The best way to become a great drummer is to continue to work on your skills every day. So, continuing our theme of foundational skills for the orchestra, this week we’re focusing on drums and percussion!
The most fundamental drumming skills are cumulative, starting with the most basic (how to grip your stick), and building to stroke techniques and more. Once you’ve mastered your grip and some level of sound control, the rest it building up from that foundation. That ultimately means this list is far from comprehensive, nor necessarily in order.
Regardless, prioritizing these skills–as well as others you may find along the way–and tailoring your practice sessions to your own needs will put you on the path to success.
Fundamental Drum & Percussion Skills
Managing Gear
Learning to play the drums or percussion in general includes not only choosing the proper tools, but learning to care for them.
Drums
Drums are the easiest part. You don’t need top of the line, or even new, drums to sound great. All you need are drums with shells and rims that are in good condition. Drum heads can be easily replaced, and tuning is simple.
Cymbals
When it comes to beginners, the type of cymbal is far more important that the quality. If you’re setting up a drum kit, make sure you have a set of hi-hats and a ride cymbal; that’s all you need to get to work on your basic skills.
Drum Sticks
Sticks, however, are another issue. You don’t want to play with just any old sticks. Used sticks often lack balance and can negatively impact the feedback from the drum if they are broken in any way. Buy yourself new sticks that are comfortable and fit your percussion needs. Those needs may include the differences between playing a whole drum kit, or just a snare. Snare drum sticks usually have rounded tips to produce a more precise attack on the drum. They also tend to be a bit thicker than drum kit sticks. Drum kit sticks also try to accommodate cymbal needs with more surface area on the tip for attack. To achieve these varied needs, the tips are often acorn-shaped.
Stick Grip
Your grip impacts how well you control the drum stick. A balance between gripping the stick enough to prevent rebounding away from the drum, and the ability to stop the stick from motion after an attack.
There are many stick grip forms, including German and French, but the American grip is often recommended for beginners. This is a matched grip, which means both hands hold the sticks the same way. The American grip combines elements of both the Germans and French styles. However, regardless of the grip type you or your teacher prefer, they all require you to establish a good fulcrum:
- Divide you stick into thirds.
- Pinch the stick one third of its length from the butt of the stick.
- Wrap your fingers around the stick
Stroke Technique
Drumming mostly consists of two stroke techniques: rebound and controlled strokes. The rebound stroke lets the drumstick bounce off the drumhead and return to the beginning stage of the stroke. This technique is great for building speed and allow drummers to focus on accuracy, relaxation, and conservative movements.
Controlled strokes stop the drumstick from returning to the beginning position, controlling the rebound off the drumhead. The biggest difference in technique between rebound and control strokes is that the rebound is halted.
Reading Sheet Music
If you don’t know where to begin, the idea of learning to read sheet music can be daunting. But, when it comes to drums and percussion, it’s remarkably simple. That’s because sheet music for drums is basically all about symbols representing different ways to divide the beat. For example, the most common time measure a beginner is likely to encounter is 4 beats. These beats can be represented by one whole note per measure, two half notes, four quarter notes, etc.
Learning to read sheet music opens you up to a trove of documented drum techniques.
Playing with a Metronome
Playing in time is one of the quintessential skills for the drums. What you play will never matter as much as playing it in time, and there is no better way–no better tool–for developing this skill than a metronome. What’s more, metronomes are a critical tool for any kind of practice. Regardless of whether you’re suing a pad to work on stroke techniques, or practicing specific drum beats, using a metronome helps you lock in your internal clock.
Balancing Sound
Learning to play the drums presents a lot of things to think about at once. Many beginner drummers have little attention left to pay towards how loud they are playing their cymbals in relation to their drums. But that skill is one of the most foundational skills on this list. Begin by playing basic drum beats with the cymbals quieter than the drums. Focus on not losing tempo or intensity when switching between instruments. Repeat this practice with the kick drum and snare.
By focusing on the different instruments, you’ll train your hands and feet to respond to each more appropriately. Furthermore, with more awareness of your own dynamics with each instrument, you’ll become more skilled at responding to the dynamic changes of other players.
Balanced sound is a skill that translates well in a recording studio. Drummers with a well balanced sound with all their instruments tend to create better tracks for songs.
Foundational Skills for Drums: Final Thoughts
I you want to continue to advance as a drummer, you should never stop practicing these foundational skill. As you improve, you focus will naturally shift to more specific skills and exploring new concepts and contexts, but you’ll never stop working on the fundamentals.
Looking to start, or even continue, your drums and percussion journey? At The Music Studio, we are passionate about drumming and dedicated to providing top-notch drum lessons tailored for students of all ages. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced drummer looking to enhance your skills, our comprehensive programs and expert instructors are here to guide you on your rhythmic path. Get the details, and sign up today!