1) How to start to play drums as an absolute beginner and where noise is an issue

-----Original Message-----

From: deve [mailto:deve009@XXXXXXX] Sent: 07 August 2004 16:48

To: Rob@learn-to-play-drums.com

Subject: Weird question!! sorry

Hi there!

Just came across you website and thought this is the person to ask something I've been wondering about for a while. So here we go.

I'd love to learn the drums but have a big problem! Sharing my place with a lot of people. Is there a way for me to practice without actually using a proper pro drum? I've heard of the midi kind of interface or perhaps some other way that I can't think about!

Appreciate your help!! deve

My reply:

Deve,

Not a weird question at all. It is a very normal question for drummers to ask!! I am a married man and so as not to really annoy my wife and to practise after my children go to bed I bought a Roland TD6K drum kit (that's an electronic one with headphones and pads) however they cost about £1000 all up here in the uk, however because drumming is my passion that wasn't to much of any issue to me :-)

My advice to you if you want to learn is to do the following to start with.

1) First, you can learn to start playing drums now by just tapping out basic beats. If you are right handed .

Your right hand plays the pretend hi hat, the left hand the pretend snare and your right foot the pretend bass/kick drum

Just sit down on a chair at a table and tap away very slowly to start with, print out my page of basic beats

Example A very common beat is 8th note rock

See my counting article and common beats page to listen to it So Tap right hand on counts " 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + " say + as "and" Tap left hand on " 2 4 " Tap right foot on " 1 3 "

And do this to all the music you like to listen to. I tap all the time drives my wife nuts!!!!!!

In the car, at the table, sitting watching tele.

I hear a beat and tap away to it all drummers do it and thats how you learn!!

Next step 2) Get some sticks and a practice pad and do the same again. Pretend your right hand plays the pretend hi hat, the left hand the pretend snare and your right foot the pretend bass/kick drum.

A few years ago I went though a phase of playing my practise pad whilst watching the music channels and in particular Kerrang. Again, 90% of the beats will be one of the 4 main dance beats so you can play along.

Last step 3) Go and have a lesson with a local teacher. That way you can actually sit behind a kit and be shown some of the basic stuff. Then you can start to know if this is something you want to do more often, which I bet you will!!!! because it is great fun!!!

Hope this helps

And am very happy to answer anymore questions you have.

Take Care and welcome to the family of drummers!!!!

Rob