Learning to play the drums, but have no drums? No Problem!
We totally get it! It can sometimes be difficult for us drummers to get the opportunity to practice on a full drum kit. You may not have the space for it in your home, and those next door neighbours may not be too impressed if you start making a racket on your drum set. It might just be that you cant afford one right now or you’re constantly on the go and need something that fits in your bag that you can just pull out and practice with?
Dont worry Drumstars has you covered..
Here we take a look at some of the most simple ways you can start playing drums today!
1. Drum Practice Pad
Honestly If you don’t own a practice pad, you should get one as soon as you can! They are the best tool for developing your stick technique, all of your rudiments or even just tapping out some of your favourite drum grooves. It allows you to pay real attention to your sticking and the quality of your strokes, and build muscle memory ready for playing the kit.
Another great benefit is you can pop one in your bag and take it with you anywhere, and if you get some spare time in the day, just take it out and have a quick practice on those triple paradiddles you’ve been trying to nail!
2. Pots and Pans
Now i don’t know about you but when i was growing up i remember the only thing i could do to get creative was play on some old pots and pans or old tupperware i found in the kitchen, until my parents got me a drum kit.You’d be surprised at home many different sounds you can get out of an old pan. I used to arrange the pans from smallest to biggest in size, to mimic the sound of toms and used tupperware boxes to mimic the sound of a snare drum.
Its quite a fun way to come up with different beats, as you can find different tones in these items, and mimic all sorts of percussion items. See what sort of unique setups you can create with some of your cooking equipment.
3. Yourself
Now this one is absolutely priceless, and if i’m honest most drummers discover this one all on their own. Once you get the drum bug, you’ll likely find yourself tapping away on anything like tables, chairs, benches, but its actually quite surprising how many different tones you can get on your own body, and it costs nothing!
What’s awesome about this is you can play your chest, stomach or even your knees and still play tap your foot to mimic the bass drum. I find myself doing this at different points in the day, practicing my paradiddles while waiting for a web page to load or even if i’m running down some stairs, ill no doubt make a rhythm out of it. Honestly the possibilities are endless, and you can do this literally anywhere.
4. Play on a Pillow
Now if you don’t own a Drum kit, theres a pretty good chance that you own a pillow. This is something that i still recommend to students even when they do have a set they can play because it just works. There is little to no response from a pillow so you really have to work hard to successfully play rudiments and by doing this you’ll strengthen your wrists and fingers, so by the time you get back onto a practice pad or drum kit, you’ll feel like you are flying! You’ll be surprised at how powerful your strokes will become after 10-15 mins of practice. Give it a try, and let us know how you get on.
Of course there are all sorts of solutions to this problem, maybe you’d like to hire out a rehearsal space for an hour, Air drum or maybe even beatbox to some of your favourite tracks – I’m curious to see what ideas you can come up with. Whatever you chose to do, make a start on your practice today!
