Learning drums

[definenredefine]

I started on drums, though, to be fair, that was like 6 months before I picked up bass. I've primarily played drums in bands, though.

Drumming is a blast! Yeah there are drawbacks - more equipment to handle, more expensive to replace broken parts (including parts that are designed to wear out, like heads and sticks, etc) - but it's well worth it to me.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Do any of you play drums? Don't have to worry about breaking strings. I might want to pick it up sometime.

Yeah.

It's loud, expensive, and takes an extra 2-3 hours a gig.

But, you never gave to worry about learning songs. You can wing just about anything.

 

[logdrum]

If you want to be good at drumming. My advice, just get a 2 piece and no crash or ride cymbal. Just a bass drum , snare and hi-hat. Do that for a year. If you are so so at drumming , then do that too. Then the year after that add a crash ride and learn that ride and get at least 12 distinct sounds out of it. Explore all the things you can get from the snare and the nuance of the high hat . Do not add the toms until you can do triplets and eights on your bass drum foot. Then maybe year 3 add the rack and floor tom and one more cymbal. Or just stay there. Add brushes and other forms of sticks. Play with hands.

Get a practice pad.

Underneath my sit stand desk is a 14 inch bass drum on risers. During work breaks almost every workday . I pull the hi-hat stand and the snare and brushes. I have a bop set set up but usually for people who drop by to play drums on. I only play a two piece and occasionally a dry cymbal. IT's a pared version of this. Cafe Kit from Odery drums. I do have a full size 6.5X14 Ludwig Black Beauty for my snare but go back and forth this little 12 inch as well as 3X13 piccolo.

 

[Evan J]

Drums is my number one technically. But I think I feel more at home on bass.

I do highly recommend any musician learning some drums. The more every musician feels responsible for “the time” the better a band will feel.

Also, thinking like a drummer will help you lock in as a bassist. The band will love you.

Many great bass players (Victor for instance) have a drumming background.

 

[Sternodox]

Here's me, age 70, after playing a bit more than a year.

 

[r_bnks]

You won't have to worry about breaking strings but you'll have to worry about breaking drum heads.

So seek help instead playing anything, it'll be cheaper.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I used to play drums and was the drummer in gigging band for a couple of years. I never really enjoyed it much to be honest. I haven't touched a drum kit since I left that band, 30 years ago, which pretty much says it all. I mean, I'm constantly surrounded by drum kits at gigs, at rehearsals, in my studio... but I'm NEVER tempted to actually sit down behind one. To me a drum kit has the attraction of a vacuum cleaner (=a necessary evil that I would rather want someone else to deal with).

 

[Bob_Ross]

Do any of you play drums? Don't have to worry about breaking strings.

I played drums in my teens and 20s (high school, college, and for a few years thereafter) and I broke more drumsticks in that ~10 year period than I've broken strings in the 50 years I've been playing bass. Like, by an order of magnitude.

 

[MrLenny1]

I do not play drums. Started working with a guitar player
who plays drums really well & guitar also.
He subs out on either instrument. First time I've encountered this.
Hats off to multi-instrumentalists.
Did a jam session a while back. Piano player sounded great & sang really well.
He got up from the keys & started playing guitar really well then picked up a tenor sax
a wailed on that also. Geez!

 

[WI Short Scaler]

I started as a drummer, spent my first few years of gigging as a singing drummer.

I quit and took up bass because I was tired of hauling so much equipment and I wanted to get up and move while playing. I was tired of being in the back.

 

[SteC]

 

[Patrice B]

If you want to be good at drumming. My advice, just get a 2 piece and no crash or ride cymbal. Just a bass drum , snare and hi-hat. Do that for a year. If you are so so at drumming , then do that too. Then the year after that add a crash ride and learn that ride and get at least 12 distinct sounds out of it. Explore all the things you can get from the snare and the nuance of the high hat . Do not add the toms until you can do triplets and eights on your bass drum foot. Then maybe year 3 add the rack and floor tom and one more cymbal. Or just stay there. Add brushes and other forms of sticks. Play with hands.

Get a practice pad.

Underneath my sit stand desk is a 14 inch bass drum on risers. During work breaks almost every workday . I pull the hi-hat stand and the snare and brushes. I have a bop set set up but usually for people who drop by to play drums on. I only play a two piece and occasionally a dry cymbal. IT's a pared version of this. Cafe Kit from Odery drums. I do have a full size 6.5X14 Ludwig Black Beauty for my snare but go back and forth this little 12 inch as well as 3X13 piccolo.

View attachment 5436302

(I think!) I am not that (even, I would say, decent) bad with snare, ride, hats and kick but I rarely use toms... as I can't make a tom fill to save my life . Self taught you know !

 

[MoireBass]

Do hand drums count?

I studied (African) djembe for three years. Started in the beginner class, was promoted to the intermediate class, then to the advanced class, became one of the best in the advanced class.
But then there was nowhere else to go. I realized that I have to have a goal, I can't just go to class and repeat stuff. I need the goal of performing eventually to stay motivated. Played one small gig with my teacher and two other students. But my teacher's regular performance group was the Djembabes, and I just don't have the right equipment to be a Djembabe. Here they are:


(The clip kicks into higher gear about 5:20) My teacher's the one in front in purple.
Drum circles were repetitive and boring.

My sense of time really improved though.