Before you invest money into buying a drum kit, it's natural to think "Are drums hard to learn?"
The great news is the basics of drumming are easy to learn. You can quickly learn the basic beats to rock and pop songs and start playing in a band with friends.
However, if you want to really master the instrument, drums can be quite challenging. Playing complex polyrhythms in jazz or latin music is going to take time and practice to achieve.
The proliferation of online tools over recent years has also made it much easier to learn drums. Online training such as Drumeo are a fantastic addition to personal drum lessons.
YouTube has thousands of lessons from professional players and there are numerous online forums and groups where you can ask questions and get feedback on your progress.
How long does it take to learn drums?
So how long does it take? The short answer is: it depends on you! But let's talk about how long learning drums takes for average people who are just starting out, so we can all have some realistic expectations.
The basic 4/4 grooves that you hear on many rock songs can be learnt in as little as a week. This knowledge can then be used as platform for learning more complex bass and snare drum parts and adding in some fills.
When I started playing the drums at school, I immediately formed a band with some friends. So, I was playing with them in a matter of weeks. Within a few months we had booked some gigs and were playing in front of audiences.
We weren't fantastic musicians and it probably didn't sound great, but we were very motivated, and the gigs gave us a goal to work towards. If you put in the effort, drums can be learnt amazingly fast.
Here's a fascinating video by a young lady who challenged herself to learn the drums in 30 days. She was motivated and had a goal of performing a drum cover before the end of the month. See how she got on...it's very inspiring!
How long it takes to play drums like Dave Grohl or Chad Smith is a different question!
To take the drums to a higher level is going to be an investment of time. It's difficult to put a timescale on how long drums will take you to learn, because it varies from person to person.
For instance, how much time can you dedicate to practice? Do you have the motivation, and are you willing to put in the hours that it takes to improve?
A very rough estimate would be that it could take 1-2 years to become proficient enough to be playing in a semi-professional band and doing regular paid gigs.
Is drumming practice hard?
Just like learning any instrument, there are certain techniques and exercises that you need to learn to become proficient. These practice routines are not exactly hard, they just take time to learn properly.
You will be learning basic sticking patterns called rudiments, that will make you more accurate and confident with your drums. You will also learn how to read drum music and practice basic fills.
Generally speaking, progress comes in 'leaps and bounds' rather than steady progression. You may feel that you're making no progress and then suddenly something just 'clicks' and then a month later you'll feel like you've learnt loads.
Whilst learning basic technique isn't difficult, it can be a bit tedious if you're not enjoying yourself. That's why it's so important to have a proper practice routine that mixes up technique with more enjoyable activities such as playing to music.
Always have in mind what you are trying to achieve and why you are doing it. Practice is only hard if your motivation isn't there!
Are drums harder to learn than guitar or piano?
There are no tuned notes with the drums, so you don't need to learn scales, modes or complicated music theory like with instruments such as the guitar or piano.
However, there are still many drum techniques and rudiments that you need to learn.
Besides the basic technique that drums require, drums are also much more physically demanding than some other instruments. But this shouldn't be seen as a negative... in fact it allows you much more self-expression and freedom than some other instruments.
Are drums hard to learn by yourself?
There are so many different options to learning the drums now, including drum lessons online, YouTube or a private teacher.
But can you do it by yourself, without a tutor? Well yes you could do it, but I wouldn't recommend it.
I believe a drum tutor early in a student's career is necessary to provide good drumming habits. The drum tutor is not just there to teach students the basic grooves and rudiments. They can give immediate feedback on things like posture, stick grip, and technique.
This will ensure you don't start your drumming journey with bad habits, which can be difficult to fix further down the line.
After a few professional lessons, you can choose to continue with your tutor or use the multitude of online resources to improve your drumming skills.
Are drums physically hard to play?
Drums are certainly more physically demanding than some other instruments, especially when you're playing loudly in a band. And that is part of the attraction to many players!
However, you don't need to be physically fit, or strong to enjoy playing. Drummers come in all shapes and sizes, both male and female.
There really is no reason to believe you can't take up the drums. People in their 60's have started playing and only regret not starting sooner.
Drumming can also improve your health. There have been numerous recent scientific studies that show that drumming can have a positive effect on you both mentally and physically.
So, if you want to have fun while improving your health and fitness, drumming could be a great option.
Summary
I've been drumming for decades now, and I'm still learning new things about drumming every day. There's a lot to learn in drums! This keeps things interesting, as even professional drummers do not know everything.
Don’t be intimidated by drums, they are not as hard to learn as you might think. You can make significant progress quickly. You can really surprise your friends when you’re suddenly laying down toe-tapping grooves and performing fills around the kit.
But like anything else worth doing it takes time and practice to perfect your craft and become an expert drummer.