Do you want to learn to play quicker? learn to transcribe.

The goal of transcribing is to be able to hear and understand what's going on in the music. And, how your part contributes to the whole, an integral step in music mastery.

Level one:

1. What instruments do you hear?
2. What style is this piece?
3. What is the form? For vocal music this will include the introduction, verses, chorus, maybe a bridge and outro. For a Jazz instrumental this may include introduction, head, solos, head, and out.
4. What is the time signature? Next count measures of each element in the form.
5. In a classic jazz performance determine the solo order. How many choruses does each soloist play? 

Skills required:

• Time to start the study of music theory
• Rudimentary ear training
• Basic technique
• No reading skill required
• No notational writing skill needed

There are levels to each of these stills. Musicians hone them over a lifetime. I'm 45 years in. I still do it weekly. I can help you. Call me.

David

First consider this. 

Are you watching for entertainment and enjoyment or for educational purposes?

For fun, videos of "drummers in a blender" videos are fun. Knock yourself out. Explore to your hearts content. You are subtly being introduced to the drummers world and mindset. Strengthening your emotional commitment to the drum set. Not a bad thing. 

For educational purposes though YouTube is a minefield of misinformation.  YouTube drumming videos often distort our view of what a drummers role is: accompanying. 

Renowned drummer Terry Clarke said this of my drumming.

1. "If you feel like playing a fill...don't"
2. "Dave, one of your strengths as a drummer is you can't overplay."

I love that guy.

Now If I self critique my own playing I must acknowledge one of my main strengths: the depth of my repertoire. I know tunes. Zillions of tunes. Forty five years of professional music making I've had experiences in multiple genres. This deep knowledge of repertoire allowed me to play music with musicians above my level early on.  Secondly, I practice mostly technique on the kit: Time, tone, and rudiments around the kit. With and without a metronome. 

Here are some sources of trusted information for drummers:

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A decade of playing the drums I've learned a thing or two about finding other musicians to play with. 

1st some prerequisites

1. Lose your shyness. The faint of heart never won the fair maiden.
   
2. Know your worth. If you're not quite sure where you sit in the drum pantheon, ask your teacher. They'll give you some honest assessment and a few ideas.
3. My ability to read music and follow a conductor from my activities as a pianist really helped me out.

Now let's go hunting.

1. I played for a year in private, in the practice studio before I ventured out into the world. 
   
2. First stop was the Burlington community concert band. This was a band that didn't require auditions, wink wink. I heard they needed another percussionist. I was prepared to play triangle. The night I arrived there was no drummer behind the drum set. So they ask me, "you play drums?" I said yes,  I sat in and sight read for the next two hours, they said you got the spot. Next week I was playing an outdoor concert bashing my way through Hawaii 50 TV theme.  I was terrified. But I made it through with my dignity more or less intact. I stayed for the next couple years. It was really really fun. I miss that bunch.
   
3. Up next I started a jazz band that met a few times a month in a community center in Oakville.  One of my adult jazz students played piano. The conductor of the Hamilton concert band played upright bass. My student, the pianist, was a guitar teacher, he invited one of his adults students to play guitar. We were a band. 
   
4. Along the way I joined the Hamilton concert band, which was another community band They did want to hear me before I joined. That was fun too. Then I moved to Toronto and started all over.

up next: Off to the big smoke

​David

Drummer in a blender. Now that's an image. That is a big part of the attraction for many kids. 

Kinetic energy. Loud noise. Excitement.

The second part?

The word "Play". Kids don't want another chore in their lives. The natural state for many kids is running in circles screaming in joy. They just want to have fun. 

Drums supply that to kids of all ages. I know from personal experience. I've marched in two parades in through the French Quarter of New Orleans. It was insane fun. Loud and very silly. Thousands of happy people watching in amazement. Check that off my bucket list.

Call me. 

David

When Wayne Gretzky was asked why he was great, he was heard to reply: I loved every aspect of the game. In  short, what beginners call the boring bits experienced drummers live for.

Play this beat for 4 minutes and 56 seconds. With a metroname. Leon Ndugu Chander did just this on Michael Jackson's Billy Jean. History was made.
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Or this: Bolero by composer Ravel. Talk about tension in repetition.​

1. Listen to drummers.
2. Listen some more.
3. Savour the fundamentals of drumming.
- Posture
- Stick control
- Rudiments
- Metronome
- Repetition
4. Listen some more. 
5, Seek out others on the same musical journey: bassists, guitarists, keyboardists. Learn to work in a musician's world early. We are friendly and excited to meet "Keener's".
6. As you discover drummers you like explore their discography. It will be online and easy to find.
7. Get to know the staff at your local music store. Over time, as they get to know you, they will introduce you to the community.
8. Solo Youtube videos are fun to watch. Chops, speed, and flash. I watch them too. Great if you play by yourself, but annoying if you play like this in a band. Remember musicians want time, groove and touch in that order. And, knowledge of repertoire.

Bonus step
9. Go do your drum homework. Think thousands of repetitions to security and spontaneity at the kit.

Best,

David