Sign me up!

​Playing drums alone has its joys, but eventually you likely want to try it with a group. I've been playing over 45 years with groups great and small: Forty-five years of joy, excitement, disappointments, embarrassments, and more than a few triumphs. I've a few miles left in me yet too. So, let me offer some general suggestions for those looking for their first group. 

Prepare to play: A review of critical skills to play in a band or orchestra

• Work daily on your time sense with the pad, metronome, and rudiments. It really makes a difference.
• Know exactly what kind of music you want to play.
• Learn to read drum music well. This really opens your options. 
• Be sure your gear is in order. You don't need fancy gear, just well tuned and in working order. 
• Repertoire development. Those who know the most tunes win. That has been one of my secret weapons. I had played professionally for decades across the music business before I took up the drums. I knew thousands of tunes and had acquired professional skills that I could use.  So, I found myself early in my drumming career welcomed to play with musicians much more skilled than myself. 
• Understand what musicians are looking for in a drummer, regardless of what level you are playing at. From garage band thumpers to stadium heroes, it's pretty much the same. 
  1. time sense
  2. fun to be with
  3. dynamic control
  4. plays the song.
  5. doesn't showboat.
  6. practices at home
  7. punctual 
  8. cooperative attitude
  9. sober
  10. looks the part.

Conclusion: Be ready to play, be confident, know some tunes. Do you need to have professional skills to play? No, there is a group for everyone. 

The Hunt: Where beginners can start.

For school age musicians.

1. Join the school music program.
2. Introduce yourself to the music teacher.
3. Talk to your drum teacher.
4. Join an afterschool music club.
5. Join a community drum line.
6. Have your parents contact guitar/keyboard/bass teachers in your area and ask them for the names of students looking for a drummer. Yes, start your own band. 

For Adults: Have or fake some confidence. You will have to put yourself out there. 

1. Join a community band, offer to play triangle if you must. Just get yourself in and build from there.
2. Go to community jams in pubs. Just hang out for a month or two and get the lay of the land. Become a recognizable figure in the crowd.  
3. Call music teachers of other instruments and introduce yourself. They all have adult guitar/keyboard/bass students looking for the same thing.
4. Online might work. I've never tried it myself though. Search, "seeking musicians in my area".  Online etiquette and safety rules apply.  
5. Become a fixture at the local music store. The staff know everyone. 
6. Put your name up on the "seeking musicians board" found in every music store I've ever been in. Something like" Adult drummer with a great attitude looking for others to jam with. I like rock, and blues. Available on weekends to jam Text me 000-000-0000"
7. Go visit the local rehearsal rooms, there will be ways to communicate with musicians there. Just ask the proprietor. 
8. Let all your friends know.
9. Talk it up on Facebook and your other social media posts. Something like a “seeking musicians” to jam with thread. Keep it lighthearted, and keep it going with regular updates on your quests. People will love it. 
10. Go to a adult music camp. Really, I've been to them in 3 different countries. Studied and played in some really great venues: under the stars in Rome, in Polish jazz clubs, and American concert halls. Really!

​David

1. Enthusiasm
2. Explore their musical tastes, or help them develop one.
3. Make the practice space easy to navigate.
4. Book an extra 15 minutes of lessons for yourself. I'll teach you how to play what your child is learning. A house with 2 drummers! I promise it will be crazy fun. You will practice together. 

David

Depends on your goals. Humble or ambitious? 

Easy if:

1. You want to fool around playing in the basement, alone. 
2. You want to play along with your favorite recordings. 

Slightly more difficult if:

1. You want to play in the school band; some rudiments and reading skills will be required.  In short  basic musicianship skills.
2. You want to jam with others at your level: Learn some basic technique, a few simple beats and an awareness of dynamic control and you are ready to go.

Drums are difficult if:

1. You want to play with others who already play well.
2. You want to jam in public.
3. You want to attend jam sessions in your local pub.
4. You want to play in a drum line.
5. You want to play music of some sophistication like Jazz, Prog, Hip Hop, Latin, etc.

