Started doing single stroke roll every day for 10 minutes with different speed and speed up my bpm for each round for about 1-2 beats every day and track it on a sheet of paper. Damn it feels good to see how today you can smoothly play for 3 minutes the tempo you barely handled 10 days ago.
The combination of 6 and 16 is why I left my first drum teacher. His method of teaching was showing how it's done instead of explaining it. Whenever I was struggling with something he would just jump in and play it perfectly and 3 times faster. My thoughts were "okay, dude, I get it, you can play drums, that's not why we're here". I wasn't trying to compare myself with him, but that felt so on the nose that I couldn't help it.
my first drum lesson was like that, it was some younger guy and when i sat down to practice, i hit the snare once and kick drum once and he told me to get up and proceeded to play some complex beat. like ok man, that's cool that you can play but i'm here to learn....i think a lot of these people are very insecure inside and want to be looked at as like gods so instead of being confident and teaching, theyre looking to let you know you suck and theyre good.
Thats funny. Im 1week in and really just love music. To be able to make my own drum loops and samples will be priceless. Using beat machines are dope but I need more live drum sounds.
Yeah this is completely superfluous as far as this particular teacher’s methods are concerned. That’s absurd. People who teach like this are incredibly insecure. They still have the mentality of being in high school waving their prick around in the hallways. This kind of behavior is intolerable on a drum kit. If I was in your drum lesson with this dude, I would’ve walked out and said “Would you excuse me? I forgot that I have an appointment with my computer chess board. Thanks for your time”. I guarantee you these types of guys wouldn’t be acting like this if he was teaching a female. 100% truth! I haven’t even had a shot of bourbon yet lol.
As a drum instructor for over 30 years, I greatly appreciate all that you do. Could you do a list of drum instructor mistakes or red flags to watch for in a drum instructor? They might be 2 separate lists.
I can list some, because I've had some bad teachers. Teachers that have no plan. Teachers who cannot explain or break down how to play something and just say watch this. Now you do it. Teachers who will not write down what they are giving you to play. Teachers who won't count out the parts for you. Teachers who either don't give you an assignment or who give you one, but then don't ask you to play it back and master it before moving on. Teachers who won't show you anything that doesn't involve reading music or teachers that have no ability to to show you what they are teaching you in music. Teachers who do not know how to explain why they are teaching you something and how it applies to real playing or songs you are interested in playing. Teachers who have no musical tastes similar to yours and therefore cannot teach the style you wish to learn, for example if you want to be a rock or metal drummer and they don't listen to rock or metal and only listen to pop or something. If they only play jazz, I think that can benefit you no matter what style you want to play. Also, a teacher who doesn't understand the different learning styles and don't know how to adapt to yours. People are usually primarily auditory, visual, or experiential learners and if you know how to teach in all 3 methods, that makes you an excellent instructor.
This is gold, Stephen. I’m 50 years old with a successful full-time career as a keyboard player/producer, and here I am determined to learn drums on the side... always wanted to. I'm making progress, and your channel is invaluable.
Im not a drummer, but I would absolutely love to learn once I finally live by myself because I'm really passionate about rythim and its relationship with melody. Thank you for this video You re not only a great drum teacher but also an amazing human
Might I suggest electric drums, if you haven't already thought of it because I used to have a large tap set and I just bought a set of electric ones to keep from being noisy an taking up too much space. I'm no expert but with regard to being around other people it might be a thought.
Someone suggested electronic drums and that's a great solution. If you prefer acoustic then you can invest in some sound dampening technology such as mesh heads and quiet cymbals. I have a Tama Imperialstar and I use mesh heads and I can close the door to my drum room and it doesn't seriously disturb anyone else in the house. Behind two closed doors you can't even really hear the durms, though the cymbals while quiet can still be somewhat heard, but, you have to really listen for them. The only other concern is vibration. If you live in an apartment or something you'll want to get a drum rug. I hope this helps!
I can't even imagine not playing to music. I mean, I jam with an empty kit all the same if push comes to shove, but trying to "one-shot" fresh songs is basically my entire drumming modality. Also clued me in into the fact that people mistake drummers for deaf clicktracks all the time when hearing the other players is pretty much everything and allows (good) drummers to pick-up stumbling mates... or just makes playing together properly possible in the first place. Good collection right there.
Stephen, you have a gift for teaching drums. You easily put into words the concepts I have learned and skills I have developed over my years of playing but could never articulate to other drummers-especially the part about mixing. In my opinion, that is the last rung on the ladder of drumming skills, and is the one that separates the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. Excellent video, man! Love the content.
Hey Stephen, I'm 16 nearly 17, and have been drumming since I was 11, so about five years of experience, for the majority of my first 4 years I was extremely stuck, Because I started with Gospel music for my family's church, I was often stuck with simplistic style, and never really got the opportunity to explore other genres or never really took at as seriously as I started to this past year ago, I had a really bad left hand technique on the Hi-Hat which is fine for some, but I noticed how much It hurt my playing and that Cross Sticking was more of my thing. This past year I skyrocketed into taking my playing more seriously, I've been learning to find a way to play other genres, It was certainly a wakeup call, I was like, "Oh, this was far different than I imagined." I recently discovered your channel and am certain I will primarily come to this channel for knowledge and to further my drumming. Thank you Stephen.
One thing which really helped me is concentrating on just one rudiment at a time, for say like a week, very slow to fast. A week of just single strokes or paradiddles. The rudiments I did this with I can play in my sleep. Also doing inversions which really opens up the weak hand having to play 3 notes in a row per hand. RLRR LRLL RLRR LRLL LRLL RLRR LRLL RLRR Repeat. This one is great for singles to doubles fluidity and sounds really interesting displaced around the toms/snare RLRRLL RLRRLL RLRR LRLLRR LRLLRR LRLL Repeat. Good luck man. And yes. This channel is great.
@@DesignRhythm ... and do that with different rud.'s for sextuplets, too: Version 1 RLL RRL LRR LLR Version 2 RL RR LL LR LL RR Getting busy with sixes alone will take you to a smoother, more fluent level of playing! 🙂🖖
When I was a self taught drummer I often wanted to play fast and honestly sometimes I fall back into that pattern. My drum teacher is helping me. He is also helping me with how to set up my kit and setting goals.
Wow. I really needed to hear that last part. Thought im taking it too personally but so glad u identified it for us. When comparison start spiraling in your head its so hard to keep motivation on practicing. Thanks for always great advices and motivating us new drummers!!🔥
In regards to the comparing yourself to others, another way I like to look at it is you are as good as your level of experience. People who don't put in the time have a low experience, when you see these god tier drummers you need to realize the sacrifice they gave to be where they are. It took me a good ten years to get past feeling jealous and learning to appreciate those that show us it is possible. You just have to be willing to look past yourself and give in to the thing you love doing.
Also I just wanted to say that my uncle who’s a drummer who say to me all the time “play to music. Most music is recorded to a metronome click and it will perfect your timing and playing the song properly.”
Not necessarily true, it depends on the type of music. Alot of rock from the 60s on didn't use a metronome, and that slight natural variation gives it it's "human" quality.
I definitely suffer from some of these, but there used to be a LOT more I was guilty of. I'd say the thing that helped me overcome that the most was being able to play live at my church consistently which forced me to break a lot of bad habits and learn new techniques.
Great video! I’m a relative beginner drummer and not only found this very helpful and well explained, but also has reassured me that my drum teacher is great as he’s implemented almost all of these straight away. It has turned my evening of scrolling through drum vids on RUclips to one of me practicing. Will consider your programme!
I am very fortunate to have a good high school senior to guide me through all these mistakes and in no time in just 2 years, I was a rock star in my own style with drums.
Since I started playing drums 16 years ago as an open hand/left handed drummer on a right handed kit, I've begun learning right handed. It's been almost 10 years since I've really "played". All this time off actually helped me to start over, learn the fundamentals, and focus on practicing with a purpose. I'm excited to see my growth.
