We’ve had some prospective students ask us about basic drum lessons. Do we teach them? Well, yes.
To us, basic drum lessons are really the same as beginner drum lessons, and we specialize in that. Most of the drum students coming our way are beginners, and that means they’re looking to learn the “basics.”
We’ve been honing our expertise in beginner aka basic drum lessons since we first started in 2009. After teaching hundreds and hundreds of beginners we definitely have a handle on how to teach the fundamentals.
These foundational concepts and ideas are important to us and with good reason. They are the basis of a good drummer’s abilities. So, Let’s talk about what some of the “basics” are.
One of the first notions we want to explore for beginner drummers is the connection between Mind, Body and Emotion. Sounds a bit like philosophical mumbo-jumbo, right? But, bear with me because it is actually important.
The connection between mind and body as it relates to drumming should be fairly obvious. Your mind has a desire; a notion that drumming is something you want to explore. Your mind tells you to act on it. Your mind also gives you a sense of what kind of drumming you are interested in. What kind of drumming do you like? You brain will guide you.
And once you mind has told you this, your body takes the action. Your body does the work. Your body has to learn the technique and how to physically manipulate the drum sticks. Your body directs your feet to play the pedals of the drum set in a specific way. Again, all of this is driven by the mind. That’s where it starts.
But, what connects and puts both the mind and the body into an elevated and energized and excited state? What pushes you to really get it done? What helps you prioritize drumming so that it becomes something important to you? Emotion. Passion. That is the glue.
The point here is that although the mind and body are (of course) involved, the drummer who is functioning with mind and body but without the emotion or passion is lost! The passion is what drives the rest. The emotion will force the drummer to practice diligently. Passion will allow the drummer to engage her body and mind in deep listening to music that is exciting and drummers she wishes to emulate. Emotion drives the engine faster.
The emotion is what will make a drummer sound amazing, while the player who has engaged the mind and body without the passion will just sound OK.
Do you understand the difference?
So, that is the connection between the mind, body and emotion. It’s an essential cycle that drives drumming greatness.
But what about the functions and other aspects of study? What are the specific things and topics that need to be pursued in order to become a great drummer? What are these basic drum lessons comprised of?
In our opinion, there are several foundational elements to drum lessons that cover the basics:
- Hand Technique
- Foot Technique
- Reading Music (reading rhythmic notation)
- Independence
- Style/Genre
- Vocabulary/Fills
- Beats/Grooves
- Multi-Limbed Interdependence
- Musicality
There are more, but the above are very important to the development of beginners.
So, “basic drum lessons?”
Yup, we got that. Ask us to explain more. We’d love to help you learn the drums.