“More Than Audimania”: How to learn to play drums?

Photo rskspyder man / CC

There are such moments in life when one obsession firmly bumps into the head, not letting go for a minute. Sometimes this is a consequence of a conscious and planned movement towards the goal, sometimes an impulsive desire to fulfill the childhood dream.
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Our material today is for those whose goal (or dream) is to learn how to play drums. In Audiomania, we collected interesting and useful tips for beginning drummers and learned from Dmitry Poltinin, international logistics manager for Audiommania and drummer and back vocalist of † B † C † B † , about his experience of playing drums.

Define the goal

Here everything is ambiguous. First, a novice drummer needs to decide why he wants to learn how to play drums. There may be many options: some want to hone their playing skills to the perfect / drop everything and set up their own group, others just need to learn a few favorite songs. It is also worth highlighting for yourself the genre in which you want to play, because the techniques used by musicians are seriously different. To understand what is at stake, watch two videos.

On one of them, jazz drummer Buddy Rich performs his stunning solo ...



And on the other - rock drummer Terry Bozzio:

Choose a class format

It is believed that those who want to seriously study the drums, first of all, should find a good teacher who will teach the basics. On the other hand, there are many talented self-taught talents in the music world, and with the appearance of a huge number of worthwhile courses on the Internet, it is becoming easier to develop talents on your own.

Advantages of working with a mentor : under the strict control you, of course, will feel more confident, moreover, the pro will start correcting your mistakes from the very first day. The teacher will be able to visually demonstrate the things that in self-learning conditions can be difficult to understand. Another significant plus of working with a mentor is the opportunity to train on an educational tool and at least for the first time not to spend money on your own installation.

At first, I studied with a teacher at the Red Chemist , then on my own, then for a short time at the Moscow College of Improvisational Music. I believe that the first year or two just need to deal with the teacher, because it was at this time that the foundation was laid, the basics.

Incorrect hand setting leads to a slowdown in the pace of training, and simply to injury. Later, when you have some skills and an understanding of which way to go, you can begin to study on your own, visiting the teacher less frequently.
- Dmitry Poltinin, musician, drums, group † B † C † B †

Advantages of self-study: in addition to the obvious saving of money for a teacher, self-study implies the opportunity to study at any convenient time and not waste time choosing the right mentor (in musical direction, learning style, or simply in character). However, in this case it is necessary to carefully study the materials available in the web and music stores, and choose the appropriate one.

The fact is that not all tutorials will be useful to you - some are designed for a high level of skills or “sharpened” for a particular style, and therefore may not meet your needs. To start, you can study the following materials: this and this , you may find for yourself something suitable.

From the resources for self-study I can advise first of all Stick Control , from online resources - Vkontakte groups [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] and Drumeo [this company has a YouTube channel and its own tutorial - though it’s paid].

Printed literature is very useful, as it allows you to thoughtfully disassemble various fragments and hone the skill of reading notes from a sheet. The ability to read and play on the notes will open the opportunity to study independently on various educational materials, as well as the chance to subsequently play in various teams and become a professional.

Develop a sense of rhythm

Before spending a decent amount on a drum set, a good solution would be to master the basics of rhythm management. To become a drummer, you don’t need a huge setup like Neal Peart from Rush.

Generally speaking, you can start learning to play drums ... without drums. All you need is a chair in which you will sit and beat the rhythm with your palms on the knees. It is worth noting that at this stage it is important to deal with the metronome - this will teach you accuracy. Muscular memory here plays an important role.

You can also purchase and study rhythms literature. As an example, it is worthwhile to cite the book of Ultimate Realistic Rock by the American drummer Carmine Appis.

Three things are needed for practice: drum sticks, a training pad and a metronome. If there is no pad, then you can knock on anything: a pillow, a sofa, a chair, or at least your own legs.

I think that the best that can be advised is rudiments, paradals and classes under the metronome. Listening to different music helps to think more “musically”, to create interesting pictures. The most important thing is to listen to musicians and play with them, and not to calllessly beat out as many notes as possible.

