WHAT TO EXPECT: OUR APPROACH TO DRUM LESSONS

Drums are used in almost every kind of music. They form the rhythmic backbone of a band or orchestra, and also solo in many styles. It may seem impossible at first to play complex beats that require all your limbs to be doing different things, but these complicated rhythms are really just variations on simple patterns. So, with progressive steps and the guidance of an MTN teacher, anyone can learn to play the drums.

Equipment

It is not necessary to own a drum kit to get started learning the drums. A good pair of sticks and a practice pad can be enough to make a considerable amount of headway into learning basic beats and proper hand technique. Many music schools and other venues have drum kits or percussion rooms that students can access for extra practice. Eventually, though, students will want to buy their own equipment. A four-piece drum kit (bass, tom toms and snare) plus hi-hat and a cymbal will serve a student well from the beginning through intermediate stages. Advancing students may wish to add more equipment, such as extra tom toms, cowbells or cymbals, later. A drum kit need not be extremely expensive to serve the students needs. The best way to decide is to test out several sets and choose one that is comfortable to play, sounds reasonably good, and is within the student's budget. Buying used drums is always an option as well. Students interested in classical music or in African drumming will need their own specialized equipment, such as conga drums or mallet sets for timpani and marimba or xylophone.

Example Lesson Progression

Drum lessons begin with learning to count time. A student will first learn to count quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes in 4/4 (four quarter notes per measure) and 3/4 (3 quarter notes per measure) time. These can be practiced by counting aloud: "One, two, three, four," for quarter notes, "one-and two-and three-and four-and," for eighth notes, and "one-ee-and-a two-ee-and-a three-ee-and-a four-ee-and-a," for sixteenth notes. Counting first each type of note by itself, and then measures of quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes in various combinations, the student will gain a basic sense of rhythm. The student may also practice clapping or tapping their foot along while counting out loud, or tapping out rhythmic patterns on a single drum. When these rhythm exercises are mastered, reading drum notation and basic beats and fills on the drums can be introduced.

Reading notation can seem very complicated at first, but with time and practice reading sheet music will become second nature. The teacher will begin by explaining the notation for hi-hats, ride cymbal, snare drum, bass drum and tom toms. The student can then begin reading simple combinations. Since learning to read sheet music takes some time, the teacher will also show the student correct hand position and begin teaching the student basic beats and fills by ear. More advanced rhythms like thirty-second notes, eighth-note triplets and sixteenth-note triplets, as well as new time signatures like 6/8 (six eighth notes to a measure) can be introduced at this stage as well.

A simple rock beat involves playing straight quarter notes on the hi-hat while alternating quarter notes on the bass drum and snare drum. Many other rock beats and fills are variations on this pattern. Starting from this foundation, the student will practice variations that gradually increase in difficulty. Once the student has mastered some rudimentary beat patterns, they are ready to branch out into different styles of music. These include rock, blues and shuffle, country, dance hall, funk, jazz, Latin, metal, New Orleans, hip-hop, rockabilly, and many others. In classical percussion, a student might start learning on the snare drum and then branch out to marimba, xylophone, timpani and auxiliary percussion. Classical and jazz percussion generally require more music theory knowledge, and all styles will require the student to learn some improvisation.

Get Started!

Learning to play the drums is challenging but well worth it. The drums are extremely versatile, and a good drummer is in high demand for almost every style of music. If you are looking to form a band, join an orchestra, or just want to play along to your favorite albums, an MTN teacher can help you reach your goal.