A Beginner's Guide to Playing Drums

I'm a self taught drummer of nearly twenty years. I figured I would make a quick guide to help anyone who may be interested in picking up sticks and learning to play the drums. This guide will provide resources for you to learn the basics to get you started.

Start by watching the history of the drum set. It's about and hour and a half and covers the evolution of drums from a military tool to Ringo. This video contains a lot of useful information like the names of each part of the drum set and how the technique for each was developed over the years to suit the music.

Next, Google "Stick Control PDF" and download the first link; or click here.

Read it, or don't, but start playing the paterns starting on page 5. You can use your hands/feet and just tap on your lap or a desk or whatever you have. Learn as many paterns as you can. Commit them not only to memory but muscle memory.

Now, buy a practice pad and a pair of sticks and watch this video about the Moeller Technique. Now apply the technique to the paterns you learned from Stick Control. Start slow. Practice with a metronome.

When you are ready to buy your own kit buy used. Craigslist is a pretty good resource through most of the US. Kijiji is popular in Canada. Reverb is also a good resource but generally higher quality with higher prices. To help you sort through the used market Here is a spreadsheet on Reddit organizing drum lines by price. This is a list of popular cymbal brands and their respective lines.

Once you get a kit this video is incredibly helpful to watch before your first time setting up. Goes over how to place everything and why. Tips, tricks and ergonomics.

Now that you are introduced to Drumeo be sure to subscribe to their YouTube and start watching lessons, if you enjoy that sign up on their website for even more.

Now play along to some of your favorite songs and have fun! Welcome to the world of drumming. It's easy to pick up and fun to play but takes a lifetime of work to master. Enjoy the journey.

Join us at drummit for any help, guidance or to share pictures of your setup!