What's your biggest drumming frustration as a beginner?

My only real frustration, 3 years on now, is staying completely relaxed behind the drums. This has been my biggest hurdle and the cause of much pain (in the past) and frustration. Other things have come much faster to me...but this remains an issue.
 
My only real frustration, 3 years on now, is staying completely relaxed behind the drums.

Learning meditation techniques, and self hypnotizing techniques are wonderful for practicing relaxation. Is it performance anxiety or something else?

Doing many very deep deep breaths right before picking up the sticks helps. Fill those lungs all the way up with air at least 20 times, then pick up the sticks. It's time well spent.
 
Sometimes I forget what to do next in some songs, so I just adlib.
 
Learning meditation techniques, and self hypnotizing techniques are wonderful for practicing relaxation. Is it performance anxiety or something else?

Doing many very deep deep breaths right before picking up the sticks helps. Fill those lungs all the way up with air at least 20 times, then pick up the sticks. It's time well spent.

I'm sure meditation away from the drums would be helpful. I try to do it *at* the drums, while warming up, just out of a general lack of time to actually meditate. It has helped a ton and I've come a long way. It's getting better gradually and I'm more relaxed than ever...but it has been a struggle.

Not performance anxiety...more of a hypertension thing. I think it's just excitement. The *longer* I play the more I settle in and loosen up.

You're right, breathing is the KEY...absolutely. It's almost a separate form of independence.
 
Not performance anxiety...more of a hypertension thing. I think it's just excitement. The *longer* I play the more I settle in and loosen up.

Also, try detaching a little. Charlie Chaplin (as a director) would give the actors the scene, what he wanted them to convey, then right before the camera rolled, he was known to have said, "Now do it poorly"

I had to learn to detach a little, I would "get into it" too much for my own good. Now, the more I'm not excited, the better I can tolerate the playback. Detach. Like the song is no big deal. Don't play emotional, try playing non emotional. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but it helped my playing a great deal.
 
Also, try detaching a little. Charlie Chaplin (as a director) would give the actors the scene, what he wanted them to convey, then right before the camera rolled, he was known to have said, "Now do it poorly"

I had to learn to detach a little, I would "get into it" too much for my own good. Now, the more I'm not excited, the better I can tolerate the playback. Detach. Like the song is no big deal. Don't play emotional, try playing non emotional. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but it helped my playing a great deal.

Yes, yes, and yes! I like the Chaplin anecdote, as well, thanks. It falls in line with Kenny Werner's story about playing many times better in a crappy bar, filled with a few drunk people - and not caring about how he sounds.

I had this talk w/ my drum teacher and he basically had the same things to say. You *want* to be emotionally involved...and convey that emotion. That's the "excitement" I'm talking about. You really do have to let go and play it cool.

What I've found is a direct correlation between how well I'm listening and how well relaxed I am - whether it be with a group or just playing along w/ some music. If I'm listening well and playing inside of the music...instead of inside of my head...I'm as loose as the leaves on the tree. An out-of-body experience. ;)

I'm getting there. The trick for me has been proper meditative warm up, posture, and improving technique. Everyday is another baby-step. At least it's not painful anymore and that's an indication of progress, for sure.
 
I think The most frustrating things for me would have to getting my grip right in my left hand and finding a setup I like. I just can't find a setup that I truly like; I usually change my setup at lest once a week.
 
It was always the single stroke roll for me. I could never discipline myself to sit down and just practice the thing.

Lately, thanks to the stone killer, it has finally started to improve, and I have noticed the effect throughout most of my other drumming skills.
 
I just started around 2 months ago, so quite a few things are frustrating as hell.
I'm still just playing what I can on my own, so I'm not up and up on the terminology yet
(half of what's said here makes no sense to me) , but I'm having the worst time training myself on the kick. Much of what I try goes decently, I just can't not hit the high-hat and the bass simultaneously on many more complex beats.
Keeping time with the high-hat and finding time to play when the neighbors won't shoot me are rough spots as well.
 
I just started around 2 months ago, so quite a few things are frustrating as hell.
I'm still just playing what I can on my own, so I'm not up and up on the terminology yet
(half of what's said here makes no sense to me) , but I'm having the worst time training myself on the kick. Much of what I try goes decently, I just can't not hit the high-hat and the bass simultaneously on many more complex beats.
Keeping time with the high-hat and finding time to play when the neighbors won't shoot me are rough spots as well.

My neighbors call over to house and ask me to stop all the time! But instead of stopping I just play louder! HAHAHA
 
- weak off hand (and foot)
- double strokes
- staying in time with metronome/playalong-track. i can play some rocking stuff (or at least it sounds ok to me) when nothing is judging me, but once something is ticking it all falls apart.
- choosing equipment (sooo many drumheads, cymbals, sticks, etc.)
- tuning
 
Getting comfortable with an actual kit. I learned on like a...electronic pad thing, and it was hard adjusting, surprisingly.

I didn't even know what rudiments were until like a year after I started, so that was a huge hold back.
 
My biggest frustration is learning a groove playing left-hand lead. With a little practice I can play nearly any groove I sit down to learn, but switching to leading with my left really seems to throw my coordination. It has become easier the more I practice it though.
Also playing an off-beat stepped hi-hat with various grooves is an issue. Currently working through New Breed is helping with that one...
 
My biggest frustration was playing open handed on a right handed kit. I started crossed and could never do it. I wish I'd stuck with right hand lead now because I can't do a decent fill to save my life.
 
yes layout was my biggest frustration, I could not see the logic of crossing your hands to play the high hat and wanted a layout that would work so I did not have to. I have finally after many years of rearranging my kit once every few months settled down to a remote hi-hat directly behind the snare, with the ride over it. realy comfortable, can lead with my right as normal, but for extra practice lead with my left.

two toms to the right of the hats one to the left. It means that the things I hit most (snare,hats and ride) are right there in front of me and the same reach for each hand. Its a shame remote hats are not less expensive because this is a great layout to try. I experimented with fixing the hats on a normal stand and not using the peddle for a while before I invested in the remote.
 
I was 11 years old and got tired of all the hacks and wannabes telling me their opinion of drums and drummers and what I should be playing. As in "you're playing drums??!! You should learn the trumpet or clarinet or trombone! Why would you want to play drums"?? Or "you should learn the piano"! Or "you're older brother plays sax, you should too!"

Also being asked if I can play "Wipeout" by everyone the planet who knew I was learning drums. I started taking drum lessons about the same time "Wipeout" was released. EVERYONE asked if I could play Wipeout simply because they learned I was taking drum lessons and learning drums. "Oh hey, you're learning to play the drums? Hey can you play Wipeout?"

That and hearing these tools drone on and on about such and such (insert name here) "can play drums and he or she is fantastic. You really need to hear them because they are so good." Or "Timmy X plays drums and he just won 1st chair in band, he can teach you a thing or two!"

Blah, blah, blah, blah......

Guess who's still playing "those drums"! ME!!!!!!
 
Double-stroke rolls. I just can't seem to get them right =/

Also, double-kicking. I've just started playing around with them, and I hear things. but I can't do them. It's the most infuriating thing!

Not only that, but picking a decent drumkit and cymbals. Without knowing what a lot of terms mean, and without the practical experience of actually playing different kits and cymbal brands, it's really quite difficult.
 
limb independence
can't roll with left hand
doublets are difficult on bass (getting better) / forget triplets (thus unfunkyfooted)

knowledge of what to buy even after extensive research and asking around (all good to do in order to prepare, but in the end, it's all trial and error)

lack of drum terminology when trying to talk drums

and how do i raise the height of my hi-hat ?
 
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