Referring to the famous adage “Practice makes perfect”, Vince Lombardi once said, “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect”. The legendary NFL coach was onto something. He understood a principle that can be applied to just about any sport, art, job, or hobby – that practice will help you get better, but practicing the right way will help you be your best.
Many drummers could benefit from embracing this concept. They may want to improve, but results come at a snail’s pace or just don’t stick. Some of that’s just part of the learning process. Some of it may be the result of not practicing enough. But many times, some basic practice-time tweaks would lead to big gains.
We came up with 4 tips that can help you get the most out of your practice routine. Maybe you already use one or two of them yourself, but others can help you improve something in your drumming. If you’re just starting out, these could help you establish good practice habits at the ground floor. Regardless of your situation, this list should at least get you thinking about how to improve your time in the practice room.
On with the list! These are 4 foundational practice tips for drummers.
1. Consistency is Key
Every drummer’s practice schedule is different. Some fortunate drummers can practice for many hours a week, while others are only able to play for an hour or two. For the majority of drummers, things like jobs, school, and family responsibilities take up most of their time, then maybe there’s some time left over to get alone behind the drum set.
Your purpose for playing drums will also determine how much time you spend practicing. If you’re simply playing for enjoyment and you’re content with your current abilities, practicing for a very small amount of time may be fine. However, if you want to improve your skills, you’ll need to commit more time to practice. In that case, consistency is important to keep in mind. It’s not just how much time you spend, it’s how that time is spread out.
Our minds tend to learn on a deeper level when we’re not cramming everything into a short time. You may know this from studying in school. Maybe you had a big test. You crammed for hours the night before and still did well, but after a few weeks, you probably forgot much of what you learned. That’s because cramming the learning process into a short time is ineffective for long-term understanding. If you studied that subject a little bit, a few days per week throughout the semester, you would have retained more knowledge on a much deeper level.
Learning drums is similar. For more foundational improvement, you’ll want to spread out your practice time as much as you can. Maybe that means instead of doing an hour one day and no time the next, getting on the drums for 45 minutes one day, then 15 minutes on a practice pad the next. Instead of two hours every few days, try 30 minutes per day, if possible.
That way, you can learn a small amount, your brain can process that information, and you can keep your chops in tip-top shape. Over time, you’ll find that you retain more of what you learned, understand concepts on a deeper level, and your hands and feet will feel strong.
2. Work on Your Weaknesses
Working on your drumming weaknesses can be really frustrating. You’ll generally sound bad, feel uncoordinated, and progress at a slow pace. That’s why many drummers stick with what they do best. That could mean their best tempo, best genre, best feel, or best drum fills. Even if they practice something they’re bad at for a few minutes, most of their practice time tends to go back to playing what they already do well. It’s comfortable and it’s fun to sound good.
If you’re OK with your current skill level, there’s nothing wrong with sticking with what you’re comfortable with. If you want to make bigger strides, however, you’ll need to identify and work on your weaknesses.
Weaknesses vary by the player, but every drummer has them. It could be speed, control, a certain limb, rudiments, foot technique, rushing or dragging, or any number of other things. Sometimes they’re specific to a genre, while other times they’re more general. What are your drumming weaknesses? It can be a good idea to jot down your weaknesses on paper and keep the list by your practice kit. That way, you won’t forget to use a portion of your time to work on those things.
Again, it may be frustrating at first. But once your weakest areas of play start to improve, you’ll be happy you put the time in. You may even turn a weakness into a strength. One common example is hi-hat foot techniques, like playing straight eighth-notes. Many drummers struggle keeping a steady pulse going with their hi-hat foot while they play the rest of the kit. The foot tends to rush, drag, or miss notes altogether. By working on it a little every day, it can become very natural. After mastering the technique, many drummers love using those hi-hat patterns to fill out their sound.
Whatever your weaknesses are, embrace the struggle to improve on them. Dedicate a good portion of your practice time to focus on those areas, even though it’s not as fun as playing what you’re already good at. You’ll end up being a better drummer in the end.
3. Slow Down… Way Down
Practicing slowly is something we discuss in more length in Want To Become A Better Drummer? Slow Down!, but we’ll get into the gist of it here. Using very slow tempos as part of your practice routine is one of the most under-appreciated, effective things you can do as a drummer. It can help you solidify technique, develop coordination, and internalize concepts more deeply. It’s especially useful when you’re learning something completely new.
When we say ‘slow’, we mean very slow. Maybe slower than you’ve ever practiced. In our other post about this topic, we mentioned the great drummer, Steve Smith. He’s one of the most technically-proficient drummers in the world, but he finds great value in practicing very slowly. For example, while he was learning a new advanced bass drum technique, seen in this YouTube video, he actually spent months learning it at super-slow speeds… like 20 beats-per-minute slow! You don’t necessarily have to dedicate that kind of time to learning a new technique, but it’s a testament to this type of practice.
The main idea is to put your drumming under a microscope. Think of it as watching a slow-motion video clip. You perceive way more detail when observing at slow speeds. When you repeat it over and over, you pick up more and more. With drum technique, your mind can fully grasp every wrist motion, finger stroke, or heel movement. With drum fills, you can focus intensely on posture, elbow positions, or sticking patterns. Hopefully, you’ll find inefficiencies, which are often hidden among a flurry of other activity.
When you’re satisfied with your internalization of an idea, speed up 5% and repeat. Then go another 5%, and so on, always analyzing. Don’t get impatient and speed up too fast. If it takes weeks or longer to feel comfortable and efficient, that’s OK. If you start to make mistakes or feel inefficient, back the tempo down again. Whenever you get up to speed, you’ll have a much deeper understanding of what you’re doing than if you just pushed your limits from the start.
It may seem boring at first, but if you incorporate super-slow tempos while learning new concepts, you’ll see positive results. You’ll gain a clearer idea of both your body and whatever concept you’re learning. The best part is that a deeper understanding of fundamentals benefits every other aspect of your drumming in the future, as well.
4. Record Yourself
It’s hard to overstate the value of recording yourself playing drums. There’s no other way to hear yourself from an outsider’s perspective. You can practice hours per day, but are you sure you sound the way you think? If you don’t record yourself from time to time, you’re missing out on a very valuable practice tool. Plus, because almost everyone has a smartphone, it’s never been easier to do.
Recording yourself can be a humbling experience. That’s especially true if you haven’t done it before. Maybe you’ve played drums for years, gotten good at some things, and feel like you have solid feel. Then you record yourself and listen back. You might sound like a different player. The timing could be sloppy, drum fills rush, or even simple patterns you’ve played for years sound bad. It can make you feel a little demoralized. The important thing is to stay positive and know your flaws are correctable.
That’s why recording yourself is so important. You hear the flaws that have always been there without you noticing. Then you’ll know what to work on. We’d recommend recording yourself without a click or backing track, then with a click, then with a backing track. They all serve a purpose. Maybe you’ll find that you have an overly-stiff feel with a click, or you rush your fills when there’s no click to guide you. All of that information is valuable.
On the positive side, recording will also let you hear what you’re doing well. Maybe listening to a take will give you proof that your fills are sounding clean or that your backbeat feels great. It’s important to give yourself credit for your strengths. Those strengths can give you the confidence you need to know there are good aspects to your drumming, while showing you what you can spend less time working on in the practice room.
Wrap-Up
Those are our 4 foundational practice tips for drummers. Getting good at anything takes practice, but to become your best, you’ll want to practice smart. If one or two of these tips sounded like they could help your drumming, try working them into your upcoming practice routine. With a little patience and persistence, you’ll see your drumming reach new heights!
By Peter Treuden – About the Author