A few words about the pads. In fact, the training pad (as a rule) is a round wooden base, on one side of which a special rubber coating is imitated, imitating the surface of the drum. Pads can be fixed on special racks, but can be put on any surface (the bottom side of them, as a rule, is provided with threads or silicone stickers so that the pad does not slide - and in some models there are special straps that allow the pad to be attached to the foot).

The great advantage of the pads is not only their compactness, but also a reduced (compared to real drums - many times) noise level. In addition, now on sale there are quite “minimalistic” pads, which are plastic gel masses. To start playing on such a pad, it is enough to take it out of the jar and roll it into a “pancake”: with a soft, long press, the pad becomes pliable, and with a sharp blow with a stick it gives a realistic rebound.

Improving self-control

Next, you need to “make friends” with your arms and legs. To play a good groove, you have to learn to control all four limbs. In the process of learning, you will notice how one hand "wants" to repeat the same action that the other has done, and it is extremely difficult to "convince" them. We'll have to show who's in charge.



To develop self-control, start exploring basic rudiments while training on one drum (or on any other surface). Rudiments are special techniques that form the basis of the game on any drum and are used by drummers to develop coordination.

Here is one of the basic rudiments, called Single Stroke Roll, or fraction by single blows:



When you start to learn something new, you should always choose a slow, measured pace first. Here is the same story - no need to rush to play a rudiment quickly, at the very beginning you should always emphasize quality. This is done to ensure that the hands and feet "remember" the movement. After some time, you can begin to gradually increase the speed, while maintaining clarity of movement.

To check the correctness of your game, as well as to simply diversify your classes, you can use the Vic Firth website. On Vic Firth there is a section where famous drummers tell and show how to play rudiments correctly.

As for my experience of using exercises for developing coordination, everything is standard here, these are rudiments. You can “lay them out” on the installation and play with your hands and feet at the same time. For example, you can play the sixteenth with your hands and three or three feet with your feet, or you can play the parade with your legs with your feet with the sixteenth.

Choosing a drum kit

If you firmly decided to master the drums, then it is time to get yourself a drum kit. Drums differ from each other in their basic characteristics and there are a great many on the market. The drum set includes the following components: snare drum, bass drum, floor tom, alt-tom, cymbals, as well as other auxiliary components, such as a special chair that allows you to quickly adjust the height, is compact, easily disassembled for transportation. Reddit users do not recommend using a non-specialized "footprint" for playing drums.

But back to the drums. For a beginner or an amateur who just wants to play with friends in a group, a drum set of four components (snare, bass drum, floor tom, alt-tom) will fit, which will allow you to play all the basic sounds. This configuration was made famous by Ringo Starr, the drummer of The Beatles, this setting does not take up much space, is easy to move, and its sound is well suited for such musical styles as jazz, blues and rock.

Later, when you gain experience, you can expand your setup to suit your desires, for example, add more alt-toms, another floor tom, a second bass drum, and so on - a great many variations.

When you have decided on the configuration of your installation, you must select the material from which the drums will be made. For the production of drums use different types of wood. All of them sound their own way and have different characteristics. Here are a few of them:

• Maple is the most popular material because of its versatility. It has a soft and balanced sound.
• Mahogany (mahogany) - differs more pronounced low and medium frequencies and low upper. It sounds a little softer than maple, and is mainly used for making vintage drums.
• Birch - has a bright and clear sound due to its density and rigidity. Ideal for studio recordings. Transmits high and low frequencies well.
• Poplar is a cheap alternative to birch and maple.
• Oak - very much like maple, but the sound is brighter.

Drums are made from several layers of wood (like plywood). The more layers, the brighter the sound and the higher the tonality. And if there are few layers, the tonality is lower, and the sound is softer. Among the most popular drum brands, our expert Dmitry Poltinin notes: Ludwig, Pearl, DW, Gretsch, Premier, Mapex, Slingerland, Sonor, Tama and Yamaha.

