Adults Learning Drums

One thing is for sure; if it weren't for compulsory education, there would be a hell of a lot more of, and "better" drummers. Kids age 7-10 max in learning potential and speed, in general.

I will disagree, in that a child with the necessary time, desire and focus, will learn a hell of a lot faster than an adult.
 
I've got direct, live experience with this. I'm 50, and my youngest son is 7. We both started about 3 years ago. He practices about 10 minutes a day. I practice way way more than that. Nevertheless, in some ways, he's more advanced than me. He's been working on groves from the Funky Primer. As he starts working on a new column, he can look at a line, and then play it --- maybe not with great time or quality at first, but playing it. Me, I've got to work through it note by note. On the other hand, I'm farther along with rudiments than he is.

That is a really interesting take and read. How often do you practice, and do you practice the same things?
 
One thing is for sure; if it weren't for compulsory education, there would be a hell of a lot more of, and "better" drummers. Kids age 7-10 max in learning potential and speed, in general.

I will disagree, in that a child with the necessary time, desire and focus, will learn a hell of a lot faster than an adult.

Sure but you'd also have a generation of functionally illiterate adults twenty years later. I work with a lot of functionally illiterate people and it's no picnic for them.
 
What is this "adult" thing of which you all speak?

Not sure, but when you find out, give me a heads up, OK?

James, what is that crab looking thing at the bottom of your posts, and what does it mean?
 
Nothing, however, breeds confidence like confidence. IME (a teacher in a former life), people don't need to be told that they're good - they can generally work that out themselves, and it's too relative a term to be useful - but they DO need to be reassured that they are capable of doing it. If your teacher believes in you, you're far more likely to believe in yourself.

So true, I had teachers who trusted in me and I made a lot of improvement.

However I also had teacher who lost all belief in me once I hit the first major wall. Too bad it was a teacher in a music school. I got depressed and decided to quit the school, few months later I even considered quitting drums! Fortunately I didn't as I am very determined person and managed to get over it.

NOTE: I started playing when I was 16 years old, it isn't adulthood, but it's already considered a late start. I also never done anything with music before.
 
Not sure, but when you find out, give me a heads up, OK?

James, what is that crab looking thing at the bottom of your posts, and what does it mean?

The crab looking thing, as you blasphemously refer to it is a line drawing of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

As a heretic, I hereby order you to get stoned. Not with stones, you understand...the other, altogether more pleasant way.

Go pastafarianism! Ramen!
 
People who say adults can't learn, probably weren't all that great at learning new things in the first place, the only reason they have any skills at all, is they are willing to sit in a room by them selves and play the same things over and over again, instead of going out and experiencing different things.

It never ceases to amaze me how you can give even simple, but novel instrument, to some musicians(pianists or singers), and they won't even figure out how to make a sound with it.
 
The crab looking thing, as you blasphemously refer to it is a line drawing of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

As a heretic, I hereby order you to get stoned. Not with stones, you understand...the other, altogether more pleasant way.

Go pastafarianism! Ramen!

Flying spaghetti Monster? He's got more feet than wings. I'd have to be stoned to imagine that thing flying. But I accept your penance and will tend to it forthcomingly. And I apologize to the court for the blasphemery.
 
Those aren't feet, apostate!

Those are His Noodly Appendages.

You need to understand that when drawing a deity, no representation can attempt to capture the Sublime Awesomeness (tm).

And kids, don't even THINK of drawing pictures of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) at home. Just don't!
 
I "played" drums for a few years when I was 15. Hated lessons. Hated Stick Control. HATED the practice pad. Just wanted to sit behind a drum kit and play. Didn't understand the need for fundamentals. Got into other stuff and that was that. A couple of years ago I picked up an e-kit since it was quiet and sounded good and was fairly cheap. Now I am fully into it. On my third acoustic kit and love to practice. I love the practice pad and love practising, especially rudiments and good old stick control. I am 50 now and totally know that you have to work at the fundamentals and practice endlessly to improve. I just didn't have the wisdom or life experience at 15 to understand this. I am now kicking myself for not keeping at it- I'd have 35 years behind the kit now and would'nt suck as much as I do. But, the journey is half the fun
 
