Technique Archives - Page 4 of 5

July 7, 2012 Technique No Comments

What ARE Drum Rudiments?

Can you imagine a chat between God and the very first drummer? With apologies to the great comedian Bill Cosby and his “Noah” routine, the conversation could have gone something like this: God (in a large booming voice): Cave Man! Cave Man: What? Somebody call? Who is that? God: It’s God, Cave Man. Cave Man: […]

June 30, 2012 Technique No Comments

Grace Notes and Flams and Drags, Oh My!

Hearing weird words like “Grace Notes” and “Flams” and “Drags” could be enough to scare anyone away from drumming much like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz was scared by “Lions” and “Tigers” and “Bears.” Don’t be afraid, though, because we’re going to pull back the curtain and show you the magic behind playing grace […]

April 7, 2012 Technique No Comments

What Are Drum Fills and How Are They Played?

I remember the day I got my first drum set like it was yesterday. The first thing I wanted to learn how to play was a rock beat like the one you learned in “Your First Drum Beat (No Drums Required).” The second thing I wanted to learn was a short, 8 beat drum fill […]

March 24, 2012 Technique No Comments

How to Play a Closed Hi-Hat

Have you ever watched a drummer and noticed how they play a lot of the time with their arms crossed, one over the other? It looks very odd the first time you see it but there’s a reason why drummers play with crossed arms. It has to do with hitting the hi-hat cymbals (instead of […]

March 3, 2012 Technique, Playing Music No Comments

Play Your First Song with Drumsticks

You are now ready to play your first song using drumsticks on a real or close-to-real drum set using what you’ve learned in previous lessons! Let’s quickly review what you know and how you can use it. You’ve learned how to sit at a drum set (see “A Time, A Place and The Parts Of […]