I just took a leap of faith and started playing with our church band, we do 5 songs each Sunday. I am self taught and this is the first time I've played with a band... a friend introduced me to counting and showed me his technique for mapping a song, thank you for your video and the free guide. At 65 I am now finally getting to do the things I never had a chance to do!
There is more wisdom in the first three minutes here than in most drumming videos. These are guidelines I've been using unconsciously to appear "better than I am" for years. *Outstanding.*
Singing along with the chord structure/melody line helps a bunch, too. That's how I mentally chart songs. Writing stuff down helps, too, especially if you're prone to get too caught up in the tune.
Getting caught in the music is one of the hardest blocks to me getting further on with my reading. For my first 20 years playing, I was a memoriser. In 2019, I started to learn to read. I'll chart a song and play it a few times - I don't know the song at this stage, so there's nothing *but* to read it. Beyond that point, my well-trained memorising skills start to kick in and I start to learn the song. It's at that point that I start getting tied up in the music and sometimes even forget that the notation is there. I'll stumble at the first odd bit of the structure. Telling myself "forget the music and just read - everything you need is there, you can't screw up!" is such a battle and God knows how long it'll take to make it native.
This works well for certain kinds of music and bands but if you're in a band that plays the songs exact, like a tribute band, there are no shortcuts. You have to learn each song inside and out and that only comes with time and repetition. Not only do you have to learn the drum parts but the feel of the drummer you're playing. You have to climb into their style and into their head. I'm currently playing with a Foo Fighters tribute and that means getting inside the minds of two drummers, Taylor and Dave, since Dave writes a lot of the drum parts too. I break the songs down into each of the parts, intro, verse, chorus, solo, outro, etc. and I learn each part a step at a time. While I'm driving around all day (I'm a truck driver) I listen to the songs over and over so the structures are locked in. I consider a song learned when I can play it beginning to end by myself with no music. Foo Fighters drumming is deceptively difficult on certain songs and can be used as great exercises. Like My Hero and Everlong. Other songs have parts that challenge what you've learned already and force you to expand. I've been playing for over 30 years and just learning these songs has made me a better player.
I have extensive tribute experience and know what you're saying. One long-time tribute I was in, I took to being a "method musician", ie. improvising in the drummer's style, by referring to bootlegs etc. My conundrum these days, having started learning notation in 2019, is to switch off my brain's "tribute-mode" thing. By that I mean, if you're going to quickly learn songs for cover situations, you're going to need to discard alot of the original drum track and give yourself a basic framework to play. I did the tribute thing for so long that it's hard to break back into improvising freely. In the heat of the moment, jamming through new cover songs, my brain screams "YOUR'E NOT PLAYING THE ORIGINAL PARTS!!, with the subsequent load on my "CPU" seeing me fall flat. Who cares if you just stayed on the snare, as opposed to rolling around the toms? This is all despite knowing that it's a waste of time doing tribute-level drums in cover band situations, because bands interpret the songs in their own way and you need to adapt to what they're doing. If it's a band you've never even met before (ie. you're depping), you want a chart loose enough that you can adapt to their version on the fly. But yeah, it's hell breaking out of "tribute-mode" and playing more freely. Despite telling yourself that the average punter doesn't even notice the drums anyway, you still feel like crap for playing what to you feels a bit half-arsed.
Thank you that was a good advice. I'm a variety drummer at the bar and I'm not really well in reading notes,. And it will help me a lot bcoz I have a bunch of song to learn quickly every week and it put to me a lot of pressure.
Hi.. I know its a bit Late for me coz I'm already old but I really want to learn and love to drums.. Hope I will be a good drummer too despite of my health condition.. Thank you I learned some tricks from you..
This only applies to simple songs, step one is everything. There’s no way this works for anything that is beyond your ability, there are no short cuts to success. Good video.
Absolutely AWESOME, informative most helpful video! Thank you so much Stephen, (one of my most kewl internet drum teachers) for all of your videos, they are helping me a great deal!
Best way to learn songs quickly; do the "hard" work consistently over time (years), and develop good technique and ear training that will translate, and carry you into anything you play into the future. Good tips, Stephen! Love the channel! Happy drumming, everyone!
helpful. played pro since 1975 off and on. but.....just started playing in Church worship music. It doesn't follow the usual form of rock pop or country. Road maps/ cheat charts are a must.I have my iPad with my cheat charts near where I can scroll while playing. So I'm looking for ideas to condense my guide chart.
