#1. Work with, play
with and mutually support other musicians
The members of your musical circle will really help in
your overall musical improvement if you let them give you feedback. In your jam
sessions they will synchronize with you and help by making suggestions to
improve your playing technique. Be sure to discuss ideas with each of them. The
musicians you play with will help in giving you valuable feedback which will go
a long way in assisting you to become a great drummer. It doesn’t matter if you
are in a band or not; you still have the ability to learn by working with
others. Any musician teaching you is a great feedback resource and you should
acknowledge that they are propelling you to improvement. If you have musician
friends ask them to come hear you play and ask for feedback. You never know
what helpful tips they might offer.
#2. Learn the
basics first before developing your own style
Begin by studying the various genres of music: classical,
rock, pop, Latin, jazz, etc. After you have taken some quality time in doing
this, pick a one drummer who appeals to you the most in every genre and start
focusing on the things you love about their style of playing. Learn how to
imitate them. After you get done mastering the basics, try incorporating your
own distinct style.
A number of us when we start out always have an obsession
of being a “creative and original” kind of drummer. The idea of using other
drummer’s licks doesn’t seem appealing at all. Often, new musicians wonder how
another person’s creativity patterns may help them. So in the bid to avoid
being the copycat type of drummer they go about trying to learn new techniques,
creating fills that are “original,” yet they neglect mastery of the rudiments.
This is a huge mistake and no one should go down this path. Begin by focusing
on the fundamentals as it’s very essential, especially if you are a beginner.
#3. Start keeping
time
Just as your computer’s clock keeps the time of day it’s a
drummer’s responsibility to keep the time for the song that they are playing.
Metronomes, drum machines, click tracks and other time keeping tools are of the
utmost importance for drummers. You can also develop your time-keeping skills
by playing along with recordings of your favorite songs, or even just by
turning on the radio and playing with each tune that comes on. This is a great
way to learning because the drummers you will hear have more experience than
you and will have already developed a high level of musicianship. Try putting
on headphones to hear the time right in your ear.
By working your musical ideas out at a slow tempo you can
make sure that you hit every note clearly. Once you can play a whole passage or
piece slowly, speed it up little by little (use a metronome) until you can play
it at the desired tempo. When learning songs, start with those that are easy
and which you love to play. Once you can play a song in its entirety, add your
own creativity and branch out to original ideas.
#4. Focus on new
ideas and experiences
As mentioned earlier, we see beginners trying to become
creative using their own ideas with a total disregard of the fundamentals.
Little or no success be realized this way. Just like the greatest athletes,
writers and all the professionals at the top, learn to do all that is possible
to get the needed exposure to ideas that are the best in your field. Always
look for opportunities to building your experience by applying these ideas in a
creative context.
#5. Develop both of
your hands
When playing either hand percussion or with drum sticks,
ensure to relax your hands. For almost every beginner, the dominant hand is
usually stronger and the weaker hand needs to be strengthened. Practice using
the weak hand in playing beats that are more pronounced while using the
dominant right hand in striking softer notes.
#6. Play
Dynamically (Loud and Soft)
Learning to control sound volume and intensity at every
moment is one of the great qualities of professional musicians. For drummers,
the amount of physical force you apply to the drum will directly impact its
volume.Practice playing soft (ballad-like) as much as you can. ForThe drum set
is a drummer’s eyes, hands and feet extension and so you should ensure to
practice combining them altogether and also separately.
#7. Be disciplined
in your practice
Nothing ever came out of being lazy. If you are truly
dedicated to becoming a great drummer, nothing will come your way. Practice,
practice and practice even harder, the results will overwhelm anyone. Make sure
that you are putting in QUALITY practice time and not just QUANTITY. It’s
better to spend 30 minutes of focused practice time than 4 hours of distracted
playing.
These tips will ensure that you improve your skills as a
drummer. Never forget that it always takes effort and work to ensure
improvement but in the end, it will be worth it. Physical drumming is a very
demanding exercise but it is highly satisfying to fulfill the need within a
larger musical context. Finally do not be afraid of trying out your creativity
and becoming adventurous
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