How To Make Drum Lessons Fun and Exciting

Learning to play the drums doesn’t come easy for most people. Some who are naturally gifted learn faster than those who aren’t musically inclined. It can sometimes be frustrating attending lessons and still failing to hit the right notes.

Practising in between lessons can help improve drumming skills, but it can sometimes get boring and monotonous. If you have been attending drumming lessons but can’t still catch up, maybe it’s time to take a breather and do something different. Here are some ways to have enjoyable drum lessons that can help improve drumming skills.

1. Play Along To Music

Most people become interested to learn a new musical instrument because of their favourite band. If you are a student, maybe in your next class, you can suggest to your teacher to let the students play along with their favourite band. This will give you and the other students a break from the usual songs or music in the class.

If you are the teacher, then maybe you can ask your students to choose a band that they would like to play along with. This will not only make the drum lessons fun but it can also help improve students’ listening skills, which is very important in music.

2. Practice Free Play Exercise

You don’t always have to play by the book. Part of enjoying and making music is hearing what sounds an instrument can make when played. Just let go and play the drums anyway you want. Hit the drums without following any rules or patterns. Do a fast or slow rhythm, or make soft and loud sounds, it’s all up to you.

This can help you stay motivated and even learn new things. Who knows, you can even come up with your original music by practising free play exercises. Free play works not only on adults but with children, too. The excitement and fun can be great motivators for children.

3. Pay Attention To The Details

Most of the time, it is easier to focus on the details to get things right. For instance, you’ve been practising paradiddles but still can’t get the hang of it. Maybe you’re too focused on playing the right stickings and had forgotten about the other elements. When practising paradiddles, you also want to ensure that your hands are hitting in the drum’s centre and that they are playing with the same height of the stick and at the same volume.

You’ll find that you can play paradiddles at different volumes as well as tempos. Focusing on the details will make you appreciate drumming lessons more and you’ll find the exercise less monotonous and even more challenging.

4. Develop Your Own Concept

No matter how much you love music and love to learn to play the drums, your teacher will have to ask you to play repetitive patterns for a long time, which can get boring. Don’t blame your teacher, it’s all part of mastering the drums because it’s all about consistency.

To make repetitive exercises more enjoyable, you can always add your own ideas. Try playing with it by adding some accents. If the exercise requires hitting on just one drum, why not add another drum and find out how it will sound. Your teacher will appreciate that you are taking the lesson seriously and you get the chance to play around with the drums.

5. Take A Break

Everyone needs a break every now and then. If you’re feeling frustrated or bored while practising for hours, then it’s okay to take a break. You’ll find yourself more productive if you take breaks at least every 90 minutes. This can help fight boredom and give you a new perspective. Most of the time, a few minutes of break can help clear your mind and perform better.

Drumming lessons should be fun and not boring. But let’s face it, most of the time the practices are repetitive which can be tedious. However, there are always ways to inject some fun even into the most boring drum lessons.

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