If you’ve stumbled upon this post then you must have some form of interest in music and becoming a musician yourself. The guitar seems really cool, and you can learn a bunch of songs, and piano playing can make you look jazzy and classy, but what if that’s just not what you’re after. Maybe you’re more interested in that inner groove inside of you, maybe, you’re a drummer, and I’m going to help you figure that out!
I’ll let you know some telltale signs you could be a drummer, where to find drums if you’re interested, and how to learn for free at your own pace!
For me, drumming and percussion just sort of felt natural. Coming from a very musical family on both parents’ sides, I joined a school band in middle school. In a school band, students get separate percussion parts and all play together to help keep the rest of the band in time. For the first couple of years in the band, I always wanted a part on the drum kit but was told I should just take a bass drum part. My music teacher was very strict and if I’m being honest, not a very enjoyable teacher. On one song, however, during the last year I was in the band, I was able to get a drum kit part on a song. As the band practiced the song throughout the weeks before the concert, I was beginning to experiment with new ways of playing that could still work for the particular song whether that meant adding more hits on the hi-hats, the bass drum, or the snare. There were certain parts to the song where I didn’t have written music and was just to rest till my time to come back in. During one of these parts, the band members and I agreed that it would sound good if I added very light eighth notes on the hi-hats in the background with the band, but the band director was not thrilled about this. The next day after the concert, he called me into his room and practically yelled at me for even attempting this and adding more to the song than what was written. After this moment, I knew I wanted to always be a drummer.
A big sign you should be a drummer or percussionist is if you’re interested in paying attention to the background of the music you listen to. Almost anyone can identify the song’s melody. Are you paying attention to that extra snare hit on the bridge of a song? Or how when you close your eyes and focus, you can lightly hear someone playing a triangle in the background? That’s what makes drummers, someone who focuses on the small details to keep time and add to a song simultaneously.
So then you’ve decided to go for it, you wanna be a drummer! We’ve all seen the pots and pans being used as drums in movies, and street drummers in the center of towns with five-gallon buckets and trash can lids as cymbals. That’s the beauty of being a drummer or percussionist, just about anything you can bounce a stick on can work. However, you might want to play actual drums, that’s fine, and I’m right beside you on that. One of the best things you can do is visit local music stores and see what they have to offer. If you’re looking at drum kits, get a feel for the different sounds and qualities the brands they may carry offer. From there making a purchase is up to you, maybe you saw a kit, and it was love at first sight. One thing I try to tell friends about before they miss the chance though is checking Facebook Marketplace. On Marketplace, you can find some of the greatest deals on some of the best drums you’ll ever play. Just be aware that you have options.
Now you have drums, woo hoo! Now what? Growing up I didn’t exactly have money pouring out of my pockets, and neither did my parents for lessons so what was I supposed to do. That’s where Drumeo came in. Drumeo is a youtube channel offering hundreds of fantastic quality videos for free for the absolute beginner to someone who considers themselves advanced. Even though I learned some basics from my not so friendly music teacher, Drumeo showed me how to do them even better to hone the skills I have today, and I know it can for you too. If you’re interested I’ve posted the link just below.
https://www.youtube.com/c/freedrumlessons
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