4 Ways to Practice Drumming without Drums

It is always exaggerated that you won’t progress until you practice it in a real thing. Although it is mostly true for most instruments, it is a different story for drums. But first, why should you practice without a drum kit, will that even help you improve? The answer is Yes, because you should practice keeping in mind that you do it to improve your muscle memory and your timing which are essential parts for any instrument. So how do you make sure that you practice something that is gonna help you apply it in the real kit. Here are some examples:

1. Pillow Practice for Your Hands

Start with a pillow because that is the most readily available practice pad you can find. Sticks are important in this practice because then you can play the exact finger and hand motions that you would perform when playing a drum set too. Another advantage of this is that since the pillows are soft, it doesn’t offer you much rebound and you end up strengthening your muscles doing the lifting. This will be difficult in the beginning, but that’s why you are practicing, to get better. As you adapt and return to your drum set with considerably more rebound, you’ll notice that you have developed speed in your playing. 

2. Air Drumming for Your Arms

Here is a strange one but one every one of us is familiar with. Everyone had that one air drumming moment that releases you from all the stress. However for a drummer, it can be more than just an imaginative play. You can practice your movement and practice being conscious about your limbs. You can choose to have sticks or can practice even without it. All you have to do is take a groove or a piece of sheet music, visualize your kit in front of you and play it as it is required. You will be surprised to see the awareness it needs to be perfectly executed. You have to make sure that your hands move and play the parts as it should be played, otherwise the whole point of practicing through air drumming is a waste. For example, if in a section you have to hit the cymbals, your arm has to reach approximately at the same point in air as if there was a cymbal.

3. Ground Drumming for Your Legs & Feet

Ground Drumming is for your legs and feet. One of the best ways to practice your feet is to get a foot pedal and arrange it in a way that the beater hits the wall. Since the wall provides no rebound, you will start feeling some pull in your thighs and it will strengthen your muscle. You can play along with a music piece and practice the bass drum part in a way that you build coordination along with some necessary muscle so that you can play it on a drum kit for a long period. You can also do this practice without any pedal and just tap the parts on the ground. Once you shift to a real drum set you will able to recognise the increase in speed and lack of fatigue in your playing.

4. Clap for Your Timing

Keeping rhythm is one the fundamental skill a drummer should have as they are the metronome for any band they are playing for. So, you would not want to let your bandmates down. So this is to improve your timing and one of the best ways is a clapping exercise. Download a metronome and and clap along with it. Make sure that your clap purely and completely synchronises with the beat. Once you can do that, here is one fun exercise. On your metronome there are different time signatures, make it 8/8. Now, let the first four beat be heard but mute the last four beat. Now clap along with it. Your aim is to be on time and that will be determined by your 9th clap which will come after your 8th clap which was muted. If it completely synchronises with the beat, you are on time but if it is ahead or behind, then you have to start over again. You can also vary your clapping exercise by leaving some claps in between beats and start being more adventurous with the metronome.

BlueTimbre is a unique Music Company that provides Music Education and  Recording Studio services. BlueTimbre also works with schools to provide end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. 

The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running Structured Businesses, Music Curriculum Development, Music Education and Performance.

Reference : https://www.kickstartyourdrumming.com/practice-drumming-without-drums/

Online vs. Offline – What is the Right Way to Learn Music?

There are so many online music courses on the internet today but you are somehow unsure of its authenticity, so you want to learn through music lessons. But then again, you might not have the time to attend those music classes. So what is the best option to learn music?

Music school 

Advantages 

1. It allows direct interaction with your mentor. Every lesson and exercise can be immediately provided with a feedback, so if you have any doubts or questions, it can be resolved then and there.
2. You will meet fellow musicians who are on a beginner or intermediate stage or like you. It is really healthy and fun to socialise with your peers as it encourages growth and more interest in that particular subject.
3. You can also perform as a part of the music school or with your peer group.

Disadvantages

1. If you are a working adult or learning in college, you might not get the time to come for music classes and the timings may not be flexible for you.
2. It requires commitment as you may be rehearsed through the same drills again and again, especially if you are a beginner which might make the sessions little monotonous.

Online Music Education

Advantages 

1. You can pursue your music lessons at your own time and in your own pace, there aren't strict time constraints. So you can adjust your time from your schedule and put your free time to learning music.
2. It is a very efficient tool if you have to practice technical exercises and learn theory as it separates the process of getting drilled with same exercises in your music classes. So you can save time going to your music classes and sit home in your comfortable surrounding and practice the exercises at home. Once you feel comfortable playing those exercises you can move on to the next one or even jumble around the different exercises in your own leisure.

Disadvantages

1. The drawback to online curriculum is the feedback system. There is a process involved for direct interaction through online and sometimes can be frustrating and time consuming.
2. You might miss out on few tricks and tips from technical point of view which again can be covered through various video lessons on internet but you have to be aware of such minute variations in your playing as well.

BlueTimbre is a unique Music Company that provides Music Education and  Recording Studio services. BlueTimbre also works with schools to provide end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. 

The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running Structured Businesses, Music Curriculum Development, Music Education and Performance.