To learn to play drums, you must first understand rhythm
What is it that makes a band great?
Let me let you in on a little secret.
Great bands fall apart without great drummers.
As the drummer, you are the beating heart that keeps the music alive.
But with great power comes great responsibility.
As a first-class drummer, you HAVE to play consistently and evenly. You never want to speed up or slow down unless required to.
This makes the music come alive to the ears of the listener. They’ll be able to settle in and listen deeply to what the band is expressing.
The other musicians in your band will follow your lead and together, you’ll create great sounding music.
What is it that makes a band great?
Let me let you in on a little secret.
Great bands fall apart without great drummers.
As the drummer, you are the beating heart that keeps the music alive.
But with great power comes great responsibility.
As a first-class drummer, you HAVE to play consistently and evenly. You never want to speed up or slow down unless required to.
This makes the music come alive to the ears of the listener. They’ll be able to settle in and listen deeply to what the band is expressing.
The other musicians in your band will follow your lead and together, you’ll create great sounding music.
Understanding tempo
So how can you learn to play the drums consistently and evenly?
To keep great time, you have to understand tempo. The tempo is a set speed for a song that every band member follows. After choosing how fast you are going to play the song, it’s your job to stick to this speed (tempo) as closely as possible.
The best drummers are as reliable as clocks. Even when you’re playing your craziest drum solo, you never want to lose that solid tempo that keeps the song moving forward. As drummers, we actually count the tempo out loud before the song begins.
‘1 2 3 4’!
Why do we count to 4?
Dividing the tempo into groups of 4 beats helps us to know what to play and when. These groups of 4 give each section of the music a clear structure. This makes it easier to follow the tempo and sound musical. It’s not the only way that we can count the tempo, but it’s by far the most common. Once you’ve counted the first ‘1 2 3 4’ out loud, the music begins. The instruments play as if you were still counting ‘1 2 3 4’ over and over again. But instead of counting out loud, you’re now going to mark these numbers (known as beats) with drums rather than your voice.
Let’s explore this concept further by jumping straight into our first song!
So how can you learn to play the drums consistently and evenly?
To keep great time, you have to understand tempo. The tempo is a set speed for a song that every band member follows. After choosing how fast you are going to play the song, it’s your job to stick to this speed (tempo) as closely as possible.
The best drummers are as reliable as clocks. Even when you’re playing your craziest drum solo, you never want to lose that solid tempo that keeps the song moving forward. As drummers, we actually count the tempo out loud before the song begins.
‘1 2 3 4’!
Why do we count to 4?
Dividing the tempo into groups of 4 beats helps us to know what to play and when. These groups of 4 give each section of the music a clear structure. This makes it easier to follow the tempo and sound musical. It’s not the only way that we can count the tempo, but it’s by far the most common. Once you’ve counted the first ‘1 2 3 4’ out loud, the music begins. The instruments play as if you were still counting ‘1 2 3 4’ over and over again. But instead of counting out loud, you’re now going to mark these numbers (known as beats) with drums rather than your voice.
Let’s explore this concept further by jumping straight into our first song!
Learning how to play your first beat or song
One song that very clearly marks the tempo of the music with a drum played on every beat is ‘Do I Wanna Know’ by the Arctic Monkeys. Have a quick listen using the link to the right before we dive into how this song is played. Can you hear how the same sounds are repeated again and again? The drummer, Matt Helders, is very clearly marking each beat of the tempo here. Every time you hear a drum, that’s one beat of music. If you listen closely, you’ll hear that there are two different drum sounds. Every beat, the drummer swaps to the other drum. |
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If you think you’ve got it, it’s time to start drumming!
1) Tap your right foot to represent the bass drum. This happens on beats 1 and 3, along with the ‘boom’ of the bass drum.
2) Then tap your left hand on your leg to represent the snare drum. This happens on beats 2 and 4, along with the ‘snap’ of the snare drum.
See if you can tap along to the song and stay in time with the beat. If you’re having trouble with this, don’t worry. Keeping time is a skill that takes several practice sessions to develop. If you are keeping time, great job! You’ve aced it!
When you’re next listening to your favourite music, listen out for that low ‘thump’ of the bass drum and that high ‘crack’ of the snare drum.
1) Tap your right foot to represent the bass drum. This happens on beats 1 and 3, along with the ‘boom’ of the bass drum.
2) Then tap your left hand on your leg to represent the snare drum. This happens on beats 2 and 4, along with the ‘snap’ of the snare drum.
See if you can tap along to the song and stay in time with the beat. If you’re having trouble with this, don’t worry. Keeping time is a skill that takes several practice sessions to develop. If you are keeping time, great job! You’ve aced it!
When you’re next listening to your favourite music, listen out for that low ‘thump’ of the bass drum and that high ‘crack’ of the snare drum.
TRY and "Keep the beat" to see how steady you are with the game HERE
What was your high score? It is a REALLY good effort, and a promising start to your drumming abilities if you can get over 800 consistently.
Here some high scores by Teachers:
Mr Leadbeater: 985
Mr Hart: 990
Ms Hsiao: 991
Mr Calder: 987
Ms In: 992
Can you beat YOUR Teacher?
If you do - you should let them know!
Here some high scores by Teachers:
Mr Leadbeater: 985
Mr Hart: 990
Ms Hsiao: 991
Mr Calder: 987
Ms In: 992
Can you beat YOUR Teacher?
If you do - you should let them know!
Let's talk about the different parts of the drum kit next!