This is probably one of the most constructive and informative drumming instruction video I’ve seen on this platform over a timeline of more than five years. As a drummer, well we can debate that title later since I didn’t play again since I left a band in 2014, this is the type of basics I should’ve known prior but I made them all and learned from them. If I ever get a kit again I’ll be sure to take classes from you. Please do more of these as it resonates so well over a larger arc and speaks to the masses! On the point of comparing yourself, that’s an aspect I still cannot get rid of - it is a very pessimistic means of getting to know your own play style. When I look at drummers I admire or even session drummers that feature on albums as guests, I always think: “What is the use of playing if I cannot sound or be good like that.” Great video! A reassuring subscribe is in order. Thank you sir!
I've been playing off and on for 5 years but I've been stuck at a beginner level due to lack of practice. This year I've set the goal of getting a lot better and this is going to really help me tighten up some bad habits I've still got! thank you :D
I have learned so much from you. I have been and when I have room for a full kit at home again one day, will be back on the drum better daily programme. I have only 3 years in now, due to your teachings been given so many compliments already on how I play well in the music and am so easy to dance to......thank you, that's all you that is.
Thanks so much for the kind words...means the world the lessons have helped so much. But I can't take the credit...it doesn't work unless you put in the work. Great job!!!
I'm not a drummer at all, but I enjoyed the video and a lot of what you said applies to most hobbies or pursuits. Especially the part about speed comes with time, not to compare yourself to others, and to practice with a purpose. I use these rules on a daily basis with paintings and I've learned that the greatest artist out there, no matter what the medium, all follow those guidelines for the most part.
So I had a teacher when I was younger, guy to me is still the best, I head to his gigs occasionally just to see how he is and he does everything so right. At the moment I finally got into a band, I've been told I'm a great time keeper, but I don't have as great of a groove, trying to fix that in rock isn't easy to me but I am.always willing to learn. I've just found this video/channel, I hope to continue my growth. Thank you
This was the self help speech I needed to get motivated and back into drumming after not having played for ten years. It also helps to play music you want to play as opposed to doing a band to kill time. If your hearts not into playing that kinda music that is a good way to get burnt out quick.
Great lessons/tips, thank you. Learned/made every one of these mistakes in over fifty years of drumming. It's why I record my live shows and listen and cringe at least a few times as I listen later. Just last Sunday another drummer was mixing us and came up to me and advised to back off the snare- I was steadily getting louder. "Move with a purpose!!!" Love it.
This is honestly a fantastic video and as someone just rejoining a band for the first time in a year it made me feel a lot better about where I’m at. Thank you 💜
i’ve been drumming since I was 12, took lessons for the first couple years and was so good for the fundamentals for sure, but playing to music made me grow and improve EXPONENTIALLY
I fell into one of these in a major way as well as another I didn't see mentioned. First, the "wandering generality" one...for a while I fell into a routine of just playing the same exact songs every time I sat behind the kit and not trying anything new (like trying to learn fills or grooves I wasn't comfortable with), and that impeded my progress. The other error I fell into (and this lasted for over a decade with effects that STILL linger) was the polar opposite issue: putting too much pressure on myself. I also coupled it with my desire for an ego boost (i.e. "I HAVE to prove to myself that I can do this), and this combination had me walking on eggshells for over 10 years and whenever I'd finally get that ego boost, I'd sooner or later end up sliding backwards into that zone of insecurity again. It wasn't until the past year or two when I finally started to force myself to only play and practice when I WANTED to or NEEDED to (and refused to play when I had any kind of ego boost motivation) that my mindset and experience began to drift back in the right direction. Still suffering from some lingering effects but thankfully I'm back on the right path for good! I've also forced myself to practice new skills and stuff even when it's uncomfortable or repetitive. It does help to put something on to watch on low volume while I'm practicing rudiments and grooves with a metronome for long periods to help keep myself from getting too bored from the repetition, though, lol.
That's a lot of great drumming advice stuffed into a fairly short video! The cool thing is that implementing a lot of those tips doesn't require any special skill, just an awareness of the issue and the desire to correct it.
As much as I agree with those first mistakes, I think that recording ourselves to see what's happening is really easy today. Which is going to put every mistake in our face, unless the new drummers doesn't film themselves practicing. Filming and watching our own person, like it was someone else, is really the key to everything... But we couldn't do that as easily in the past, people must take advantage of that. When I did start filming myself in 2008, I discovered many things I wouldn't see otherwise. Things like position, movement, I was using my right hand too much all the time for my taste, but also discovered how good some stuff are, and how different it can be while you play it and how the perception is changing when looking back at our own person in video, not just sound.
Stephen, thanks for addressing the "feel" part. When I see people tapping a foot, moving their heads, dancing, clapping, tapping the table to the beat, that's when I know I have done my job as a drummer.
Thank you for all the inspiration, advice and just endless amounts of free instructions..You are in a small group that helps me play out, in front of people, three nights a week. 🙏🏻🤘🏼 thanks man!
Hi Stephen, I watched this video and one from 2019 about mistakes while learning drumming. Very good info to help me stay focused. I do have a teacher and have had 2 lessons so far, we are working on basics with timing and hand foot coordination. I was trying to keep a beat but found going off so remembered to count and use a metronome and It really works better. I also picked up the mandolin back in December and channel on RUclips I follow showed to find backing tracks so can play along. Your advice to play with people can be difficult but getting out to meet others will help. Thanks much for your channel; I always learn something. I am 59 and started learning drums and really are having a good time.
Wow...I Just started playing again after 20 years of not playing and even back then I was never serious as I am now. I have soooo much to learn. This was a great video.
Yeah, I always play with music on, then when i hit pause everything falls apart. brand new drummer here, but long time musician. Hoping in your videos I might find some really early beginner licks, or elsewhere on the internets so might build simple to complex with just a metronome. Helpful video for sure!
I’m the exact opposite! Playing with music puts too much pressure on me to be perfect so I mess up, but my timing and jamming is much better after I hit the pause button and start doing my own thing 😂
Absolutely love your videos. I find that I keep rewatching them for a good memory boost. Also bought a eat, drum, sleep, repeat sweatshirt from your link. It's good quality. Thinking of grabbing more stuff.
You're right. After 15 years of playing i have noticed that i play only with my band anymore. My band is playing Black metal and album by album i want more fast and extreme stuff there but my plan and goals are more like dreams, since i'm not doing anything to get there. Drumming with lack of technique is very very heavy and i can see why it's important to practice and keep up your basics.
Great video. I have made almost all of these mistakes at some time or another. Another great quote is "Comparison is the thief of joy". I'm learning this one right now.
I think songs are important to learning and might even unlock skills. I couldn’t do ghost notes on a snare until my teacher had me play “show me how to live” and it just clicked. And it’s more fun to play with music
I have fallen in a whole where I only wanted to practice and play no music. But this did encourage me to start playing more music. I appreciate the video
I'm a guitarist at heart who picked up drums on the side. My entire practice regime has just been jamming along to songs. This video has inspired me to change, and just quit the drums.
When I get asked what's the most common mistake. I usually say don't try to be your idol. Meaning first timers feel the urge to dig right into their hardest known song. Within my first year of drumming I was done with AJFA album. But not everyone can start out on medium stuff. (Already studied drum videos before my first set at 7 years old. Helped me since day 1. Felt confident and seen how to do it.)
"Competition is for horses, not for music" True that! Great video, you took 12 minutes to put down in words, what took me several years to slowly realize.
When I practice, I start with Rolling Stones, go to Howlin Wolf, then James Brown and then I'll play a cd of various jazz artists. You need to have rhythm to play the drums. No amount of reading drum music or having the best teachers won't help if don't have it in here ❤. He's right about speed. It's easier to play fast than slow in many way, especially with brushes. This dude knows his stuff. I teach as well. I teach drums, guitar, bass, piano and ukulele. I can play more, but the music school i school I teach at only teaches those instruments. I'm self taught in everything except for saxophone. Luckily my grandpop was a professional musician and alot of his family were professional. I had to keep it going.
