Ten unusual tips for beginner and intermediate drummers
As I continue to progress my drumming I sometimes look back and think… ‘I wish someone had told me this 10 years ago’. Ok in reality perhaps the problem is more ‘I wish I had listened to what I was told 10 years ago’. But nonetheless, here are ten of the less obvious things I think every drummer should take on board in order to progress. These will help new drummers, intermediate drummers and even advanced drummers. They will help you play with a band, or just improve your own drumming.
Top 10 tips for improving your drumming
Learn, and respect, the history of drumming
It’s important to understand where your art came from. The deeper your understanding of the key players, styles, language and significance the better your foundation for playing tastefully and building new creative ideas will be. Check out our inspiration page for articles on the cultural history of drums.
Copying is ok
We all like to come up with original ideas, but it’s important to build on a solid foundation. Learn beats and fills from drummers that inspire you. Then build on them to create your own creative identity. Add your own personality to the ideas by adding notes, using beat displacement, changing where the accents land, or playing with your own degree of syncopation or straightness. By drawing on the masters you will develop a tasteful drumming language that will shape your sound in ways that you like to hear.
Listen, listen, listen
Ok there’s a theme here: drawing on the masters, and those that inspire you. Take time to listen to what the greats - John Bonham, Elvin Jones, Neil Peart, Taylor Hawkins, Vinnie Colaiuta or whoever your favourite drummers are - and really digest what they’re playing and how it fits into their musical context. Try transcribing their playing, either just by playing and learning drum parts, recording yourself playing, or actually writing it down in notation form.
Don’t be too proud to go back to basics
You may be surprised at how much the masters practice the basics. Keep practicing the drum rudiments. Forever. Practice making them smoother and more even, faster, accent different beats, play the same sticking over different subdivisions (for example play triplets with paradiddle sticking), play them in different time signatures, play different combinations between your hands and feet, and lead with your weaker hand. Likewise make sure your fundamental beats are nailed down: a standard rock beat, a shuffle, a swing beat, a funk beat and so on. Practice with a metronome. Consistently working on these basics will keep you sounding tight and professional, and that will make you confident.
Be humble
Remember what your main job is as a drummer: to give the music shape and time, and create the right energy. Ultimately you are there to help the band give the audience the feeling that the music is designed to create. Removing yourself and respecting the music rather than showing off is more difficult than it sounds.
Make a practice plan
Having goals and following them through will make your drum practice more productive and help you to progress faster. Record yourself and listen back to the recordings to identify areas where you can improve. Use a metronome creatively, experiment with different time signatures, tempos, and subdivisions using the click to develop your sense of time and place in the music.
Focus on dynamics, clarity and playing the shape of the music
Don't just play loud all the time. Focus on your dynamics and learn to play softly and subtly to create more interesting and dynamic music. Use a mute, like a towel or pillow, on your drum set to practice quietly. This will help you focus on your technique and control your dynamics. Focus on making sure your drum strokes are even, and the accents are placed appropriately. Think about how your fills and dynamics give the music shape at the right time by outlining the form or verse-chorus-bridge structure of a song.
Experiment with odd time signatures
Don't just stick to 4/4 time. Try playing in odd time signatures like 5/4, 7/8, or 9/16 to challenge yourself and expand your playing style.
Play with other musicians
Playing with other musicians is vital to develop your listening skills and ability to be sensitive and react to musical situations. At first this can be daunting, but check out your local rehearsal studio’s message boards, and local social media groups to find likeminded musicians to play with.
Practice improvisation
Improvisation can help you develop your creativity and ability to react in real-time. Practice improvising over different forms to develop your skills and musicality.
Sometimes these ideas can be easier said than done. We all know that putting things into action can be difficult. Check out our guide to using psychology to help make your practice more productive.
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