I believe that meaningful content is a good thing, and in a way you can never have enough of it; good stuff is good stuff. Conversely, if you want to learn to play drums online, too much good content can cause option paralysis. I mean, where on earth do you start, right?!
Best 5 hacks to learn to play drums online
#1. Set a learning path
Know what it is that you want to develop and set a learning path. Hopefully you’ll have great self-awareness and also take into account what it is you need to develop. Want and need are very different things! A lot of the time the things we need to learn are help us get to the stuff we want to lean to play.
A learning path will get you to your desired results in a structured and progressive way. A great way to set a learning is with a drum teacher who can guide your journey.
By the way, you can check out drum lessons here, if you’re interested in learning!
The learning path or journey can be daunting, but it’s really rewarding
#2. Supplement your learning
When you learn to play drums, supplementing your lessons with extra material is a great idea. Seek out exercises, licks and songs to learn which directly compliment the skills you’ve set on your learning path. However, there’s risk of over supplementing, so try not to overload yourself with too many things.
#3. Stay focused
As I mentioned above, variety is good yet try and keep your main learning objectives focused to one, or maybe two things. Trying to have multiple main objectives could dilute your learning and slow down your progress. It’s better to stay focused on one thing and explore it from many directions as possible!
I’ve written my drum book Concepts with exactly this idea in mind. It offers processes and ideas that allow you to explore your drumming vocabulary from many angles to get the most of it. Hudson Music, whom publishes my book, are a massive publisher with tons of great drum books to get your hands on!
#4. Be patient
It’s unrealistic to expect new things you’re learning to come out naturally in your playing in a week or two. The incubation period for new material can take months, and requires consistent and focused practice! So, keep your head down and work at it; be patient and results will start to show before you know it.
#5. Record yourself
This one’s a big one! What we think we sound like and what we actually sound like can be two very different things. It’s a very good idea to record ourselves in order to truly measure progress, particularly when learning solo. This helps us understand what we sound like, and what we need to do to improve!
Video-based drum lessons
Below are a few extra thoughts I believe are valuable to keep in mind when using on video-based resources to learn to play drums online.
YouTube can be a great resource to learn to play drums
Licks and patterns
Video-based lessons generally focus on licks and patterns and tend to ignore the bigger principles behind them. So, whilst these can be a great source of fun and a good learning supplement, try and focus on the bigger picture.
Feedback
As obvious as it seems, video lessons are pre-recorded and as such, a one way communication. In my experience, students aren’t great at spotting their own mistakes, which can’t be corrected in real time, unlike when having a tutor in the room or on Zoom or Skype. This can risk the formation of bad habits, and we want to avoid those!
Learning style
The nature of pre-recorded online video lessons also means that something is explained in one way, and there’s no opportunity to ask questions! As a result, the personal relationship you have with your teacher is very important. To me, adapting my teaching style and explanations of ideas and concepts to every student is very important! And so is answering their questions the best I can.
That’s it!
I hope you’ve found this article useful! If you’re interested want to learn to play drums, I offer online drum lessons, so check them out and get in touch!
Nick
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