Taking up drums to improve bass skills?

[LuckyBassPlayer]

Hi everybody,
What do you think of the idea of taking up drums, to improve my rhythm and grooves, just wondering.

[allexcosta]

I've done it. Works wonders...

From every drum I've studied, I believe "pandeiro" has helped me most.

YouTube - ‪Marcus Santos - Modern Approach to Pandeiro‬‏

[Dustin Teel]

I believe it is an excellent idea.

I was a drummer before I ever touched a bass and I believe completely that how well I play bass is a direct result of my drumming experience.

The most important thing about the rhythm section is synchronization. When the drummer kicks, the bassist should pluck, and visa versa. It's the subtle, almost subconscious intricacies that picking up drums gives you that makes such a difference. Being able to play both instruments will give you a tightness, a punchiness that you may not even notice at first...

But record yourself playing bass now. Then play drums regularly for a year. Then record the same bassline.

You will be astounded.

[dhsierra1]

+1 on all the above comments

[Orangeclawhamme]

I took up drums when I got tired of haling my bass amp to lessons because my music teacher, a drummer with a degree in music, didn't have one. Now I'm teh percussionist at church.

I recently met a man at an open mic whose father was a professional musician. He told me that any time a parent would ask for his advice for a child with any musical interest, no matter what instrument the child was interested in, his advice was always teh same; "Have him/her take drums for six months." This was from a man who was going to be an orchestral French horn player until he hurt his lip in an auto accident.

[TripleDouble]

It's a GREAT idea, and you can practice drum rudiments and rhythm stuff anywhere, drumming on your knee or office desk. My co-workers love it. Learning to sing a bit is just as helpful, it really helps you play what you hear and for transcribing.

[BassMan4Him]

I did this and it made me pay more attention to the bass drum to play together.. The drummer and I locked in much better after, too..

[Art Araya]

worked for Jaco and Chick Corea...

Learning other instruments can help you become a better musician. Understanding drums can only help you interact with them better on your bass.

[SC Bassboy]

It should almost be mandatory. "Learn to play the drums" is the first thing I tell every person who is learning bass or any bass player who wants to be better. Bass lines bridge rhythm with melody and thus it is elementary that a good bass player should study the instruments he supports. Probably the most important aspect of it is kick drum placement in a song. Once you learn to play drums and intuitively know where the kick should fall it translates to your bass lines.

[Bassamatic]

This is a brilliant idea. My drummer and I have talked about exchanging lessons with each other.

Meanwhile, I listen to his kick and he watches my hand.

[BassMystic]

ALLEXCOSTA....hey man i have been watching pandeiro vids on Utube
and they are on point... can you tell me how and why the pandeiro has help
in your bass playing?

[dalahorse]

As a drummer and bassist, I *HIGHLY* recommend learning the drums if you're interested. Being a drummer has been very beneficial to learning the bass for me. The reciprocal would almost certainly hold true. There was a really good thread on this topic a while back: Are Any Of You Any Good On The Drums? IMHO, you can never learn too many instruments.

[allexcosta]

Originally Posted by BassMystic

ALLEXCOSTA....hey man i have been watching pandeiro vids on Utube
and they are on point... can you tell me how and why the pandeiro has help
in your bass playing?

It's all in internalizing the ghost notes and making the right hand relaxed and free, mainly on slap...

[LuckyBassPlayer]

+1 on the ''Learn a lot of instruments'', I have a guitar at home that I play from time to time, and a mate of mine plays the drums pretty good (need to save him from becoming a guitard), and I'm planning to ask him for lessons.

[AcidFripp]

Any instrument will get you better at bass, even if it's something like harp or surbahar. Trust me on this one, dude.

[BarryRay]

I'm a pretty average bassist, but because I can play guitar, every guitarist I play with loves the bass lines I write because I understand what a guitar player wants from a bassist. The same thing can apply to drums, probably more so than guitar.
Coming from a theater background, a similar thing can be said for actors who know how to run lighting, and techies that have performed on stage before. You get respect for what the other person is doing, and you know how to better play YOUR part to help them play their best. In the end, the whole production improves 10x.