How to practice

Enthusiasm is the fuel to improve the quality of your game. You must be working on grooves and fills, playing along to songs, looking for different videos on YouTube, attending concerts, studying from textbooks, jamming with other musicians. All of the above is the key to success. But how you allocate time between these items and how you structure your activities determines the pace of your growth. In this article, you will find some tips to help you make the most of your practice time.


Listen, practice and play.

When improving your kit playing skills, the focus should be on these three things.

At times, it can be uncomfortable to play the rig every day. On days when you can't sit down, take the time to listen to your favorite bands and learn about the great drummers past and present. It is during listening that you get new ideas and add them to your game. This also includes watching videos. You will even remember better what you see and hear at the same time.

If you frequently rehearse or perform, you may not have enough time to practice. This is fine. Ideally, you should listen, practice and play equally, but not necessarily in the same day.


Make a list.

The first step to organizing the best classes is to make a list of the new things you want to learn. It may include Swiss rudiments, quad coordination, gimbal technique, line fills, Afro-Cuban rhythms.

Next, create a list of areas where you want to improve. It's very useful to be able to distinguish between what you can achieve using concepts you've already learned from what you've never learned before.

Now name six bands or artists you would like to play with. The purpose of this paragraph is to help you understand what styles of music to develop and what concepts to put in the first place during practice.


Set goals for the near and far future

Immediate goals will help determine the following: "By next week or month, I want to be able to do this and that." Long-range goals are what you want to achieve in a year or more. For example, auditioning for a big name band or becoming a session musician. Goals make you more focused and give direction to your practice. Achieving goals is a great motivation and boosts self-esteem. When you have set goals for yourself, you are definitely ready to make a really effective thing out of practice.

What time is it?

Before you start, decide how much time you will give to the practice. Make sure the number is real and comfortable for you. For sure there will be a difference between how much time you want to devote to classes and how much time you have at your disposal. The amount of time is not as important as the quality of its use. Practice for results.

Then decide what time of day you can exercise on a regular basis. Setting aside a certain segment of the day strictly for classes is more likely to succeed.


Balance your "diet"

In the process of choosing what to work on, I recommend paying attention to what develops technique, reading and coordination. These days, becoming a good drummer requires a high level of technique, a well-developed ability to read (counting and sheet music) and coordination (4 limbs). The best way to prioritize exercise is to focus on what fits in with your current abilities.

For example, developing jazz independence is essential to playing in a jazz ensemble. But if you're currently hanging out with rockers, it's best to focus on what's needed for rock, like fill-in "vocabulary", emphasizing downbeats, and memorizing song structures; then you can start adding jazz to your game. If you haven't played with anyone yet, hone in on the concepts that will help you play with the bands you have on your list.


Become a Creator

It is very important to take time for creative activities. Spend this time creating new rhythms, soloing, combining different styles, and so on. In the real world of professional music, your success largely depends on your interpretation of the music. If you rip out exercise books all the time, then your creativity will drop to a catastrophically low level.