Bang, Bang: Guide to Better Drumming

Drumming is more than just providing the beat. Good drumming guides the entire band – the backbone of its rhythm section. It both supports and enhances good music, and for that reason, the drummer is arguably one of the most important members of any solid band. If you're a beginning drummer and want to be the bee's knees when it comes to holding down rhythm, check out this guide to better drumming.

Practice Daily

To get better at any instrument, daily practice is absolutely. Daily practice doesn't mean you have to spend hours in a practice room, though – whether you do twenty minutes or two hours, do what you can in the time that you have available. Whether you spend that time learning new time signatures or improving your snare roll, you'll learn something every time you practice.

Study Other Drummers

Studying the technique of other instrumentalists can help you not only get better, but can help you to diversify your technique. If you see a drummer who really rocks at weird time sigs or shows off a killer solo, pay close attention to what they're doing and how they're doing it. Even better? Talk to them about their work and find out what resources they've used to become a great drummer.

Take Lessons

A lot of drummers are self-taught, and even some of the greatest drummers alive didn't start taking lessons until well into their careers – but lessons will help you perfect and advance great drumming technique. Even if you only take a couple of lessons a month, having a private instructor will help you get better faster – and will help you adapt your drumming to your personality and physiology.

Do Drills

If you've been letting all those tech books collect dust on your bookshelf or under your bed, now's the time to dust them off and put them to use. Doing drills isn't the most fun activity (at least for most), but doing them will help you to master foundational techniques of drumming and develop speed, accuracy, and mastery of dynamics. Incorporate drills into your practice sessions a few times a week, and marvel at how your precision develops.

Good or great drummers are not a dime a dozen, and a skilled drummer can find themselves much in demand for everything from live shows to session work. If drumming is your greatest love, following these steps to better drumming will help you advance your technique – and your career.