DRUM LESSONS

Parts of drumkit

Before we begin playing something, it is important for you to know the basic anatomy of a drumkit (like bass drum, snare, tom tom, cymbals, hi-hat, floor tom etc.)

Sitting position

The most important thing while playing any instrument is the posture. A relaxed posture will enable to let you platy the instrument with utmost comfort and efficiency. So, we shall learn to find relaxed and comfortable posture suitable for playing drums. Depending on your body type we shall adjust the drum throne to an optimum level to let you practice at easeand not get your legs tired too early.

Drum stick grip

A proper grip is also another important aspect of playing the drums efficiently. There are two basic ways of holding the drum sticks, one is called traditional and other is match grip. We are going to have a proper look at both the techniques.

Finger control

The drum stick is usually held between your thumb and the first joint of your index finger. We shall learn the subtle art of controlling the fingers for playing with utmost efficiency.

Using practice pad

The practice pad is small portable pad made of rubber with a wooden base used for practicing sticking exercise. It is used by all from Beginners to Pro drummers for warmups or for practicing sticking techniques. It is portable and very quiet so you can practice anytime anywhere.

Using metronome

Drum is a rhythm instrument so we have to be very careful from the beginning and practice in a proper way to develop our rhythm sense. Metronome is a device that generates a continuous beat that can be customized as per the users need. You can change the tempo, time signature or even the accents. It helps as a guide line to practice at a steady tempo, so that you neither rush or drag.

Reading drum notation

Music is a language and like any other form of language it is very important for us to be able to read and write. The purpose is pretty simple you can either record your ideas or read someone else’s. Being able to read drum notations will make your life very easy and you will be able learn songs just by looking at notations. Also, at a later part of this journey you will be able to effectively communicate with other musicians and also expand your horizons as a drummer. So, let’s go back to school again!

Note and rest values

Music is nothing but a beautiful arrangement of Sound and Silence. Sounds are the Notes when you play, Rests are the silences in between. Each note on a page (or “sheet”) of drum music has a value or duration. The note value is the duration of time it note or rest should sustain. You will come across names like whole note,half note,quarter note,eighth note,sixteenth note,thirty-second note etc.

Kit setup

Setting up a drumkit is also an important aspect of playing the drums. Proper angle and alignment of the different parts of drums will influence different motions of the body which again is linked to the comfort and efficiency of playing. We shall investigate and figure out what’s the best arrangement for you.

Rudiments

The drum rudiments are nothing but the fundamentals or “building blocks” of Drumming. These rudiments comprise of different patterns from very simple to complex practiced by beginner to pro level drummers. It helps a drummer develop technique, phrasing, control and coordination on the drums.(ex. single stroke,double stroke,paradiddle etc…). There are innumerable exercises to be taught over the years.

Easy Drumming Patterns or Beats

The Rudiments are mostly practiced on the snare drums. Once your hands start to gain a basic level of independence after practicing some basic Rudiments, then we begin learning some easy drumming patterns or beats. In order to learn some basic beats, we shall start adding the bass drum along with snare. We start slowly and gradually build speed, repeating as many times as needed.

Understanding time signature

Time Signatures are a simple mode of representing the vibe or rhythmic feel of music. Without time signature the arrangement of beats to record an idea in its true essence or feel will be impossible or very difficult.The time signature indicates how many counts are there in each measure and which type of note will receive one count.

Sticking around kit

Sticking simply refers to a logical arrangement of hand movement, which decides which note play with which hand. While some sticking concepts are straightforward, others are more complicated and take a little more time to develop. We use sticking concepts in drum fills, grooves, rudiments, and snare drum exercises.

Dynamics

Dynamics is one of the most important aspect of music since it can trigger or portray different emotions. With Drums also, you don’t have to strike every note with the same intensity, thus controlling the volume of different notes at will. The Dynamics plays an important role in making you sound groovy and lively. We shall learn different tips and tricks to develop dynamics in our playing.

Playing fills

A drum fill is a short, improvisational transition between parts of a song, like a brief drum solo that fills a gap between musical phrases. Drum fills are an essential part of drumming, and also they make your drum loop sound cool. We are going to learn innumerable drum fills in this journey through different exercises, pieces and songs.It may seem difficult at the beginning but they're easy to master with practice. Sounds Exciting Isn’t it ??

Subdivision studies

While the overall pulse of a piece is constant, we can play faster or slower keeping the tempo constant. The perception of Fast or slow is an illusion created when we choose to play more or less number of notes between two bars or even two pulses. The rate at which we play over a pulse can be calculatedin subdivision of the beat. This is very interesting and it opens up the possibility of creating innumerable variations of a very basic beat.

Ghost notes

In music ghost notes add a different character to the sound may it be on the guitar or drums. As the name suggests ghost notes are the ones that are played very softly between the 'main' notes, which makes them not clearly visible but you can feel its presence. No need to be afraid of these notes, they are amazing!. Most often they are played on the snare.

Using left foot

The left foot, also known as the forgotten limb, is a something that many drummers don't spend enough time with while practicing. This results in poor left foot independence, coordination and lack of strength and control.

Different Drumming styles and standard patterns

Standard Western music at a basic level typically features an alternation between kick (i.e.bass) and snare drums, with the kick on beats 1 and 3 (in 4/4 time) and the snare on beats 2 and 4 (the backbeats). Altering this pattern in different forms lead to different styles or Genres of music like Blues, Rock, Pop, Funk, Jazz. We gradually get introduced to these genres.

Odd time Signature

Odd time simply means that we are playing in a time signature with an odd number of beats per measure. Also known as asymmetric, unusual, complex, or irregular time signatures, a song has an odd time signature when you can't evenly divide the beats in a bar. Initially it seems challenging getting used to odd meter, but with certain counting techniques and tricks it becomes easy with practice.

Playing with a Backing Track/Song

Practicing along with a Backing Track or song helps you to further internalize the drumming parts you've learned and sharpens your awareness by listening to the other instruments while playing along. It will also eventually help you to play with a band or with other musicians. We are going to do this practice extensively now as we proceed further.

Syncopation & independence

A Unique Method That Integrates Independent Coordination and the Use of Syncopated Rhythms.Syncopation in music is the concept of playing rhythms that accent or emphasize the offbeats. It shifts or displaces a standard rhythm by stressing beats that are generally not stressed in general form of music. Syncopated rhythms are very groovy in nature and great fun while playing and listening. Syncopated rhythm is a characteristic in a popular Genre of Music called Bossa Nova or Latin Jazz.

*Grades are followed as per Trinity College London. (classical & jazz,Rock & pop)
We offer Certification Courses from initial Grade to Grade 8