Having a teacher is game-changing, even if they're not a drummer. Which I know sounds crazy. When I was in jazz band in high school oh, the director is a lifetime jazz musician made his career as a jazz trombonist and later became a band director. This man had such a profoundly well-rounded knowledge of jazz, all its sub-genres, and how they all work. So despite him not knowing how to play drum set himself, his intimate knowledge of how jazz is made none-the-less gave me instruction. He told me how to play in a style despite not playing drum set. I learned almost everything I know about actually playing in a jazz band from that man. Obviously an experienced Jazz drum set player could have taken me to different levels, but as a fresh new drumset player, I still learned a ton, and was still taught how to play appropriate per the needs of the genre by a non-drumset player who was just understood the style and the tunes that well. He's an old guy lol, he was around when some of the tunes we played the first hit the scene
Having a goal in a lesson helps me avoid over-learning (and stagnating) as well as half-learning. Did I learn what I expected this lesson to teach me? Yes, so time to move on and not try to be perfect. Oh, and toxic comparison…avoiding that (when I manage to) helps me relax and see what I can actually do. Great video!
Wow this is awesome. I just finished my degree in music as a bass player last year and a lot of this translates really well to the journey I have taken. Awesome content. You earned my subscription!!
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I’m glad to have found your channel. I’m gearing up to learn the drums a bit late in life. I have an erratic work schedule which prevents me from pretty much any kind of in person lessons. Thanks for this video series.
My addition to tips 3, 4 and 6 is to play to different music and songs after being comfortable with the songs your learning and then playing those songs from memory without the music. Changing genres between rock, hip hop and r&b made me try new techniques and rhythms Thats also how i heard the audible mistakes i was making not hitting the center, realizing i wasnt holding time as well as i thought and much louder than i expected (going to the rebalance issues mentioned later in the video). I wasnt hitting drums right and was way too loud. Changing genres also helped me get myself out of roadblocks where i felt i plateaued in my playing and i defaulted to the same rhythms every time. My buddy was in a heavy metal band and hes probably the most stubborn guy i ever met and i told him he should learn hip hop alternative rock and maybe even jazz so he could learn different techniques because everything he played started to sound the same. He didnt listen to me...and here we are 10 years later and he is literally the same drummer he was 10 years ago and cant get a single gig.
Best cover of this on RUclips. I don’t think their drummer does that intro live in the actual band when they do it live. So maybe even best version period
This is really great! Would you be able to do another of these entirely from the perspective of the teacher (how good and bad teachers impact a student's response to instruction)?
I visited the Nashville area this morning and walked right by you twice after visiting Grace Chapel. Man, I wish I had said in person how much I enjoy your videos and love of playing, but I didn't want to interrupt what we both went to do. Would have been even cool had I got to see you do your thing live, but the young man playing this morning did fantastic. Also had to get back home after a relaxing vacation. Sold my set to pursue a seminary degree years ago. Hoping to get back at it someday when I can afford a new one. Keep up the good work.
Bro! I wish you had stopped me so we could have met! Hope you enjoyed your time...and yes, the kid playing killed it...and he's only a senior in high school. If you're ever back in town, stop me next time ;^)
Lol. I just commented on another vid that I'd stumbled across a foot technique that was working great until my toe went numb (for like 2 weeks now). I'd say learning technique not only helps avoid pain, but also adds tools to the toolkit, so to speak. You have pointed out exactly many thoughts I've been having lately. Lots of great drum discussions on YT lately. Glad to get your thoughts as well.
My biggest issue at first was not having the kit ergonomics to my height and reach. Once I figured that out, via a good friend of mine, I was able to progress a lot faster.
Love this video and lesson. I'd like to contribute with this: comparing yourself to yourself before or to others today is something you'll often do anyways. My advice to counter this self critical twitch is to try develope a separation between your practice time and approach to your instrument with your performance time and play on your instrument. I still cannot shake my own self critique after any live performance I play today but I do allow a mindset for such gigs to be more free and less self restricting. Practice has us focus on developing certain discipline and hopefully then new skills. Playing is the opportunity for free spirit and self realisation. Understand that a live performance isn't a practice room and you should feel far better about what you played live than what you practiced behind closed doors. Improving is always the goal but don't make gigs a clinical affair. You practice to improve. You play to have fun. Do both and you'll be the musician you were supposed to be
Tuning my drums I use a tension watch. For example, Tune your main tom to the sound you want. Look at the number on the tension watch or move the tension watch to a number you want to remember. For 3 tom kit tune the next tom, the same number; as well for the snare. For the floor tom subtract 10 off the tension watch. then play single doubles and listen to the kit, kind of like tuning a guitar. You will hear the tone very tight if it is tuned right. Then play so fills and rolls, it will sound amazing. tune roto toms off the first tom closest size to your first, but remember the roto tom has to be smaller than your first tom, For example 12' tom 10" roto tom, then do your 8" then 6".... and there you go.
I learned to play the drums on my own. They mostly listen to LIVE music + of course practicing and playing with bands for years. My inspiration is Chad Smith (RHCP), but not only them but also other pop-rock bands, again, just listening live. At least that helped me to understand the dynamics of playing, how to listen to the other members of the band, jamming and so on.
Hi, Stephen! I love your videos and your beginner’s exercise videos helped me a lot! I had a question, though. So, I’m 20 and I’ve always loved playing the drums, but it’s been YEARS since I’ve touched a drum set, so I consider myself a rookie drummer. Im learning beginner’s beats and practices, rudiments, etc. to really have that strong foundation instead of always just jamming. I’m really taking this seriously, so I’m about to buy my very first own drum set and a cymbal pack. Here’s the thing: I’m trying to decide between two cymbal packs. I really like very loud, cutting cymbals with either a mix of brightness and darkness or mostly bright. So, I’ve narrowed it down to the Zildjian A391 or the Zildjian K Custom Hybrid box set. The hi hats and rides in both I like, but I’m unsure if to get the A pack with TWO crashes, or the Hybrid pack with just ONE crash. On one hand, I want the variety, but I don’t want things to be too complex and muddy for a beginner like me. But, I also don’t want my sound overall to be monotone with that one 17” crash. Some people say that odd sizes in a crash can combine the smaller and larger even sizes (so a 17” is comparable to a 16” and 18” crash in one). Can you or anyone help me out here? I have no idea which to pick. Thanks and sorry for the long comment.
------- SUMMARY ------- 1) Don´t play too many drum fills (0:37) 2) Don´t fill your music with "ums" (1:30) 3) Play songs - play to music (2:12) 4) Don´t play only to music (2:48) 5) Practise how to hit the drums properly (3:24) 6) Have a teacher or a mentor (4:07) 7) Pay attention to your sounds, to their balance - change their volumes, mix your sound, ... (4:41) 8) Learn some technique - find an easier way to play drums (6:52) 9) Don´t only focus on speed, but also on some dynamics - try to play softer/louder, ... (7:10) 10) Focus on how it (your playing and sounds) feel (7:27) 11) Don´t ignore other musicians and the other parts of the song (8:02) 12) Spend time on your drum setup so it´s perfectly comfortable and sensible for you (8:36) 13) Learn how to tune the drums (9:27) 14) Have a plan or goal (10:07) 15) Focus on slow repetitions (10:57) 16) Don´t compare yourself to others (11:13) Fingers cross to y´all guys, we got this :) And Stephen, thank you for helping us.
This is a great video Stephen. All excellent points. I really like what you said about the need to make people want to dance. which in par means to keep things more simple - no need to be over the top in our drum playing,, My band is all Rock, Southern Rock music with a 70's vibe and moving forward with new songs we are working on is to want to make sure we are creating music that makes you want to dance. If our audience is dancing that can relate to sales of cd's for the band.
Clear and on top like always THX 👍👌 You speak and explain so well, for me it's a pleasure cos I'm german and a beginner so I never needed subtitles in your vids 😉 Please keep on as long as it's possible !
