Re: Question from a beginning drummer
- From: Pat McDonald <patdrums@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 01:28:31 -0500
On Thu, 29 Jun 2006 17:09:37 -0500, Patricia wrote
(in article <BcYog.13319$ci.12974@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>):
Hello,
I hope you won't laugh at me but I'm a 30-something year old woman and I've
always wanted to learn to play the drums.
I received a Yamaha DD55, 7 pad, electronic drum set as a gift several
months ago and have been using some Tommy Igoe DVDs and a few instructional
books that I purchased from Amazon.
It's been my dream to take drum lessons on a real set from a real teacher
but before I do that, I'd like to work on getting my limbs to work
independently so that progress with real instruction on a real drum set will
come quicker.
I don't want to be too long winded but I was wondering if anyone here might
have any tips or advice on getting the four limbs working independently.
I'm up to a beat on the Igoe dvd with a syncopated bass drum part and I can
play the high hat and bass part simultaneously without problems but once I
try to put the snare on 2 and 4, everything falls apart.
I'd appreciate any tips you might have for an old beginner like myself.
Thanks.
Patricia
Take it slowly. I mean S-L-O-W-L-Y. Do the parts you can first and
really focus on how it feels to do them. Once you've got a couple of limbs
on auto-pilot so to speak, try adding the 3rd. Be patient. It takes
time. The parallel I like to draw to beginning students is driving a
car.....
You get in your car and just drive. You don't think "Right foot
accelerator...good. Okay now I have to hold the steering wheel in both hands
and guide the car. Uh-oh. Red Light. Okay. Foot off the accelerator and
onto the brake pedal....." Heck most folks drive the car, obey the road
signs, watch for traffic, sing along to the radio, talk on a cell phone and
eat a hamburger all at the same time! It's a TOTAL body action. Not a
bunch of individual parts thrown together. You don't break it down into
it's pieces. Your body just DOES it. THAT'S the same feeling you want
to achieve when you play. Begin by slowly putting the pieces together
but then forget them individually and focus on how your WHOLE BODY feels when
you do it. Once you get a grasp on that concept, the independence will
happen very quickly. You need to learn what it feels like to play the
WHOLE groove and not think about what each individual limb is doing.
All the advice below about getting a good teacher is spot on. It can help
you immensely when you hit a tough spot. I wish I had had one as a kid
but I didn't take lessons until LONG after I began playing. I could've
made MUCH more progress if I hadn't had to just fly blind and figure it out
alone.
If you take it slowly and really concentrate on how it feels physically when
you do it, you'll get it quickly. In a short time you'll be doing things
and not even THINKING about them. They'll just happen.
Good luck with it and welcome to the fold. You can learn alot in here so
feel free to ask any of us any questions you might have. You can do it.
It ain't rocket science......; )
Pat
.
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