Today it seems more and more drummers are self taught compared to having taken drum lessons from a teacher. Whether or not this is a good idea is another topic for another time, but today, Jimmy Rainsford will be providing five tips for all of you drummers who decided to tackle this instrument solo. In fact, even drummers who have taken lessons should take these into account!
Stick on some headphones, put on your favorite song, get behind the kit, and start playing along. Try your best to figure out what the drummer is doing and add your own ideas! Start with music you’re familiar with so you already know the overall structure and feel. Playing to music is why we started drumming in the first place anyways, isn’t it? This will help you jump into tip #2, which is…
If you know people who play other instruments, get together and play! When you start jamming with other people, they can give you direct feedback on your drumming. Take it all in and cater your practice sessions to those weaknesses. It will also teach you valuable listening skills: when to lay back, when to play a fill, and being aware of what the other musicians are doing.
Whether you purchase a physical metronome or download one for free on your phone, it’s an absolute must for ALL drummers. Keeping good time is the most important aspect of drumming, so practice everything you play with a metronome. Grooves, fills, rudiments, solos – anything!
Related: Fun and Useful Metronome Exercise With Mark Kelso »
Audio AND Video. Put the camera up and start recording. This will allow you to look back at your playing and see your bad habits, overall technique, posture, and so on. Seeing your drumming from a 3rd person point of view is extremely valuable. It will help you catch bad habits you’ve developed so you can work on fixing them right away!
Chances are when you first started listening to music, you only listened to one or two genres and ignored the rest. This can really limit your drumming vocabulary! I encourage you to expand your horizons and start listening to other types of music… All the way from jazz to metal. You’d be surprised how much of what you learn will carry into all other styles of playing.
We hear this a lot in music these days, but not many people actually apply it. They’re constantly chasing the sound or style of their favorite musician. It’s great to have influences and inspirations, but you need to remember that you’re unique and you can bring things to the table that your favorite drummers can’t. Find your strengths and own them!
More Lessons by Jimmy Rainsford:
►3 Tips To Good Sounding Grooves
►How To Learn Drum Fills By Ear
►How To Get A Fat Snare Sound
Drumeo Team - We're professional, award-winning drummers and drum teachers, coaches, recording artists, and content specialists who are passionate about drums and helping drummers around the world. This post was written and/or edited by Sam Landa, Brandon Toews, Jared Falk, Dave Atkinson, or another pro on our team (which has a combined 1000+ years of drumming experience). Are you looking for inspiration, education, and support to take your playing to the next level? Join the Drumeo community today!
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