I do not think that the material will be very important for a beginner, anyway, most likely it will be either a maple or birch. The tool should be chosen student, but a fairly good level, which will allow you to enjoy learning and playing, and which can be sold in the event of an upgrade, or if you give up this business altogether.

But in fact, I do not advise to rush into buying a drum set, if there is no special place to play. The drums are a very loud instrument, and it just won't work in an apartment. At the very beginning I advise you to buy a training drum kit and learn from it.

Plates

Another important component in the life of every drummer is the cymbals. There are several types of cymbals, such as hi-hats, rides and crashes, and splash and tea effects plates. The choice of a set of "dishes" depends on the style of music played. Jazz musicians are looking for more complex and deeper sounds, and rock drummers are aiming for a louder and brighter sound.

According to the method of manufacturing plates are divided into two types: cast and stamped. The ebb tones are made by hand, and each such record has an individual sound. Stamped sound the same (depending on the type of plate), and their prices are much lower.

Snare drum

Go to the snare drum. “Small” plays, perhaps, a unique role. It is through him that they maintain the rhythm, emphasize important points, and also organically fill all the pauses throughout the song. Traditionally, the snare drum is made of wood or metal. Metal drums are made from an alloy of aluminum, copper and steel, which results in a bright and sharp sound. Wooden drums sound much softer.

Plastics

Perhaps, one of the main components of the drum are resonant plastics - this is the part of the drums, on which the main beats of the sticks fall. There is also a wide choice: plastics are single- and double-layered, with various combinations of thicknesses, transparent and coated, with reinforced center (“dot”) or damper rings, and so on. Depending on the type of plastic, its sound changes as well; in addition, different types of plastics differ in durability.

Electronic drums

It is worth noting that there are situations when there is limited space in a house or apartment and you simply have nowhere to put so many tools. And you want to play! Here electronic drums will come to the rescue. They are much more compact and practical than their "analog" counterparts. They can download libraries of sounds and perform what you like. Another advantage will be the ability to play through headphones. Among the most popular manufacturers of electronic drums are worth noting Roland , Yamaha and Alesis .

When choosing tools, even at the training stage, I would not recommend seriously saving on anything at all. Although for a start, it may be worth buying equipment — for example, a pedal and a rack — is simpler, but from proven manufacturers. You can also buy student series of plates (such are produced by world leaders - Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste and Meinl), because if they break up - and this will most likely happen until the blow is “delivered” - at least they won't have much to regret.

Instead of student series of promoted brands, you can buy quite sounding plates of Turkish or Chinese origin: Istanbul, TRX, Bosphorus, Turkish, Alchemy, Soultone, Stagg, Wuhan. However, I do not advise you to save on plastics, as plastics of poor quality will sound bad and quickly fail. Here you can look at the brands Evans, Remo and Aquarian.

Learning to play is best on an acoustic setup or a training one - on a completely different electronic rebound, and everything is played much easier. Therefore, to learn a good picking on it just will not work.

Choosing sticks

Having defined the drum set, you should pay your attention to consumables - drum sticks. Sticks are selected depending on the style of the game. However, the choice of material, size, shape and tip depends on the personal preferences of the musician (some of the most popular manufacturers are Vic Firth, Pro Mark, Vater, Regal Tip).

When you come to the music store, you will see that the sticks are usually indicated by two signs: one letter and one number, for example, 3S, 2B, 5B, 5A and 7A. These designations have been preserved from the first days of the production of drum sticks, when the number indicated the size of the sticks, and the letter - its purpose depending on the style of play.

