Setting drumming goals can be crucial to become the musician you want to be. That’s because they help you to focus. In addition, they keep you motivated when times are rough. That’s also highly important!
In this article, I’m going to share 3 ways how you can finally achieve your drumming goals.
Of course: Just like every human being, goals are different. My tips for this reason are quiet general. However, what has helped me might do the same for you. Please don’t hesitate to adjust them to your needs whenever possible.
Set short-, mid- and long-term drumming goals
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You might know the saying that Rome wasn’t built in a day, right? The same goes for drumming. If you want to become good at it, you simply need to stick to it. However, doing things sometimes might not be enough. You have to do the right things over and over again.
Also, there’s a huge difference between playing the drums and practicing the drums.
Playing the drums: When playing a concert for example, you won’t be practicing. You will play what you already have learned before the gig. The same is the case whenever you’re just drumming “for fun”. You likely will play what you already know.
Practicing the drums: Practicing the drums means that you’re learning new stuff. You won’t sound good while doing so and at some points, you might even totally suck. Trust me, I’ve been a female drummer for a long time now. 😛
However, practicing is crucial for becoming a better musician! So you have to bite the lemon and do it. Of course, playing is as important as practicing.
So you might wonder: Ok but what about the goals now? Good question!
The answer:
Keep track of what works and doesn’t
Each person is different. So each drummer is different. Consequently, there are no practicing methods that work for everyone. On the contrary: You have to find out what works best for you.
And sometimes, you simply need to stick to trial and error. However, there are some practice methods I found out work quite well with most of the drummers I’m teaching. They include
- recording yourself while practicing and playing at concerts,
- use the metronome on a frequent level and of course
- drumming to great music.
In addition, there’s another method also you might benefit from. It’s quite simple but can make a huge difference: choosing the right tempo whenever you’re practicing the drums.
Slow down if needed
Being able to make music at a fast speed is great fun. Or at least for some musicians including me. 🙂 A high drumming tempo can be worked on of course. At the same time, it most of the time is a result of the right practice methods.
So if you want to learn things properly, you better start at a veeeery slow tempo. While mastering the exercises, you speed up. At some point of this journey, you’ll finally be able to drum without – tempo – restriction.
However, reaching this point can be a tough task. And yes, sometimes you will have to take steps back. Do not hesitate to do so!
Because the fundament of each groove, fill or whatever you play has to be there. Also, there is no short-cut for this. Or maybe I simply don’t know about it yet? 🙂
That’s also something I regularly tell my students in class: If you’re always making mistakes playing the same exercise over and over again … slow down! Your brain and/or muscles yet have to get it.
And if they do, the results are something you can rely on in the long run. You have my words on that!
Love,
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