•  How do I find a drum teacher? - The best way to find a drum teacher is to contact your local music shops and see if they offer drum instruction. If so, find out what schooling their teachers have had as well as experience. Don’t be afraid to drill the teacher a bit beforehand so you can get a feel for how well he articulates and if you get a gut feeling that he knows what he’s doing. Remember; not all drummers make good teachers.

  You can also call your local college to see if they have a music department. If so, call and ask them if they will refer any good teachers. Or you can call some high schools and ask to speak to the band director. They might be able to make some recommendations too.

  The best thing is referrals. If you know any drummers in the area, get them to share some names with you on who they think some of the good drum teachers in your area are. You can also call some music studios in the area and they can make some recommendations. Quality drummers will often be recording in those studios when they’re not out playing live.  To the Top

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• What is the best way to muffle my toms? - Use zero rings, moon gel, duct tape, double ply heads, etc. to muffle or dampen your toms. Experiment with all of these until you reach your desired sound. Remember; too much muffling or dampening the drums is not a good thing. Drums are built to resonate. Let them sing!  To the Top
  
  

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•  Where can I find free drum lessons online. - Follow the link baby! Drum Bum features the largest database online for free drum lessons. Over 500 links to free drum lessons.
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•  Check out the newest Drum Videos at Drum Bum!
•  411Drums.com - Drum History, Glossary, Drummers, Faqs, and more.
•  Drum Lessons - Double Bass Tips
•  2000+ Drum Tips at DrumTips.com

411 Drums is one of the leading educational sites online for drums, drum lessons, and drumming.

•  How can I get rid of snare buzz?- While no one has dialed this in perfectly yet, many professional drummers have had some success using the following tips:

  1. Move the bass or guitar amp further away from your snare drum. Sometimes this is the culprit.
  2. Loosen the two snare tension rods on the bottom of the snare drum near the strainer.
  3. Tension the snares up and down to see if the buzz can be eliminated.
  4. A nearby tom tom can be ringing at a frequency that sets off the snare buzz. Try tuning it higher or lower in pitch..
  5. Try a different type of bottom head. Some drummers use a thicker ply so that the drum is less sensitive. But remember; you may have to then tune the bottom head a bit tighter than before.
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•  Do I need to know all 40 drum rudiments?- Generally speaking, no. But this depends on the level of professionalism you're striving for and what type of drumming you're involved with. If you just want to be a weekend player and keep it as a hobby, it is not necessary to learn all 40 drum rudiments at all. Just learn the basic rudiments such as the single stroke roll, double stroke roll, paradiddle, flam, and so on. But if you're in drumline or if you stive to be the very best as a drummer, it is advisable to learn most, if not all, of the rudiments so that you may not only be competitive but so that it will give you the facility and independence to play just about anything on the drums.  To the Top
  
  

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•  How can I learn to play drums faster?- You can learn to play drums faster through sheer repetition and through studying drumming techniques that enable for more relaxed playing like the Moeller Method technique, looser grips, stick positioning, and so on. Be sure to spend just as much time on learning to play slow. This is an art form in an of itself. Inevitably, you want the music to feel good and groove hard! If you're always practicing speed, your playing will become unbalanced and you will not be versatile enough to compete in the professional arena. Read George Broyer's article on Speed Drumming for more on speed drumming, the Drumometer and world speed drumming records set by top drummers such as Mike Mangini, Tim Waterson, Art Verdi, Jotan Afanador, and others.  To the Top
  
  
  

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•  Where do I find music tracks without drums?- Sometimes drummers want ot play along with the music or the band without having to play over existing drum tracks. This allows you to be the actual drummer in the recording and you can get a feel of what it's like to be playing along with the band as if you're really live on stage. Drum Bum features a site that includes most available cds and dvds that feature music without drums. Simply click on the link and you're there!  To the Top

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