Great video! Great advice! I would, however, add a footnote re: Jazz. This is a genre that is the exception. It absolutely is unpredictable! Period. I've been performing in several Jazz bands and the one thing l've etched in stone is you cannot assume that the "form" will be the same throughout a particular song, let alone the Jazz style/genre itself. And that's the beauty of Jazz! It's unpredictable!! That's why it's such a great style for improvisation and the various instruments you can use with this style! It's not always the usual guitar, bass, [& keyboard!] and drums set-up. You can add a horn section, or not! You can have eclectic instruments such as violins, bagpipes, yes...right, bagpipes, a huge secondary percussion section, pots & pans...seriously, pan pipes, et cetera! That's why you cannot pigeon-hole Jazz as a genre. Jazz is so WIDE open!! Everything & anything can be played and used in Jazz. There's "free form" Jazz as a style, there's Bebop, there's Fusion, there's Traditional Jazz, there's "Big Band", there's Small Ensemble, et cetera! Time doesn't permit me to add to this list, but if one does their homework, a great surprise and appreciation becomes focused in this Artform we call...Jazz. PS: l love your website and teaching! Keep it up. It's needed, my Friend and fellow Drummer! ~steve b. www.pearlstreetlive.com [Don't know if l'm allowed to show my band's web page! If not...jot down the address and then erase it! And again, keep up the great work you're doing! ~s.b.]
Exactly right. And that goes for certain rock genres too. Blues and jam rock comes to mind. You could be playing a 3 or 4 minute song and turn it into a 10 or 12 minute jam on the fly. Thats when you have to be really connected to the guys you're playing with on an energy level. When you're in that kind of a jam you guys are almost communicating telepathically. You just know where it's going to go next and you lay it down like it was written that way. That's being in the zone and that kind of playing is what it's all about. I explain it to non-musicians that it's like having a musical conversation with the people you're playing with, without saying a word, using the music as the language. And we all speak that language fluently.
Would you say this could work equally well for jazz pieces? I'm trying to find an easier way to keep my bearings than following the scores, since they're so long and I've got a lot to focus on in the big band already.
Or if you’re using a click make your own with cues and guide track. I don’t even need to practice with one of my bands anymore because of this set up. Buuut i want I need to learn the parts faster which is why I’m here ! 😎🤘 ”Always cheat when you can . “- Tiger Woods
I just took a leap of faith and started playing with our church band, we do 5 songs each Sunday. I am self taught and this is the first time I've played with a band... a friend introduced me to counting and showed me his technique for mapping a song, thank you for your video and the free guide. At 65 I am now finally getting to do the things I never had a chance to do!
There is more wisdom in the first three minutes here than in most drumming videos. These are guidelines I've been using unconsciously to appear "better than I am" for years. *Outstanding.*
Singing along with the chord structure/melody line helps a bunch, too. That's how I mentally chart songs. Writing stuff down helps, too, especially if you're prone to get too caught up in the tune.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that does that 😁
Guilty of that
Getting caught in the music is one of the hardest blocks to me getting further on with my reading. For my first 20 years playing, I was a memoriser. In 2019, I started to learn to read. I'll chart a song and play it a few times - I don't know the song at this stage, so there's nothing *but* to read it. Beyond that point, my well-trained memorising skills start to kick in and I start to learn the song. It's at that point that I start getting tied up in the music and sometimes even forget that the notation is there. I'll stumble at the first odd bit of the structure. Telling myself "forget the music and just read - everything you need is there, you can't screw up!" is such a battle and God knows how long it'll take to make it native.
This is the best drumming Tutorial Channel around.
I love the Lesson..Hope you will make a worship lesson&tips mostly in building. Thank you❤️
I’ve just used this technique to learn 4 cover songs for a rehearsal. It worked and it was relatively quick. Thanks.
Good advice for beginners drummer
This works well for certain kinds of music and bands but if you're in a band that plays the songs exact, like a tribute band, there are no shortcuts. You have to learn each song inside and out and that only comes with time and repetition. Not only do you have to learn the drum parts but the feel of the drummer you're playing. You have to climb into their style and into their head. I'm currently playing with a Foo Fighters tribute and that means getting inside the minds of two drummers, Taylor and Dave, since Dave writes a lot of the drum parts too. I break the songs down into each of the parts, intro, verse, chorus, solo, outro, etc. and I learn each part a step at a time. While I'm driving around all day (I'm a truck driver) I listen to the songs over and over so the structures are locked in. I consider a song learned when I can play it beginning to end by myself with no music. Foo Fighters drumming is deceptively difficult on certain songs and can be used as great exercises. Like My Hero and Everlong. Other songs have parts that challenge what you've learned already and force you to expand. I've been playing for over 30 years and just learning these songs has made me a better player.
Foo fighters 😂
I have extensive tribute experience and know what you're saying. One long-time tribute I was in, I took to being a "method musician", ie. improvising in the drummer's style, by referring to bootlegs etc. My conundrum these days, having started learning notation in 2019, is to switch off my brain's "tribute-mode" thing. By that I mean, if you're going to quickly learn songs for cover situations, you're going to need to discard alot of the original drum track and give yourself a basic framework to play. I did the tribute thing for so long that it's hard to break back into improvising freely. In the heat of the moment, jamming through new cover songs, my brain screams "YOUR'E NOT PLAYING THE ORIGINAL PARTS!!, with the subsequent load on my "CPU" seeing me fall flat. Who cares if you just stayed on the snare, as opposed to rolling around the toms?
