Most simple drum beats are in 4/4 time, but you can also explore tuple rhythms such as 3/4, 6/8, and 12/8. The accent feature on your metronome can change the feel of what you are playing and help you explore different time signatures. This will save you a lot of headaches later on. We recommend practicing with a metronome at the beginning of your drumming journey, as it’ll help you develop a strong sense of time and rhythm. Metronomes come in both analogue and digital. Drummers are expected to be able to maintain a steady tempo, and nothing keeps a steadier tempo than a metronome.
One final piece of equipment that will help you begin your journey of learning how to play the drums is a metronome.
We also recommend buying a rubber practice drum pad in the early stages, but if money is an issue, you can always use your drum sticks on a book, pillow, or any other firm, durable surface. You can find drum sticks at any music store and countless online stores, and they’re very affordable (most pairs are less than $8).
When you’re ready to take the next step, the first piece of gear we recommend purchasing is a pair of good drum sticks. If you don’t have immediate access to music, then simply practice keeping a steady tempo, alternating between tapping with your right hand and then your left hand. Start by tapping along to your favorite songs and focus on playing along with the drummer or another instrument in the song. Start with hand drumming, whether that’s playing on your thighs, a pillow, or anything else you can think of that won’t get damaged from repetitive hand tapping. The first piece of drum equipment that we recommend for students is free and readily available: your own body. Luckily, you don’t need a complete drum kit to get started when learning how to play the drums.
Most beginner drummers don’t have the luxury of having a full drum set at their disposal. These add accents to your music and can serve as transitions from one passage in a song to the next. In addition to these basic parts of a drum set, you can also add cymbals like the hi-hat, crash, and ride cymbals. Like the other drums in the kit, the toms are generally made from wood or metal. The floor and rack toms are most commonly used during drum fills. In a five-piece drum kit, there are two types of toms: the rack toms and the floor toms. The toms, or tom-toms, are mounted either above the bass drum or held up by adjustable legs. It’s a very important skill for drummers to learn. Make sure you practice this and improve your timekeeping skills in order to develop a consistent tempo when playing. Timekeeping refers to a drummer’s ability to play in time with the pulse of the music. When you play the bass drum, you use your foot on the drum’s kick pedal to produce a thumping sound. The bass drum is essential to the drum kit because it’s the most distinctive part of a band’s timekeeping. Most bass drum shells are made from woods like maple, heartwood birch, and mahogany, but you can also find bass drum shells made from metals. The bass, or kick drum, is easy to find because it’s the largest drum in a drum kit. In fact, it’s good to practice some snare drum exercises so you can improve your technique and focus on things like rhythm and intonation. While all of the parts of a drum kit are important, developing your snare drum skills can help you become a better all-around drummer. The rims are the hoops on the top and bottom that secure the drum heads on the snare. The drum head (batter) is coated, while the bottom of the snare is thin and responsive. The snare’s sound comes from its shell, which is generally made from wood like maple, birch, or mahogany, or from metals such as aluminum, bronze, brass, or stainless steel. The snare drum is responsible for the loud crack, usually on upbeats, that you hear during your favorite songs. The snare is the center of a five-piece drum kit. And unlike most other instruments, the drum set is composed of several pieces of expensive gear - it’s not just one simple piece.īefore we look into alternative options for beginners, take a look at the basic parts for buying drums for dummies. Oftentimes, instruments don’t come cheap. One of the most intimidating things about learning how to play drums is the cost of getting started. At some point or another on our rhythmic journey, we get interested in sitting behind a drum kit of our own. Others may be proficient finger-drummers, grooving on tabletops and steering wheels. Some of us started our foray into percussion by banging on pots and pans in our parents’ kitchen. How to Learn Drums for Beginners Table of Contents: Th i s will give you the solid foundation you need to have the best possible drumming experience. In this article, we’ll break down simple drum exercises for beginners along with the basic information to get started.