How Do You Learn to Play the Drums

If you want to play the drums but you are a complete novice at drumming, did you know that you can actually start learning to play the drums immediately, you don’t even need to own an actual drum set to learn a few basics!

There’s no doubt that drums are a lot of fun to play - and with virtually every famous rock and pop band having a famous drummer in their line up, who wouldn’t want to have a go? So, if you want to play the drums, you will need a few tips to help get you started.

Starting Out

As a beginner, there are many technical aspects that you can learn and practice to play the drums – even if you haven’t as yet bought your drum set. For example, if you don’t have access to a drum set, or you are saving up to buy one, you can quickly and easily start practising to play the drums using other methods i.e.. by simply tapping your hands and feet on the floor or on a table to practice your beats and rhythm.  

However, if you are ready to go ahead and buy all of the gear that you will need in order to play the drums, you will need to know the kind of equipment to buy.

The first thing that you will need is your learning materials – i.e.. a “play drums for beginners” book or an online course to help you learn the drums (unless you are intending to pay for professional lessons from a drumming tutor).

Next you will need a good pair of drumsticks – size 5B drumsticks are generally recommended for beginners.

You will also ideally need to buy a practice pad. A practice pad usually has a rubber surface; it is used to simulate the bounce of an actual drum. A number of practice pads are available, depending on the kind of drumming you want to learn, so it’s wise to try a few cheaper options until you find the style that you like.

After the Pads

Once you have practiced with the pad for a set amount of time, you will know whether or not drumming is for you. If you think it is, now is the time to buy your first drum kit to play on.

A wide range of drum kits are available – from child sized versions, to basic kits designed for beginners, to more advanced and expensive drum kits. As a novice drummer, you may want to opt for a beginners’ drum kit to start with, then progress to more expensive drum kits as you improve with your drumming skills.

Electronic Vs Acoustic

How loud are you able to be? Acoustic drum kits are loud - period! Electronic drum kits are now so sophisticated they can replicate a range of drum sounds - the difference being you won't hack of the neighbours or your family. From Mapex acoustic to Roland TD11-KV drums both sets provide you with snare, toms, bass and cymbals, and both types can range from basic sets through to professional gigging standard drum kits.

Bear in mind, if you want to use Electronic drum kits you will probably want to use both a good set of headphones and also maybe buy an Amp for those days when the neighbours are out and you want to throw off the headset and hear your playing as it should be.

We suggest you go to a local drum shop and try out both and if you have the luxury of choosing which set, then you can get some sound advice and see which you actually prefer.

How Do I Learn?

People learn to play the drums in various ways – as mentioned above, you may decide to sue the services of a qualified drumming tutor, or you may buy a book or an instruction DVD. Many people even forgo all of these methods and simply start playing.

However you intend to learn the drums – there’s no doubt that you will have a lot of fun along the way!