You’ve finally decided to learn how to play the drums, but you don’t know where to start ? You’re looking for lessons to progress quickly, mixing theory and practice exercises ? Don’t panic, Drumstik have what you need ! Camille Greneron, drums teacher and professional drummer, realized 4 videos presenting the basics of the drums. The complete lesson lasts 45 minutes, and all exercise files are included for you to practice. With Drumstik, you can even analyze your timing in real-time, and track your progress step by step, until you reach 100% !
This lesson is accessible to everyone, and only requires a pad and drumsticks to work. Besides, it’s silent! The lesson is composed of 4 chapters which will allow you to develop good reflexes and to start on solid basis:
First of all, you will learn the fundamentals of hand playing on the drums to start with a solid groundwork : how to place the elements around you, how to position yourself behind your kit, how to hold your drumsticks and how to use them. So you will learn what the clamp and the envelope are, and the different types of strikes will no longer hold any secrets for you.
In the second chapter, you will discover the rudiments! What is a rudiment and how we use it? The rudiments were basically played in the military ranks to walk in step and keep pace. These are the basis of all rhythms. We find them in simple music track but also in complex grooves! They will help you improve your dexterity, control and precision. A rudiment is an alternation of hands (a fingering) and a throughput (a number of regular strokes given in one beat).
Your first challenge will be to perform simple stroke roll, double stroke roll, and paradiddle. And there, you’re probably wondering what that means !
The simple stroke roll, double stroke roll and paradiddle are fingerings. It’s all about the alternation of hands (right hand = R, left hand = L) :
In this context, the 8th note designates the number of strokes that are given between two beats. Here, it’s about giving two strokes between two beats. On a 4-beat quarter-note, we will therefore strike 8 times.
Camille will teach you how to perform the various fingerings different speed. By starting from slow tempos and gradually arriving at faster tempos, your goal will be to master them at all speeds !
After working on the 8th note, you will learn to play the rudiments in 8th triplet! So now, we switch to ternary ! It means that we no longer divide time in two, but in three.
You will no longer have to give two strokes per time, but three strokes per time! Since the rate is odd, you will have to be careful with your fingerings. The level is slowly increasing, but we’re sure you’ll pass this challenge !
To complete this lesson, you will learn the rudiments in 16th note, which means, 4 strokes per beat! You will have to be quick! At this speed, do not hesitate to start very slowly, before gradually accelerating. You will have to be regular and precise.
Once you have become an expert on all of these rudiments, you can proceed to the next lesson available on the app: « My First Rhythms »! A complete course to put it all into practice!
How do you know if you have mastered these notion if nobody evaluates you ? The Drumstik app is here for you! For each lesson, all exercises are available to work over! If you have an electronic kit, you will not only be able to read, but also check your timing in real time to know if you are playing perfectly in rhythm!
Every time you practice, your performance is saved in the app. So you can visualize your progress easily with a nice graph! Your goal? Reach the score of 100%! Once you have reached this score on one exercise, you can move on to the next one. The Drumstik application is designed to provide you with personalized, objective and motivating follow-up !
Drumstik is the tool you need if you are starting out and want to progress quickly! It will allow you to take detailed lessons, to be able to practice with exercises and to be able to follow your progress over the days! To access this course and enjoy the coach mode, you can start your free trial now.