Every second teenager who has attended a rock concert at least once wants to learn to play the drums. But playing drums has its significant disadvantages:

• Installations are not cheap.
• The study will take several years.
• You can only demonstrate your skills at a concert, because a drum set is not a guitar.
• Rehearsals will turn all your neighbors against you.
• Only training with professionals will bring results.

If all these hardships of life as a beginner drummer don’t scare you, let’s get down to the story: how you can learn to play.

How to learn to play without a drum kit

1. If you can't afford a drum kit, you can get by with a practice pad. It doesn’t make loud sounds, but it’s quite suitable for processing whiplash and a sense of rhythm.
2. If you are not satisfied with the pad for some reason, you can make a drum set from improvised materials; for this, everything can be useful - from pieces of plastic to old car tires. Many stars started out this way.
3. The most ideal option would be to study in a school club or recreation center.
4. If you really want to buy a drum set, start buying it in parts.

How to start playing if you have a drum kit

1. It is still important to enroll in a school or study with a teacher at home, because a drum is not a guitar, learning chords will not be limited to, as well as purchasing an expensive kit. The teacher will teach you how to handle it correctly and sit behind it, and not just how to play.
2. Purchasing a drum set is a serious step, and you need to thoroughly prepare for it. Read specialized books and forums, ask experts for advice.
3. The cost of installation can cost almost a thousand dollars. You must be prepared for such waste, because a good instrument will serve faithfully for many years.

But all of the above is just background. How do you still play the drums, you ask? Teachers should explain this to you during training, because without their supervision, playing the drums can cost you your health. But there are also forums that will be useful for a beginning drummer.

Freedrumlessons– a source of video lessons and a place where you can read recommendations for a particular drumming school.
Drumbum– also a source of video lessons with theory.
Tunadrum– thanks to this site you will be able to properly tune your reels.

Video lessons

The two main components of music are melody and rhythm. Drummers (or percussionists) are responsible for the latter in “live” groups. Drums and bass make up the band's rhythm section. Unlike the same bass guitar, they are clearly audible in any mix. Without drums, the music sounds boring and dull - the rhythm gives the songs dynamics and expressiveness.

Together with guitar and bass, drums form the classic trio of instruments that no band can do without. Therefore, there are plenty of people who want to learn how to play the drums. But not everyone can afford to buy a drum kit. The reason for this is their considerable cost and the traditional “love of music” of the neighbors of the newly minted drummer. Plus, learning to play the drums is difficult, painful, and extremely draining. If approached incorrectly, the path from green beginner to master of rhythm will take years. Therefore, we will figure out how to quickly learn to play the drums from scratch and without the drums themselves.

Introduction to Drums

First you need to get to know the tool. It’s better to do it in person: sit, touch, knock. But if this is not possible, then for the first time, correspondence acquaintance will be enough.

When a beginner looks at a drum kit (also called a “kitchen”), he sees two things: drums and cymbals. These are the main elements that make up a drum kit.

Drums are divided into three types:

• Bass drum. It is played with a special mallet, which is driven by a pedal. The kick drum is needed to produce a dull, low sound. The kick drum is “boom”.
• Snare drum. It is also called a worker. The bright and juicy “thousand” that is heard on the recordings is on his conscience.
• Tom-toms. These drums are needed to additionally fill and decorate the rhythmic pattern. The classic version includes three volumes: two hanging and one floor-standing.

There are incomparably more types of plates. But for a beginner drummer, it is enough to know about four: hi-hat, ride, crash and splash. The main cymbal is the hi-hat. It is a set of two cymbals mounted on a separate stand with a pedal. The hat acts as a metronome - the main rhythm is tapped on it. Ride plays a similar role. And the remaining plates are needed to place accents.

Hand placement and coordination of movements

It’s paradoxical, but at first a beginner won’t need drums. The student's primary task is to position the hands and develop coordination of movements between the limbs. For these purposes, you need to regularly perform basic exercises. Practice the correct position, beat the rhythm on your knees or on a pad - a special rubber plate that imitates a snare drum. The following exercise will help here:

• Begin tapping a simple four-quarter rhythm with your right hand. To do this, simply count “one-two-three-four” and make a strike for each count.
• Then start hitting eighth notes: “one-and-two-and-three-and-four.” The blows also go to each count.
• Add a left hand beat on each weak beat. The weak beats are on “two” and “four”.
• Then, add an imaginary kick drum on each downbeat. The downbeats are “one” and “three”.

