I remember when I was first learning to play the drums how frustrated I got when I couldn’t master a technique or some rhythm pattern that I had heard. My sage advice – don’t sweat it; you’re just learning. Learning to play the drums is extremely frustrating if you have never played drums before. But don’t quit! Never, never, never quit! You will learn to play if you keep on going and thumpin’ out the tunes.

Don’t try to compare yourself to other people either. You’ll have your own style, technique all your own, and you’ll learn at your pace. Just because it seems like someone else is learning faster than you are, that’s no reason to stop what you’re doing. Be patient and give yourself the time to learn. Learning to play any instrument just takes time, but it’s so worth it if you stick to it.

Here’s four main things you should keep in mind when learning to play the drums.

1. Be Patient! Nobody is perfect overnight. Like all musical instruments (or sports, or other hobbies) it takes time to develop some skills. You’ll get the chops, but you’ve got to work on it. Remember that everything that you take for granted today was at one time a learned skill. You couldn’t do squat when you’re a baby J I’m sure it was frustrating trying to learn to ride a bike for the first time, but you got over your frustration.

2. Practice, Practice, Practice, dude!

All the skills that are required to be a good drummer will only come with lots of practice. Not just any practice, but like one of my instructors said, “perfect practice makes perfect.” So you have to make your practices count and try to practice at the best level you can always trying to play the lesson as perfect as possible. Good drummers require a lot of coordination, timing and a basic ear for the beat of the music.

Now you don’t have to play your lesson perfectly the first time, practice a little at a time, and if you feel you’re just not getting it, put the drumsticks down and come back later to try it once more. So don’t just thump around to say you put your practice time in, make sure you’re doing your learning with the goal of doing it as perfect as you possibly can.

3. Don’t Compare Yourself!

Just don’t do this. My dad always told me, “son, you’ve got talent, so just play the best that you can. Don’t worry about anyone else. There’s always somebody who is taller, looks better, runs faster, and yes, plays the drums better. But you just have to be yourself.” I’ve followed that advice, and now I enjoy watching, talking and learning from other drummers who I admire and admit have better skills or techniques than I do.

But that doesn’t stop me from playing my style and adding my beat for the music world to hear.

4. You’ve got to love it!

I play the drums because I love it. My music is a place where I can go and be myself and contribute to the music world. If you want to be a drummer, then keep your dream alive and in front of you. Get some posters, photos, etc. of your favorite drummers, and that will remind you of where you’re headed. There’s always roadblocks, but like anything in life, you find a way around them.

Life will try to get in your way of learning the drums, but in time you’ll figure out a way to get the job done if you love it enough.

So get out there and practice and play with passion!

Humper-T