9:24 Speaking of "why are you doing that?"; does anyone know why most drum sets position the tom mounts on the base drum to where the rack toms feel like they're a mile away? I've had to do all sorts of extra bracketry to get them to where I didn't have to reach halfway across the room to hit them
Honestly, I have no idea. I battled with my first drum kit and then I settled with single rack tom and two floors with Tama. Plus my seating position is fairly low, so bass mount was never an option for me.
I just wanted to say thank you for this video. And yes, I was in a lot of these problems or just to say I couldn’t see the path you know. But because of you, I’m following a lot of other drummers too I just wanted to let you know you were the gateway to me getting my skill level up and getting back into my passion
I like the side shots with those big ol guns you got. Bear arms. Thanks for the insightful video. I've been playing around on drums for 15 years here and there and I still don't really know what I'm doing. I'm just a bedroom musician who's done a few gigs at open mics and bars. Always looking to improve, but I'm not really sure what kind of progress I've made over the years.
I just started my drum and bass journey a few months. I taught myself guitar 20+ years. I've used the song "Fade to Black" by Metallica as my technique "catch all" for years. Seems to be working but I'll need much more time on drums and bass before I find the groove and triplet feel. Thank you for your video. This will set me on the right path.
Hey Stephen - nice video and realistic... I want to present an "issue" not really consistent with the subject matter of this video. I purchased a DW Design Series Nickel over Brass Snare drum, 14 X 6.5 in 2021 Used via Reverb. It came delivered with an Evans HD dry batter head. Sounded very good and was head over heels better than the PDP concept maple 14 X 5.5 Snare that came with my 6 drum kit ( I replaced the standard batter head with a HD dry as well). After some time, I replaced the batter head on the DW with a new HD dry head, re-installed the Reso head and the snare wires. I could not duplicate the Tuned sound of when the drum was delivered. I was tweaking it constantly seeking to get that "sound" - that Bonham Ludwig Symphonic Sound. The tweaking was getting close , but no cigar. Yesterday, I placed the DW atop of my 16 inch Floor Tom, just to get it out of the way. I was playing the PDP snare and also a Mapex piccolo 13 X 3.5 Snare (which delivers a great Piccolo sound BTW). Then I hit the DW sitting atop of the Floor Tom... BINGO - it was the sound I was seeking - nice snap with slight overtones !!. However, as soon as I placed it back into the Snare stand, it was not the Same?? FWIW, I do sometimes play the 2 Piccolos (the Mapex and another cheapo Griffin snare), placed atop of the PDP snare in the stand! That enhances the sound of those drums too. Anyone have any answers or guidance to this Old Timer - 71 yo, who resurrected playing Drums after a 50 Year Hiatus [1969]. I play solely for enjoyment in retirement - about 1 hour a day to My Music. I believe it has to do with the percussion effects form sitting on top of the Tom, but how do I get there w/o doing that. Sorry for rumbling. Happy New Year to All.
I never have much trouble with the ignoring other musicians mistake because on top of drums, I also play; Flute, Alto Saxophone, Piano, Guitar, Bass, and Cello
Everyone is on their own unique journey. And comparison should not be made because you may be at a different point in your journey where some body else maybe in a completely different part of theirs.🥁🤟
He’s saying that people develop bad habits without even noticing; like people who use um or uh all the time as filler when they’re speaking. They probably don’t mean to, it’s just an unintentional habit they’ve built overtime. Similarly, we can do the same thing on drums. He’s just saying that we should pay attention to what we do. Be intentional to seek out habits we’ve made and see whether they’re helpful to our playing or not.
@@tunneltu I assumed that is what he meant but it wasn't described very thoroughly. Especially since what he played sounded very nice. Most beginners are listening for the mistake he made, but he didn't make any mistakes on a technical level. He probably should have driven home the point that the fills are perfectly fine as long as you are meaning to do them.
It was the idea that he needed to do a 16th-note "and-a" on beat four every single bar. It's unnecessary and definitely a tick. This may only be obvious to those who have played professionally for many years, but it is certainly obvious. A musician needs to listen to the music and play what is appropriate given everything from genre, tempo, production notes, to - over time - understanding what could be added to the chart to make it more interesting, and doing so, of course, intentionally. What he is exemplifying is more reactive and habitual than anything proactive and intentional.
great video! love the Spinal Tap reference! , don't spontaneously combust now! 😂🤣 I've learned in the musician's world, no matter how well you play, there's always someone better than you!
😎Bro, can you do a vid on creating the best drum parts for any song? eg. most important stuff to focus on, how to enhance what other instruments are doing, enhance the vocal/lyric rhythm, make the song more dynamic, etc. Your channel kick ass man!
Man this is some truly crucial information. Had someone said this to me in such an articulate way when I was young, I would have grown faster and saved a lot of time / heart ache from being fired from a big gig. Because I’m paying such cldose attention to what you’re saying, I want to ask you, or any other pro drummers / drum educators opinion(s), as I am one myself: I totally agree that a good teacher should always have a plan and push their students where they know they need to go in order to get better, faster. The reality however is we want to keep our students, both for financial reasons and to keep them interested in music. I just know some of my students don’t respond well to telling them we have to work on this or that; you have to play to a click/music no matter what (with few exceptions), etc. I feel like I would lose a lot of (especially younger) students right off the bat if I did that immediately. This has always been a conflict of mine. I’m curious to hear any opinions!
Very well explained thx . The biggest basic rule number 1 is learn to play very very slowly instead of wanting to play fast, the slower the better the more correct and faster you can do it later.
The not understanding your volume or dynamics one has the opposite affect I see with a lot of medium drummers. Their chops and ideas are decent, but they are not playing with enough confidence, so all of their hits are feathery and light and there is no punctuation. It’s like they know how tk play the drums but they’re scared to do it.
"Compare yourself with who you were yesterday, not who someone else is today". Great video!
So true 😅
I coined "Forget your past self, like your current self, love your future self."
Great advice in life generally really
Started doing single stroke roll every day for 10 minutes with different speed and speed up my bpm for each round for about 1-2 beats every day and track it on a sheet of paper. Damn it feels good to see how today you can smoothly play for 3 minutes the tempo you barely handled 10 days ago.
Jordan Peterson 🙏
The combination of 6 and 16 is why I left my first drum teacher. His method of teaching was showing how it's done instead of explaining it. Whenever I was struggling with something he would just jump in and play it perfectly and 3 times faster. My thoughts were "okay, dude, I get it, you can play drums, that's not why we're here". I wasn't trying to compare myself with him, but that felt so on the nose that I couldn't help it.
my first drum lesson was like that, it was some younger guy and when i sat down to practice, i hit the snare once and kick drum once and he told me to get up and proceeded to play some complex beat. like ok man, that's cool that you can play but i'm here to learn....i think a lot of these people are very insecure inside and want to be looked at as like gods so instead of being confident and teaching, theyre looking to let you know you suck and theyre good.
@@deserthoboOR they have no idea how to properly teach and it's apparent they just want to scam some money off you for nothing.
Thats funny. Im 1week in and really just love music. To be able to make my own drum loops and samples will be priceless. Using beat machines are dope but I need more live drum sounds.
@@deserthoboEXACT SAME THING WITH ME
But not first class
Yeah this is completely superfluous as far as this particular teacher’s methods are concerned. That’s absurd. People who teach like this are incredibly insecure. They still have the mentality of being in high school waving their prick around in the hallways. This kind of behavior is intolerable on a drum kit. If I was in your drum lesson with this dude, I would’ve walked out and said “Would you excuse me? I forgot that I have an appointment with my computer chess board. Thanks for your time”. I guarantee you these types of guys wouldn’t be acting like this if he was teaching a female. 100% truth! I haven’t even had a shot of bourbon yet lol.
"Stop comparing your insides to somebody else's outsides." That's true for anything that is personal to you. Great advice.
As a drum instructor for over 30 years, I greatly appreciate all that you do. Could you do a list of drum instructor mistakes or red flags to watch for in a drum instructor? They might be 2 separate lists.