Practice this way until the movements become automatic. As soon as this happens, you can accept congratulations - you have mastered the simplest rhythmic pattern. And this is an important step towards becoming a modern Buddy Rich.

Performing such exercises to develop a sense of rhythm and coordination is critical for a beginner. They will help lay the foundations of the technique, which you will then have to hone in classes on a real installation. In addition, knowing the basics will help you not get lost when you finally get access to the coveted “kitchen”.

In addition, it is important to get a metronome and suitable sticks. There are no questions about the metronome, but the choice of sticks can be devoted to a separate article. However, let's highlight the main points:

Choose the right size sticks. Beginners are advised to start from size 5A. But this is not a rule, and if it is more convenient to hold sticks of a different length and thickness, take them.

Buy quality products. Don’t save money - bad sticks limit your technique, break quickly, and the cheapest copies will cause splinters.

Practice

The simplest answer to the question “how to quickly learn to play drums from scratch” is to go to a teacher. This solution will save a lot of time and nerves. A competent teacher will help a beginner learn the basics of technology and point out flaws and mistakes.

If you don’t succeed in studying with a teacher, you need to establish the right approach to classes. We're talking about practicing on a real drum kit here, but these tips also apply to practicing with a pad.

Play along to a metronome. For a drummer, a metronome is indispensable. No matter how well the drummer feels the rhythm, the risk of “floating” when playing remains.
Dedicate time to practicing the basic elements. Even professional musicians need to go back to basics. Take care of yourself and your technique. Flaws in technique result in tightness, loss of speed, fatigue and errors in the game. For progress, the landing position, the grip of the sticks, and the force of the blow are important.

Warm-up is required. To warm up your limbs, start your practice session by practicing simple rhythms, like the one discussed above. Start at a comfortable pace and gradually speed up. In addition, you can make the exercise more difficult by adding hits on different cymbals or toms.

Develop coordination. When playing the drums, all limbs are used and it is important to achieve their independence. To do this, add opening and closing the hi-hat with your left foot to the basic exercises.

Don't chase speed. If playing at the chosen tempo is not comfortable (you feel tired or tense muscles), reduce the metronome tempo. With the development of technology, speed will come on its own.

How to learn to play drums with your hands

Percussion instruments are not limited to drum sets. In addition to the drums themselves, they also include percussion. These are percussion instruments that differ in design from classical drums: darbukas, djembe, bongos, tambourines and others. There is only one answer to the question of how to learn to play such drums with your hands - play. The principles of playing percussion instruments are the same. The only difference is that the sound is produced not with sticks, but with hands and depends on the place where the performer hits.

Firstly, this activity is very expensive. Your neighbors won't let you play without properly soundproofing the walls, floor and ceiling of the room where you intend to install the drums, and this is expensive.

Secondly, in an ordinary apartment you wouldn’t even dream of banging on drumsticks to your heart’s content, since knocking on radiators, doors, etc. (even calling the police) will be provided for you. This is a very loud activity.

Thirdly, it will take a long time to study. You will, of course, learn to just bang on the drum, annoying everything around you, but you won’t be able to extract music from the drums without painstaking and monotonous practice.

Fourthly, it is unlikely that you will be able to learn to play the drums using a self-instruction manual. Additional classes with tutors will be necessary, which, by the way, are also very expensive.

Fifthly, a home drum set is a stationary thing. To show your skills to your loved ones and friends, you will need to invite them to your place.

And if after these five “cons” you still have the desire to learn to play, then start saving money for instruments and soundproofing your room. Then, while waiting for the required amount to accumulate, you can begin to imagine yourself as a cool rocker behind a drum kit. But seriously, you can learn to play the drums, like any other business, if you have the desire, if you have patience and if you have enough hard work and perseverance. Drummers are valuable musicians; if you become a professional, you will have real chances to earn good money.

If you do not have sufficient conditions to fully beat the drums, then we can recommend the following:

1. Buy a special training unit (pad). Such installations are practically silent, but allow you to practice whiplash, rhythm, and movements. You won't disturb your neighbors, but there won't be any music either. The price of such installations varies depending on the configuration (drum sticks, stands, imitation drums and cymbals).
2. If you decide to save on pads and wait until you have the required amount for real drums, but at the same time there is a desire to start practicing movements, then there is only one way out - to make something yourself that vaguely resembles drums and knock on this is something until you master the movements. Here, old tires, plywood, rubber, and plastic are usually used.
3. You can also use someone else's drum set. For example, available at a music school or a nearby community center.
4. You can try to learn to play the guitar.

