first off i am a 15 year old female…..last christmas i got guitar hero world tour, and i loved playing the drums on it so i decided to get a drumset. so about 5 months ago i bought a ddrum (snare, bass, med tom, small tom, floor tom, crash/ride, hihats, hardware, throne, and single kick pedal) beginner drumset for $300 i’ve added to it with an 8" wuhan crash. when i first got it i played it for about an hour a day everyday. after about 2 weeks i stopped playing it as often bc i didn’t feel that i was making any progress. i’ve been teaching myself using youtube, and i subscribed to an online website that has 5 minute drum videos each day about fills, beats, solos, and basic things like that. i also bought a teach yourself drum book. i got frustrated w/ it bc it took most of my time just reading the book. this year im taking band (percussion) but the only instruments i am playing are the xylophone, whip crack, and my favorite, the bass drum. i thought i’d get to play snare but we already have enought ppl in band playing the snare. now that i have school and soccer i leave home at 7:00am and dont get home untill 6:30-8:00pm. plus i have lots of homework to do. i try to get to bed by 11 but i usually dont until 1. i try to squeeze in time to practice but i really dont have more than 30 minutes a day to practice. i hear that most people practice from 2-4 hours!! what do they practice the whole time?? bc i dont know what i’d practice. i bought a remo putty practice pad that has not arrived yet, so that i can practice on the go: in the car, etc but what will motivate me to practice, how long should i practice, and what should i practice?? i appriciate any answers!!! thanks!
Practicing isn’t about the time you put in. It’s about what you put in the time.
When I first started playing back in 1960 I was fortunate enough to have a band director who encouraged me to learn at least the first 13 Standard American Rudiments. He felt that if I could master those I had some talent for the instrument, and enough patience and work ethic to build upon that initial skill set. He was correct.
But I was never one for practicing for hours at a time. Instead, I’d practice for 15-20 minutes and then take a break and go back for another 15-20 minutes a little later. This kept me from getting bored and also kept the complaints from the neighbors and family to a minimum. During those short sessions I did, however, pay close attention to the details of whatever it was I was trying to learn, so it wasn’t like I was just banging around unfocused. In other words I was NOT wasting my time, and WAS putting everything into that time I could.
The practice pad is a great idea. Highly recommended. First things first though – get your hands under control! This is why I have never been a proponent of trying to learn to play on a drum set. Get your hands working first – to the point you can sort of let them go on autopilot – and then work your feet into the mix. Precision and control at any tempo must come first, and that will lead to speed.
If you’re looking for great drumming advice visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/drumzillaslair .
Best of luck to you!
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Practicing isn’t about the time you put in. It’s about what you put in the time.
When I first started playing back in 1960 I was fortunate enough to have a band director who encouraged me to learn at least the first 13 Standard American Rudiments. He felt that if I could master those I had some talent for the instrument, and enough patience and work ethic to build upon that initial skill set. He was correct.
But I was never one for practicing for hours at a time. Instead, I’d practice for 15-20 minutes and then take a break and go back for another 15-20 minutes a little later. This kept me from getting bored and also kept the complaints from the neighbors and family to a minimum. During those short sessions I did, however, pay close attention to the details of whatever it was I was trying to learn, so it wasn’t like I was just banging around unfocused. In other words I was NOT wasting my time, and WAS putting everything into that time I could.
The practice pad is a great idea. Highly recommended. First things first though – get your hands under control! This is why I have never been a proponent of trying to learn to play on a drum set. Get your hands working first – to the point you can sort of let them go on autopilot – and then work your feet into the mix. Precision and control at any tempo must come first, and that will lead to speed.
If you’re looking for great drumming advice visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/drumzillaslair .
Best of luck to you!
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