Just starting out

Ninjatanzen

Junior Member
Well I'm new to both drumming and this site :] I'm pretty excited about both really, and (sorry if this is the wrong forum) what should I start teaching myself in the drumming world? Timing, techniques, anything really.

I guess, what are the most important things to learn in the beginning of drumming?
 
Play along to CDs and cop as many grooves and fills as you can. Watch each and every video on the site to learn what top-class drumming should sound and look like. Check out how the pros set up their kits, how they sit behind the kit, how they hold their sticks and how they strike their drums and cymbals. And most importantly, don't be shy to ask questions on the forum!

Spend a few months getting acquainted with the instrument on your own, and then get a few lessons from a teacher. Ask him/her to help you with music reading and technique, and for your own sake, work diligently on your assignments even if they might seem a bit tedious! Also, don't forget to work on your own things, and keep playing along to your favorite songs. A versatile drumming diet is the best way to keep yourself motivated and moving forward.
 
Thanks wavelength
I will watch a few videos here and there, but I have a bandwidth cap and am only allowed 200 MB per day :[

I have sat and messed around, trying to get accustom to drums and I think I might have a try with lessons. I still don't have my own set, but I'm working on that.

Oh, any suggestions on what albums to start out playing with? My friend said American Idiot by Green Day would be good, but I'm sure there's more than just that.
 
It may be counter-intuitive, but I would think that taking lessons for the the first 3-6 months of playing would reap more benefits than at any other point. A lot of drumming is not physically obvious: the grip, the feel of proper rebound, the motion of free and double strokes, posture, balance, tuning... these are all things that could be cleaned up within a few months by a decent teacher. If you went in with a stated goal of grasping the basics and then discontinuing lessons, it should be easy to cook up a curriculum. With those basic tools firmly in hand, you could teach yourself confidently from there on. Without them, you could severely slow your progress, damage your cymbals, or even injure your wrists or hands.

Green Day have extremely simple drum lines, but you could also try some Dark Side of the Moon, or nearly anything by AC/DC. Neither is complicated, but demonstrate great feel.
 
It may be counter-intuitive, but I would think that taking lessons for the the first 3-6 months of playing would reap more benefits than at any other point. A lot of drumming is not physically obvious: the grip, the feel of proper rebound, the motion of free and double strokes, posture, balance, tuning... these are all things that could be cleaned up within a few months by a decent teacher. If you went in with a stated goal of grasping the basics and then discontinuing lessons, it should be easy to cook up a curriculum. With those basic tools firmly in hand, you could teach yourself confidently from there on. Without them, you could severely slow your progress, damage your cymbals, or even injure your wrists or hands.

Green Day have extremely simple drum lines, but you could also try some Dark Side of the Moon, or nearly anything by AC/DC. Neither is complicated, but demonstrate great feel.

Mtay, I'll start this week then. I don't want to hinder my performance any, or damage any part of any set I play on. When I go to get lessons, am I expected to bring anything? Or should they have a set to work with?
 
Mtay, I'll start this week then. I don't want to hinder my performance any, or damage any part of any set I play on. When I go to get lessons, am I expected to bring anything? Or should they have a set to work with?

I agree that you might not want to start out with lessons from day one, but if you go too long without lessons you are likely to pick up bad habits.

What you need for lessons is up to your instructor. Often you'll just have to bring sticks (and the book you are working through), though you need to at least own a practice pad.
 
I agree that you might not want to start out with lessons from day one, but if you go too long without lessons you are likely to pick up bad habits.

What you need for lessons is up to your instructor. Often you'll just have to bring sticks (and the book you are working through), though you need to at least own a practice pad.

Sounds reasonable. I can bring sticks, and buy a book if need be.
I do have a practice pad that my brother doesn't use, and he can't bring his drums to college with him so I can use those (although having my own would give me more incentive to play).
 
They will most definitely have a set, bring sticks and be prepared to buy a book. By the way you must be extremely pumped, and remember lessons are nothing without hard, smart practice. Have fun with it, don't get discouraged, find a teacher you like (Ive been with mine for about 2 years) And just every song you hear single out the drum part and listen to it. Try and figure it out if you can, but if you can't it will come.
 
They will most definitely have a set, bring sticks and be prepared to buy a book. By the way you must be extremely pumped, and remember lessons are nothing without hard, smart practice. Have fun with it, don't get discouraged, find a teacher you like (Ive been with mine for about 2 years) And just every song you hear single out the drum part and listen to it. Try and figure it out if you can, but if you can't it will come.

Alright :]
I am pumped, and every-time I watch a video, or go to a local show I love seeing a drummer do his/her thing. It gets me excited, and makes me want to learn and play that much more sooo one day I can be sitting up there.

I am worried about timing though, I'm not the best multi-tasking person in the world so when I play how might I count in my head and still play intricate things?
Obviously I'm not expecting to play fancy stuff at first, but like does counting measures and timing progressively become easier as I become more skilled?
 
Mostttttttt definitely, counting comes progessively, I'm still working at it, and you just keep getting better, and eventually I think the goal is to get to the point where you don't have too count you can feel the beat, which I can do with a few types of music and on simple stuff.
But anyways, you will definitely get better at counting, but its a good thing you realize timekeeping is such a huge thing first starting out.
 
Welcome to drumming, and this forum is the place to be for drummers. I don't think I can top wavelength's post. Practice as much as you can, work on keeping a steady beat, try and learn to imitate other drummers and play as many licks and beats as you can. Don't get discouraged if things take a little bit of time. Oh yeah, have fun.
 
Alright, thanks for all of your help. I'll call in tomorrow for lessons at my local music shop, which isn't really local heh.

Oh, for drums! Do you think it's a good idea that I start with a snare, bass drum, high hat and like a crash and work with that and slowly expand with new drums/cymbals when I've gotten better at what I have?
 
Your music shop will most likely have starter sets on hand, Usually a 5 piece set containing a Kick, snare, 2 rack toms and a floor tom and a lot come with starter cymbals as well. Most major drum companies have them, Ludwig, Pearl, etc. For usually between $400 and $500.

Or for an extra $100 you can probably find a better quaility used kit, and possibly better cymbals. If tuned properly a starter kit will sound pretty good and When you upgrade you can start buying better quality cymbals, Zildjian, Sabian's, Paiste, Istanbul, etc. Whatever sounds good to your ear. Then later grab yourself a set of Maple Ludwig's or whatever Brand you choose.

Good luck.
 
Thats a perfect starter set, you will need to trade up in a couple years, or you may love it and keep it forever. But that would work. cymbals I guarantee you'll hate and want to upgrade before long, for that I'd go Craigslist or ebay and get good used ones.
 
Thats a perfect starter set, you will need to trade up in a couple years, or you may love it and keep it forever. But that would work. cymbals I guarantee you'll hate and want to upgrade before long, for that I'd go Craigslist or ebay and get good used ones.

Sweet, I'll go with that then. I'm sure I will want new cymbals, but for now I'm sure that will do me justice for being a beginner.

Thanks for your help, and everyone else ^-^
 
Welcome Ninjatanzen!

You've come to the right place! And welcome to drumming. A lot of good information is floating around these pages.

Good Luck!! And like someone in this thread said, don't ever be afraid to ask questions. That's how we learn!

RD
 
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