I can list some, because I've had some bad teachers. Teachers that have no plan. Teachers who cannot explain or break down how to play something and just say watch this. Now you do it. Teachers who will not write down what they are giving you to play. Teachers who won't count out the parts for you. Teachers who either don't give you an assignment or who give you one, but then don't ask you to play it back and master it before moving on. Teachers who won't show you anything that doesn't involve reading music or teachers that have no ability to to show you what they are teaching you in music. Teachers who do not know how to explain why they are teaching you something and how it applies to real playing or songs you are interested in playing. Teachers who have no musical tastes similar to yours and therefore cannot teach the style you wish to learn, for example if you want to be a rock or metal drummer and they don't listen to rock or metal and only listen to pop or something. If they only play jazz, I think that can benefit you no matter what style you want to play. Also, a teacher who doesn't understand the different learning styles and don't know how to adapt to yours. People are usually primarily auditory, visual, or experiential learners and if you know how to teach in all 3 methods, that makes you an excellent instructor.
Ain’t no way, I got one of your ads on your video lmao I love that
My goal is to be one of those infinity mirrors lol
Me too wth
Same😁
Same lmfao
Same lol
This is gold, Stephen. I’m 50 years old with a successful full-time career as a keyboard player/producer, and here I am determined to learn drums on the side... always wanted to. I'm making progress, and your channel is invaluable.
Im not a drummer,
but
I would absolutely love to learn once I finally live by myself because I'm really passionate about rythim and its relationship with melody. Thank you for this video You re not only a great drum teacher but also an amazing human
Might I suggest electric drums, if you haven't already thought of it because I used to have a large tap set and I just bought a set of electric ones to keep from being noisy an taking up too much space. I'm no expert but with regard to being around other people it might be a thought.
@@gennymikel4296 thanks :)
@@A_m3ss No problem! I watched a ton of these videos doing research and they help alot.
Someone suggested electronic drums and that's a great solution. If you prefer acoustic then you can invest in some sound dampening technology such as mesh heads and quiet cymbals. I have a Tama Imperialstar and I use mesh heads and I can close the door to my drum room and it doesn't seriously disturb anyone else in the house. Behind two closed doors you can't even really hear the durms, though the cymbals while quiet can still be somewhat heard, but, you have to really listen for them. The only other concern is vibration. If you live in an apartment or something you'll want to get a drum rug. I hope this helps!
@@DeadDad1 thankss
I can't even imagine not playing to music. I mean, I jam with an empty kit all the same if push comes to shove, but trying to "one-shot" fresh songs is basically my entire drumming modality. Also clued me in into the fact that people mistake drummers for deaf clicktracks all the time when hearing the other players is pretty much everything and allows (good) drummers to pick-up stumbling mates... or just makes playing together properly possible in the first place. Good collection right there.
Stephen, you have a gift for teaching drums. You easily put into words the concepts I have learned and skills I have developed over my years of playing but could never articulate to other drummers-especially the part about mixing. In my opinion, that is the last rung on the ladder of drumming skills, and is the one that separates the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. Excellent video, man! Love the content.
Hey Stephen, I'm 16 nearly 17, and have been drumming since I was 11, so about five years of experience, for the majority of my first 4 years I was extremely stuck, Because I started with Gospel music for my family's church, I was often stuck with simplistic style, and never really got the opportunity to explore other genres or never really took at as seriously as I started to this past year ago, I had a really bad left hand technique on the Hi-Hat which is fine for some, but I noticed how much It hurt my playing and that Cross Sticking was more of my thing. This past year I skyrocketed into taking my playing more seriously, I've been learning to find a way to play other genres, It was certainly a wakeup call, I was like, "Oh, this was far different than I imagined." I recently discovered your channel and am certain I will primarily come to this channel for knowledge and to further my drumming. Thank you Stephen.
So glad we found each other my friend!
@@StephenTaylorDrums Of course! I look forward to visiting the channel!
One thing which really helped me is concentrating on just one rudiment at a time, for say like a week, very slow to fast. A week of just single strokes or paradiddles. The rudiments I did this with I can play in my sleep.
Also doing inversions which really opens up the weak hand having to play 3 notes in a row per hand.
RLRR LRLL RLRR LRLL
LRLL RLRR LRLL RLRR
Repeat.
This one is great for singles to doubles fluidity and sounds really interesting displaced around the toms/snare
RLRRLL RLRRLL RLRR
LRLLRR LRLLRR LRLL
Repeat.
Good luck man. And yes. This channel is great.
@@DesignRhythm Awesome, thank you!
@@DesignRhythm ... and do that with different rud.'s for sextuplets, too:
Version 1
RLL RRL
LRR LLR
Version 2
RL RR LL
LR LL RR
Getting busy with sixes alone will take you to a smoother, more fluent level of playing! 🙂🖖
When I was a self taught drummer I often wanted to play fast and honestly sometimes I fall back into that pattern. My drum teacher is helping me. He is also helping me with how to set up my kit and setting goals.
I've been a percussionist for 5 years and I immediately feel the wisdom from this one video. Bravo!
Wow. I really needed to hear that last part. Thought im taking it too personally but so glad u identified it for us. When comparison start spiraling in your head its so hard to keep motivation on practicing. Thanks for always great advices and motivating us new drummers!!🔥
This is probably the most technical and informational drumming video I've seen for beginners, I greatly enjoyed this!
its a teaser for you to subscribe to the course, where the bulk of the info will be shared.
In regards to the comparing yourself to others, another way I like to look at it is you are as good as your level of experience. People who don't put in the time have a low experience, when you see these god tier drummers you need to realize the sacrifice they gave to be where they are. It took me a good ten years to get past feeling jealous and learning to appreciate those that show us it is possible. You just have to be willing to look past yourself and give in to the thing you love doing.
Also I just wanted to say that my uncle who’s a drummer who say to me all the time “play to music. Most music is recorded to a metronome click and it will perfect your timing and playing the song properly.”
That makes me want to shut myself
Not necessarily true, it depends on the type of music.
Alot of rock from the 60s on didn't use a metronome, and that slight natural variation gives it it's "human" quality.
@@dragons_red I did say most. I didn’t say all. I’m well aware of that.
Yes, also being able to breathe right. My 1st handful of shows the adrenaline was crazy & you'd speed up and burn all your energy is the 1st song.
I definitely suffer from some of these, but there used to be a LOT more I was guilty of. I'd say the thing that helped me overcome that the most was being able to play live at my church consistently which forced me to break a lot of bad habits and learn new techniques.
Absolutely fantastic. There are so many teachers who tell us what to do. But what NOT to do is equally important and I am happy you spoke about them.
Great video!
I’m a relative beginner drummer and not only found this very helpful and well explained, but also has reassured me that my drum teacher is great as he’s implemented almost all of these straight away.
It has turned my evening of scrolling through drum vids on RUclips to one of me practicing.
Will consider your programme!
I am very fortunate to have a good high school senior to guide me through all these mistakes and in no time in just 2 years, I was a rock star in my own style with drums.
Since I started playing drums 16 years ago as an open hand/left handed drummer on a right handed kit, I've begun learning right handed.
It's been almost 10 years since I've really "played". All this time off actually helped me to start over, learn the fundamentals, and focus on practicing with a purpose. I'm excited to see my growth.
I also had nearly a decade off and am getting back into it. Best of luck!
This is probably one of the most constructive and informative drumming instruction video I’ve seen on this platform over a timeline of more than five years.
As a drummer, well we can debate that title later since I didn’t play again since I left a band in 2014, this is the type of basics I should’ve known prior but I made them all and learned from them.
If I ever get a kit again I’ll be sure to take classes from you. Please do more of these as it resonates so well over a larger arc and speaks to the masses!
On the point of comparing yourself, that’s an aspect I still cannot get rid of - it is a very pessimistic means of getting to know your own play style. When I look at drummers I admire or even session drummers that feature on albums as guests, I always think: “What is the use of playing if I cannot sound or be good like that.”
Great video! A reassuring subscribe is in order. Thank you sir!
