My sis got a drum kit for her birthday today. Shes pretty lost on where to start. shes planning to learn from youtube videos. Its a pretty standard electronic full drum kit. Where do you guys suggest she starts at? Songs to learn first? simple beats? Thanks for the help guys!

I think drums are awesome, I wish I could play them. A few years back I had the opportunity to borrow my friend's drum kit for a few months and I played it every day. I learned AC/DC and Metallica stuff and played random things I came up with. It was really the best time I've ever had playing an instrument.

So, well, if I was able to learn a few AC/DC and Metallica beats I'm sure your sister would be able to start out with them. But like I said I can't play so I'm not the best person to give advice. In any case I wish her all the best!

Just ask her to watch this and she'll be just fine.

Big Bad Bernard

Honestly, get her to listen to her favorite music and play along to them. It doesn't have to be note for note either. She should start off simple and build her way up. And when she listens to music, tell her to try to hear the individual drums in the song. It will help her to understand what drum makes what noise. And most of all, don't get discouraged if you can't play right off the bat. Learning the drums takes a lot of time and effort and if you stick with it, it will eventually come. I've been playing now for about 7 years now and I'm still learning all the small things every day.

Best of luck!!!

First of all, I would want to know what the intentions behind playing are -- do you want to eventually join a band and start playing shows, or do you want to just be able to play on your own accord?

But either way, the most important lesson --- buy a metronome. Play to it religiously. If you cant keep time, you may as well be a guitarist, or worse yet, a lead singer...HA! (insert obligatory rimshot here)

If she is right-handed, tell her to eat with her left hand, brush teeth w/left hand, try to write with your left hand. Do absolutely everything with her left hand. Hell tell her to do it as long as she drums. This is very important and will help a whole lot.

Tell her whenever she hears any music to tap both her feet, tap her fingers/hands.

If you play guitar or anything, play together as much as possible. There is no better way to learn than to actually play with someone.

Learn to keep a basic beat. Do that for a while and build on that.

If she is really young, get her to join the school band. The best drummers I know learned from a school band.

She is a freshmen in high school. I keep trying to get her to practice but she makes up a bunch of excuses to avoid. Mainly because she's pretty lazy. Ill tell her those tips though! Ill try and get her hyped up for it.

Im also worried she might not really be interested in the drums. Im starting to think its because i can play guitar and she wants something like that in her life she is good at. I think she will get over it eventually. She just doesn't realize that she has a lot of years ahead of her to find stuff she's good at. She just feels like she doesn't because she sees me already trying to find a career path in life. Being in a band. But i didn't do any of this stuff till far into my high school years.

Yeah its never too late to start. Drumming is really fun regardless of if you are playing basic stuff or complicated but you have to be dedicated. Why did she get a drum kit if she wasn't interested?

Well she wanted to learn. But i think only because she wants something she's better at then me. She even said that to me once i felt so bad I don't think she is really like passionate towards the drums like i am towards guitar which i think with out that its tuff to learn anything.

Well my sister decided drums were not for her... so i decided to move the set downstairs for me to play with. I've been fooling around with it for the past week and have been enjoying it very much! Im thinking about getting a double bass pedal and i've been looking at the DW 5000. It looks incredibly nice and goes for around 70-100 dollars on ebay! What do you guys think i should look at? Im going for 80-120 dollar price range. I don't want anything fancy just something to play with.

Axis Longboards without a doubt. Fuck your cheapness.

Im not gonna spend 500 bucks on a pedal when i have little experience drumming. Im using a shitty electronic set so there is no point in getting a really nice pedal. I just want something that works and i can practice with.

My advice... Start her off with something easy. Like Crusher Destroyer.

Honestly man, don't jump right away at the double pedal. Start with the single to build up your foot speed. When I first started drumming, I bought a Tama Iron Cobra double pedal and totally fucking sucked at it. I took it back in for the Iron Cobra single pedal and I'm glad I did.

But, if you're set on getting a double pedal, check out Gibraltar's Intruder series. They're cheap but have a real solid, sturdy build.

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/pro...edal?sku=490717

You can probably even get them cheaper on eBay.

Not to be a nay sayer, but electronic was not the best decision for a first time set. Aside from that though, just start off with basic sticking excercises, 4/4 beats, and foot control. I wouldn't start playing to band's music right away because it will force you into a niche and limit your natural ability to create.

This thread is making me miss my Ludwig/Zildjian set back in Colorado.

Don't by any means jump right into double bass. Rushing into something like that at such an early time of drumming will only hinder you in the long run. Drums are not about being the fastest and busiest instrument in the band. Build up your right foot and gain foot indepence by learning how to use your left foot on the hihat. There is much to be said about bands that I imagine you'll take inspiration from in drumming (Mastodon being a given and probably other bands in more proggy contexts or technical metal) but they didn't start out just going insane. Give yourself some time as a beginner and build up. The last thing you want is a super nice DW 5000 within your first few weeks and giving up on drums because you can't use the damn thing.

If i had the option of getting a real drum set i would've, but i have absolutely no where to put it. Even the electronic one is in an awkward place because we couldn't find a place for it. Yeah i've been doing 4/4 beats and trying to get more elaborate with the bass such as "1 1-2 1 1-2". Besides just messing around i've been attempting to play along with songs. I can play most of "Sugar" By System of a down. Which was the first full song i learned on guitar. Thats just my way of learning i play along with a bunch of different songs and develop a unique style.

Thanks for the help though guys i am going to Guitar Center today maybe to just look around. I am probably not gonna buy the pedal anymore. Would buying a new single pedal be worth it? The one it came with is pretty shitty and hard to control but i mean it works. And if i am gonna buy a single pedal why not just get the double pedal and if i can use it right away just use one of the pedals did i progress a little more.

Starting out with shitty equipment kinda makes you appreciate the good stuff more once you can afford it and use it. I'd just use what you have for now, get comfortable on it, and then slowly introduce new variables into your playing i.e. new petal, Splash cymbol, heavier sticks, etc. Basically anything you can thing of to change on the set if possible and will change how you play/sound.

Stick with a single petal for now.

Your sister shouldn't have given up on the drum kit so easily
she doesn't have to aspire to be the next great drummer, but just find joy in playing.

As others have mentioned, jam along. Some of the best music came from siblings, like: AC/DC, Van Halen, Heart, and Pantera, to name a few.

Shortyz have you ever taken one decision entirely by yourself in your life?

Yeah. I took your guy's advice and didn't get the pedals and got a DVD and some nice sticks. The sticks are a hell of a lot easier on my hands since they absorb the shock a bit more for the shitty hard drum heads. I watched the DVD and already i learned i was doing so many things wrong.


Sure i have. But i like getting others opinion who know what there doing rather than doing something on my own and regretting it later. You know?