hi im just wondering how you guys like to learn new things. i like to slow it down and then learn it slowly and get faster.

i like to use a metronome just so i cant naturaly slow down or speed up to make it feel more "comfortable" while learning the skeleton of the beat or grrove. then when i get the beat itself down i like to try to go in and out of it while playing stuff around it. then i like to play the beat, throw in a fill and get back into the beat. by that point you should be able to fluesntly use it in context of playing along to a song. and finally, i like to try to tweak it or "sweet" it out by taking the idea of the beat and giving it my own flavor.

i dont hav a metrenome which kind works best for you?

you can buy a cheap one for under 20 bucks. i dont get into anything super fancy with it. just keeping the quater not and the occasional 8th note subdivision is plenty for me. quicktime makes some good cheaper ones with just the basic features

I have a tama rhythm watch I like to use....around 100 bux.You can program 20 different b.p.m's plus I like getting the 8th note sounds.I sometimes use the learning method drummer2tk posted or sometimes I mess around with a beat or fill for awhile then put it to the rhythm watch.Thats what I love about the drums...the freedom is endless.

you don't need anything fancy, but I like the DB-90 (google Dr. Beat to find) because I can program it to keep the beat in odd meters and subdivide by quarter, eigth, sixteenth notes, or by triplets. It's expensive, but its pretty amazing and has room for about 50 or so saved programable rhythms.

hear's something nifty as well.

http://www.metronomeonline.com/








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M.U.S.I.C.- Make up something interesting and complementary- Neil Peart

Without music, Life would be an error- Friedrich Nietzsche

Well, how I learn new things is by watching videos on youtube haha. I just watch my fav drummer then try to extract what I like from it. There are some instructional clips on youtube as well. Look up Derek Pope. Another good thing is playing music that has no drums and making parts to it.

the best way too learn new solos fills etc. First dont try and listen to just one band. Because then it's as if your narrow-minded. after you listen to a couple of bands even if it is in a genre you dont like then you grasp the basic idea. As in you wont need a metronome yet. Just try and get the idea of how the beat goes and what exactly it does. After you get down what and how to do the beat Pull out the Metronome and start slow and build up. The best way to speed is accuracy.

If I'm copying something exactly, like for a cover song, I can usually just listen to the song to figure it all out. I get the basic beats down, then add in any extra accents and fills. If the fills are hard or I'm not used to playing that style I'll isolate the fill to practice it and then throw it in the beat at whatever speed I can play it at. I also try to find videos or watch the drummer play parts I can't figure out to see how he does it. Then I get everything smoothed out and in the right tempo.

If I'm coming up with something new, I usually just jam out on some ideas until I'm in the mood and/or groove for making something up. If I'm trying to mimic another guy's style I'll do nothing but listen to his stuff constantly and then play something similar to what I think he'd do with a guitar riff I make up in my head. Unfortunately the last time I did this I was trying to mimic Chris Adler and the beat I came up with was on the 7th track of Lamb of God's new CD that I got a week later. So I mimicked him perfectly, but he stole his beat back.








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8-piece Mapex Vx
5-piece Premier 1960s vintage

custom vintage Mapex 5-piece (for sale)

The DB-90's Not too fancy, eh? I love my Boss DB-60: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Boss-DB60-Dr.-Beat-Metronome?sku=213015 It has more functionality than I'd ask for, is backlit, compact as hell, & cutesy in me hand!








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~ Alex.
See my Band "ToneDrones" & Drum pix @ 2 MySpace URLs:

My Band: http://www.myspace.com/tonedrones &

Me Self: http://www.myspace.com/alexander23

practice practice practice.
and play along to your favorite cds.








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word

that's a great way to go about it.that is how i teach my students,learn it slow first,and then when you are comfortable with it bring your tempo up gradually.Just remember though it is not about how fast you can play it.Being musical and having a good feel are what are important.

Seeing as though i studied Creative Music & Sound Technology at university, i have a decent audio PC, laptop and music recording, editing, sequencing, sampling and synthesis software at my disposal. The way i do it is i will take a track off a cd and slow it down using media player speed settings. As ive played it through a few times and learnt the song i will speed it back up. I also record what i am playing so i can criticise myself. The third thing i can do is use cubase sx to program a click track to play along to and put sections in with different tempos so you learn to accurately switch between tempo sections. This is a really easy (and cheaper than buying a metronome if you already own the software, ) way of making you play at rock steady tempos an will ultimately aid your natural rhythm.

What I do is listen to my most inspirational drummer/drummers and listen to the beat and try to play it. Start simple though, don't get to cocky, I always like to go into my own drum solos for 20 minutes. I flip down my snare and just play whatever comes to me.








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I got it from uh, the get wet shop!

this works for me: if i hear something that i can't do, then that's what i practice.
if i really really just want to learn a new technique then i surround myself with music that uses that technique, then go and try it. slowly at first, but then i speed up.

if you just want to improve your solos, i'd suggest mizing and matching rudiments within some of your own original beats. i do this with my hands and my feet.








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Speak the rhythm with your hands.

http://www.myspace.com/yjamband



Pearls, Zildjians, Vics, Evans.

kebin131 wrote:

Another good thing is playing music that has no drums and making parts to it.

I love doing that to romantic and 20th century composers, its the best way to jam when there's no one to play with. There's more inspiration to be found in the head of most of those guys than oxygen in the air.








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M.U.S.I.C.- Make up something interesting and complementary- Neil Peart

Without music, Life would be an error- Friedrich Nietzsche