Too Old To Seriously Take Up Drumming?

Not to compare the two but when Rick Allen, Def Leppard lost his arm I thought, well he had a good run. Too bad, hate to see him go.

A few years ago I heard an interview on the radio of some rock musician and he was really a positive person. It was Rick Allen.

I just read that his fans call him Thunder God. T for Tony-T for Thunder!
 
Go for it! Have fun along the way! You are never too old. Playing music does positive things in the brain too! It's all good! (my first paid jazz gig was in 1962...no typo there).
 
Can you hold the sticks? Have the closed the lid on your coffin? The you're not too old. (Unless you want to use that as an excuse).
 
To all concerned regarding age and learning an instrument.

Yes it is absolutely possible at almost any age!

Here's my journey:

I picked up the drums at 28 (2002) for the first time and played for a year without any formal training with a friend of mine. We recorded each session and went home and listened to what we did and then tried our best to correct the things we didn't like for the next session.

At that time I did not have a kit of my own or internet sites to learn from. I didn't even understand the difference between a rudiment and a paradiddle or what 4/4 timing was.

All I had was a passion for music.

After that year I didn't play again until 2 years ago (2011).

At that time I bought a cheap electronic kit and tried to approach the drums more systematically by learning how to read sheet music and master all 40 rudiments as well as 4/4 timing etc.

Here I am 2 years later and my analysis is this:

1. Learn to read sheet music (It's not that difficult)
2. Practice every day at least 1 hour (drumming IS a perishable skill)
3. Master the basic rudiments only (single stroke, double stroke, single paradiddle, flam, drag, buzz roll) - start at slow BPM metronome around 60BPM and work your way up.

4. Master 4/4 timing
5. Keep a journal every session and write your progress and feelings about your play
6. Stamina and strength in your shoulders and hands takes a couple of months to increase, provided you play daily. Cramping and fatigue are not uncommon nor are blisters and calluses.

7. Time your endurance level with a stop watch see how long you can play at a certain tempo until you fail and then write it down and aim to improve or beat that time each session but don't sacrifice accuracy.

8. Work on your weak hand all by itself. Choose a slow BPM metronome and only use your (generally left) hand for 5 to 10 minutes every day to build muscle memory.

9. Play with someone weekly to develop your improv skills and record the sessions and be critical of them afterwards, but don't beat yourself up when you find an imperfection - it's all about identifying and gradually correcting.

10. Do your practice while you watch TV (multi task)
11. Buy and absolutely use a metronome
12. Learn to count out loud (1 e and a 2 e and a)

If you are serious and passionate you can learn drums in a short period of time, but you gotta do it every day NO EXCUSES. Developing and learning does not happen without a bit of frustration and a few speed bumps and a ton of work!


HE WHO DARES WINS - HE WHO DARES WINS!!
 
43 here, started six months ago... In a band now, and can't stop. Sure, I wish I did this 35 years ago, but heck, it is what it is... Playing is so fun, practice is a pleasure, and that's the key to getting better... just play and play. I have a great teacher who's really supportive, and has tailored my lessons to what I need to really know related to my band, while also teaching good foundational techniques. I'm also playing percussion in the local community orchestra.

I'm completely hooked.
 
Just a simple question like it says,......


I'm 35 years old and disabled with Cerebral Palsy.....is it too late for me to want to get serious and learn how to play drums "properly"???

Never too late!
I started at 38, joined a band and started taking lessons at 39 :D
Still improving and lovin' it...
Hope I'll be 'good' by the time I'm 50 :)
 
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Dog piling here...

I also started late - at 45. I sure wish I had started when I was only 35!

MM
 
I think the main advantage to learning an instrument young is that you don't realize that you suck during the process, so keep at it regardless. I have run into this several times while trying to learn a second instrument in my adulthood (piano, bass, harmaonica, and several others). As long as you accept the fact that it will take a little while to get to a point you consider "good," then there is no reason you can't become a decent player at your age.

Good luck.
 
6. Stamina and strength in your shoulders and hands takes a couple of months to increase, provided you play daily. Cramping and fatigue are not uncommon nor are blisters and calluses.

Drumming isn't about strength; a drum stick weighs very little. If you get blisters, you're doing it wrong. Keep your hands loose and let the sticks do the majority of the work.
 
The best response to this idea that I ever heard went something along the lines of:

Q: Am I too old to do X? In 10 years I'll be 65!

A: And how old will you be in 10 years if you don't do X?


And let's not forget a fitting quote:

"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you was?"

- Satchel Paige
 
There is no such thing as too old.

I'm 37 started drumming 3-4 years ago. I may not be world class yet, but I blow most local guys out of the water already.

Offcourse it helps that I've been a musician for a long time on another instrument already, so if you don't have that experience I suggest to focus just as much on music knowledge as a whole as you do the drums and learn some guitar, piano or similiar and be a diverse listener.
 
35? You're almost dead. You should probably just stop doing any activity and wait to die. No point in any of it, right?

Everyone has but a short time here, man. Spending the short time we have pursuing your true passions is the way I'd recommend. Try drumming, it won't take long to tell if you really love and want to get good at it.
 
I started drumming when I was at secondary school...

I'm 44 now.

And still crap at drumming :)

Go for...what's the worst that can happen?
 
Just asking...there's the usual good advice here, but have you old farts noticed that this is thread that was dormant for 2 years?
 
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