Subscribe to my channel or I'll steal your cymbals: bit.ly/2AyH1Fb Not every drumming mistake you make is created equal. Some drumming mistakes hold more weight than others. And by focusing on these, we can take our drumming from sounding like a beginner drummer to sounding like an advanced drummer. Here are my 7 tips for how to stop sounding like a drumming noob. Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts!
I greatly appreciate your content and the firm/blunt manner of bringing to light the mistakes that i have been unknowing doing behind my kit. My practice time lately (past 3 months) has been focusing on switching between open and closed snare and incorporating those very different sound groups and seeing what works and what does not. So greatly appreciate your firm and blunt manner of bringing forth information that i did not know. thank you sir! as for you stealing my cymbals? hahaha i'll simply give them to you and then you can possibly guide me as to what might be better options to help create the type of sound im looking for.
@@StephenTaylorDrums that's so funny that you just posted this lesson, because as a semi new player (2 years of serious study and practice) this epiphany just came to me very recently, and it INSTANTLY made my playing better and I think I finally found my sound and feel on the drums. Thanks for all the great lessons, you're an awesome teacher, man, keep it up. Greetings from Chile!
When a teacher told me years ago to say " Playing " a drum instead of " Hitting " a certain drum helped me understand the concept of playing an instrument instead of a thing. A lot of drummers approach the drum kit like they are hammering a nail, not creating a musical note. I know it's just a small terminology change, but it is the little things that matter and this little shift can change attitude.
@@StephenTaylorDrums Another one is " bass drum " vrs " Kick drum ", playing a bass note instead of kicking something, again, a small thing but to me it's important. Roadies, other muso's say it all the time and I just laugh inside and always call it the bass drum .... LOL call me 'ol skool ........ : )
"A lot of drummers approach the drum kit like they are hammering a nail" Yeah, I had a friend who played drums exactly like that. He would hit so hard that every time he sat at a drum kit there where things nearly broken or new dents in the drumheads. He never understood me when I said that maybe he shouldn't be hitting so hard.
Traugott Müller Hitting hard is not a problem. It's how you play hard. Mr. Grohl does it al the time but he does it with control and without breaking stuff..
As a drummer this was a hard pill to swallow. Now I practice everything slow that way I can build the correct foundation. Slow is smooth smooth is fast!
Stephen,I'm a 65 year old drummer that obviously missed this video when I was 18(doesn't matter) it's working fer me now! Thank you sir,and as it has been God bless you and your family.......and me.
I find learning how to play quietly really helps force the tone and authority of your playing tenfold. If you find yourself hitting to hard it’s usually a control issue that can be mitigated by some simple exercises and rudiments at a low sticking and try moving them around the whole kit but quietly. you’ll start to master the two distinct volumes and get closer to playing with more versatility of your dynamics.
As someone who plays multiple instruments and jammed with many people, the hardest thing for most to master on drums is dynamics. I get it, drums are fun to wail on, but if the band can’t hear themselves think, it is hard to get much out of a sound competition. This is also a huge issue with other musicians, but I find it is hardest to tame on drums.
@@kyleolin3566 That’s the whole thing. I’m not even great at it but I know how to keep watch on myself and to pay attention to the rest of the band and dynamics are one of our few tools to communicate to the band that were listening and you can trust us to adapt to whatever goes down.
Written goals for this week: Tones, listen to Authority, play with Half learning half baked, finish cooking Speed, slow is smooth;smooth is fast Lane, pave your own Say less to say more Gear & equipment are like sextoys, sure you can use them but you can still get it on without them.
I couldn't agree more on all these points but particularly the one about speed. When starting a new beat, or groove or fill with my students I'm always "Play it slow, nail it..... then speed up!" I get soo many of my students say "But its easier to play it faster (80-90bpm) then slower (40-50bpm). I try to explain to them that accuracy at slow speeds will improve your accuracy at fast speeds and taking your time to get there will pay off. It's a difficult concept for young students to grasp though. BTW you are totally correct, playing "airy" beats at super slow speeds is extremely difficult and is a great way to practice the nailing the beat. Especially a beat that would usually be played at 140bpm+. Hey another great video Stephen. You get my vote for top 5 RU-vid drum tutors if not best RU-vid drum tutor. The way you explain things and the effort you put into your videos is inspiring for a full time drum tutor like myself.
