A 5 step guide to teaching yourself the drums (and 2 bonus tips!)
Have you ever asked yourself if it is possible to teach yourself the drums? Well, not only are we going to answer that question for you today. But we're going to give a step-by-step of how to do it.
To teach yourself to play the drums you must have the following three qualities:
- Enthusiasm
- Discipline
- Determination
If you have all three of these attributes then you can teach yourself to play the drums.
Before we jump into the guide, here are two tips that will help you get off to a good start:
Tip 1 - Not all online resources are made equally
There is a huge range of free and paid online resources to help you teach yourself the drums. Not all of them are worth your time or hard earned money. Before you invest in any resources do your research, read reviews, and sample any free trials they offer.
Tip 2 - Invest in a Metronome
To be able to play the drums you will have to teach yourself to play in time. One of the downsides of teaching yourself is you will have no one to correct your mistakes. However, playing with a metronome will make it obvious if you are playing at the wrong speed.
5 Step guide to teaching yourself to play the drums
Step 1 - Learning your basics
The basics of drumming are the foundation on which you will build everything else you learn. Spending the time to get these right will really pay off in the long run:
- How to set up your drum kit
- How to tighten your skins
- How to sit on your stool correctly
- How to hold your sticks
- How to keep time
- Basic drum beats
You should master these basics before moving on to anything else - no matter how tempting it is.
Sites like Drumeo offer (through a paid subscription) online classes and practice songs. These courses will take you through each of the basics, giving you something to compare yourself to.
However, if you're trying to teach yourself the drums because you don't have the budget for a teacher, then Youtube has a wide selection of videos that cover these basics. Be aware that the quality of teaching will vary on sites like Youtube.
Step 2 - Learn drum fills
Now that you have laid the foundations of your basic drumming skill, it's time to start building on them. The first set of bricks you will want to lay are drum fills.
Either through a site like Drumeo or Youtube, you will want to build on the basic beats that you learned in Step 1 by adding fills.
Drum Fills are changes to the beat that add more dimension to the song you are playing. Sometimes a Drum Fill can even be just changing the rhythm of the beat for playing for half a bar.
Classic examples of Drum Fills include:
- Tom Roll
- The Motown Fill
- The 8th-Note Build
- Bucket of Fish
- Pop-country fill
Once you have learned these fills it's time to put them into practice. Take one of the basic drum beats that you have learned and practice adding a drum fill every 8 bars. Once you have the hang of that, start trying to add them to the beat more frequently until they feel natural.
Step 3 - Get stuck into the theory
If you want to be able to play in a band or an ensemble then you will find it worth your time to learn some music theory.
You should start by teaching yourself how to read Drum Sheet Music. Yes, learning to play by ear and from watching videos is a good way to develop your drumming skills at the beginning of your journey. But, you'll soon be looking for a new challenge.
Learning drum notation will offer you this challenge and make you a better drummer in the process. The majority of professional drummers read sheet music so you'll be in good company.
You will find that being able to sight-read sheet music will open up a lot more opportunities for you to collaborate with other musicians. It will also make you a more confident player.
To get started with learning drum notation, pick out a well-reviewed drum theory book and get studying. You will find it helpful to begin by listening along to a song while reading its sheet music.
Step 4 - Learn the rudiments
There are 40 drum rudiments that every drummer should know. Mastering these will set you well on your way to mastering the instrument.
The 40 drum rudiments are a series of stick patterns - like the single stroke roll, double stroke roll, paradiddle and single drag tap. By learning the rudiments you will hone your speed, endurance, control, and timing skills.
Once you've learned the rudiments, you can put them into practice while you play your basic drum beats.
You should begin your journey into learning rudiments by learning the 5 most common rudiments:
- the single stroke roll
- the double stroke roll
- the flam
- the paradiddle
- the double paradiddle.
Step 5 - Look after your body
If you want to play drums for a long time then you are going to have to put some safeguards in place to protect your body. While people don't usually think of playing an instrument as dangerous there are two types of injuries that are frequently linked with playing the drums - hearing loss and severe back pain.
To protect your hearing you should invest in protective headphones. These will decrease the likelihood of you developing tinnitus or other hearing loss-related problems.
Many drummers have a pre-gig and post-gig stretching routine. This helps them to improve their posture during the show. It also prevents more long-term damage from being done to their shoulders and spine.
A Final Note
While it is possible to teach yourself to play the drums, we do recommend that you invest in a face-to-face lesson occasionally. Spending time with a drum teacher will help you to drop the bad habits you didn't even know you had.