What should I know after 2 years?

[Cocaberry]

I'm coming up on the 2 year anniversary of when I started. I've had no formal instruction. My fingers and wrists aren't really up to speed yet, but I feel I'm making progress. I play with american grip now and have just switched from french 3 months ago. I've just got a hold of a mirror I can use for practice and I'm currently trying to fix a slicing problem with my right hand and limited range of motion with my left.

I was wondering, what should I know coming up on the two year mark? What would I be expected to know?

[EdBanger]

Ive been playing for two years and a half.
I dunno what to say now.
Maybe you should say what you can do then we can help more.

[Panopticon]

This question can't be answered

There is no set list of things you should no, like a cirriculum...

It depends on people learning speed and how much they practice.

[Jezen]

What you should know is how to keep time and hold a band together, but that's gonna be your aim for most of your drumming life anyway.

[Cocaberry]

Maybe you should say what you can do then we can help more.

That is kind of hard to answer in words but I'll try.

My single stroke roll is ok. Mostly wrists for now since I haven't developed much finger speed. People say to go fast with your fingers your wrists need to be developed first. I used to devote most of my time trying to get fast fingers but now I am focusing on wrist speed, power, and flexibility. I'm also probably behind because I just switched fully to american grip a few months ago. I used to play french and its hard to use wrists in french grip.

I can't really do a fast double stroke roll yet but I am practicing on pillows.

I can do all the simple moves like cross stick, rimshot, simple chokes, etc...

My cymbal technique is better now that I learned how to do a glancing blow. I haven't broken a cymbal in over a year.

My bass drum foot is pretty crappy but that is because when I am off the kit, I spend all my time working on my hands. I don't know of a way to work on the feet off the kit. I also don't bury the beater. I play heel up with shoes on and let the beater rebound off the head.

My hi hat foot is ok. I have been trying to build simple 4 way coordination by chicking the hats while doing other things.

My right hand can accent good with wrists. My left can't really accent at all unless I use the arm. I'm also trying to fix a slicing problem with my right hand. The left hand stroke is nice and straight.

I just bought a metronome a few months ago so my time is probably crap. Haven't been able to practice with it on the kit yet because I can't find away to hear it over my drums and still protect my hearing.

I've never played with a full band before. I've only played with a bassist and he said my time was solid, but I was only playing the basic beats using only snare, kick, and hats so that doesn't mean much.

I don't know what else to tell you. I've never had lessons and I've learned everything I know from MXDP and other forums, from watching instructional videos online, and from reading MD.

[styler]

thats all stuff your able to do at 6 months with solid practice. i wouldnt say your doing bad though.

practice doesnt make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.

coordinate your practices, looking into theory, notation, groove, timing, when your listening to a song dont just listen to the drumming, try and figure out why the drummer did what he did on the song.

[pitchfork]

You should know a fair bit.

Rudiments, drumming in many different genres, notation, independance, technique etc.

[Sunshine]

There really is no manadatory "YOU HAVE TO KNOW THIS AFTER TWO YEARS OR YOU GET HELD BACK >=O" sort of thing.

Beyond the uber-basics that you learn at first, anyway. The things it's impossible to be able to play without.

Oh, and..

I just bought a metronome a few months ago so my time is probably crap. Haven't been able to practice with it on the kit yet because I can't find away to hear it over my drums and still protect my hearing.

Find a way to put it in front of you and just watch the dot..depending on what yours does. Mine has a little arrow that goes back and forth and a HUGE dot appears when it clicks, so it doesn't matter if you can hear it --- you can see it.

[Josiah]

How's your reading?

[Cocaberry]

How's your reading?
It's not good. Sounds like something I should work on now.


Find a way to put it in front of you and just watch the dot..depending on what yours does. Mine has a little arrow that goes back and forth and a HUGE dot appears when it clicks, so it doesn't matter if you can hear it --- you can see it.

Yeah, I have the Tama Rhythm Watch. It's hard to keep my eye on the metronome the whole time through because I am always turning to watch what I hit and how I hit it. I'll try to integrate it more into my playing somehow.


thats all stuff your able to do at 6 months with solid practice. i wouldnt say your doing bad though.


Ok, now it's looks like I'm progressing extremely slow, if at all.

If I don't ever expect make a living off drumming do you think getting a teacher is a worthwhile investment?

[joe_04_04]

keeping straight time throughout the whole piece w/o changing tempos, more than just 4/4 (5/4 6/4 3/4 etc) all your rudiments, those are somethings you should at least have to know by now. But no ones learning routine is the same unless that person is trying to copy another.

[Sunshine]

If I don't ever expect make a living off drumming do you think getting a teacher is a worthwhile investment?

I don't expect to make a living off drumming [unless acting and fashion design fail and I manage to make it big in a band..I'm not really planning on it, but may as well keep my options open], but I have a teacher.

If you want to learn drums faster, I think that's the way to go.

[Cocaberry]

So how much can I expect to pay for a teacher if I'm on a tight budget?

Theres one around here that I found that is $80 an hour. That's WAY too high for me. I'm thinkin maybe $10-20 for an hour.

[Leprechauns1021]

$10-20 an hour wont pay for a good lesson. If you find something like that it will probably be from someone who isnt qualified. I pay about 15$ for HALF and hour. SO for an hour its gonna be $25 at least. $80 however does seem very high.

[Sunshine]

That's not true at all, I have a great instructor [recommended by the local music shop, drumline instructor at my high school, professional teacher, and, I've really learned a lot in 2 lessons] who charges $20 per lesson, some of them are 1/2 an hour and some a full hour.

So. Just 'cause you pay $15 does NOT mean that anything cheaper would be by someone who isn't qualified.

But unless you're getting taught by some uber-awesome drum guru, $80 is a total rip.

[Josiah]

I wouldn't get an instructor until you learn how to read, and well. An isntructor can't give you homework, unless you can read. And he can't teach you very well unless you can read.

So the better you can read, the faster you learn and the more you learn!



Find an instructor that can work with you and your budget, maybe just once a month and he can give youlots to work on. It requires more discipline on your part, but I've worked out situations like that for students before.

[The Philosopher]

Learn to read then get an instructor.
To improve your coordination try some Latin drumming. Go pick up a book like Afro-Cuban coordination for drumset and start working out if it. The book is pretty difficult, but it will help loads with coordination.

[Quinto]

i have the greatest instructor in the world, i pay $20 for half an hour, but it usually ends up going for like 1hr. 30min.
we start trading fours and it ends up going for like half an hour, but usually theres like learning for like 30 min., the drummer introducing, idk why im talking.


and important thing about making progress in drumming is listening to music, and playing along with music, idk how much of that your doing, but make sure to listen to people like John Bonham, Buddy Rich, Neil Peart, Max Roach, Vinnie Coliuatia(sp), Steve Gadd, and Ian Paice, too many to name.

[1aDrummer07]

Ok, now it's looks like I'm progressing extremely slow, if at all.

If I don't ever expect make a living off drumming do you think getting a teacher is a worthwhile investment?[/QUOTE]

ask urself how commited you are and want to be and get there..we cant answer everything for you

[1aDrummer07]

I wouldn't get an instructor until you learn how to read, and well. An isntructor can't give you homework, unless you can read. And he can't teach you very well unless you can read.

but he can teach you to read

[Cocaberry]

but he can teach you to read

Yeah but I can save money by learning to read on my own and that's what I'm planning on doing. Thanks anyways though.

[Jezen]

It's far more benefical to learn to read by yourself. A big part of learning to read (for me at least) was writing alot.