Songstuff: Getting Started With Drums

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The Revelation Of Syncopation

Our resident drumming expert Tom Hoffman introduces Syncopation and discusses why it is so important for drummers to understand how to use syncopation. The lesson is in a mixed video and text format. By Tom Hoffman

Crash Cymbal Drills For Skills

In this the 3rd part of a 3 part tutorial on crash cymbals, Crash Cymbal Drills For Skills introduces 2 exercise to hone your crash cymbal skills. The lesson is presented in a mix of text and video. By Tom Hoffman

Crash Cymbal Skills

This second part of the cymbal skills tutorial addresses staccato crashes and 2-handed crash cymbal technique. By Tom Hoffman

Fundamentals Of Cymbal Crashes

First in a series of 3 articles addressing the role of cymbal crashes in modern drumming. This tutorial covers the fundamentals and basic technique By Tom Hoffman

The Role Of Rolls

Ever wondered about the role of rolls? This article explores the basics of drum rolls and how they are used by trap-set drummers, giving clear demonstration by video accompanied by an written explanation. By Tom Hoffman

By Dan Jacobs

Personal Bio

Hi, I'm Dan Jacobs from sunny Ipswich, I started to play the Drum Kit a month before my 22nd birthday, which is a very late start indeed, I'm now 29 years of age, As well as agency work playing at weddings and corporate events - I play for a local original band called "FINN" a melodic rock band with catchy songs in 6/8, 4/4 & 7/8 time, the challenge for me with this band is that I play all the percussion at the same time as keeping the groove flowing - which to me looks and sounds great!

Dan Jacobs

I have been professionally schooled at DrumTech drum & percussion school in West London where I graduated in 2001.

Having been a teacher ever since I have seen many different students of all levels and abilities, understanding their faults as a player and giving them practical exercises to overcome their specific weaknesses.

I have self published a Drum Kit education book entitled "What Do You Practice?" which has almost sold out and I have written my own drum course which I use as teaching material along with other ideas.

I haven't played with any "Huge" named people or done any "massive" gigs in front of millions of people, however I do know and understand a whole host of Drum Kit Techniques and Styles used by world class professionals and how your body works with the Kit to play the best you can.

Starting out

So lets get into this, you are thinking of purchasing your first drum kit? What do you need to think about before you buy?

Three main types of kit exist in Drum Shops

1) A Starter Kit

This will be a cheap drum kit, around £250, and will come complete with hardware (stands & pedal) and with cymbals, these kits are great for the beginner on a low budget and although they won't sound amazing - you can still learn the same techniques and styles to get to a pro level. Note: If you just change from factory skins to leading brand drum skins the kit will sound tonnes better.

2) A Mid-Range Kit

This will be a middle of the road drum kit which is the choice of many ? I actually know of people who use these kits on world tours so they are definitely good kits, between the £400-£700 mark these kits will come complete with good quality hardware but no cymbals, again just changing the drum skins will give the kit a better sound.

3) A High-End Kit

This will only come as a shell pack, in other words no hardware and no cymbals, priced between £1600-£5000+ a lot of people opt for these kinds of kit if they can afford it because their favourite drummer plays one (who will be endorsed so doesn't have to buy it himself) but at the end of the day if you think about it - when you play the drums your are striking a skin with air in between another skin, therefore if you have a high-end maple drum shell

You will undoubtedly obtain a nice warm sound, however you can still get a low budget kit to sound great buy replacing the skins and really tuning each drum separately starting with the bass drum and working backwards to the first tom tom.

So with that knowledge go down to your local drum shop and spend hours there testing different kits and even changing the skins and testing again, the difference can be quite amazing.

There is so much to think about to get everything right once you have bought a kit, the worst thing in the world is to set your drums up exactly like your drum hero as he or she may be taller, shorter or have longer arms etc, this wouldn't be a natural flow for your own body - if you set up your stool and bass drum to a comfortable level, not sitting too high, then literally hold your sticks out in front of you, the centre of each tom tom should be where the tip of the sticks naturally fall, this applies for all the tom toms, make sure you can easily reach all the cymbals without too much movement (as this wastes energy) and that there is always a nice straight line from your elbow to the end of the stick. Well that's enough from me for now, until next time keep playing, any questions please email me or checkout the website (See Links below) I'd also like suggestions for future articles to help you overcome any problem areas! So what are you waiting for?

Discuss this article in our Music Forum.

About Dan Jacobs

Dan studied at DrumTech (Drum & Percussion School) in West London in 2001 and graduated in December of that year passing every exam. He plays for a local band and teaches full time at a local college.

www.ukfunctionbands.co.uk

www.danjacobs.tk