Drumming

[That Guy Mikey]

Seeing that I have the ability to do nothing. I want to get into drumming, I've started looking up basic rudiments and looking at cheap drum sets. What instructional information should I look up and what kind of drum sets are good for beginners? Thanks

[Nerf]

If it's got a bass drum, a snare drum, a hi-hat, and a cymbol - it'll be perfect for a beginner. Toms are preferable but not essential, though you will need them down the line.

[Dingle]

See if you can keep a steady beat first. Try doing 4's, then 8's and so on. A lot is based on nautral ability for rythm.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Honestly, if it's available near you and you can afford it, the best thing to do is to take some lessons with a private instructor.

Failing that, you've got the right approach. Most books that I've seen start out with really basic stuff, and work their way to the point where you'd be able to play competently in a band. Of course, if it's focusing on rudiments, that 'band' will be a marching band or somesuch - aside from building your strength and stamina, rudiments don't play a large part in rock/jazz drumming. I'd suggest starting with one of those books, and also picking up a rock book later on (don't have my old ones with me at the moment or I'd give you the names).

As for the drum set...I've never been hung up on what brand it is, how good it is, anything like that. If all you're doing is rudiments, you could just buy a snare drum for now and then invest in the whole set later on, if you're sure you want to keep up with it.

If you want to ignore the beginner stuff and just get right into rock/jazz drumming, the best thing to do is to find a book that comes with a CD - rudiments/snare drum stuff can be played alone just fine, but doing a rock beat without any other instruments is both boring and difficult. The advantage to a CD over getting a friend to play something is that the CD won't change tempo, while real musicians have a tendency to follow whatever tempo the drummer is using, regardless of speedups/slowdowns.

[That Guy Mikey]

My ultimate goal is to play in a Reggae band, but my friend who played drums in high school told me to learn the rudiments and it will help me out

[EddieRuckus]

My ultimate goal is to play in a Reggae band, but my friend who played drums in high school told me to learn the rudiments and it will help me out

Rudiments are good because they're like the building blocks of rhythm for drums. After you master them you can string them together in different ways or vary them by inserting different units of rests and notes(quarters, eights, sixteenths, thirdysecondths.)

[That Guy Mikey]

And if it matters I play the drums on rock band on expert I am ok at that

[KevinStorm]

And if it matters I play the drums on rock band on expert I am ok at that

First, don't ever compare playing an actual instrument to playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band.

Second, I'd say learn a lot of music theory too, because drums are pretty much the foundation for bands. So if the drummer sucks, everyone's going to suck. All you need to do to play basic stuff is learn the early rhythm stuff and be able to keep a beat. The fancy shit comes later.

[NobBe Nobbs]

And if it matters I play the drums on rock band on expert I am ok at that

First, don't ever compare playing an actual instrument to playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band.

Second, you - stop talking. If he'd been trying to compare Guitar Hero to playing guitar then I'd mock him as well, but Rock Band Expert Drums are more or less equal in difficulty to playing the real drums. So ssh.

[Mountainous Cleavage]

Agreed with De.

Swap the rock band set with a real set and you've got a drummer.

[METALMAN]

Very important - make sure you get proper drums, no matter how small your kit is. The last thing you want to do is get a kid's set with a plastic hi-hat from BHS or somewhere.

[Cactus Drags]

There was a feature on G4 or something where the guy who'd never played real drums before, but had completed expert drums on Rock Band did a soundcheck with Coheed. He played Welcome Home on their kit with them and was pretty much spot on.

Hence why I'm tempted to shell out for Rock Band, I could recoup my initial losses by being in a real band at the end of it >_>

[EddieRuckus]

There was a feature on G4 or something where the guy who'd never played real drums before, but had completed expert drums on Rock Band did a soundcheck with Coheed. He played Welcome Home on their kit with them and was pretty much spot on.

Hence why I'm tempted to shell out for Rock Band, I could recoup my initial losses by being in a real band at the end of it >_>

Is there a video of this? Would be very interesting to see!

[Cactus Drags]

http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/04/01/ev...up-drum-skills/

However, in searching for that, I now realise it was posted April 1st.

Edited April 14, 2008 by Dragsy

[VerbalPuke]

I've got this electronic pad that's been pretty decent for learning. It comes equipped with a bunch of different features, such as different kits and demos for said kits. It's not the best option, but it's relatively cheap and a good tool for a beginning drummer.

Honestly, I say you just find yourself some sort of kit and start playing. Just dive in, start playing, and see where it takes you.

[Cactus Drags]

I think I'd have to take up lessons at a college or something, there's no room in my house for a kit.

[Boogey131]

http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/04/01/ev...up-drum-skills/

However, in searching for that, I now realise it was posted April 1st.

I've seen elsewhere that the presenter was in fact already a drummer, having played the drums on an earlier occasion on the show, so the legitimacy of it is questionable but Rock Band is as good a place as any to start to help you et rhythm and co-ordinaton down I'd say.

[Cactus Drags]

Yeah, I found the same. Although I've also read an article somewhere that Rock Band helps with limb independency, which is apparently one of the most tricky aspects to learning the drums.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Yeah, there are good arguments on both sides of the Rock Band helps/doesn't help argument.

It does get you doing different patterns with different limbs at the same time, which is great. Probably the hardest skill for a drummer to pick up.

On the other hand, Rock Band gives you the same sound no matter where you hit the pad, no matter how hard/long you hit it. Real drums don't work that way, and I imagine it'll be quite an adjustment until you actually *sound* good.

[KevinStorm]

And if it matters I play the drums on rock band on expert I am ok at that

First, don't ever compare playing an actual instrument to playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band.

Second, you - stop talking. If he'd been trying to compare Guitar Hero to playing guitar then I'd mock him as well, but Rock Band Expert Drums are more or less equal in difficulty to playing the real drums. So ssh.

Ok, I'll grant the drums are a lot more similar to the real thing than the guitar. I just hate people comparing the video games to the real thing(which is usually done with the guitar anyway).