Patience, dedication and hard work are all called for to learn to play the drum or any other musical instrument. It takes years of practice learning the drum, despite the fact that many professionals make it look easy. However, even the great drummers had to start somewhere and learn to play, and if you want to be a drummer, you should persevere and learning the drum online can be one of the easiest ways to master the instrument. The following tips can help you.
Reading Drum Notation
Many people learn to play drums without first learning how to read sheet music. However, you should not take this course of action, because it usually limits your ability to experiment with various music styles and beats. By experimenting with different musical genres, you can improve your technical acumen and level of skill. The good news is that reading sheet music is not difficult. To begin, you need to comprehend sheet music terms like tempo. In simple terms, "tempo" denotes the pace at which music or drums are played.
Sheet music uses five horizontal lines, along which the music notes are placed, as well as one note and number to show the tempo. The time signature consists of two numbers, and each beat's worth is indicated by the number on the top, while the number of beats per bar is shown by the lower number; the time signature is an important drum notation to understand. To prepare physically and mentally to play the drum, get into the habit of reading the drum notes a little ahead of the ones you are playing at the moment, which are indicated by drum keys.
Cultivate Good Rhythm
In music, rhythm can make the difference between great and not-so-great music. Drummers need to develop a good sense of rhythm to ensure that every other musical aspect is in sync. Take note that music that lacks rhythm is nothing more than noise. Unfortunately, there is no shortcut to developing good rhythm as a drummer, so you would have to practice repeatedly until you get it. For instance, you can set a tempo on your metronome and then attempt to play at the tempo you set. However, you should avoid the temptation to set a fast tempo right from the start. Instead, start slow and then increase the tempo as you become more confident in your drum playing skills. You can also try playing along to prerecorded music. This will help you develop a keen sense of timing and rhythm.
Improve Your Technique
Today's drummers use both their hands and feet to play the drums, although in the past most drums were played only by hand. The heel up and the heel down techniques of drumming are two widely used examples of drumming techniques involving the feet that you will need to master.
The heel-up method involves application of the entire leg's weight to the foot pedal in order to strike the drum. It is a wise practice to keep the heel of your feet one to two inches above the floor. On the other hand, the heel-down method entails application of force to the foot pedal of your drum by using the muscles of your calf and ankle joints.
It can be difficult for beginners to master the heel down technique, and to do so you will need to keep your feet constantly in contact with the surface of the foot pedal. Staying relaxed and practicing as much as possible is the key to success, although you should also have your feet in an ergonomically correct and natural position.
Obtain a Practice Kit
Sharpening and improving your drumming skills requires regular practice. However, drums generate a lot of noise and you might find angry neighbors outside your door if you live in an apartment block. One way of ensuring this does not happen is by buying a practice pad kit. Unlike real drums, practice pad kits consist of rubber-covered wooden blocks. This makes them much quieter and you can practice without worrying about disturbing your neighbors. You can also buy sound-off pads and place them on top of you drums.
Practice is definitely the key to learning the drum and becoming skilled, although it is admittedly not the easiest instrument to learn. Reading and understanding drum notation, followed by developing good rhythm is the way to go, and this will improve your overall technique. A practice pad kit will allow you to get in as much practice as you need without driving the neighbors crazy.
Reading Drum Notation
Many people learn to play drums without first learning how to read sheet music. However, you should not take this course of action, because it usually limits your ability to experiment with various music styles and beats. By experimenting with different musical genres, you can improve your technical acumen and level of skill. The good news is that reading sheet music is not difficult. To begin, you need to comprehend sheet music terms like tempo. In simple terms, "tempo" denotes the pace at which music or drums are played.
Sheet music uses five horizontal lines, along which the music notes are placed, as well as one note and number to show the tempo. The time signature consists of two numbers, and each beat's worth is indicated by the number on the top, while the number of beats per bar is shown by the lower number; the time signature is an important drum notation to understand. To prepare physically and mentally to play the drum, get into the habit of reading the drum notes a little ahead of the ones you are playing at the moment, which are indicated by drum keys.
Cultivate Good Rhythm
In music, rhythm can make the difference between great and not-so-great music. Drummers need to develop a good sense of rhythm to ensure that every other musical aspect is in sync. Take note that music that lacks rhythm is nothing more than noise. Unfortunately, there is no shortcut to developing good rhythm as a drummer, so you would have to practice repeatedly until you get it. For instance, you can set a tempo on your metronome and then attempt to play at the tempo you set. However, you should avoid the temptation to set a fast tempo right from the start. Instead, start slow and then increase the tempo as you become more confident in your drum playing skills. You can also try playing along to prerecorded music. This will help you develop a keen sense of timing and rhythm.
Improve Your Technique
Today's drummers use both their hands and feet to play the drums, although in the past most drums were played only by hand. The heel up and the heel down techniques of drumming are two widely used examples of drumming techniques involving the feet that you will need to master.
The heel-up method involves application of the entire leg's weight to the foot pedal in order to strike the drum. It is a wise practice to keep the heel of your feet one to two inches above the floor. On the other hand, the heel-down method entails application of force to the foot pedal of your drum by using the muscles of your calf and ankle joints.
It can be difficult for beginners to master the heel down technique, and to do so you will need to keep your feet constantly in contact with the surface of the foot pedal. Staying relaxed and practicing as much as possible is the key to success, although you should also have your feet in an ergonomically correct and natural position.
Obtain a Practice Kit
Sharpening and improving your drumming skills requires regular practice. However, drums generate a lot of noise and you might find angry neighbors outside your door if you live in an apartment block. One way of ensuring this does not happen is by buying a practice pad kit. Unlike real drums, practice pad kits consist of rubber-covered wooden blocks. This makes them much quieter and you can practice without worrying about disturbing your neighbors. You can also buy sound-off pads and place them on top of you drums.
Practice is definitely the key to learning the drum and becoming skilled, although it is admittedly not the easiest instrument to learn. Reading and understanding drum notation, followed by developing good rhythm is the way to go, and this will improve your overall technique. A practice pad kit will allow you to get in as much practice as you need without driving the neighbors crazy.
About the Author:
Daniel Sears is an expert in drum playing for several years, who is sharing is experience, reviews and knowledge through is own website blog. if you desire to know more about it, you can visit is drum site. if you desire get more information and reviews about learning the drum, you can go visit is learning the drum reviews, videos and articles pages.
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