How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
Yes it is an old joke: "Practice, Practice, Practice" is the answer but..........that is the answer.
How do you practice drums? Rudiments, Jam solo, Jam with friends, Practice with a band, likely all of the above but without a little discipline and structure your progress is likely going to be slower than you desire.
To me, getting the basics right on any instrument starts with one thing: A GOOD TEACHER! Of course there are many online courses. lesson plans, online teachers available but the best way to learn and TO AVOID EARLY BAD HABITS is side by side in a live setting with a good drum teacher.
Your teacher will likely start you out with the same materials we all did for generations starting with Ted Reed's Syncopation.
Here are a few of my books which helped form the foundation of my early training.
I still use these as reference guides on a regular basis. As example: Take any exercise and change it around a bit....
- switch left and right hands
- increase or decrease speed
- switch a hand with a foot
- switch a pad for a kit and apply to four-way independence across the kit
- the possibilities are endless!~
At times it may feel frustrating at times to play on a pad, but the lessons learned and the '10,000 hours' you put into practicing rudiments and stick control will pay off for a lifetime.
I have been playing drums for over 40 years and still practice on a daily basis - currently practicing the 'space' between strokes.
Here is an example of my morning 30-minute warm-up routine:
5 minutes each, alternate strokes each bar. Listen for the space in between! - Doubles and paradiddles at 140 BPM - Single double paradiddle six stroke at 80 BPM - Singles and triplets at 115 BPM - Single 16ths and 32nds at 85 BPM - Paradiddle diddle diddle 3/4 230 BPM @ half time - 6 stroke roll at 180 BPM Gets the blood flowing to your hands for sure.
After that I give myself a treat and play some funk jams or play along to some of my favorite tunes.
Lastly, I have curated a collection of 'drumless tracks' from Youtube and/or my iTunes account which are great play-along routines.
Search for 'Drumless tracks' on Youtube for complete songs minus drums as well as rhythm jams that others have uploaded.
I also use GarageBand rhythm tracks and create my own Ableton Live tracks to play along to.
Lastly, there are some outstanding tracks from artists such as Ash Soan who have created awesome play-along tracks with and without Ash so you can hear some new ideas and try to apply them to your style.
Learning happens over a lifetime not in one day. So give yourself time, put the hours in and Practice, Practice, Practice......
Finally, there is no better teacher than to see and listen to live and/or recorded music. See and hear what others are doing and apply some new ideas to your own style. For me, I try to listen and learn at least one new thing per day across all different types of music.
Here is your homework assignment for the day. Check out:
Carter McLean and Charlie Hunter Duo recorded on April 8, 2018 at a small club in Connecticut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKLrwiYI1gQ
Todd Sucherman with Styx on April 7, 2018 in South Carolina: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmm5pEzPBm4
EXTREMELY different drummers and performances but you can learn a ton from these masters.
Enjoy!