4 Fundamentals For Playing Drums

Have you decided that you want to learn how to play drums? If so, know that there are some basic things that you need to learn during your first lessons. Here is what you need to know about the fundamentals.

Holding The Sticks

The trick to playing drums is knowing how to hold the drumsticks. Playing drums is not about hitting them as hard as you can, since it involves holding the sticks in a way that gives you the most rebound so that you use the least amount of energy to play. This will prevent you from getting tired by flicking your wrist for every single drum hit. The key thing to know about holding the sticks is that you want to grip them lightly in your hand near the back of the stick.

Flicking From The Wrist

A common mistake that new drummers make is moving their entire arms to hit the drums. This is going to make you tired very quickly. Part of playing drums is flicking your wrists. This uses very little energy because you lift the stick off the drum a minimum amount. Let the drum head do the work of bouncing the stick back and only using a flick of the wrist to exert energy.

Rebounding Double Strokes 

Many great drummers are able to do what they do by rebounding double strokes. This allows the drummer to hit twice as many notes with a single motion, which allows them to play faster rhythms. This is one of the basic fundamentals that every drummer needs to know. It starts with learning how to play sequential double hits with your left and right hand at a slow tempo that is steady and consistent. Then you can speed up the tempo and keep it consistent. Expect many of your basic lessons to be about rebounding the sticks to create a double stroke that is consistent. 

Coordinating Your Hands And Feet

Drumming involves a lot of coordination between your hands and feet since you are using them to open and close the hi-hat or hit the bass drum. Expect to perform a lot of basic exercises where you are incorporating your hands and feet with simple beats. Learning to get all of your limbs to move in time with the beat will help form the basic foundation that you need to be a drummer.

With these things in mind, you'll be prepared for what you'll learn as part of your first few drum lessons.