To date, everything is left - the figure indicates the diameter of the stick. The smaller the number, the larger the diameter will be. For example, 7A will be much thinner than 5A. As for the letters, they indicate the recommended use:

• S - long sticks, designed for performances of marching drummers
• A - orchestral sticks. Thinner than Class B. Chopsticks. Very popular with jazz and rock drummers.
• B - for symphony orchestras. Heavier than class A chopsticks

The stick should be comfortably felt in the hand and suitable for extracting sound in specific conditions, for example, the 7A sticks are good for a concert on a small platform, but are completely unsuitable for playing as part of a street drum orchestra. The size of the stick should fit your hand both in diameter and length - it should be comfortable to hold. Before you make your choice, try several different models of sticks for comparison. If you have never played drums, then try to start with 5A sticks.

It is worth noting that steel sticks for training have recently gained popularity. Their weight is several times the weight of the sticks for the game, and they can not be pounded on the drums, but they are well suited for training and working out equipment. Famous drummer Jojo Mayer in his video school recommends these chopsticks.

We play to your favorite songs

Having used tools and developed initial skills, you can start playing along with your favorite songs. This exercise will develop your hearing. If you know the song, you know how it should sound, and you can choose the right rhythm. When listening to music, try to understand how the drummer plays.

One of the residents of the Quora site, Geoffrey Martin, recommends starting with the AC / DC band, since drummer Phil Rudd plays fairly simple and understandable grooves, so for a novice musician it’s not difficult to repeat them. Our expert, Dmitry Poltinin, also advises to choose simple, popular and (last but not least) not fast songs - they are ideal for the beginning drummer.

Another tip that may be useful was given by the musician Sim Messa (Sim Messa): “If you cannot determine how a drummer plays by ear, then look at the recordings of concerts, perhaps the visual series will tell you what to do.”

At last

Each drummer must have a kind of "work plan for himself" - draw knowledge from any available sources. Do not be "afraid" of other drummers, they can always tell something interesting or useful. For example, pay attention to the thread on Reddit or the forum project DrummerWorld.

Over time, every keen drummer begins to understand all the subtleties of the game. He learns to recognize his strengths and weaknesses, to understand what needs to be worked on.

Finally I want to add that you should not neglect the protection of the ears: ear plugs or headphones. Drums led the army into battle, because their loud sound is able to cut through the noise of gunfire. And here it is located a few centimeters from your auditory organ.

Oh yeah, and do not forget to warm up before the game starts! Playing drums requires great physical effort. It is necessary to pay attention to hands, knees, fingers. Having spent 10–15 minutes to warm up, you will play much smoother and avoid sprains.

You can watch this video with exercises for stretching and warming up the muscles:



Let's summarize a little summary of the above. If you decide to learn how to play the drums, then:

1. First, determine the goal with which you want to start practicing, whether it is the desire to simply learn a couple of songs or start playing in a group. Also decide on the genre, as the techniques used by drummers are very different.

2. Select the type of training: with a mentor or independently. The positive thing about working with a teacher is that he will start correcting your mistakes from the first days, and you will immediately feel more confident. However, self-study is also an option, you save money and you can study at any time convenient for you. The benefit of the web is a huge number of manuals.

3. Start developing your sense of rhythm. To do this, it is not necessary to have a drum kit - beat it with your palms on any surface. Rhythm is the basis of drumming.

4. Learn to control your arms and legs. To do this, study the rudiments, perform coordination exercises.

5. Select a drum kit based on your desires. For starters, it may be worth getting a starter kit.

6. The choice of the size, shape and tip of the sticks depends on the personal preferences of the musician. Therefore, hold the sticks in your hands, try to play. For starters, you can use chopsticks 5A - they are best suited for beginners.

7. Play along with your favorite songs to develop your hearing.

8. Use ear plugs to prevent damage to your hearing.

9. Before starting the game, always warm up to avoid sprains and injuries. Playing drums is a serious exercise.



10. And finally, the advice from Dmitry:

The main thing - do as much as possible and do not give up. It may not be possible at first, but the further it gets, the more interesting it becomes. Also in the process of learning, something can be given easily, but it can take weeks for something.

This is normal, as well as the fact that progress does not go evenly, but steps, and it may seem that development has stopped, but in fact, this is just a temporary stop before a big jump. Enjoy and enjoy the game!