How to Play the Drums

Similar to every instrument, you are required to put in a lot of time and patience into the drums. The

more you practice, the more you can memorize and develop a fluent style which is the key to a

successful drummer. As you build up your playing you will no longer have to think about the

techniques you use, it just becomes natural and you can adapt to all methods of drumming.

The most important factor is having a kit you are comfortable with. There are so many different types of

drum kits out there to choose from, it is important you get the right one for you. Think about your age,

height and styles of playing you will be undertaking. If you are under 10 then you will find it more

comfortable playing on a scaled down drum kit to suit your size. You do not want to be over stretching

and missing beats because your kit is too large around you. It is always best to start off on a beginner’s

kit and work your way upwards. You will know when you are ready to move onto intermediate and

professional kits!

Setting up your drum kit

depends on whether you

are a left or right handed

player. The most common

way is right-handed, which

means your left foot is using

the hi-hat pedal and your

right foot is controlling the

bass drum pedal. You sit on

the drum throne behind the

kit with the snare drum in-

between your legs. Directly

in front of you, mounted on

the bass drum will be the

toms (Hi Tom on the left and Middle Tom on the right) and your floor tom to the right of your bass drum

leg. The way in which you position the cymbals is down to personal preference; however you generally

have your crash is to the right and left of the bass drum and the ride lower towards the floor tom. For a

left hand player, this layout will be the opposite way round.

How to Play the Drums.

www.normans.co.uk

Choosing the Right Sticks

Once you have your drum kit set up you need to choose the right drum sticks for you. They all have

different weights and thickness – all sticks are different. The common sizes are either 5a or 7a, medium

and small size, although heavier drummers may prefer 5b sticks as they are thicker and heavier.

The letter on the drum sticks stand for the thickness of the stick, A is

the thinnest stick and S is the thickest stick, most common in

marching drums. The number stands for the length of the drum stick,

7 being the shortest and used a lot in Jazz for soft playing and 2 being

the longest. You also have the choice of nylon and wood tips. You

have to take this into account when choosing your style of playing,

nylon tips are generally louder and create more of a ring on the

cymbals so they are good for loud rock music.

The best way to start is by looking at the drum rudiments. To begin with you need to get yourself used to the drum kit and different the different tones. Start by hitting the hi-hat for a long time with a single beat to get used to timing. Play along to metronomes and then play a double beat on the hi-hat with both sticks. You can then start to incorporate more of the drum kit. Play single beats on the bass drum, then hi-hat, then snare and the back onto the hi-hat. Repeat this and try to gradually speed up. You can watch all sorts of online lessons now that will help you progress along the way.

Drum Rudiments

Single Stroke

This is simply hitting one note on the drum in 4 single strokes.

Double Stroke

This is two single strokes that are played using the same hand.

Roll

Using more than one technique to create a continuing drum roll.

Diddle

A diddle is a double stroke played at the current prevailing speed of the piece. For example, if a

sixteenth-note passage is being played then any diddles in that passage would consist of sixteenth

notes.

Paradiddle

A paradiddle consists of two single alternative strokes followed by a double stroke. When multiple

paradiddles are played in succession, the first note always alternates between right and left.

Right hand, left hand, right hand, right hand or left hand, right hand, left hand, left hand.

Drag

A drag is a double stroke played at twice the speed of their context. It is most commonly played with

grace notes, which is a soft beat that is played between the main notes. This will allow you to create

bounce rolls before the loud drag note. You would therefore play for example, two ghost notes with

your left hand followed by a loud drag note with the right hand and vice versa.

Flam

The purpose of a flam is to produce a thicker, longer sounding note. The flam consists of double strokes,

one ghost note followed by one primary note.

Drum Notation

You can also play using drum notation and following simple patterns. This may be easier to start with as you can visualise the patterns as you play. Below is a basic guide to how drum notation is written and a simple rhythm to play along to.

What is the best kit to learn on?

List of beginners drum kits:

Rocket 3 Piece Junior Drum Kit (http://www.normans.co.uk/p-5926-rocket-3-piece-junior-drum-kit-red.aspx)

Rocket 5 Piece Junior Drum Kit (http://www.normans.co.uk/p-5924-rocket-5-piece-junior-drum-kit-

red.aspx)

Stagg TIM122BK 5 Piece 22in Drum Kit (http://www.normans.co.uk/p-2026-stagg-tim122bk-5-piece-

22in-drum-kit-in-black.aspx)

List of intermediate drum kits:

Yamaha GigMaker Rock Drum Kit (http://www.normans.co.uk/p-4951-yamaha-gigmaker-rock-drum-kit-

black-glitter.aspx)

Pearl Export EXX725 Drum Kit (http://www.normans.co.uk/p-5232-pearl-export-exx725-drum-kit-with-

cymbals-wine-red.aspx)

List of Expert drum kits:

Yamaha Stage Custom Birch Drum Kit (http://www.normans.co.uk/p-552-yamaha-stage-custom-birch-

drum-kit-raven-black.aspx)