Q&A for How to Play Drums

Aside from the traditional and the match grip, there's the French grip, the American grip, and the Germanic grip. The French grip would be when you're holding your hands in front of you and your palms are facing each other, and then the fulcrum, which is the point where you hold the sticks, would be between your thumb and the first knuckle of your index finger. There's a pivot point, like on a seesaw or a pendulum on a grandfather's clock, and you hold it a third of the way up the stick. The Germanic and the American grip are both more palm-down, where you're holding the sticks at a 45-degree angle, but again, your palms would be facing more down.

Special drumsticks that are heavier than normal can be used. There are aluminum sticks that are quite heavy and excellent for practice. However, you must exercise caution and always have someone spot you while practicing because you may be doing something incorrectly or holding the sticks incorrectly. So make sure there is always someone watching you, perhaps a teacher or a mentor, who can give you immediate feedback.

There's more than one way to hold a drumstick, so take a look at How to Hold a Drumstick for the most common grips.

Drum sets vary widely in price. Kits for complete beginners or children can be as cheap as $200 to $300, while kits for intermediate players are around $700 to $1,500. If you are a professional player prices can go considerably higher. Whatever your experience level, what you need in a kit determines the price as well, so if you're happy with a 3 piece set you can expect to pay less, but if you need 5 toms, 2 bass drums and 9 cymbals you will have to pay much more.

For non-pitched percussion instruments, a percussion notation is used where notes on certain spaces or lines or with different symbols correspond to different instruments, for instance, bass drum, cymbal, hi-hat, etc. The specific notation used can vary, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the key or legend before attempting to read percussion music.

Check local pawn shops. You can sometimes get lucky there. Also, check with friends on social media. A lot of families have failed drummers whose drum sets sit dusty in basements.

If it's too loud, get some rubber pads for your drums from a music store.

There are a few categories. There are hundreds of drums and cymbals in each category, most having a unique sound or characteristic catering to various drummers. There are snares, usually one, sharp because of the spring on the bottom. Then toms, which are great for fills, which vary in size and sound. There can be several toms on a set. A bass helps set the pace, is the biggest drum, and is played with a pedal. Sometimes two are used in a set. Cymbals are a separate category, and they're even more diverse than drums are.

If you are looking for the notation of each of the drums themselves, look up "drum notation." If you are looking for the different subdivisions, learn quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, etc. and when you feel comfortable with those, start learning triplets.

Instead of buying a really expensive set that you won't use for a long time (every drummer outgrows their first drum kit), just find a kit in your area for sale for a reasonably good price. When you get better and more interested in nicer sets, you can browse around as you please.

There are many different brands to choose from, it all depends on your budget, and what kind of sounds you are looking for. Pearl and Ludwig both make good sets, Sabian and Zildjian have good cymbals. It all depends on what you want. Do some research and find out everything about the kit you are looking at (can give you a better idea of what it will sound like). wikiHow isn't the right forum for making brand suggestions or comparisons.

Make sure you are correctly using the grip and drumming techniques first! Practice things slowly. Use a metronome and see at what speed you can play basic notes (or whatever rudiments or techniques) without having any errors. At that point, practice a lot. Go up in small increments during the week, depending on your progress. As you practice, your muscle memory will improve, and you'll gradually be able to play faster.

You can't. But failing isn't bad; it helps you learn. Don't be afraid to fail.

A quarter note is one fourth of a measure in 4/4 time, which is the most common time signature in music. Pertaining to drums, bass and snare hits are usually played as quarter notes.

Unfortunately, drum sets are not usually free unless you know someone who's trying to get rid of one. You can find cheap drum sets on places like Craigslist or Ebay, and you might even find free drum sets online if you keep an eye out.

Some drums are electronic and require headphones or speakers to hear them. It's also possible that those individuals are worried about their hearing and want to protect themselves from constant exposure to loud, potentially harmful sounds.

Transfer the skills from the snare on to the toms. Equally, look online for pieces and copy what famous drummers have done. DrumNinja has free manuscripts that you can print off.

It depends on what instrument your teacher is proficient in. Try asking your teacher if they're good at drums, and if they are then they will most likely help you learn.

You can learn to play the drums at any age using the methods described in the article. If your school has a band, I recommend joining it. This will help you out a lot.

Not long, once you get better and practice. Just keep at it. There is no substitute for passion and practice.

Buy practice pads, electric kits or make an arrangement to play at a local rehearsal space. Often rehearsal spaces have times they don't fill or rooms they hardly use; by talking to them directly, you can often strike a deal. Booking the whole month might get you a discount!

It’s okay if you forget your earplugs. It should be okay if you forget them once or twice. To help not forget them again, keep them in a bag in your stick bag so whenever you play at a gig, you have them on hand.

There are a bunch of good videos on YouTube, you just have to know how many pieces it is. You count the snare, bass, and any Tom-Tom drums. For a 5 piece, the hi hat is under your left foot, the bass drum is under your right (both legs should be comfy and bent at 90 degrees). The snare drum should sit between your legs. The two toms secured on the bass drum should be bent so you don’t accidentally hit the rim. The floor Tom should be close enough that you hit it, but not too close. For the ride symbol, have it over the floor Tom and in a spot so your arm can hit it while in a relaxed position. For one crash symbol, have it between the hi hat and bass drums.