Self-Teaching

[chickensandwiches]

Ive been playing for a year or so and I am completely self-taught. I'm wondering what i could do to learn more, I don't have broadband so i cant watch videos at a reasonable rate. I can usually understand most things in books but some of it is wierd and i cant figure out that particular technique or sound
Any ideas?

So far what i know:
Hats in 16th notes -funk style
ghosting and accenting snare in the up and downbeat
running 16ths dbl bass
triplet double bass
triplet rolls
rest and accents in fills
little bit of jazz, not much it's hard
starting to learn buzz rolls-i dont understand the movement too well
uneven cymbal using as in not using the hat to keep time and actually putting it into the groove as a rhythm

Any help would be greatly appreciated and I'd rep if i knew how
thanks

[Tim]

If you can, try to pick up a book called Advanced Funk Studies by Rick Latham. Its a great book and you will learn some good things from it, the book comes with 2 cds with all of the stuff played on them that is in the books. Check it out.

[Kung Fu Drummer]

do you have a metronome? if you don't, try and get one, and if you do, just do everything you already know with it.

[chickensandwiches]

i do have a metronome ive been working on endurance with it
doing just single stroke rolls and sometimes double stroke
so my muscles develop nice and stamina filled

how am i doing so far considering im self taught
note:i also dont know any other drummers in my area, at least not anybody good
i know one but hes been at it for 9 months longer than me and cant even do triplets

[Brokensticks]

I think you seem very dedicated to drumming and have done very well being self taught.

[chickensandwiches]

thank you i am
i play like an hour at most a day
i almost never do rudiments (though i DO do em when i watch tv onto a pillow cuz i develops your wrists since theres no rebound helping you) and i mostly just do abstract stuff
trying to come up with unique beats
with snare in wierdest places

[chickensandwiches]

i have a bootsy drumset though but at least it aint generic
its a pacific ez
i have crappy cymbals
b8s propack
all i could afford
i want a sonor 2005 or 3005 though
4 piece
sweeeeeeet

[rising_drummer]

i have a bootsy drumset though but at least it aint generic
its a pacific ez
i have crappy cymbals
b8s propack
all i could afford
i want a sonor 2005 or 3005 though
4 piece
sweeeeeeet

i also have a pacific ez. just out of curiosity what kind of heads you got on it?

[Sharkey Boy]

I think your doing pretty good for self taught, youve obviously done your reserach and are dedicated

But you should maybe consider a teacher. Your technique might be flawed and there really is so much more to be gained about drumming with a teacher. Just all round

[PandaDrummer]

yeah, get one of the vic firth -40 rudiments- chart that you get w/ sticks and a practice pad. then just practice them to a metronome over and over and over....ect.

I also suggest getting the -rock and jazz beats- chart that comes with something else...cant remember. and practice those to a metronome

and play to songs on the radio. rock, rap, jazz. classical...i think it all helps

[milkmit]

yeah sounds pretty good to me. I've been playing for a year as well (give or take a week or two), and seem to be right about on the same level, though really it's hard for us to tell without seeing/hearing each other play.. I recently jammed again with my friend and his father (both of whom have been playing for a long time and gig around the nyc area -- we're 26, his father is right around 50 or so), and they were both impressed, his father telling me I've come a long way in such a short time. more importantly, he seemed REALLY into my playing as we were jamming, and was quite excited after a couple of the jams. :) that's a big contrast to the first couple times we jammed together when I'd only been playing for about 4-6 months...where he didn't have to say much for me to see that he wasn't exactly into it a good deal heh..

-hats in 16s I haven't worked too much with, but have done some.
-ghosts/accents I've done a lot of work on (particularly ghosts -- mixed accents seem to come out well during spontaneous jamming, but it's hard for me to plan them)
-I don't play double bass, so nevermind that
-rolls of all types: triplets, singles, doubles, paradiddles, etc
-uneven cymbal use as well (which seems rooted in independence, which I'm making big leaps in recently from practicing latin beats, groove beats, and playing mixed rudiments across different limb pairs)
-decently comfortable integrated use of drags, flams
-some more, but you get the idea... :)

my big weakness is tom use. I can use them if I plan very much ahead, but I've spent so much time doing snare/hat/bass work that it's hard for me to just throw in some tom fills that actually support the music I'm playing to. I tend to let loose on the snare a la stanton moore. :)

[FullMoon]

ive been playin for a year as well hers what i can do

triplet rolls
double strokes
cresdos
flams (i do them very well and cretively)
open handed playing (just as good as my right hand)
i know a crap load of grooves
a crap load of fills
16th hihats
and some more stuff but my mind is drawing a blank right now

i recomend doing some double stroke stuff on the bass with one foot

[milkmit]

i recomend doing some double stroke stuff on the bass with one foot

yeah, so easy to throw in, but really helps mix it up.