I "played" drums for a few years when I was 15. Hated lessons. Hated Stick Control. HATED the practice pad. Just wanted to sit behind a drum kit and play. Didn't understand the need for fundamentals. Got into other stuff and that was that. A couple of years ago I picked up an e-kit since it was quiet and sounded good and was fairly cheap. Now I am fully into it. On my third acoustic kit and love to practice. I love the practice pad and love practising, especially rudiments and good old stick control. I am 50 now and totally know that you have to work at the fundamentals and practice endlessly to improve. I just didn't have the wisdom or life experience at 15 to understand this. I am now kicking myself for not keeping at it- I'd have 35 years behind the kit now and would'nt suck as much as I do. But, the journey is half the fun

Dont kick yourself, If you had stayed with it, at the time, you may have got bored or found you were not going to be the next big thing and chucked it forever.

Now? You have discovered a love of drumming and a new focus. Live in the moment and enjoy it for what it is.
 
Well you have to want to be an "adult" learner. I started at 10 in the mid 60's so rode the garage band era of self taught 'musicians' then quit from about 76-86, then got a cheap Pearl forum kit and played "at" it again-just playing along with music. It wasn't till I joined an orchestra and played with this jazz group and started learning from Drummerworld the last ten years that I really started to want to be a drummer. I want to be able to site read and play-I struggle with that now seems thinking about it is distracting. I hadn't practiced rudiments in decades and never learned but the basics then. A bass player friend has really helped me improve but i feel i really need an instructor to help me really improve.
I fear my old bad habits may be hard to break and hope to find a teacher to help me with the assets and deficits I have. I have an older horn player friend =he worked for the Secret Service protecting 4-5 US President-he also trained agents firearms. He noted that many males with previous gun experience were difficult to retrain properly=he said the males and females with no gun experience were the better marksman/markswomen. I kind of worry about that as a liability?
 
Dont kick yourself, If you had stayed with it, at the time, you may have got bored or found you were not going to be the next big thing and chucked it forever.

Now? You have discovered a love of drumming and a new focus. Live in the moment and enjoy it for what it is.

Well, I did trade my drums to a guy for a photo enlarger and I am now a professional photographer so there you go. :)
 
I think this points to a larger issue, which is that we have all been deeply ingrained with the idea that adults are poor learners. In my experience, most adults learn faster than kids because they are more disciplined and focused. Kids may be ideal sponges and have a higher potential for learning, but I find that their lack of focus and discipline often outweighs their innate advantage.

I disagree that adults think they are poor learners. They've obviously learned other things and spent a lot of time to learn those things. Which is where I think the real issue lies. Time commitment. Adults are acutely aware of the real time it takes to become a master at something, and the older you get, the less time you want to "waste".

Kids may lack lacking discipline and focus, but what they have that adults do not is play. And I don't mean playing the instrument. I mean kids simply do things because they enjoy them, they don't dissect how much effort it is, or what the ultimate goals are or what it "means" to their life. That simple difference removes many psychological barriers that adults in comparison tend to put up for themselves.

Unfortunately when we get older we are taught to be more "serious" and shun play. "Play is what children do" we say. But we rob ourselves of the curiosities and joy of life when we do such things.
 
Sure but you'd also have a generation of functionally illiterate adults twenty years later. I work with a lot of functionally illiterate people and it's no picnic for them.
I didn't say no education with curbing the compulsory schooling.. ;)

The majority of great drummers spent their childhood focused on drumming and not mastering the art of test-taking.
 
Before you can teach anyone anything you have to gain their trust. I have taught swimming lessons from the diaper dip age to adult. NO one is going to drown playing the drums, but in a pool the first thing is comfort and trust. Adults have had many years to build up fears and phobias and self doubt and you have to break that first. The first couple for lessons were just standing in the shallow end talking and getting to know each other. I can see this in drumming as well. Questions about why they want to learn, what they expect to do when they have learned etc. I don't think I would even give them a set of sticks unless they were really eager. If this is the case then you first hurdle has been navigated. Trust and comfort first, then actual teaching and lessons.
 
In essence, you cant teach people, especialy adults, thay have to "want" to learn.

I was an athletics coach for 15 years, hurdles and high jump, two technical events. As I watched some of the realy talented athletes It was my privelage to work with I often thought "That 1% difference in there performance, I might have made, was worth all my free time, I hope they feel it was worth all there hard work".