Drums are formidable if: 

1. You want to reach your potential.
2. You want to be admired and talked about in hushed tones.
3. You want to be in a professional. 

Each level takes a different level of commitment and resource allocation. 

If I can help you get started. Call me. 

​David

Is there any cure for snare drum lust? Nope.

Once you've been playing for awhile, have a few means, and reach a certain age it starts.

The collecting and hoarding of snare drums. Like a former colleague and teacher Paul DeLong, I've got enough drum sets. But you can always squeeze another snare in. 

My latest acquisition: Tama SLP Vintage Poplar Maple Snare 14x5.5

The verdict: 

1. Dry sound with the stock heads
2. Sounds great tuned up as well as done
3. A small room drum
4. I've ordered another batter head: New Orleans Snare Batter from Aquarian Drumheads

We'll be playing trad jazz on it come the spring and jamming starts up again. 

David

Learning to play the drums is a long-term project. We must learn posture, grip, timing, reading, transcription, ear training, rudiments, beats, fills, repertoire, the list goes on. Oh, and develop endurance.

But sir, I just want to thrash to my favorite tunes?

Me too.

So what do we do?

For beginners I suggest spending 70% of your time playing along with your favorite recordings. Thrash, bash, and scream out your joy. 

Spend the other 30% on the technical side of drumming and your teacher's homework assignments. All your drumming heroes at some point in their drumming journey got down to business and spent that 30% thoughtfully and methodically learning the business side of playing the drums. As time went on, they worked out their own ratios. 

Side note to parents and adult students. Technical progress is needed to maintain enthusiasm. Not unlike other human endeavors. The trick is not to kill the joy of movement that thrashing about gives, while making time to learn to how play the drums. 

If I can help, call me. 
​
​David

Job number 1. Keeping time. Full stop. So, are people born with good time or is it trainable?

Of course a student can learn to play with good time. Ask any teacher or older musician and they will tell you, kids today are more skilled and more numerous and back in the day. Why is that? Many reasons, but one is the abundance and access to expert instruction.  Live and on YouTube. So, take heart.

Musical time is about muscle memory, ear training, and hand skills. Try this real simple exercise with the various metronome techniques. Over time it will help your time, feel, and hand technique while warming up your hands to practice.

​(It looks simple until the metronome moves. )

Now the techniques:

• This will be played at various tempi using the metronome. Try 80, 70, 90, 60, 100, 50, 110, 40. It's usually more difficult the slower it's played.  Play a least one minute at each tempo setting. For real beginners, one tempo is fine. I suggest 70 or 80.
• Now before beginning I want you to imagine a favorite drummer of yours. Think how well they play, how exciting it is, how thrilling. Imagine them doing these exercises. They played thousands of hours of similar exercises over the years. Imagine you doing the same. Get yourself psyched up to cheerfully workout.  
• Be sure to record yourself on your phone or electronic drum kit. This is crucial. (Roland kits have a built in app that will grade your progress as well.) But, do record yourself. You really do need to hear your progress of staying in time.
• Count aloud when playing: 1-2-3-4, 1&2&3&4& repeat

Now the stickings:

• RLRLRLRLRLRL 
• LRLRRLRLRLRL 
• RLRLRRLLRRLL
• LRLRLLRRLLRR

What are we trying to accomplish?
1. Even strokes between the hands, no loud or faint notes. Every note the same volume.
2. No rushing when the time value doubles in tempo between the quarter and eighth notes.
3. Relaxed grip.
4. Good rebound.

Challenge levels, metronome games.

• metronome only on beats 1 and 3
• metronome only on beats 2 and 4
• metronome only on beat 1
• metronome only on beat 2
• metronome only on beat 3
• metronome only on beat 4

Call me, I can help. 

​David

How I will be spending some practice time over the holidays, preparing this piece. A fun solo piece for the snare drum.

​Good hand skills are the core competency of drumming. Learning some solo repertoire is a fun way of going about it. 

If you swing them a bit, they morph into a New Orleans Roll offs or drum solos pretty fast. 

​David

Snare Drum Solo. Chris worked it out be ear. Smart kid.