I love how Steve mixes up "philosophy" with drumming and practicing, it is really refreshing to see a man connecting dots of information beyond the "drum" topic but related to it. And about planning and how always comes out as a point that needs to be addressed I, as an individual, do not feel that rigorous planning works for me always. Sometimes i feel is much more important to have the "inspiration", desire or motivation to practice than a preplanned program for practicing. When practice becomes a routine and an "obligation", I lose the inspiration that gives me LASER LIKE FOCUS, no matter what i work on. of course i have an idea of the things i feel need to develop but without the "wanting to practice" no matter how long or what i practice, it is not a FOCUSED practice. In the now it manifest as, me practicing a subject for however long i feel inspired to, sometimes minutes, sometimes hours, and then resting my practice when i do not feel like practicing and then realizing that because of the FOCUS on the little time i spent, translates very quickly into the development of the skill. The prove for me of this is strengthen by and author called John Taylor Gatto who discovered that kids could learn to read and write in 25 hours! instead of years! But when "they wanted to learn" and not on a predetermined timing and manner. In other words what makes the "miracle" is the "inspiration" or the concentration given by the degree of the desire to develop a certain skill than the obligated practice, like in school. Sometimes i go months without practicing and when sit back on the drum set the skills show up on their own surprising me, given the little "planned practice time" i do. Like putting a seed in the ground that grows without a man having to do "anything".
I've played drums most of my life and consider that the area I'm most proficient in. About 15 years ago, I decided to learn bass... Mostly because it seemed like every group I was a part of could never find (or keep) a good bass player for long. Guitar players everywhere tho... While I'm certainly no Victor Wooten or Lee Sklar, I've worked hard to become good enough to not make a fool of myself and feel pretty confident when sitting in on gigs... Nearly as confident as I am on drums. That said, learning bass was about the best thing I've ever done for my drumming. Having a deeper understanding of what the rest of the band is looking for in a drummer has been massively helpful.
Every video is so clickbaity... but you're SO DEEP on everything you mention. It's so much more than vague bulletpoints, like a half-written internet article. You make it interesting, and substantial, so THANK YOU, Stephen!
I have been playing since 1972. I have played in everything from marching bands, to jazz bands, garage bands, symphonies, show choirs, studio musician, etc. While Stephen is centering his comments about playing a kit, his advice can be applied to any sort of percussion. What he is talking about is making the transition from being a drummer to becoming a musician. There's a big difference.
Excellent points Stephen. You uncovered for me two areas in which I need improving, the authority and the statement. You have a knack for explaining things in terms that I understand and can identify with and I will work on these two. Thanx brother.
Hey Stephen, Chris here again. Just in case I forgot to mention in my previous comment, Thank you for not stealing my cymbals. I love this particular video because I was totally that guy that did not pay enough attention to the proper running of my drums. I also was not considering the proper tone from Hi to Mid to Low tom. My bottom heads on the floor toms were way to loose which fluttered and reduced the amount of volume. So even though I was able to correct all that years later, I still was able to use all the other examples you talked about to help improve my overall playing. The most important piece of advice for me at this particular level I am at now was, the half learned example. I admit I am still very guilty in that department. That will be my primary focus along with some of the other great examples you demonstrated. I did enjoy both examples of the playing everything but not making a sensible statement. However, I did appreciate the second authoritative and meaning full example much more than the first. I also was not expecting that particular type of example. The fact that it was so unpredictable made it so much cooler than how anyone else would of demonstrated it. So one last Thank you for such a clearer method of Teaching and helping those like myself, who are stuck at a certain level and struggle to get to the next level of improvement. This is, at least, the third time I have been able to make a substantial improvement in my overall performance. Mad respect and major Admiration for you and all that you share with us. P.S. If you are doing any drum clinics in the Bay Area, I would love to attend. Now I am going to click on your next video "11 most common drum fill mistakes" Bye for now, Chris
I've fixed so many bad habits in the last 12 months. I'm so much more comfortable, less fatigued after a session and relaxed whilst playing. Simple things like not chopping into cymbals means my sticks last three times longer. My only regret is not addressing them years ago, the difference is night and day. I feel like a much better drummer all round now and has made me much more aware of my playing.