In my experience its down to the learner. The teacher/coach might be the best at what they do but If the pupil is not, talented, motivated, driven, and above all excited by the activity then even the best cant force them to learn.

I was always thought of as an inspirational coach, yea right, but no mater how talented the athlete If they cant be a***d and just want to go through the motions then all your effort and encouragement is wasted.

Motivated and talented people have what it takes in them, the teacher might make a 1% difference.
 
I just started playing drums at age 43. I wanted to learn for a long time, but for whatever reason my parents drilled it into our heads that no one in our family would be good at music or art. I took that on face value for way to long.

When I finally decided I was just going to go for it I was pretty nervous as I approached THE go to drum shop/studio in our area. I was intimidated when I walked through the door.

The best thing that could have happened, did.

The skinny rocker dude behind the counter looked at me and asked "What can I do for you?" He smiled and was genuine. I said I was there for a lesson. He asked what teacher I was with and then proceeded to be extremely welcoming and encouraging. He told me how much fun I was going to have, how my teacher was one who really believed in rudimental drumming, etc.

That introduction to the world of drummers made me fall in love with the drumming community. Everytime I go in with a question or need a part for my "Craigslist special" kit the guys there never make me feel stupid or less of a drummer because I'm new. When I bought a used snare drum stand for my practice pad they took the time to show me how to adjust it. Even though it wasn't too hard to figure out, it made me feel really comfortable.

No one would ever look at me and guess that I play drums. I would not blend into the crowd at a drum clinic. More likely someone would think I was looking for my kid to pick up. So I did worry a lot about how uncomfortable it would be as an older, middle aged woman walking into the drum shop. I'm super grateful that no one there, customer or employee or instructor, has ever made me feel weird. Now it's one of my favorite places to go.
 
I just started playing drums at age 43. I wanted to learn for a long time, but for whatever reason my parents drilled it into our heads that no one in our family would be good at music or art. I took that on face value for way to long.

When I finally decided I was just going to go for it I was pretty nervous as I approached THE go to drum shop/studio in our area. I was intimidated when I walked through the door.

The best thing that could have happened, did.

The skinny rocker dude behind the counter looked at me and asked "What can I do for you?" He smiled and was genuine. I said I was there for a lesson. He asked what teacher I was with and then proceeded to be extremely welcoming and encouraging. He told me how much fun I was going to have, how my teacher was one who really believed in rudimental drumming, etc.

That introduction to the world of drummers made me fall in love with the drumming community. Everytime I go in with a question or need a part for my "Craigslist special" kit the guys there never make me feel stupid or less of a drummer because I'm new. When I bought a used snare drum stand for my practice pad they took the time to show me how to adjust it. Even though it wasn't too hard to figure out, it made me feel really comfortable.

No one would ever look at me and guess that I play drums. I would not blend into the crowd at a drum clinic. More likely someone would think I was looking for my kid to pick up. So I did worry a lot about how uncomfortable it would be as an older, middle aged woman walking into the drum shop. I'm super grateful that no one there, customer or employee or instructor, has ever made me feel weird. Now it's one of my favorite places to go.

Thats a great story and a lesson in itself. Do things in your own time, at your own speed, in your own way, and you will be comfortable and get more enjoyment out of it.

Learning to play the drums is a personal choice, If any aspect makes you realy uncomfortable then find another route to the same goal.

Personaly I have an aversion fo formal teaching, always have, it goes back to my school days, I probably have low level ADD. I much prefer to work things out for myself when it comes to drumming. Thats probably why I am not great but I am comfortable doing it this way and I enjoy my drumming hugely.

Good luck and keep playing, fellow drummer.
 
I just started playing drums at age 43.

Well I thought I had left it late at 35! I was very nervous, I went along for a taster lesson and liked it. That was in Sept last year, I have not yet had any more lessons but in October I got a crappy old Premier Cabria, have messed up the tuning by trying to follow you-tube videos :) , failed to find much time to practice , but even so have gotten the neighbour (who is somewhat deranged anyway) to complain to the council about the noise nuisance!

That was only last week and I'm in a funk that I might have to give up before I've even begun. At least there are stories on here to cheer me up :)
 
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