I am sad. And frustrated. When I sit down to play the drum kit, I’m so slow. Everything’s so slow. Do I play any good? Argh, this sucks. I do … 🙁
Sounds familiar?
A lot of drummers would agree. Especially beginners, but we all do now and then. So it’s the question of how you can drum faster that sometimes seems to be on our mind 24/7.
Everybody wants to go blasting fast around the kit, right?
As you probably know, it’s kind of a huge challenge for some. For me, it has and it still is at some point.
So in this article, I’m going to share 8 smart ‘n’ easy hacks helping you to drum faster from now on.
But to start with, let’s get down to why being able to play the drums fast is just as important as rocking out slowly.
Why Playing The Drums Fast Is Important
Table Of Contents
You see, I’m not an overly technical female drummer. I’ve learned more than the basics of course.
I don’t get overly excited about practice drumming technique for the practicing part of it, however.
Instead, I see the technique for playing the drums as an utterly helpful tool kit: You use it to help you play the music you enjoy.
And that’s why playing the drums fast is important.
There’s a good chance that you’d like to drum to songs that are quite fast.
If you’ve never played the kit fast before, you’ll probably have a hard time drumming to them.
So being able to play the drums fast opens up new musical horizons for you. Also, it’s HUGE fun.
The following 3 easy hacks will help you join the fun as well. Make sure to share this post if it was helpful for you. It might also be the game changer for others.
1) Keep your movements low to drum faster
When you want to drum faster, make sure to keep the movement low. That’s crucial!
If you make huge moves with your arms, for example, this will take too much time. Also, you will feel exhausted soon.
So keep the movements low – not the tempo. 🙂
You’re already a more advanced drummer?
In this case you will also use your fingers. That’s the so-called Finger Control – an utterly helpful drum technique.
It will sound pretty familiar for drummers using French Grip in general. And yes, your grip will also make a difference when you want to play the drums fast.
Keep in mind that the grip you use has to suit you as a drummer. It’s also a smart decision to change it for the music you play.
However, that’s not a beginner’s drum topic anymore. When starting out on the drum set, I recommend you choosing one single grip first.
Master this one and then add other techniques when you’re ready for it.
2) Check your drum sticks and change them when needed
I love heavy drum sticks. Really! However, they can give you a hard time when you want to drum faster.
It’s just their weight and most of the time, finding the best fulcrum is also quite a challenge.
So make sure to buy the right drum sticks suiting your needs. For example, a lot of people can play faster with lighter sticks.
On the other hand, your muscle strength will benefit from the heavy ones. It might be smart to use both of them during your drum practice routine. I do so and I’ve achieved great results.
Plus: Heavy drum sticks match a harder rocking drum style great. You’re playing soft music or Jazz? Then lighter products are the ones to consider.
3) Use the rebound of your drums
The so-called rebound also is a thing you have to consider when you want to drum fast.
It’s the thing that helps you play more strokes with less
- effort,
- tension and
- exhaustion.
And yes, this one’s closely related to the Finger Control we talked before. Without the rebound, this technique is impossible to use.
Of course, I know the rebound is a difficult topic for most drum set beginners. If you struggle with it too, please consult your teacher for tips and exercises.
This drumming technique is really important, so don’t hesitate to learn it.
But give yourself the time to do so! Maybe you need to delay this topic right now if it’s still too difficult.
And yes, that’s perfectly fine. Remember:
It can a pain in the butt to master the rebound, and it’s certainly something to work on for the long-run.
But as I’ve been able to learn it, you will master it, too.
4) Work with your metronome and set a timer
The metronome or click also is so, so handy if it comes to the question how to drum faster.
It’s a simple device to help you keep track of how fast or slow you can play in the first place.
However, its most powerful feature is to help you train your timing or inner-clock.
Work with it and integrate the click to your daily drum set practice routine. In addition, set a timer for your exercises.
Doing so offers some more benefits:
When using a timer while practicing the drums, you can focus a lot easier on one topic. You also get motivated, because you don’t feel the need to practice for hours on end.
Another benefit is the focus you get. Knowing
- what you do,
- how long you will
- and why you do what you do
is really helpful. Not only in terms of drumming.
Simply set the timer and adjust it to your span of concentration. For me, I know I can concentrate up to 20 minutes on drum practice. Then I go for a short break.
And if you’re working on your drumming speed, it might be only 10 or 5 minutes of brain-capacity.
That’s perfectly fine as well. Just practice the way which is best for you.
5) Make a plan on how to drum faster
Would you go by train without knowing its destination? I guess not.
Do you know where you’re going with your drum set practice routine? No?
Then you can work on this too. Just write down how fast you want to play the drums by a certain date.
Now, you can work on this on a regular basis.
Make sure to document your
- feel good drumming tempo for each exercise.
- Then, constantly add up to 5 BPM at maximum each time you practice.
- You might need to lower the tempo at some points.
Remember: The next plateau is often reached after a set-back or being stuck for a longer time. Be patient, brave and optimistic!
Simply enjoy your journey. But also be smart. You wouldn’t go by a random train. You shouldn’t do this as a musician as well.
So setting goals is highly important not only for drummers. And start making up at least one for you NOW.
6) Tune your drums to get the right tension
A fine drum tuning not only is nice to your ears, but also a great way to easily drum faster.
May I ask a question?
When did you tune your drums the last time?
If you don’t remember, maybe you want to do so today. Thing is: The drum heads loosen over time.
For this reason, the tension becomes lower. This makes faster drumming harder.
A great example for this is the snare drum compared to the floor tom:
The head of the snare is usually tuned relatively high. The tension is as well.
On the contrary, the floor tom is tuned quite deep. So using the Finger Technique in general is much harder. Even strokes with your wrists might take more effort.
If you want to naturally play faster, simply tune your drum heads regularly. That’s such an easy way to improve your speed.
7) Make sure you’re drumming technique works
Drumming technique? Yes, I have to write about it again. But I make it short. I’ve already talked about it a lot in this article.
So make sure that you’re using the right drumming technique. Also take care of your grip.
And please: Ask a teacher if you have any problems with that. I’m not a technique bum, but it’s the basis for becoming the drummer you want to be. And CAN be.
8) Stay in for the long-run!
Becoming a skilled drummer takes time. It’s not an achievement you can expect to simply overnight. Take your time and stay in for the long-run.
Yes, this means learning to play the drum set can be annoying sometimes. You are likely to have some not so nice moments.
Also, it’s not unlikely that now and then you might even get really frustrated.
But don’t worry:
You can become a great drummer too.
The only things you need are
- being willing to learn,
- keep going (persistency!) and
- have fun.
The latter in my opinion is the most important aspect. Let’s be real: If something isn’t fun, you’ll likely not do it for the time it would be needed to master it.
I’m almost sure that everybody can be a great drummer. BUT: Not everybody is willing to do what has to be done to achieve this goal.
The same goes for the wish to be able to drum faster.
If you’re slow like a turtle on the back and still don’t make adjustments to the way you practice, you’re likely not getting other results than before.
It might sound harsh, yes.
But I’m here to help you, not to make friends. For this reason, let us sum up of all of our hacks now.
How you can drum faster: All hacks summed up
- Keep your movements low.
- Get the right drum sticks.
- Use the rebound.
- Work with the click & a timer.
- Make a plan and set goals.
- Tune your drum heads.
- Check your drumming technique.
- Hang in there. 🙂
Any questions?
Leave a comment down below. I’m glad to help you out.
Cheers,
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