Tesla Nick good for you man, I know I felt the same way about 1-1.5 years into my lessons. I had played a decade prior, but made more progress in that Time with quality guidance, than I had in the entire 10 years of being “self taught”.
Loved this video. It reminds me how far I’ve come but also how long it took to get where I’m at. I’ve kept my kit small and minimal adding something new every few years. I recently got a ‘new to me’ 60’s Ludwig snare out of the garbage, and a K sweet crash I put on lay-away, and thought man these sound great. But I also realized I learned how to play responsively to my drums. For the better part of ten years I kept it to a 3pc kit with hats and a ride just trying to make the most of it and sound pleasing. The best compliment is when I had a respected drum friend come over and compliment my Kick sound on a 20” 60’s stencil kit.
Words of wisdom here not just for the drums but for practical, everyday life. In the DVDs made with Terry Bozzio, Chad Wackerman mentioned the topic of equipment while endorsing DW drums. He said that having a quality instrument makes you play better. Sounded like he was both endorsing DW and making the point that you might be inspired to take more care with your playing and approach to the instrument if you have nicer gear. However, I do appreciate your closing words on that topic in this video. Well done Sir!
Change the title of this video to 7 Mistakes MUSICIANS make every day, and all of your answers are still valid regardless of the instrument. My neck is still a bit sore from the nodding.
This video is so important. To add to the first point, one of my teachers used to say that the difference between a good player and a great player is consistency. While most players can get a similar sound out of a cymbal every time the best players can hit a cymbal 100 times and get the exact same sound.
I love him dearly, he was brave enough to buy me a pearl drum set when I was only 5!!! He endured it, never forced me to practice, and just made sure music was always around and available for me. I feel extremely blessed to play on stage with him, not many people get to perform with their dad. These days I’m his bassist mainly. I couldn’t have had a better father!
@@ianisaacs2340 I envy you , not just from a musical perspective, but also from a father and son relationship perspective. Kudos to the both of you 👍👍👍☮☮☮
Hey Stephen you were speaking to me because i do all of the above, for instance playing with speed but frustrating to play at a slow pace or when practicing my roles and not sticking to the plan and was thinking of buying a more expensive drum kit because the one i currently have doesn't sound good as far as I'm concerned. These are my mistakes indeed. I'm going to use your advice definitely. Your advice is good advice.
The more smart videos I watch about drumming, the more I realize that I subconsciously avoided most of the bad habits drummers have before I even really started. Thats pretty neat.
6 is one of my big ones, especially if I'm trying out for a spot. I try to show what I can do too much, mess up on something and end up looking stupid. I've gotten better as I've gotten older, but it's still there
GREAT lesson Stephen thx u. The ‘listening to your sounds’ is such a big component of sounding professional. I was very lucky to study with Ronald Gould who was the principal percussionist of the New York City ballet for most of his career. He stressed that every day, thinking about where we’re playing on the snare drum, on the Timpani and just in general being hyper aware of the choices that we make when it comes to producing our sound.
I really liked what you said about playing with authority. It's amazing how timid I sound when I think I've mastered a really hard part; in my head as I am playing it I'm hoping that I nail it. Not any more. Your comment on tones really resonated with me too (pun intended).
As a guitarist, timing isn't usually the strength but I credit the drummer always for they are the heartbeat of it all. In my opinion, if you don't have a decent drummer, it will be difficult to sound original. Great video, thanks a lot
Nice. Common sense from someone who knows how to listen. I'm 59 and a beginner; when I retire and have time, to practice, I know I won't sound like Mr. Bonham, but as soon as I sound like me, I'll remember this video and smile. Thanks for the straight talk buddy!
These thing I used to before in high school in marching band, but for some reason now that I picked an instrument and new one by myself I end up be like what now and get stuck. But I suppose it makes sense since I had teachers and advanced band mates showed me about everything that you talked about here and I applied it. Thanks for reminding me of this simple but helpful suggestions. But the only is I could ask them hey am I applying this right, or?. Is there a way I can do something like this now? I lost connection with so many of my friends that where musicians and some just stopped playing as a whole. Thanks to anyone who read this poorly written paragraph.
