So, what advice do you guys have for a new drummer?

Jbird

Jbird

Kick Henry Jackassowski
Some buddies of mine from an '80s garage-metal band we were in got together tonight to jam. The other guitarist invited his co-worker over to play drums, she's only been playing about a month or so.

She wasn't bad at all for only playing that short a time, she had a lot of complex rhythms she kept wanting to do, sometimes they worked out, and sometimes not.

So to get her to play in the pocket, we tried some easy songs, Dookie -Green Day, TNT - AC/DC, etc. and she did fairly well at them. But when we'd stop, and she'd be jamming on the drums alone, she'd close her eyes and try those more complex, Peart/Portnoy type proggy rhythms.

Have her try to keep it simple? or let her experiment with all those more complex stuff that was obviously going thru her head, but she didn't have the experience to pull off? Even not on the kit while we ate, chatted, whatever, she had the drumsticks in her hands tapping out rhythms, so she definitely wants to play...
 
Kindly tells her that her skills are admirable for such a newcomer, but if she listens to the originals, she will find that Peart-noy-type stuff doesn't work on "Girls Got Rhythm" :embarrassed:.
 
The problem for new drummers is usually an issue of insecurity. They're afraid that others will find out that they don't quite have it yet, so they have a tendency to throw in everything they're learned to date - they over play. The other thing for new drummers is that they haven't internalized the beat, so when they do something more complex, they don't feel the "1" coming. As my drum teacher used to say, "You always have to keep track of the "1." It comes down to "feel," and most beginning drummers are still trying to find that "feel." Beginning drummers also don't understand the need to allow sonic space for the other musicians - the understanding that less can be more.

It sounds like she's been working hard in her practice, and she really wants to impress you. The best thing you can do, as a band, is help her understand the need to let other band members have their space, and that laying down a groove creates a timing framework for other members of the band. There is a big difference between being a technically good drummer, and being a good drummer in the context of a band. Neil Peart gets to fill a lot of space sonically, because he works in a trio, and because Alex Lifeson, and Geddy Lee have their own space in the over sound. Could anyone imagine Neil Peart playing like he does with Pink Floyd?
 
Just let her do what she wants. Everyone knows you can't give a drummer advise.
 
frunobulax said:
don't overplay
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Sorry, but I think that's bullshit.

Overplaying is what you learn from. I wouldn't tell a guitar player to never stray from first position strumming. :wink:
You don't know if something works if you're not allowed to try it.

The best advice imo is recording your practices. Nothing more effective than hearing back your mistakes.
 
My advice is only from that of a music consumer. Don't have your kick drum completely overwhelming all other sounds so you sound like the drummer in a bad wedding band. and some touch on the high hats to keep those sounds appropriate to the music would be nice. High hats should not always ring out or be loud, at least to my ears.
 
Dexter Inferno said:
Sorry, but I think that's bullshit.

Overplaying is what you learn from. I wouldn't tell a guitar player to never stray from first position strumming. :wink:
You don't know if something works if you're not allowed to try it.

The best advice imo is recording your practices. Nothing more effective than hearing back your mistakes.
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no, that's bullshit.

the worst thing a drummer can do is speed up or slow down. in most cases, this happens when coming out of an overly busy fill.

maintain tempo, and if that meas KISS, then do that.
 
I'd have her start playing simple beats with a metronome. Remind her that fills in most settings are to mark section changes and the simpler the better in the beginning so that she can get used to playing the fills in time without losing the pocket for the rest of the groove. Don't be afraid to experiment but remember that drum solos (and parts that sound like drum solos) are usually when the crowd goes to buy beer. Record yourself playing often and make sure that you are playing your part in the band, not playing drums at the same time that a band is playing in the room.
 
Mark Wein said:
I'd have her start playing simple beats with a metronome. Remind her that fills in most settings are to mark section changes and the simpler the better in the beginning so that she can get used to playing the fills in time without losing the pocket for the rest of the groove. Don't be afraid to experiment but remember that drum solos (and parts that sound like drum solos) are usually when the crowd goes to buy beer. Record yourself playing often and make sure that you are playing your part in the band, not playing drums at the same time that a band is playing in the room.
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what he said.
 
Playing to a click is huge. The frills and fills have their place as a means of expression, but the hard work part is then slowing them down, playing them at a consistent speed, then working up to playing them at tempo. Also, encouraging her to stick to a 4- or 5- piece will make her a far more functional working drummer in the future :embarrassed:.
 
Mark Wein said:
I'd have her start playing simple beats with a metronome. Remind her that fills in most settings are to mark section changes and the simpler the better in the beginning so that she can get used to playing the fills in time without losing the pocket for the rest of the groove. Don't be afraid to experiment but remember that drum solos (and parts that sound like drum solos) are usually when the crowd goes to buy beer. Record yourself playing often and make sure that you are playing your part in the band, not playing drums at the same time that a band is playing in the room.
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This.
 
frunobulax said:
no, that's bullshit.

the worst thing a drummer can do is speed up or slow down. in most cases, this happens when coming out of an overly busy fill.

maintain tempo, and if that meas KISS, then do that.
Click to expand...

We'll have to agree to disagree on this.
Yes, many drummers will speed up coming out of a fill, but not doing them at all would be hindering development. Learn by doing and practice what you don't know.
Way better working on things like that at band practice preparing both yourself and the rest of the band for what could happen rather than having an unexpected trainwreck at a gig.
Having played drums for about 30 years I have extensive experience with this.

If you'd rather have a drum machine, good for you.
 
IMO, complex parts should be apart of a persons homework no matter what the instrument. Working on them at practice will hinder the practice. If they don't nail it within the first few attempts move on and come back to it at a later date.
 
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