Now let’s consider a situation where both money and premises are available, not to mention the desire to turn a hobby into a profession. In this case it is necessary:

• Take training at a music school or with a professional tutor. Musical basics are simply necessary; without them, despite having an expensive setup and knowledge of terminology, no one will take you seriously. It is necessary to study the theory. The teacher will guide you through the correct movements and reveal many nuances - from sitting at the machine to the correct swing. Fine motor skills must be brought to perfection, and the posture behind the drum and correct movements of the arms and legs will help to avoid professional incompetence.
• Let's consider the issue of choosing a drum set. In this matter, special literature and advice from an experienced drummer will provide effective assistance. You must be knowledgeable in this matter at a professional level. You must find out which company's equipment you want to purchase, and for this you will need professional advice.
• How much it might cost to buy a kit for a beginning drummer is difficult to say down to the dollar. It all depends on the place of purchase, on the method of purchase and on the manufacturer. We can only say that the minimum amount may be 700 US dollars. The tool must be of high quality, which, of course, determines its cost.
• As a rule, musical instrument stores employ savvy people who can talk about all the advantages and disadvantages of an instrument, focusing on the buyer’s complaints about it. It makes sense to discuss a future purchase with the seller. Based on your capabilities and skills, test the instrument, if, in your opinion, it shows excellent sound, and the appearance of the instrument is impeccable, then you can “take it.” But, since you do not know how many people have tested the installation before you, you can ask to change the plastic parts, this will be done quickly and without objections.

Playing drums is more than just a hobby, it is a way of life - the one who puts in a lot of effort and diligence will always win in any business. However, the training costs are quite huge. If you want to be a drummer, it could be one of the longest journeys of your life.

How do you get to this high level of musicality? There's definitely a difference between a drummer who plays an instrument as a hobby and a drummer who makes drums his life. This big difference lies in the approach and practice habits. The only way to improve your drumming is if you learn self-control and stick to regular practice.

There are a few secrets that I have developed over the years of playing drums that will greatly help any drummer. Tips that will speed up your learning process and make drumming an enjoyable experience rather than a chore. They will be described below and are designed to help you in your drumming.

Shock work

If suddenly in a club where a rock band is performing, the electricity on stage goes out, then most of the musicians will be out of work. The drummer's finest hour will come! He must give such a solo so that the audience does not get bored until the electricians fix the problem. Then the concert will be saved!

In an army orchestra, one musician beats a large (“Turkish”) drum with a mallet, while another uses sticks to beat out a roll on a small (“Pioneer”) drum. The third has cymbals in his hands, and in the pathetic moments of waltzes and marches he hits one against the other... In rock bands and jazz ensembles, percussion instruments, as a rule, are subordinate to one person.

The drummer always sits in the background. Maybe that’s why people in this musical profession most often lack excessive ambitions and don’t pretend to be stars. Even the drummers of great bands, who are de facto stars. Who was the most humble of the Beatles? That's right, Ringo Starr. And from the Rolling Stones? Perhaps the drummer is also Charlie Watts. Meanwhile, the role of a drummer in a small rock band is always decisive, especially at live concerts. The success of a studio recording depends on many factors - on the skill of all the musicians, on the originality of the musical material, the meaningfulness of the lyrics, the vocalist’s performance style, the “hit” nature of the songs... The success of a rock concert is determined primarily by how well the rhythm section “pumps up the drive”: the drummer and bass player. Moreover, if the person behind the drums plays unevenly or clumsily, neither virtuoso guitar cuts nor soulful vocals will save the group. The job of that unassuming guy (and sometimes gal) behind the pile of brightly colored drums and enticingly shiny cymbals is not just to beat out a rhythm that everyone else follows. He is also a musician, he does not knock, but plays. His many-sided and multi-component instrument is called a drum set.

Why and how to play with a metronome?

Why and how to play with a metronome.

There are two reasons why a drummer should be able to play with a metronome, and both of these reasons are essential to learning to play the drums well.

1. Development of a sense of time. This allows the drummer to maintain a smooth playing pattern without slowing down or speeding up.
2. Possibility to record in the studio with a metronome or click track. This ensures that any editing of your recorded tracks can be done quickly and easily.