Dude, I don't remember you installing a camera in my practice room! Seriously, I just happened to record myself with my phone and I cringed! Back to work. Keep the videos coming! BTW: I love number 7, soooo true!
A jazz bass player friend taught me: “There’s melodic time, then there’s OUR time.” The best lesson I’ve ever had. My playing went up a step right away. Time with authority.
Thank you for the video Stephen. The not focusing on other people's game but playing your own is so important and i always forget that. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
2:00 . Guitar players do that too. I have been playing guitar for 20 years. I can take a 150$ guitar and make it sound good. I just started learning drums a couple months ago. It’s so much fun. I am building confidence and am learning some cool stuff from you. The last thing you said is so on point. I spent years playing cheap guitars and amps. By the time i was able to upgrade I realized how much of my tone was in my hands. All those years trying to pull out the guitars sounds i heard on records through my shitty gear, helped my right hand become hard hitting and that helps when you play thrash and heavy music. It feels effortless now with a half Stack and quality gear.
This is great. I've had my kit for about 1 month now and about 12 hours of practice. I have no idea why but I'm expecting myself to be better already. That's a terrible way to look at it. 1 month ago I couldn't even play a simple beat and now I can add 1/16th notes into it.
I know personally, because it’s helped me mentally, I never get jealous of other people playing. Like you said, I don’t try to play their game, I just enjoy it! Sometimes I see if I can copy elements of others’ playing, but most of the time I’m focused on “my style”.
I really love watching your videos, man. Your communication is clear and concise and you speak really well. I can see you know who you are as a person and are comfortable in your own skin. I can relate to you a lot and I appreciate your videos. They're helping me learn things every day.
Your point in focusing in just a few things, repetition and making a conversation, telling a story as I see it is very much the basis of good soloing with any instrument. Good point. I run in to this problem more than often and I've found that when ever I forget this the music starts sucking.
When I got my first drum set at the age of 15 my dad passed along a conversation he had with a drummer he use to tour with (my dad was the spotlight operator/comic relief ventriloquist so all of his musical knowledge beyond the harmonica is second hand) that stuck with him. They didn't have a van, it was just my dad driving a pickup truck with the gear in the bed hauling a trailer with the bull that was part of the show, whoever could cram into the cab with him, the guitarist in another pickup carrying what wouldn't fit in my dad's truck, and whoever the singer could fit in his car. He was often driving cross country with the drummer as one of his passengers. It use to irritate my dad that they'd go for hundreds of miles with this drummer tapping his feet banging on the dashboard and his (the drummer's, not my dad's) knee with a couple of pens. He finally asked him why he always did that. The drummer said "you can practice every day for twenty years and master the drums, but if you miss one day of practice it will undo most of those 20 years." I've found it to be true. Monday mornings in band before I got my drum set were rough. Had to regain my sense of rhythm. When I hit adulthood I didn't have time to practice every day. At 18 I was a pretty decent drummer. At 25 I was back to the level I was the day I got my drums. Had to call it quits for ten years until I could save up for an electronic drum set. Got it Thursday and now it's like I only picked up a pair of sticks for the first time three days ago.
Glad you put this out I have hit a wall with my playing and I have had 23 kits in the past two years because I'm wrapped up with the "gear" 😔 Thanks for the tips!
I'm super new.... Like, I think, I finally figured out my BASE set up for my drums. Comfy, no stretching, angled down thighs, and ect. Where do I go from here? I feel like I need to study some grips now.... I would love feed back guys. PLEASE. I would love to talk to the community about this stuff. Thanks Stephen!
10:40 I think this one is a bit complicated really. I'm a pretty early/mid level drummer (and I just have an electric kit where a lot of the sound stuff doesn't come into play), but I've been playing guitar for almost 20 years now. My personal experience with guitar gear is that while a good player can make anything sound good, it's easier to sound good on higher end gear. And if you sound better that's going to make you want to play more, which leads to you becoming a better player. There is definitely a limit to that, top tier gear isn't usually that much better than upper mid tier (and a lot of it just depends on personal preference at that point), but I think there's definitely a case for someone wanting to move from beginner gear to mid/upper mid level gear because they just aren't happy with their current setup and want to sound better.
