newbie needs some advice

Hi everyone,

I would appreciate any advice on how I should proceed as a drumming newbie. My background: have been playing syncopated piano styles (like boogie-woogie) for several years now, so I'm not totally rhythmically impaired. I bought a pair of sticks, a drum pad, and a book: Louis Bellson's Drum Method Complete. I've been practicing for about a month now (try to get in an hour every day or if I miss a day, a few hours the next day); my single roll is coming along ok, my double roll isn't too great (although I can get it going at a good clip for a short while). The Bellson book has loads and loads of rolls and rudiments, but I don't think it's a good idea to spend too long trying to get them down, since I figure one perfects them over a long period of time. So what do I do now (besides keep practicing the Bellson exercises)? I'm interested in jazz drumming. There seems to be a lot of crap out there that are basically designed to rip people off; that's why I got the Bellson book initially, since it was the most serious-looking book in the rack at the music store. Are there any books that would be good for me at this stage? And is there a need to get a basic drum kit now? And if so, what should I buy (without going overboard)?

Thanks,

Sticks and a pad are a good place to start to see if you really are interested in drumming, but you have to remember that a drummer needs to use both hands AND both feet! You can't get that skill from a pad. Yes, the next step is a drumset. Any old clunker will do. The point is to use the set as a learning experiment where you can tune it, fool with it, change it, saw it, whatever and it's no big loss as you learn. Any of the usual 'entry level' imported kits will be fine. If you can grab one used it will be even cheaper. Lots of kids start drums and then change their minds. The key to practice at that point is a decently working bass drum pedal and hihat stand. It doesnt' matter if they sound like crap because the point is to develop your arms and legs...especially independence. And don't quit the pad either. If you are interested in jazz then get some jazz records and play along. Try to imitate that basic jazz 'swing' beat. You'll never learn that from a book! But there are books that will give you some basic beats to learn as well. Look for books giving rhythms to practtice using hands and feet. That's your next stage.

Benj

The way to then expand your kit once you start to get pretty good on the junker as is, is to first get a decent bass pedal and hihat, then decent cymbals and finally you can upgrade the actual drums. But that should be the LAST thing you do. Cheapo cymbals sound like crap but junker drums really can be passible once you learn how to tune them and use decent heads. Good luck!

Thanks for your advice; I've started looking for a 'junker' as you suggest.

I've just started drumming too. Got no kit but I've got sone sticks and a practice pad. I'm also having lessons which is the best money I ever spent. In the first hour I learnt the rudiments and a couple of basic drum rhythms. I've even got homework to practise before my next lesson. Well worth looking into at about £15 an hour.

About 15 years ago, just out of high school, having played for 3 years on the school's drumset, I found myself starting college and not having a kit anymore! And as I was approaching my 18th birthday, that was the time where I really wondered what to do with my life. I asked myself if I wanted to go to college like all the others or play music all the time

I knew some good friends who had started a heavy-metal cover band a few years before but then found themselves without a drummer and deciding to write their own stuff. I really wanted to play with theses guys! So we decided to give it a try and record a demo a few months down the line.

Being quite broken at that time (I was no longer going to school, and my mom hated that!) I built myself a practice set out of some pieces of wood from an old coathanger and some plywood that I covered with foam. I played on it with heavy sticks and played the kicks on the floor, heels up. I practiced songs on this kit for about 3-4 months and it helped a lot (even for two kicks rolls!!!). That looked (and sounded) real weird in my bedroom but finally we rented two drumsets (heavy-metal!) and went in studio to record our first and not-that-great-but-still-not-too-bad demo!!!

I stayed with these guys for ten years after that!

So let your imagination flow as long as you're hitting something with your sticks! (And even with your hands and fingers on the restaurant table while waiting for someone! Seriously, I think tapping fingers and feet on any surface can help with coordination and even to find some great patterns. Mental visualisation is also another way to improve playing... but that depends if drums and beats haunts you (like for me, I even do beats with my teeth all the time and almost unconsciously) or not...)

Well, a chunk of life...

Take care,

Stephane Belleau