Reason number 1 is the most important because not every musician records music in a studio, but every drummer should be able to play on time. The ability to play smoothly cannot be developed without using a metronome.

You'd be surprised how many drummers can't play to a metronome. They believe that it is easy and that if necessary, problems will not arise. However, when you come to the studio, you discover a complete inability to play with a metronome, and it’s too late to do anything about it.

Igor Chili: "Pace and sense of time"

Eh, a sore subject for many drummers. Nowadays you don’t often meet a drummer who asks questions of tempo on first-name terms. Often everyone just switches to working with a drum machine or metronome. Anything can happen on stage, so drummers often protect themselves this way. It's not bad. But still, don’t forget to play without clicking. Still, the group must be alive. Always remember the pace. After all, every song has its own, and you shouldn’t forget about it. Let the song breathe freely as you do. Don't make her choke.

Drummer's sense of time- An essential component of drumming. The feeling and mood of a song depends primarily on the drummer. On how well he creates a sense of time in the song. The drummer's stable and confident sense of timing creates a support and foundation for other musicians. Much also depends on the style of music. If it’s “Sad But True” by Metallica, then it should be played with passion, and if it’s “Birdland” by Winul, then on the contrary, add aspiration and movement.

Mark Shulman's video tutorial “A Day At The Recording Studio” shows three examples of timing: playing slightly ahead of the metronome, slightly behind and exactly one meter away, like a drum machine. John "Bonzo" Bonham played mostly with a pull, Stewart Copeland, on the contrary, was slightly ahead, and Jeff Porcaro was exactly a meter away. Not always, of course, because... it also depends on the nature of the song, and not just on the drummer, but this is how the mentioned drummers acted predominantly.

Warm-up and stretching before playing the drums

Warm up. How necessary it is during physical labor and especially before practicing on a drum set. Every professional athlete knows about the benefits of stretching muscles; to some extent, drums are also a sport, because the whole body works here: from the muscles of the foot, legs, pelvis, back, spine, neck, to the arms, forearms, hands and fingers. Our limbs, which are most involved when playing the drums, are especially susceptible to injury, which means we need to pay special attention to warming up these parts of the body. Although the topic of health care and warming up is not new to anyone, we hope that this article will help you understand the importance of warming up your muscles before practicing drums. Here we will talk about pain and injury prevention and clearly find out what activities there are for warming up.

"It's no secret that drumming requires the most physical effort than playing any other instrument. Because of this, drummers are prone to various types of injuries. Some drummers can play for decades without injury. Unfortunately, this does not apply to everyone. Whether you are a beginner or a professional, anyone can get injured while playing.".

Let's get acquainted with ghost or ghostly notes (ghost stroke/notes) and grace notes (flams)

Today we will look at such concepts as “ghost stroke/ghost notes” and grace notes (flam). Ghost notes are very useful in changing the dynamics of a groove; they are played very quietly, but at the same time they radically change the feel of the game. For example, you can play a hat with a regular beat, but when you play with an updown, the pulsation of the rhythm changes. Similar sensations arise in the use of ghost notes. On the staff it is indicated as a note in parentheses (if the note is played quite quietly compared to the accented one) or in square brackets (if the note is played an order of magnitude quieter than the accented one).

A grace note is a game element based on shifting one of the notes for a split second, resulting in a “tram” sound. On the staff, it is indicated by a small note on the same note line near the accented note (sometimes connected by an arc).

Bart Elliot: Warm Up Before Drumming

The drummer puts in more physical effort when playing than any other musician. . Therefore, you should pay special attention to your muscles, exercise in a rocking chair, or simply pay attention to sports and keep your body in shape. Physical warm-up before a game is a way to get into proper shape before practice. Muscles need time to gradually stretch and work to their maximum, and therefore you need to prepare and train them before each game and in free minutes. He knows how to warm up his muscles before playing in the part “How to become a better drummer”, where he learned about improving his sound, namely about tuning, scoring and recording drums, as well as dealing with noise, improving the rehearsal process and tips for independent practice. If you missed any part, it's best to go back and read it all over again. Now the time has come to the third part and here you will get acquainted with information regarding the group and performances. Read in this part: three ways to find a band, seven ways to prepare for an audition and four ways to prepare for a concert, seven tips for performing in front of an audience and five tips for soundcheck, seven CDs, three DVDs and three books every drummer should have , plus three things you need to know about music theory. If you managed to read the previous sentence and I haven’t tired you yet, then feel free to proceed to reading the article. Here you will find only useful information from the best specialists in the world!