This is really interesting- I once saw the Pixies ruin an entire gig after David Lovering's monitor failed and he couldn't hear the rest of the band. Black Francis was so pissed off (assuming David to be too drunk to play) he grabbed David's bottle of wine and smashed it over the drum riser. The band ended up going offstage "to regroup" but when they came back on they'd lost the groove and ended up playing the worst gig I ever saw. (Except perhaps The Pogues in the late 80s, lol).
Great video. I began playing the drums when I was 13. So many fundamental concepts eluded me for years. In my early years, I missed the importance of tuning and faster isn't necessarily better.
Great points Stephen, also, the ability to listen, whether it's to your own drums, your band members, or tracks. It's kind of like the person that can't wait to talk and they don't listen to what you're saying. Listen, listen, listen...
Yea ! So glad that you are discussing speed...I personally believe that it is more difficult to play slowly and with good control if we don't first build the muscles enabling that same control, and later, speed. Have taught my students in that way. Thank you, Stephen.
This was really useful, thanks Stephen! I definitely succumb to some of these... 1/2 learning in particular! I get bored! But good to know I can do the slow beats - my drum teacher always starts me out super slow and doesn't let me get faster until I can actually get it at a slow speed, so I've had a lot of practice on that one...
Steven you are the bomb bruv. I'm a self taught drummer playing a cheap electric kit. Until last year I didn't know what rudiments are. I am guilty of some of these things and I'm always trying to improve. Thanks for all the amazing videos. I'm trying to build my confidence enough to play in front of others as I find social situations difficult and these lessons are so helpful. Keep making drumming fun!
Thanks Stephen! So many good points there and I need to work on a few of those! As a drummer in a band I really feel the need and desire to improve on everything drumming and your points are so on point!
Stephen, I find myself coming back to this particular video for inspiration it is really one of your finest as far as gaining the proper perspective approaching the kit in general and I think that applies to beginners as well as more advanced drummers. . Thanks, Bob M.
Listening to this video took me back to the days when my dad was teaching me to play. Sometimes reviewing the basics is just as inspiring as learning something new. Thanks Stephen!
Hey man, just wanted to say this video has helped me tons. ALL of the points you brought up have been topics and questions I keep asking myself these past weeks. You've helped clarify some things as well as given me motivation to continue in this fight we call drumming. Thanks mate! 🤟🏻😤
I'm primarily a guitarist and found these points to be super helpful. If you were trying to get my attention through a hyper-specific, for-drummers-only lens, I wouldn't have learned anything. I appreciate the wise words and hope other guitarists find themselves actually listening to the drummer 🤣
I know for a fact, if I don’t watch myself, I’ll be a half learner for sure! As far as speed, I have two thoughts. First, I always became frustrated when my speed wasn’t were I wanted it. However, when I did everything slowly, one day out of nowhere my speed began to pick up. Secondly, I feel (and this is just my opinion) too many songs (and drummers today) are all about how fast they can play! How fast they can play the snare with one hand (or both) and how fast they can play the double kick drum. I’ve been playing a long time and I’ve never even had a double kick, I’ve always wanted to learn to play a single kick and have a faster double kick with the single kick if that makes Sense. In my opinion, anyone can play fast, not everyone can play a song at 80 bpm and keep time. There are C hundreds, if not thousands of videos online about how to increasing your speed and hardly any on actually keeping time.
So need to work on these suggestions. I'm trying to always record myself when I play, which I find helps in getting the essential feedback in regards the sound. Thanks Stephen
No.7: I had a crappy snaredrum and I never got it to sound right. It never motivated me. With my new snare, it´s a lot more fun to play because it sounds so much better, even withy crappy playing ;-) And as I took a closer look at the old snare, it really was a crappy oval bent piece of metal. So yes to No. 7, but with a minimum of quality.
Great video very interesting. I totally agree with “I make my sound, not my kit” but I’ve sat behind kits that when I played them they sounded like crap Meaning they were not tuned correctly. So I agree also, that tuning, and where you hit, place your stick makes a BIG difference.
Thanks Ill buy some simple stuff, and keep you informed on my progress ,thank you my friend for answering so quickly, take care of yourself ,and family under these unusal circumstances, Jim