I've been playing off and on for 5 years but I've been stuck at a beginner level due to lack of practice. This year I've set the goal of getting a lot better and this is going to really help me tighten up some bad habits I've still got! thank you :D
I have learned so much from you. I have been and when I have room for a full kit at home again one day, will be back on the drum better daily programme. I have only 3 years in now, due to your teachings been given so many compliments already on how I play well in the music and am so easy to dance to......thank you, that's all you that is.
Thanks so much for the kind words...means the world the lessons have helped so much. But I can't take the credit...it doesn't work unless you put in the work. Great job!!!
Been playing for 30 years and still needed to be reminded of these keys
I'm not a drummer at all, but I enjoyed the video and a lot of what you said applies to most hobbies or pursuits. Especially the part about speed comes with time, not to compare yourself to others, and to practice with a purpose. I use these rules on a daily basis with paintings and I've learned that the greatest artist out there, no matter what the medium, all follow those guidelines for the most part.
Totally agree
So I had a teacher when I was younger, guy to me is still the best, I head to his gigs occasionally just to see how he is and he does everything so right.
At the moment I finally got into a band, I've been told I'm a great time keeper, but I don't have as great of a groove, trying to fix that in rock isn't easy to me but I am.always willing to learn. I've just found this video/channel, I hope to continue my growth. Thank you
This was the self help speech I needed to get motivated and back into drumming after not having played for ten years. It also helps to play music you want to play as opposed to doing a band to kill time. If your hearts not into playing that kinda music that is a good way to get burnt out quick.
Great lessons/tips, thank you. Learned/made every one of these mistakes in over fifty years of drumming. It's why I record my live shows and listen and cringe at least a few times as I listen later. Just last Sunday another drummer was mixing us and came up to me and advised to back off the snare- I was steadily getting louder. "Move with a purpose!!!" Love it.
This is honestly a fantastic video and as someone just rejoining a band for the first time in a year it made me feel a lot better about where I’m at. Thank you 💜
i’ve been drumming since I was 12, took lessons for the first couple years and was so good for the fundamentals for sure, but playing to music made me grow and improve EXPONENTIALLY
I fell into one of these in a major way as well as another I didn't see mentioned. First, the "wandering generality" one...for a while I fell into a routine of just playing the same exact songs every time I sat behind the kit and not trying anything new (like trying to learn fills or grooves I wasn't comfortable with), and that impeded my progress.
The other error I fell into (and this lasted for over a decade with effects that STILL linger) was the polar opposite issue: putting too much pressure on myself. I also coupled it with my desire for an ego boost (i.e. "I HAVE to prove to myself that I can do this), and this combination had me walking on eggshells for over 10 years and whenever I'd finally get that ego boost, I'd sooner or later end up sliding backwards into that zone of insecurity again.
It wasn't until the past year or two when I finally started to force myself to only play and practice when I WANTED to or NEEDED to (and refused to play when I had any kind of ego boost motivation) that my mindset and experience began to drift back in the right direction. Still suffering from some lingering effects but thankfully I'm back on the right path for good!
I've also forced myself to practice new skills and stuff even when it's uncomfortable or repetitive. It does help to put something on to watch on low volume while I'm practicing rudiments and grooves with a metronome for long periods to help keep myself from getting too bored from the repetition, though, lol.
That's a lot of great drumming advice stuffed into a fairly short video! The cool thing is that implementing a lot of those tips doesn't require any special skill, just an awareness of the issue and the desire to correct it.
After 20 years of playing guitar I started taking drums lessons 2 months ago. I'm discovering your channel through this video and it's awesome !
That has to be the first Zig Ziglar reference in context of drumming I have ever heard! Well done!
There was a period of years where I listened to Zig recordings almost daily. Goldmine
this just made me realize i have a few problems with how i’m playing, thankyou for shedding a light on it
As much as I agree with those first mistakes, I think that recording ourselves to see what's happening is really easy today. Which is going to put every mistake in our face, unless the new drummers doesn't film themselves practicing. Filming and watching our own person, like it was someone else, is really the key to everything... But we couldn't do that as easily in the past, people must take advantage of that. When I did start filming myself in 2008, I discovered many things I wouldn't see otherwise. Things like position, movement, I was using my right hand too much all the time for my taste, but also discovered how good some stuff are, and how different it can be while you play it and how the perception is changing when looking back at our own person in video, not just sound.
Stephen, thanks for addressing the "feel" part. When I see people tapping a foot, moving their heads, dancing, clapping, tapping the table to the beat, that's when I know I have done my job as a drummer.
The picture that is up for this video is so funny, with the drums all over the place!!! Had to watch and I'm glad I did!!!😂🤣👍🙏🙏🙏
Thank you for all the inspiration, advice and just endless amounts of free instructions..You are in a small group that helps me play out, in front of people, three nights a week. 🙏🏻🤘🏼 thanks man!
Hi Stephen, I watched this video and one from 2019 about mistakes while learning drumming. Very good info to help me stay focused. I do have a teacher and have had 2 lessons so far, we are working on basics with timing and hand foot coordination. I was trying to keep a beat but found going off so remembered to count and use a metronome and It really works better.
I also picked up the mandolin back in December and channel on RUclips I follow showed to find backing tracks so can play along. Your advice to play with people can be difficult but getting out to meet others will help.
Thanks much for your channel; I always learn something. I am 59 and started learning drums and really are having a good time.
Zig Zigler! Yes. That takes me way back. Great presentation. I like the way you get right to the point. No needless rambling.
Wow...I Just started playing again after 20 years of not playing and even back then I was never serious as I am now. I have soooo much to learn. This was a great video.
Guy quoted Zig Ziglar🤣 I’m hooked!
Yeah, I always play with music on, then when i hit pause everything falls apart. brand new drummer here, but long time musician. Hoping in your videos I might find some really early beginner licks, or elsewhere on the internets so might build simple to complex with just a metronome.
Helpful video for sure!
I’m the exact opposite! Playing with music puts too much pressure on me to be perfect so I mess up, but my timing and jamming is much better after I hit the pause button and start doing my own thing 😂
Absolutely love your videos. I find that I keep rewatching them for a good memory boost. Also bought a eat, drum, sleep, repeat sweatshirt from your link. It's good quality. Thinking of grabbing more stuff.
You're right. After 15 years of playing i have noticed that i play only with my band anymore. My band is playing Black metal and album by album i want more fast and extreme stuff there but my plan and goals are more like dreams, since i'm not doing anything to get there. Drumming with lack of technique is very very heavy and i can see why it's important to practice and keep up your basics.
Great video. I have made almost all of these mistakes at some time or another. Another great quote is
"Comparison is the thief of joy". I'm learning this one right now.
I think songs are important to learning and might even unlock skills. I couldn’t do ghost notes on a snare until my teacher had me play “show me how to live” and it just clicked. And it’s more fun to play with music
I have fallen in a whole where I only wanted to practice and play no music. But this did encourage me to start playing more music. I appreciate the video
I'm a guitarist at heart who picked up drums on the side. My entire practice regime has just been jamming along to songs. This video has inspired me to change, and just quit the drums.
When I get asked what's the most common mistake. I usually say don't try to be your idol. Meaning first timers feel the urge to dig right into their hardest known song. Within my first year of drumming I was done with AJFA album. But not everyone can start out on medium stuff. (Already studied drum videos before my first set at 7 years old. Helped me since day 1. Felt confident and seen how to do it.)
"Competition is for horses, not for music" True that! Great video, you took 12 minutes to put down in words, what took me several years to slowly realize.
4:49 I thought about every drum student I’ve ever had 😂😂😂 this had me cracking up! Every thing has an exclamation mark on it 😂😂😂
When I practice, I start with Rolling Stones, go to Howlin Wolf, then James Brown and then I'll play a cd of various jazz artists. You need to have rhythm to play the drums. No amount of reading drum music or having the best teachers won't help if don't have it in here ❤. He's right about speed. It's easier to play fast than slow in many way, especially with brushes. This dude knows his stuff. I teach as well. I teach drums, guitar, bass, piano and ukulele. I can play more, but the music school i school I teach at only teaches those instruments. I'm self taught in everything except for saxophone. Luckily my grandpop was a professional musician and alot of his family were professional. I had to keep it going.
