I have a bizarre urge...

adew

Inspired
...to learn how to play drums. Am I mad? :? :mrgreen

Anyone taken up drums or a different instrument at a "mature" age? If so, what was your experience?
 
Probably would be excellent way to improve your rhythm. I learned keyboards in my late 40s and that helped me understand music theory much better.

Can't play the drums to save my life so that's probably what I should try next.
 
Not bizarre at all. I started playing drums a little over a year ago (at age 46) and it's been a blast. No regrets at all. It's likely helped my timing on my other instruments and it just makes you a more well rounded musician. I started on drums mainly to help with songwriting and being able to lay down demo tracks instead of programming or playing drums on a midi controller. The simple truth is that drums are just fun, and it doesn't really matter if there was any other purpose. I think it also helps in critical listening to songs and with producing/engineering.
 
Not bizarre at all. I started playing drums a little over a year ago (at age 46) and it's been a blast. No regrets at all. It's likely helped my timing on my other instruments and it just makes you a more well rounded musician. I started on drums mainly to help with songwriting and being able to lay down demo tracks instead of programming or playing drums on a midi controller. The simple truth is that drums are just fun, and it doesn't really matter if there was any other purpose. I think it also helps in critical listening to songs and with producing/engineering.
Excellent! My motivation is similar to yours. Did you teach yourself or did you have a teacher, or do online courses? If the latter, any recommendations? (There seems to be a lot out there, so I'm sure the quality varies a little.)
 
Go for it!! I've done it on a number of occasions. My drumming is even worse than my guitar playing but it's the fun factor that counts.
 
...to learn how to play drums. Am I mad? :? :mrgreen

Ade - I'm only 28 but I started off on drums at 5th grade and took all the lessons yada yada. I couldn't stop my urge to want to play guitar tho and switched into my teen years leaving my mediocre drum skills alone...

At any rate, you're not mad @ all, if anything it will keep your musicality in a constant forward moving shift. As the other guys mentioned, it will improve rhythm and syncopation with your other instruments and bandmates. I don't regret learning drums at an earlier age, I am fairly confident you won't regret it at a later age ;) . GO FOR IT!!!
 
Just having "the urge" says it all! The musical talent within you is crying to get out!
Don't hesitate! If money allows, jump right into buying a kit and take some lessons.
You never know…you could become the next famous drummer.
 
Ade - I'm only 28 but I started off on drums at 5th grade and took all the lessons yada yada. I couldn't stop my urge to want to play guitar tho and switched into my teen years leaving my mediocre drum skills alone...

At any rate, you're not mad @ all, if anything it will keep your musicality in a constant forward moving shift. As the other guys mentioned, it will improve rhythm and syncopation with your other instruments and bandmates. I don't regret learning drums at an earlier age, I am fairly confident you won't regret it at a later age ;) . GO FOR IT!!!
Thanks for the encouragement! I'm sure you're right on all those points. Funnily enough, if I listen to favourite tracks by artists I love, I generally have the urge to do "air drums" rather than "air guitar", lol.

On a slightly more serious note, being the principal writer in the various originals bands I've been in over the years, one of my never-ending frustrations has been my inability to "talk drums" to the drummer, to convey what I hear in my head. I don't expect overnight miracles, but I am hoping that learning to play the damned things will at least give me a better understanding of what these strange creatures (aka drummers) actually do back there, and will help me talk their language*. Off now to scour the local small ads for secondhand e-kits... :)


* I expect plenty of drummer jokes now, lol.
 
* I expect plenty of drummer jokes now, lol.

Page
"Hey Bonham, play it like this: ba doompt doompt doompt da da"

Bonham
"Jimmy, what the eff?...."

:D It'll be ever cooler if you can show your drummer how to play it. Reach high man, don't sell yourself short. I'm actually considering taking piano lessons from a friend to help her financially and to help me continuing to learn.
 
Excellent! My motivation is similar to yours. Did you teach yourself or did you have a teacher, or do online courses? If the latter, any recommendations? (There seems to be a lot out there, so I'm sure the quality varies a little.)

