Drum lessons not only teach you how to play different techniques and abilities, they also help to direct you in teaching yourself how to play the drums. What ever your skill level is on the drums, lessons is never a bad option. Every drummer should take some sort of drum lesson to consistently increase their skills on the drums. Now there are a lot of different types of drum lessons you can take, so how do you know which ones are the best? This article is designed to explain the many different types of drum lessons available for drummers, and which ones work the best!
One of the most common types of drum lessons available to drummers is private drum lessons. This is where you find an instructor, meet up at a studio, and get one on one lessons and instruction from him/her. There are a lot of pros and cons to this method. Private lessons are always a good choice because you actually get a coach to see where you are struggling or where you need improvement. Having someone to be there and guide you through things is always the best thing to do. However, there are a lot of problems that can come with this.
The first is being able to find a decent drum instructor in your area. Most major cities have a large variety of drummers that are great for lessons; however what about smaller cities and towns. If you cannot find a decent drummer to teach you, there is no point in getting private lessons at all. The other issue with personal lessons is the cost of them. Most lessons in this manner can cost anywhere from $40 – $70 an hour. This can add up fast. Also, if your instructor is a talker, you may end up paying for a full hour lesson where you may only learn a half hours worth of material! So if you cannot afford much, you may want to look for other options.
Another form of lesson is the instructional video and DVD series. There are literally hundreds of different DVD’s and other videos you can purchase all about drumming. Now some of these videos may teach better then the other, however the amount you can learn just by watching instructional DVD’s is amazing. Again there are plusses and minuses to this form as well, so make sure you understand them before you decide if this method is for you. The biggest benefit to instructional DVD’s is you learn at your own pace. This is great for drummers who need the extra time to learn a technique or drum beat; they can take all the time they need. Also, you can rewind, fast forward, and watch each groove over and over to make sure you nail it!
Another benefit to learning off of instruction videos is the amount of variety there is. If you want to learn how to play Latin drums, or Jazz drums, you can find a product specifically designed for that area of drumming. With private instruction, your teacher may not know how to play Latin, or double bass at all; how will you learn these concepts if your instructor doesn’t even know them? Because you can get these videos from all over the world, you get a large variety of professional drummers teaching you different techniques!
The last form of instruction is growing rapidly in the drumming community – online drum lessons. The main reason for this is the fact that they are free, and on demand. Free online drum lessons are great if you are looking for a quick lesson on a certain topic, or a drum beat. You can usually find them online. Websites like FreeDrumLessons.com, the Rock Drumming Underground, and How To Play Drums all offer a large variety of free drum lessons and drum videos. The big downfall to this though is most of these sites are not very in depth. Most online lessons offer a quick lesson on a beat or style, and do not dive into much detail. For example, you may learn how to play a basic Latin beat online, but you may not be able to learn where that beat came from, or how to make beats like that.
So as you can see, there are many different ways you can learn the drums. It is always good to pursue your drumming skills by always learning and always taking lessons. You can never learn absolutely everything on the drums, so why stop? Remember what I said above though, make sure you know which way teaches you the best. I would suggest you try out each form of lesson to see which one works the best for you. Check out the links portion of this websites to find websites full of lessons, instructional DVD’s, and private instructors! Check out the drum education links section to find other free online lessons.
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