Excellent advice Stephen.
Thank you for sharing with us.
Thats why mastering the fundamentals and building your skills on a solid foundation is key to quality drumming.
Having a teacher is game-changing, even if they're not a drummer. Which I know sounds crazy.
When I was in jazz band in high school oh, the director is a lifetime jazz musician made his career as a jazz trombonist and later became a band director.
This man had such a profoundly well-rounded knowledge of jazz, all its sub-genres, and how they all work.
So despite him not knowing how to play drum set himself, his intimate knowledge of how jazz is made none-the-less gave me instruction. He told me how to play in a style despite not playing drum set. I learned almost everything I know about actually playing in a jazz band from that man.
Obviously an experienced Jazz drum set player could have taken me to different levels, but as a fresh new drumset player, I still learned a ton, and was still taught how to play appropriate per the needs of the genre by a non-drumset player who was just understood the style and the tunes that well. He's an old guy lol, he was around when some of the tunes we played the first hit the scene
Totally agree. Some of my best teachers have been non-drummers
Having a goal in a lesson helps me avoid over-learning (and stagnating) as well as half-learning. Did I learn what I expected this lesson to teach me? Yes, so time to move on and not try to be perfect.
Oh, and toxic comparison…avoiding that (when I manage to) helps me relax and see what I can actually do. Great video!
Hey Julia!
Wow this is awesome. I just finished my degree in music as a bass player last year and a lot of this translates really well to the journey I have taken. Awesome content. You earned my subscription!!
The climbing perch (Anabas testudineus), which is found in South Asia, is remarkable for its habit of taking to the land and climbing palm trees. It even walks some distance across country in search of better habitat.
5:08 LMAO no matter who does this this always gives me so the giggles :D
i like to play to music and eventually i get into it and i start doing my own things it’s been helping me get comfortable
You gather so much from playing from music, it's great advice
I’m glad to have found your channel. I’m gearing up to learn the drums a bit late in life. I have an erratic work schedule which prevents me from pretty much any kind of in person lessons. Thanks for this video series.
So glad the videos are helping! Welcome to the fam! More stuff on my website at www.stephensdrumshed.com
@@StephenTaylorDrums I’ll be sure to check that out! Thanks.
My addition to tips 3, 4 and 6 is to play to different music and songs after being comfortable with the songs your learning and then playing those songs from memory without the music. Changing genres between rock, hip hop and r&b made me try new techniques and rhythms
Thats also how i heard the audible mistakes i was making not hitting the center, realizing i wasnt holding time as well as i thought and much louder than i expected (going to the rebalance issues mentioned later in the video). I wasnt hitting drums right and was way too loud.
Changing genres also helped me get myself out of roadblocks where i felt i plateaued in my playing and i defaulted to the same rhythms every time.
My buddy was in a heavy metal band and hes probably the most stubborn guy i ever met and i told him he should learn hip hop alternative rock and maybe even jazz so he could learn different techniques because everything he played started to sound the same. He didnt listen to me...and here we are 10 years later and he is literally the same drummer he was 10 years ago and cant get a single gig.
Thank you soo much
I've just got my first electric drum kit and it's amazing
You're more than welcome my friend
Best cover of this on RUclips. I don’t think their drummer does that intro live in the actual band when they do it live. So maybe even best version period
amazing stuff as always. what's truly wonderful about the mistakes mentioned is that they are relevant not just to drums, but to life itself
This is really great! Would you be able to do another of these entirely from the perspective of the teacher (how good and bad teachers impact a student's response to instruction)?
I visited the Nashville area this morning and walked right by you twice after visiting Grace Chapel. Man, I wish I had said in person how much I enjoy your videos and love of playing, but I didn't want to interrupt what we both went to do. Would have been even cool had I got to see you do your thing live, but the young man playing this morning did fantastic. Also had to get back home after a relaxing vacation.
Sold my set to pursue a seminary degree years ago. Hoping to get back at it someday when I can afford a new one. Keep up the good work.
Bro! I wish you had stopped me so we could have met! Hope you enjoyed your time...and yes, the kid playing killed it...and he's only a senior in high school. If you're ever back in town, stop me next time ;^)
i just bought drums today
no clue what im doing
and you have already inspired me to learn and grow
thank you
Welcome to the fam!
Lol. I just commented on another vid that I'd stumbled across a foot technique that was working great until my toe went numb (for like 2 weeks now). I'd say learning technique not only helps avoid pain, but also adds tools to the toolkit, so to speak. You have pointed out exactly many thoughts I've been having lately. Lots of great drum discussions on YT lately. Glad to get your thoughts as well.
'You cannot compare your insides to somebody else's outsides.' Brilliant.
My biggest issue at first was not having the kit ergonomics to my height and reach. Once I figured that out, via a good friend of mine, I was able to progress a lot faster.
Love this video and lesson. I'd like to contribute with this: comparing yourself to yourself before or to others today is something you'll often do anyways. My advice to counter this self critical twitch is to try develope a separation between your practice time and approach to your instrument with your performance time and play on your instrument. I still cannot shake my own self critique after any live performance I play today but I do allow a mindset for such gigs to be more free and less self restricting. Practice has us focus on developing certain discipline and hopefully then new skills. Playing is the opportunity for free spirit and self realisation. Understand that a live performance isn't a practice room and you should feel far better about what you played live than what you practiced behind closed doors. Improving is always the goal but don't make gigs a clinical affair. You practice to improve. You play to have fun. Do both and you'll be the musician you were supposed to be
Tuning my drums I use a tension watch. For example, Tune your main tom to the sound you want. Look at the number on the tension watch or move the tension watch to a number you want to remember. For 3 tom kit tune the next tom, the same number; as well for the snare. For the floor tom subtract 10 off the tension watch. then play single doubles and listen to the kit, kind of like tuning a guitar. You will hear the tone very tight if it is tuned right. Then play so fills and rolls, it will sound amazing. tune roto toms off the first tom closest size to your first, but remember the roto tom has to be smaller than your first tom, For example 12' tom 10" roto tom, then do your 8" then 6".... and there you go.
I learned to play the drums on my own.
They mostly listen to LIVE music + of course practicing and playing with bands for years.
My inspiration is Chad Smith (RHCP), but not only them but also other pop-rock bands, again, just listening live.
At least that helped me to understand the dynamics of playing, how to listen to the other members of the band, jamming and so on.
Hi, Stephen! I love your videos and your beginner’s exercise videos helped me a lot! I had a question, though. So, I’m 20 and I’ve always loved playing the drums, but it’s been YEARS since I’ve touched a drum set, so I consider myself a rookie drummer. Im learning beginner’s beats and practices, rudiments, etc. to really have that strong foundation instead of always just jamming. I’m really taking this seriously, so I’m about to buy my very first own drum set and a cymbal pack. Here’s the thing: I’m trying to decide between two cymbal packs. I really like very loud, cutting cymbals with either a mix of brightness and darkness or mostly bright. So, I’ve narrowed it down to the Zildjian A391 or the Zildjian K Custom Hybrid box set. The hi hats and rides in both I like, but I’m unsure if to get the A pack with TWO crashes, or the Hybrid pack with just ONE crash. On one hand, I want the variety, but I don’t want things to be too complex and muddy for a beginner like me. But, I also don’t want my sound overall to be monotone with that one 17” crash. Some people say that odd sizes in a crash can combine the smaller and larger even sizes (so a 17” is comparable to a 16” and 18” crash in one). Can you or anyone help me out here? I have no idea which to pick. Thanks and sorry for the long comment.