I've been using the Drumeo courses. I started off with Successful Drumming (Jared Falk) which is very good with a heavy emphasis on fundamentals. I made some good progress but eventually switched to Mike Michalkow's Drumming System 2.0 which I feel has more of an emphasis on actually playing parts typical for the various styles of music (he covers a bit of everything but probably slightly more rock) and getting you ready to fill the role in a band.

I think their website in general is great, and they can definitely take you from a complete beginner and take you up to some pretty advanced drumming. I don't expect to ever run out of good material between their programs/site, certainly not in the next 5-10 years. All that being said, I'm sure having a real/live teacher would be helpful as well. I just don't have the time at present with all my other disciplines as well as working full time and taking four classes through Berklee online. I may eventually get one.
 
Page
"Hey Bonham, play it like this: ba doompt doompt doompt da da"

Bonham
"Jimmy, what the eff?...."
Haha! :)

:D It'll be ever cooler if you can show your drummer how to play it. Reach high man, don't sell yourself short. I'm actually considering taking piano lessons from a friend to help her financially and to help me continuing to learn.
You're right - showing him would be much better, lol. I think anything that stretches the depth of one's musical experience is a good thing. :encouragement:
 
I've been using the Drumeo courses. I started off with Successful Drumming (Jared Falk) which is very good with a heavy emphasis on fundamentals. I made some good progress but eventually switched to Mike Michalkow's Drumming System 2.0 which I feel has more of an emphasis on actually playing parts typical for the various styles of music (he covers a bit of everything but probably slightly more rock) and getting you ready to fill the role in a band.

I think their website in general is great, and they can definitely take you from a complete beginner and take you up to some pretty advanced drumming. I don't expect to ever run out of good material between their programs/site, certainly not in the next 5-10 years. All that being said, I'm sure having a real/live teacher would be helpful as well. I just don't have the time at present with all my other disciplines as well as working full time and taking four classes through Berklee online. I may eventually get one.
That's great info, Strumzilla. Thanks! :encouragement:
 
I'm a full time musician and early on in my career (out of music school). I got a gig teaching at a music school. We do music classes where we get a full band of students. Vox, keys, guitar etc.

Most students at this time weren't very good readers and needed me to "show" them how to play their parts on their respective instruments. I could get by on piano because it was a requirement for non-piano majors at my college. But drums, no dice. And in my experience drummers are the worst readers in the bunch because most played to records by ear.

So, I took it upon myself to better my teaching ability and learned the drum parts for the songs I was teaching so I could show my students how to play my parts. Bought a small practice pad kit (Dw smart practice kit) and learned the parts on my off time. Mostly simple stuff like green day nirvana etc.

As my students progressed, so did I. To stay ahead of the curve of my students I took some drum lessons from the teachers at the school to get some technique under my belt.

It's been a fun journey and I still practice drums when I have a chance. It's really improved my time feel and sense of tempo on guitar that's helped immensely in my professional life.
 
I've been playing some drums the last year ,I'm 41 . My wife bought an entry level elec yamaha kit cause she decided she wanted to learn and then got bored .

They sat there unused for a while till I decided to actaully spend a little time and see how it goes. plug them into my lappie via midi with EXdrummer 2 for sounds and I have been loving it

I have been teaching myself, I'm not a lesson kind of guy never have had a guitar lesson in my life . But i have spent countless hours playing with drummers so I think it kind of sinks in through osmosis over the years . I just kinda find something I cant do on the drums then keep doing it till I can

I find it super refreshing to jam and not have to think melodically at all . just rythmically . I do find it allot more fun playing with someone on guitar or bass rather than playing drums alone .

and as a guitarist I think its good to learn as much about all the other instruments as you can ..so you can tell everyone else what to play . joking...kinda
 
I've been played guitar since I was 11 and bass since i was 16 but lately I've had the urge to start learning Tenor Sax. I doubt I will but I really want to haha.
 
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