Long Term Tips

Hi guys, first time posting, but I've always checked this forum out.

I've been drumming for about 2 years sometime soon, and I've been quite hooked so far.

This goes out to most of the more experienced and older drummers out there, but I was just wondering, what are some good tips in more of a general sense of being a drummer?

Just stuff like ''always keep yourself open minded'' and things like that, I'm really interested in what you guys have to say.

You have to learn to play slow before you can play fast.
Learning to play drums is a life's work, Be patient when learning new things, and lastly enjoy the journey.

First off welcome to DW. This is a great place. Just be wary of any advice given by this one dude Bobdadruma. He's a bad seed!
JK Bob's OK when he remembers to take his meds...

I think understanding the role of the drumset is beneficial. When I first started out, anytime the guitarist took a lead, I though that it was OK to play lead drums behind them, ha ha. Wrong! The drummers primary role is to give everyone a solid pulse to weave around. One analogy would be tomato plants, we are the trellis that the plant clings to and weaves around.

larryace stated the most important thing in drumming.
Always resist the temptation to overplay.
We all overplay from time to time. We get caught up in the moment and an idea comes to mind and we step on someones toes.

Get a good throne now while you are young. A backrest throne is good because it will save your back in the future by eliminating stress now while you are young.
The same goes for throne height. Proper throne height will save your knees in the future.

Being that you will spend a lot of time at bars it will be necessary to learn how to control your drinking habits. There is a danger of becoming drug and alcohol dependent because you will be around them so much. If you wind up in a band that parties to much, Approach them about it and work with them to control the problem. If they refuse, Find another band. No good will come from it.

You will play with many musicians in many bands over the years. There will always be personality and ego conflicts to deal with.
A band is just like a family. There will be issues. If I do or say something that offends my band mates I always work to resolve the problem, Even if it means backing down and kissing up a bit. Your point will still get across and be noted if you back off and make peace. You will also still be in the band!

Try to learn as much as you can from players that you meet about music. Study what the other musicians do and see music from their side. Understanding them will help you play better.

Good stuff Bob. As a drummer you have direct control on how you frame the others. If you support the singer, don't step on them, don't take away focus from them, don't overpower them, they will prefer playing with you. If you support the soloist, give them a solid beat to work from, and don't "interrupt" them, they will prefer playing with you. If however you over fill, play inappropriately loud in relation to the others, or have the wrong feel, or meandering meter, or fall in to any number of other traps, then you won't be preferred. You have to give them what they need, and be confident in your own playing.

When it does come time for you to cut loose a little, like endings, don't be lazy, nailing a great ending is a beautiful thing.

A deceptivly complex question.

Depends on what you are wanting from your drumming.

I would actually suggest that everyone should get a friend-based band where they CAN overplay so that they can do it there and not with the bands/projects where it would definitely be inappropriate. I find it very useful that I can test my limits now and then in a safe environment with oter overplaying friends. =)

larryace said:

When it does come time for you to cut loose a little, like endings, don't be lazy, nailing a great ending is a beautiful thing.

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That's right Larry, find your place to shine and seize the moment to its fullest. It's that one measure fill in at the right time that makes you stand out. That one lone crash on your splash cymbal.

Right? After all every band wants a drummer that has the awesome skills and the taste to know when and when not to use them.

I almost forgot; Take music seriously, but not to seriously. Learn from your mistakes while you laugh at them. You will have bad and good days. Don't beat yourself up to hard after a bad day.
Simply practice what you messed up and sooner or later you will get it. You can't simply dictate to yourself when you will become fluent in something. It will happen in its own time.
Music should be a fun way to express yourself.
The same thing applies to your band mates. If someone in your band sucks it up one night. Don't drop a ton of bricks on his head.
Just say, There will be other nights and move on.
If a person in your band is a habitual slacker and they never learn and progress even after extensive discussion and practice. They have to be replaced! There is no way around it.
A slug is a slug!

bobdadruma said:

I almost forgot; Take music seriously, but not to seriously. Learn from your mistakes while you laugh at them. You will have bad and good days. Don't beat yourself up to hard after a bad day.
Simply practice what you messed up and sooner or later you will get it. You can't simply dictate to yourself when you will become fluent in something. It will happen in its own time.
Music should be a fun way to express yourself.

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Very well said.

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Thanks guys, this is all very good advice. I don't know too many other drummer's in real life so it helps out to be able to use this forum for simple stuff like that.

a lot of good stuff has already been said, but i'd like to emphasize that the drummer's main role is timekeeper and it's really important to have good time. it's super easy to spend every practice working on speed and chops when it's really your timing that needs to improve. it's also very easy to think you have good timekeeping skills where in fact you do not. if you haven't tried recording yourself, i'd suggest you do that and give it a good listen. maybe your timing is already great, but when i first did that i found out that my timing was not great and i've been working on it ever since.

by the way, when i say "timing" i mean both overall tempo, like speeding up and slowing down, and evenness and consistency of your playing.

Wow, twelve comments and no one said the most important rule:
#1 Have fun.

By all means...ALWAYS have fun! When you start to hate to play is when it's time to start looking for other things to do. Also, work on as many different styles as you can possible handle. Not at the same time, but throughout your learning process. You may have a desired taste for what you want to play, but it helps tremendously if you spend time on other styles to better yourself as an overall drummer.

and one other thing...PLEASE protect your hearing!

My ears ring day and night and I'm only 45. Start taking care of your most important instrument from day-one. Your body.

Jeremy Bender said:

and one other thing...PLEASE protect your hearing!

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Definitely take note on that one.

I think keeping relaxed is very important, it may be a personal thing but being conscious of how your body is reacting to certain things you play i feel is beneficial. For example you may be playing something with much more effort than you really need to which can sometimes lead to injury.

Thanks guys, this helps out a lot especially in the long run.

So to summarize,
1. Always be the best drummer you can be
2. Always have fun
3. Protect your ears

I've only got a year of playing drums but I can say without a doubt one of my most valuable resources has been my singer/girlfriend's dad (they're sisters). He's one of those old guy drummers like the gentlemen that posted before me, respectfully.

I've been relentlessly picking his brain about bands, gear, and technique. You mentioned that you don't know many other drummers in your area. What helped me a lot when I started learning guitar when I was 15 was hanging out at music stores and stealing tips from some of the really good guitar players.

Other than that I'd really recommend taking lessons. You'll learn a lot faster than you could have on your own.

one thing that always helped me was the thought that when the going gets tough and i get frustrated, what we do is called "playing" drums. how can you not have fun drumming when you look at it from a childs point of veiw?