I freaking love this guy, i just started drums and hes helping me so much
------- SUMMARY -------
1) Don´t play too many drum fills (0:37)
2) Don´t fill your music with "ums" (1:30)
3) Play songs - play to music (2:12)
4) Don´t play only to music (2:48)
5) Practise how to hit the drums properly (3:24)
6) Have a teacher or a mentor (4:07)
7) Pay attention to your sounds, to their balance - change their volumes, mix your sound, ... (4:41)
8) Learn some technique - find an easier way to play drums (6:52)
9) Don´t only focus on speed, but also on some dynamics - try to play softer/louder, ... (7:10)
10) Focus on how it (your playing and sounds) feel (7:27)
11) Don´t ignore other musicians and the other parts of the song (8:02)
12) Spend time on your drum setup so it´s perfectly comfortable and sensible for you (8:36)
13) Learn how to tune the drums (9:27)
14) Have a plan or goal (10:07)
15) Focus on slow repetitions (10:57)
16) Don´t compare yourself to others (11:13)
Fingers cross to y´all guys, we got this :)
And Stephen, thank you for helping us.
What exactly does he call an “uhhm” here? I didn’t get it. That extra snare or smth?
@@LostStylus Yeah, I think he means there´s too many snare hits, but I´m not sure either
It's about similar patterns, not really anything specific, listen to his High hats by the end of every measure, there's that one extra left hand note
@@deal5245 ah, I see, thanks :)
@@klaara_ you're welcome :)
I liked your "um"/compulsive fill in analogy, the latter of which I have made myself guilty of.
This is a great video Stephen. All excellent points. I really like what you said about the need to make people want to dance. which in par means to keep things more simple - no need to be over the top in our drum playing,, My band is all Rock, Southern Rock music with a 70's vibe and moving forward with new songs we are working on is to want to make sure we are creating music that makes you want to dance. If our audience is dancing that can relate to sales of cd's for the band.
Clear and on top like always THX 👍👌
You speak and explain so well, for me it's a pleasure cos I'm german and a beginner so I never needed subtitles in your vids 😉
Please keep on as long as it's possible !
Thank you so much for this info man, I'm starting to get into drumming so I'm glad I have a few things to look out for.
9:24 Speaking of "why are you doing that?"; does anyone know why most drum sets position the tom mounts on the base drum to where the rack toms feel like they're a mile away? I've had to do all sorts of extra bracketry to get them to where I didn't have to reach halfway across the room to hit them
Honestly, I have no idea. I battled with my first drum kit and then I settled with single rack tom and two floors with Tama. Plus my seating position is fairly low, so bass mount was never an option for me.
I just wanted to say thank you for this video. And yes, I was in a lot of these problems or just to say I couldn’t see the path you know. But because of you, I’m following a lot of other drummers too I just wanted to let you know you were the gateway to me getting my skill level up and getting back into my passion
I like the side shots with those big ol guns you got. Bear arms.
Thanks for the insightful video. I've been playing around on drums for 15 years here and there and I still don't really know what I'm doing. I'm just a bedroom musician who's done a few gigs at open mics and bars. Always looking to improve, but I'm not really sure what kind of progress I've made over the years.
I just started my drum and bass journey a few months. I taught myself guitar 20+ years. I've used the song "Fade to Black" by Metallica as my technique "catch all" for years. Seems to be working but I'll need much more time on drums and bass before I find the groove and triplet feel. Thank you for your video. This will set me on the right path.
Hey Stephen - nice video and realistic... I want to present an "issue" not really consistent with the subject matter of this video. I purchased a DW Design Series Nickel over Brass Snare drum, 14 X 6.5 in 2021 Used via Reverb. It came delivered with an Evans HD dry batter head. Sounded very good and was head over heels better than the PDP concept maple 14 X 5.5 Snare that came with my 6 drum kit ( I replaced the standard batter head with a HD dry as well). After some time, I replaced the batter head on the DW with a new HD dry head, re-installed the Reso head and the snare wires. I could not duplicate the Tuned sound of when the drum was delivered. I was tweaking it constantly seeking to get that "sound" - that Bonham Ludwig Symphonic Sound. The tweaking was getting close , but no cigar. Yesterday, I placed the DW atop of my 16 inch Floor Tom, just to get it out of the way. I was playing the PDP snare and also a Mapex piccolo 13 X 3.5 Snare (which delivers a great Piccolo sound BTW). Then I hit the DW sitting atop of the Floor Tom... BINGO - it was the sound I was seeking - nice snap with slight overtones !!. However, as soon as I placed it back into the Snare stand, it was not the Same?? FWIW, I do sometimes play the 2 Piccolos (the Mapex and another cheapo Griffin snare), placed atop of the PDP snare in the stand! That enhances the sound of those drums too. Anyone have any answers or guidance to this Old Timer - 71 yo, who resurrected playing Drums after a 50 Year Hiatus [1969]. I play solely for enjoyment in retirement - about 1 hour a day to My Music. I believe it has to do with the percussion effects form sitting on top of the Tom, but how do I get there w/o doing that. Sorry for rumbling. Happy New Year to All.
I never have much trouble with the ignoring other musicians mistake because on top of drums, I also play; Flute, Alto Saxophone, Piano, Guitar, Bass, and Cello
Everyone is on their own unique journey. And comparison should not be made because you may be at a different point in your journey where some body else maybe in a completely different part of theirs.🥁🤟
I don't understand the "ums and & buts" part tbh
He’s saying that people develop bad habits without even noticing; like people who use um or uh all the time as filler when they’re speaking. They probably don’t mean to, it’s just an unintentional habit they’ve built overtime. Similarly, we can do the same thing on drums. He’s just saying that we should pay attention to what we do. Be intentional to seek out habits we’ve made and see whether they’re helpful to our playing or not.
Adding fills and ticks by habit instead of intention.
@@tunneltu I assumed that is what he meant but it wasn't described very thoroughly.
Especially since what he played sounded very nice. Most beginners are listening for the mistake he made, but he didn't make any mistakes on a technical level.
He probably should have driven home the point that the fills are perfectly fine as long as you are meaning to do them.
It was the idea that he needed to do a 16th-note "and-a" on beat four every single bar. It's unnecessary and definitely a tick. This may only be obvious to those who have played professionally for many years, but it is certainly obvious.
A musician needs to listen to the music and play what is appropriate given everything from genre, tempo, production notes, to - over time - understanding what could be added to the chart to make it more interesting, and doing so, of course, intentionally.
What he is exemplifying is more reactive and habitual than anything proactive and intentional.
great video! love the Spinal Tap reference! , don't spontaneously combust now! 😂🤣
I've learned in the musician's world, no matter how well you play, there's always someone better than you!
😎Bro, can you do a vid on creating the best drum parts for any song? eg. most important stuff to focus on, how to enhance what other instruments are doing, enhance the vocal/lyric rhythm, make the song more dynamic, etc. Your channel kick ass man!
Great notes! Thanks alot! I just want to ask how can I extract the rhythm for a beginner from a whole drum sheet of a song??
Umms, ands, & buts! I’ve never heard it put that way, and it’s genius. I’ll be adding that to my teaching from now on!
Lol, just what it feels like to my ears
Which was the umps ands and buts? The hi hat lick or snare? Or both? I do these! Haha
I still don't understand that part lol. Anyone able to help?
Man this is some truly crucial information. Had someone said this to me in such an articulate way when I was young, I would have grown faster and saved a lot of time / heart ache from being fired from a big gig. Because I’m paying such cldose attention to what you’re saying, I want to ask you, or any other pro drummers / drum educators opinion(s), as I am one myself: I totally agree that a good teacher should always have a plan and push their students where they know they need to go in order to get better, faster. The reality however is we want to keep our students, both for financial reasons and to keep them interested in music. I just know some of my students don’t respond well to telling them we have to work on this or that; you have to play to a click/music no matter what (with few exceptions), etc. I feel like I would lose a lot of (especially younger) students right off the bat if I did that immediately. This has always been a conflict of mine. I’m curious to hear any opinions!
Very well explained thx . The biggest basic rule number 1 is learn to play very very slowly instead of wanting to play fast, the slower the better the more correct and faster you can do it later.
The not understanding your volume or dynamics one has the opposite affect I see with a lot of medium drummers. Their chops and ideas are decent, but they are not playing with enough confidence, so all of their hits are feathery and light and there is no punctuation. It’s like they know how tk play the drums but they’re scared to do it.