Learn how to know your place in a song. Drummers can developed an awareness of where they are in the section of a song. It can become nearly sub-conscious. A great way to begin is by understanding four-bar divisions. It allows a drummer to know when they’re four bars in, halfway through, or at the end of a section. Mastering this enables a drummer to feel the music without having to think about it. Continue reading
dy•nam•ics |dīˈnamiks| The levels of volume in music.
Dynamics are the levels of volume in music, an important aspect of music. Drums are especially good at playing dynamics. Since drums are inherently loud, it reveals skill when a drummer plays quietly. Nonetheless, it is often the loud parts that are the most exciting. Playing a contrast between soft and loud can make music more interesting.
As a drum teacher, I’ve found useful ways to help drummers understand dynamics. Continue reading
Knowing how to write drum notation gives you an advantage as a student and a performer. You will often find it useful to write a drum rhythm or fill that you want to remember.
The note head shown above is a note ball. It is not a perfect circle; it’s slightly oval. This is what notes normally look like. Continue reading