What do a knife and your drumming skills have in common?
Both are tools to help you achieve a goal.
With a sharpened knife, you can prepare delicious meals.
With your sharpened drumming skills, you can rock out as hard as you want.
To help you do the latter, I’m sharing 3 smart ways to sharpen your tool-kit.
Which one?
The one I’m an expert in. (Not cooking, but playing the drums.)
Practice so slow, you can’t get the exercise wrong
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Slow practice? Hey Manu, this doesn’t sound like fun at all!
Trust me: It’s worth the effort.
Practice your drumming exercises so slow you can’t get them wrong anymore.
The reason for this is simple: Your brain needs correct repetitions to learn new stuff.
If you play one drum beat right and the next time wrong, it will be totally confused.
Which one is the correct way to play this drum beat?
Your brain.
You name it, brain!
In fact, that’s the most common mistake I see beginner drummers make:
They practice way too fast.
By doing so, it’s really hard for them to get their brain going.
The same goes for their muscles.
They also have to remember the right movements.
So when you’re practicing the drums next time, slow down.
Play whatever you’re learning so slow, you can’t get it wrong anymore.
If this works, speed up! Because if you want to drum fast, you have to drum fast as well. But that’s a whole different story.
Sharpen your drumming skills with little helpers like the metronome
Do you need a state-of-the-art drum set to be an awesome drummer? Nah, you certainly don’t.
But you really can improve your practice time with little helpers like
- the metronome,
- backing tracks and
- drummers headphones.
Also, choosing the right drum sticks is highly important not only for drum newbies.
Why?
Drum sticks are your hands on the kit. I’m sure you don’t want to screw them up, right.
Moreover, a drumming practice plan can be a real game changer for you.
It helps you to learn more focused.
As a consequence, you’ll learn faster and, at least if you ask me, have a lot more fun behind the kit.
As I’m me and not you, you’ll probably find more helpful things making your drumming routine easier.
How about a bottle of water next to your drums?
A practice pad?
Or even a laptop to record your progression?
Whatever helps you to simplify your efforts and life – go for it!
Do it now: Think of at least 3 little helpers that improve your drumming skills before you continue reading. And then, use them from this day on.
Record your drum practice sessions on a regular basis
You might have stumbled upon a YouTube video on my blog before. It’s very likely from my channel sHe druMs. Thing is: When I started it back in 2019, I could never think of the impacts it would have on me.
Not only in terms of musical confidence and socializing, but also on my drumming in general.
I’m honest with you: The routine of recording and releasing a new video each Sunday improved some of my drumming skills a lot. They include
- hearing like the audience as well as
- paying more attention to details and
- being motivated to drum even if I don’t feel like it.
And yes, even drum teachers don’t feel like making music sometimes. 😉
So, my advice for you is clear: Record yourself regularly while drumming. Listen to your recordings closely and watch your playing. I’m sure you will improve hugely by doing so – just like me.
Of course, you don’t have to start your own drumming YouTube channel right now. However, it could help you to stay motivated when times get rough.
But commit yourself to recording as well as practicing the drums. Start today – you’ll hear the difference.
What’s your go-to advice to sharpen your drumming skills?
You know, I could go on and on with tips and hacks for helping you to become the drummer you strive to be. However, I’d simply love to ask you: What’s your most useful advice for sharpening your drumming skills?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts in the comments below. Let’s rock harder together!
Cheers,
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