Playing the drum kit ties the entire musical composition together. She fills the work with rhythm, drive and dynamics. Therefore, no musical team can do without a skilled drummer.

If you feel like a real drummer in yourself, then you need to take advantage of the fact that the Krasny Khimik School of Rock Music invites you to drum lessons. We have several teachers working in this area, and each one adheres to their own teaching methodology. Lessons on percussion instruments are conducted personally with each student, taking into account his abilities, previous knowledge and skills. At the School you will get acquainted with various musical styles: jazz, jazz-rock, rock, hard rock, metal, speed metal, thrash metal, death metal, reggae, ska, hip-hop, hardcore, etc. If you want If you learn to play the drums from scratch, you will definitely need to take an additional course in elementary music theory.

How to master the art of drumming?

The key to any successful learning is constant practice. But, unfortunately, it is almost impossible to practice playing percussion instruments at home. The loud sound brings discomfort to household members, and the installation itself costs a lot of money. The Krasny Khimik school of rock music is ready to provide all the conditions for the development of your musical talent, as well as an individual approach to each student. This is what the teachers of the legendary rock school will teach you:

• Correctly hold sticks and sit at percussion instruments;
• Playing the snare drum, and then all subsequent elements of the kit;
• Basic drumming techniques and sense of rhythm;
• Use your feet correctly when operating the pedals;
• Build accompaniment to songs in different styles;
• Improvise and be able to play in an ensemble.

In your free time from classes, it is advisable to regularly exercise on your own. You need to start small, gradually increasing the speed of hand movement. It’s better to do it slowly, but do it correctly. The main thing in percussion lessons is to instill in the student the ability to cope with any tasks on his own, without the help of a teacher. This principle is followed by the specialists of our school.

Methods of the Krasny Khimik drama school for beginners

The method of teaching how to play the drum kit was developed based on many years of experience in teaching and concert activities. Let’s take, for example, Mikhail Tyuflin’s School of Drumming “Real Rock on a Drum Set” (this manual is recommended for study in music schools and conservatories. In our training, we also use schools and manuals of the world’s leading drummers: D.Agostini, R.Pratt, G. Chaffee, G.L.Stone "Stick Control for the Snare Drummer".

When learning to play the drums, coordination in various styles is developed according to manuals by such authors as A. Makurov, G. Chester, M. Martinez, J. Riley, G. Chaffee, P. Kapazolli, G. Chapin, L. Bellson. Our drum school and its teachers will teach aspiring musicians how to play excerpts and solos from famous artists such as S. Gadd, Tito Puente, Omar Hakim, John Bonham, S. Philips, T. Williams, D. Chambers, L. Bellson, J .Morello, I. Paice, V.Kolayuta, Changito, S. Smith, Chad Smit, D.Castronovo, etc. When teaching percussion instruments in lessons, videos of schools of outstanding drummers, notes and recordings are also used.

The cost of learning to play the drum kit is 6,500 rubles. per month for 4 lessons for those who have primary musical education. If you don’t have one, the cost of training will be 9,000 rubles. per month (you will simultaneously take an intensive four-month course “Elementary Music Theory” in the scope of the Children's Music School and more).

Price for first lesson?

The first lesson is free.

Do I need to take a tool with me?

You can bring your own instrument to class or play ours.

What time do classes start?

Lessons start at 11 and end at 23 o'clock. We will select convenient days and times for your classes.

Is a flexible training schedule possible?

Yes, it is possible: the schedule adapts to your capabilities. Visiting times are discussed at the first meeting.

How long does 1 lesson last?

Specialty classes (guitar, vocals, keyboards, drums) last 45 minutes. Theory and solfeggio lessons – 1 hour.

How many people are in the group during practical classes?

Practical lessons INDIVIDUAL! Theoretical – group (10 -12 people).

What age are the students?

The school is designed for young people aged 10-12 years and older. There is no upper age limit. We train everyone.

What if I get sick?

Missed classes are not lost. You will receive them on other days and times. It is advisable to notify the teacher about missing class in advance.

What to take with you

Notebook and pen. If you haven't taken it, we'll give it to you. All other props are available in the classrooms.

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