This is all despite knowing that it's a waste of time doing tribute-level drums in cover band situations, because bands interpret the songs in their own way and you need to adapt to what they're doing. If it's a band you've never even met before (ie. you're depping), you want a chart loose enough that you can adapt to their version on the fly. But yeah, it's hell breaking out of "tribute-mode" and playing more freely. Despite telling yourself that the average punter doesn't even notice the drums anyway, you still feel like crap for playing what to you feels a bit half-arsed.
Great content
Amazing lesson! Loved it.
Thank you that was a good advice. I'm a variety drummer at the bar and I'm not really well in reading notes,. And it will help me a lot bcoz I have a bunch of song to learn quickly every week and it put to me a lot of pressure.
Hi.. I know its a bit Late for me coz I'm already old but I really want to learn and love to drums.. Hope I will be a good drummer too despite of my health condition.. Thank you I learned some tricks from you..
Thank you!
This only applies to simple songs, step one is everything. There’s no way this works for anything that is beyond your ability, there are no short cuts to success. Good video.
Thanks man! Helped me out a lot!
Love this. Thanks Stephen! ❤️
This was acc a very good vids thanks, info was direct and useful thank you
Absolutely AWESOME, informative most helpful video!
Thank you so much Stephen, (one of my most kewl internet drum teachers) for all of your videos, they are helping me a great deal!
Best way to learn songs quickly; do the "hard" work consistently over time (years), and develop good technique and ear training that will translate, and carry you into anything you play into the future. Good tips, Stephen! Love the channel! Happy drumming, everyone!
helpful. played pro since 1975 off and on. but.....just started playing in Church worship music. It doesn't follow the usual form of rock pop or country. Road maps/ cheat charts are a must.I have my iPad with my cheat charts near where I can scroll while playing. So I'm looking for ideas to condense my guide chart.
How do you know where the kick pedal needs to go if you cant hear it in a song
Gotta intro to watch you play , from first listen, charting/sequence , ie demo as you put it together?
Great video! Great advice! I would, however, add a footnote re: Jazz. This is a genre that is the exception. It absolutely is unpredictable! Period. I've been performing in several Jazz bands and the one thing l've etched in stone is you cannot assume that the "form" will be the same throughout a particular song, let alone the Jazz style/genre itself. And that's the beauty of Jazz! It's unpredictable!! That's why it's such a great style for improvisation and the various instruments you can use with this style! It's not always the usual guitar, bass, [& keyboard!] and drums set-up. You can add a horn section, or not! You can have eclectic instruments such as violins, bagpipes, yes...right, bagpipes, a huge secondary percussion section, pots & pans...seriously, pan pipes, et cetera! That's why you cannot pigeon-hole Jazz as a genre. Jazz is so WIDE open!! Everything & anything can be played and used in Jazz. There's "free form" Jazz as a style, there's Bebop, there's Fusion, there's Traditional Jazz, there's "Big Band", there's Small Ensemble, et cetera! Time doesn't permit me to add to this list, but if one does their homework, a great surprise and appreciation becomes focused in this Artform we call...Jazz.
PS: l love your website and teaching! Keep it up. It's needed, my Friend and fellow Drummer!
~steve b.
www.pearlstreetlive.com [Don't know if l'm allowed to show my band's web page! If not...jot down the address and then erase it! And again, keep up the great work you're doing! ~s.b.]
Exactly right. And that goes for certain rock genres too. Blues and jam rock comes to mind. You could be playing a 3 or 4 minute song and turn it into a 10 or 12 minute jam on the fly. Thats when you have to be really connected to the guys you're playing with on an energy level. When you're in that kind of a jam you guys are almost communicating telepathically. You just know where it's going to go next and you lay it down like it was written that way. That's being in the zone and that kind of playing is what it's all about. I explain it to non-musicians that it's like having a musical conversation with the people you're playing with, without saying a word, using the music as the language. And we all speak that language fluently.
Ain't nobody got time for fear. True!
What is that thing on his snare?
When he said immerse I instantly thought of Skyrim 😂
Would you say this could work equally well for jazz pieces? I'm trying to find an easier way to keep my bearings than following the scores, since they're so long and I've got a lot to focus on in the big band already.
Or if you’re using a click make your own with cues and guide track. I don’t even need to practice with one of my bands anymore because of this set up. Buuut i want I need to learn the parts faster which is why I’m here ! 😎🤘
”Always cheat when you can . “- Tiger Woods
Nniicee
There are no short cuts. You must do the donkey work.
Agreed!
Best comment I’ve seen
@@dnevnici_bubnjara hard work
I just learn the riffs and the melody. Once those are programmed I am good
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"Already know how to play songs like it" isn't helpful