find phrasings and often times how to play across the bars to become a part of the music. Once I sit down to rehearse I use the music as a reference for knowing what the band is doing, where they are and as a tool to aid creativity. Once we've learned the piece the sheet music goes to the floor. That's when the "wisdom" to know how to use the knowledge from the music comes in and WOW...what a difference. A drummer should use every tool available to master their instrument including knowing how to read. There's no replacement for a good ear but don't discount reading music all together. It makes you a better drummer.
 
Thanks for the responses. And what i meant by tabs is something like this.

Main
C |x---------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
H |--x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x--x--x--x----|
S |----o-------o---|----o-------o---|----o-------o---|----o--o--o--oo-|
B |o-------o-------|o-------o-------|o-------o-------|o----o--o--o----|

But Guitar Pro i refer to more as reading sheet music such as:
single-stroke-roll-1.gif


So They are similar but i think sheet music will help me out more in the end.
 
Learning techniques vary from person to person. Some people may learn better visually (tabs) while others may learn better by listening. Others might like to combine the 2. Find what works best for you, we're all different. I'd be lost learning strictly from tabs. You don't get the emotional aspect of it from tabs. It's not the notes you play as much as how they are played. (soft, loud, medium, rushed, laid back, precise, imperfect, etc.)
 
Well, what are a few bands(besides ac/dc) or songs i should start on. I generally listen to metal so i can't start with bands i listen to lol.
 
Ian Williams said:
Fine with me, colleague. I respect your opinion, You must respect mine, don't you?
When you say, listen to the song everyday, what that means? memorizing maybe?

Thanks,
Click to expand...

Yeah, I respect your opinion completely.
I said to listen to the song every day, so you can connect with it. Look at the lyrics, what they mean to you, and the drumming will be the perfect piece to the puzzle.


I get influenced by what the song means to me.

And yes, I take back what I said about memorization. There is (and always will be) some memorization that goes on when trying to learn music.
 
In addition to AC/DC I would recommend Aerosmith and Red Hot Chili Peppers as having good and fun songs to learn.
 
Writing out the whole song as close to note-for-note as possible is what works best for me. I guess I'm the visual type, seeing everything on paper (or screen) helps me really understand and internalize all that's happening, even if I don't end up playing it note-for-note.
 
Bigwheel said:
To some degree this is true but let me add my 2 cents. I've been a professional drummer for better than 20 years. Initially I find great help in reading a piece of music once I've heard it for the first time. I use the sheet music to find phrasings and often times how to play across the bars to become a part of the music. Once I sit down to rehearse I use the music as a reference for knowing what the band is doing, where they are and as a tool to aid creativity. Once we've learned the piece the sheet music goes to the floor. That's when the "wisdom" to know how to use the knowledge from the music comes in and WOW...what a difference. A drummer should use every tool available to master their instrument including knowing how to read. There's no replacement for a good ear but don't discount reading music all together. It makes you a better drummer.
Click to expand...

O ya definatly. Usually if I can't understand the drum part completely I will look at other drummers to see how its done or look at some drum tabs, course I haven't looked at drum music for a good while. But in school band it's always good to have sheet music in front of you while we listen to the song. But usually I only look at tabs to see where to put the bass drum, snare hit etc. I don't really concern myself with bars or phrasing outside of band though, I honestly don't see much of a need for it.
 
I can usually just listen to a song and play. ost rock songs are mostly quater and eighth notes anyway. but when it comes to double bass pedal stuf, i rite it out first.
 
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