| By :
Adrianna Noton
Drumming and keeping time is something people all over the world have in their bones. Pulse, like a heartbeat, is innate. So there's a built in advantage for the drum student. That said, like any instrument there are proper techniques to learn and skills to master. Here's what you can expect your drum lessons to look like. The cardinal rule of drumming, no matter how advanced you get, is you must maintain that beat! The importance of consistency cannot be overstated. At first you'll learn very basic beats that utilize the kick, the drum and the snare. It'll take some time to get acquainted with each, but this is the task at first. You'll learn the different ways to hold your drum sticks, the right way to use your foot to hit the bass drum, and other little things, but the essence is getting used to coordinating your hands and feet in a way which will be totally new. Even if you can hear the beat in your head, gaining control and independence of each limb is a new challenge that takes time to adjust, but there's no hurry. You must learn to respond to the beats in your head by reflexively moving your hands and feet. As well, you'll be introduced to drum notation so you can read and follow along. Reading takes a bit of time to develop, but it'll come. It's a separate skill that you'll hone along with your playing, but becoming a good reader will definitely help your drumming. Even though drumming is an intuitive element that relies on feel, it helps to take some pressure off your ear. After you get the basics down you can add some spice to your playing. Rudimentary beats will become gradually more advanced, and greater emphasis will be placed on your technique. Your teacher will scrutinize each step harder and make sure you're getting the most out of the way you strike each drum by assessing your grips and the way you make contact with your foot. You'll improve on rolls and your footwork. The next element of playing involves rhythmic shifting and really putting swing into your playing. Your fills will involve more syncopation. This means the work involves juggling the feel of time, and it takes a while before your limbs will do this voluntarily. To do this well you need to be able to play and keep track of two different rhythms simultaneously. In a way, this is what drumming is after you learn the fundamental techniques. Then it becomes a question of preferring a certain sound. Whatever sound you choose will require a certain more specific technique that can be taught at first, but in time you'll gradually narrow down what you want to accomplish on the instrument. No matter what stage you get to, drumming is a ton of fun, and with drum lessons you'll be knocking out rhythms to your favourite songs and accompanying your friends in no time!
|
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.nextlevelarticles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
