ALL YOU DRUMMERS OUT THERE...ADVICE PLEASE...VIDEO MESSAGE

cant see vid

Ummmm....well my husband is a professional drummer but your video is MIA!!!

Yup... I'm a drummer, but you need to set your video to 'public' in your video manager on Youtube.

THANX EMPIRICAL GUY WILL DO!

It has now become public...problem fixed!

" And they all rejoiced yay!!!!!"

i used to bang on drums when I was a kid. nowadays i play the almighty axe

Always glad to help out in a drum topic  

It's great if he's such a natural drummer and has been tapping away on things since an early age. Always a good sign. How old is he now? I started when I was 12, but there's really no such thing as starting too late or too early (aside from the size limitations of young kids being physically too small to play proper size kits!)

The number one thing I always say I wish I had done more of when I was starting out, was rudiments. They're the drum equivalent of playing scales on a piano or guitar. They seem really boring at the time when you just want to bash out your favourite songs, but looking back now I realize their importance and wish I had spent more time on them. They are boring, but will make you a better drummer in the long run.

Another thing, practice is key and patience is a must - patience from him, and you - and the neighbours! Drums are a loud instrument and it can be hard to do large amounts of practice without giving the whole street a headache. If you don't have a basement he can play in, consider a set of sound mute pads or an electric kit so he can play with headphones. The more you practice, the better you'll be, it would be a shame to limit talent because of sound restriction laws!

I'm also a big believer in practicing and learning to play with a metronome. Many drummers can't do this, and no matter how technically amazing you are, if you can't do it to a metronome, you're not really performing your number 1 task as a drummer - keeping time! Start early. I didn't, and 5 or so years in to playing I tried and realized how bad some of my timing issues were, and had to work to correct them. Might as well get on to it early. It's especially important in today's music, if he ever intends to be in a band and record in a studio, where everything is done with computers and lined up on a grid.

Lastly (for now!), find some drummers you really like (and don't be afraid to like them... like the guys you think are cool players, not just who ever is trendy and in the press a lot at the moment!), and study them. Listen to their stuff over and over, pay attention to their little tricks and what makes their playing stand out to you and try to emulate it. Have fun with it. If you hear someone playing something cool, break it down in to simple steps, keep working at it and it'll come in time.

I'd like to do a video, but am a little busy for it right now, maybe a little later. Talking drums is good though!

EMPIRICAL GUY THANK YOU!!! Can you do me a favor? make a video of what you just said here with examples etc? It doesnt have to be long...its just that my son who is 9, loves to see shows about how things work etc...ex. MYTHBUSTERS. Thanx again doll! LOVE YALL!

Sorry for the delay, I can make a video but things have been hectic here lately. Will get to it ASAP.

THANX! I UNDERSTAND!!! Mine is hectic too