[chickensandwiches]

-ghosts/accents I've done a lot of work on (particularly ghosts -- mixed accents seem to come out well during spontaneous jamming, but it's hard for me to plan them)


-uneven cymbal use as well (which seems rooted in independence, which I'm making big leaps in recently from practicing latin beats, groove beats, and playing mixed rudiments across different limb pairs)


my big weakness is tom use. I can use them if I plan very much ahead, but I've spent so much time doing snare/hat/bass work that it's hard for me to just throw in some tom fills that actually support the music I'm playing to. I tend to let loose on the snare a la stanton moore. :)

you should hear my fills when im playing
i NEVER plan (except in band practice when i listen to the guitar chord progression to write out a fill) fills i just do anything that will challenge my skills and making unique abstract fills

though i can lay out a good fill with just bass and snare

[chickensandwiches]

i also cant get a teacher i have no money to get lessons
i gotta work on my feet more
i can do a double stroke with master foot real fast
but i gotta work on going three 16ths with one foot
i CAN do em but at faster speeds i spazz out

and to to whoever asked
i have a remo coated amb over stock snareside
and pinstripes over stock on toms
(dont worry i got em when i was a wee little newb drummer, im getting some evans g2's soon)
Evans EMAD bass head
sabian B8propack(all i can afford, im saving up for a new ride though)

[Senseless Apprentice]

Sounds like you're pretty dedicated, and I commend you on that. Passion is quite possibly the most important fuel for becoming a good drummer. After that, it is important to be consistant. If you want to develope a fast single stroke roll, consistancy is very important. If you say "I'm going to play on a pillow when I watch tv", it isn't very consistant unless you have a very strict tv watching schedule. If you want to most effectively develope a fast single stroke roll, you have to dedicate an amount of time each day for it. You should also find a good excersise that will work. And just do this excersise every day. Making a schedule might help you be more consistant because your conscious when you have missed a day. Consistancy helps muscled and memory function at its best. Consistancy = success

One thing you can do is learn songs from your favourite drummers. I don't learn songs very often (bad thing), but when I do, it totally opens up creative doors. Great way to learn. It's also a good thing to do when you encounter a drummers block.

Good luck! Sounds like your gonna do great.

[aznriceball]

some more cheapo gems in self learning

stick control

[isp_of_doom]

an even better gem of self learning -

www.vicfirth.com (under education... great little vids and stuff)
www.rudimentaldrumming.com (another great site)

i go to both these quite a bit.
I've played for almost 2 years now. and I might be just about where you are. You have one thing I unfortunately dont, absolute dedication and motivation...

how old are you out of curiosity? (not going to be teenager bashing or anything here)

[Byron]

If you can, try to pick up a book called Advanced Funk Studies by Rick Latham. Its a great book and you will learn some good things from it, the book comes with 2 cds with all of the stuff played on them that is in the books. Check it out.
I agree, and when you're done with that, go on to Future Sounds by David Garibaldi if you like what you been playing

[chickensandwiches]

im seventeen(started at 16)
i watch tv consistently enough that i do rudiments for about 3 hours
usually paradiddles and doubles

[Josiah]

Not a fan of doing such things while watching TV (or any other type of multi tasking).

I've it's generally the cause for developing rather bad habits as you aren't exactly paying attention.

This is of course going to relate to the idium that someone can accomplish 10x the amount of learning in 30 mins of practice then what another can in 3 hours.

[CasB]

I'm also self-teached. Started 3,5 years ago, playing along with CD's.
The first year I was complete rubbish, bad technique, sloppy etc.
After a while my technique got better and my overall play also got better.

I still am not a great drummer, but I can drum (a little). I still need to work on my technique and practice rudiments all day, but I can't.

If my rudiment-skills are better my overall play also will be better, so I really need to practice more...

[chickensandwiches]

i concentrate on the rudiments so i dont mess up that much (just the regular mess ups while developing your technique) the tv i just listen to and glance every once in a while.

i wish i could get a teacher though
i want to learn jazz techniques and thats hard to learn on your own

[Win A Rabbit]

one thing that helped me a great deal (and still is) is applying rudiments to your playing. take a sticking and apply it in as many ways as possible.

good luck, though.