So you want to learn to play the Drums, eh?
And you really want to know how we go about teaching the drums... Okay, fair enough!
Unlike most pipe bands we play a rope tension drum. This was the traditional style of drum and gives us the power and drive to the band. YOU can learn the drums!
We have taught many different students and have come up with a method which works. We believe that everyone has a different learning speed, and has their own special way to learn something new. We will look for the instruction style that best suits the student so they can meet with success. I haven't run into the student yet that can't learn the drums. Some learn faster than others, but all will learn. We believe in YOU!
Don't worry, you don't need to know how to read music, we have an easy way of getting ANYONE to understand the basics of note reading, (timing) and I guarantee you can learn the basics of it. After all, there are no scales to learn, no fancy fingering positions, and only 5 types of notes... remember, if someone like me could learn it, so can you!
If you are typical of most people, this is the way you will be taught:
1st lesson - Learn how to keep time to a basic beat, learn proper wrist rotation, some basic rhythms/exercises and correct hand position. We right from the beginning teach you how to work with a metronome to help keep your taps in time. You also learn some of our philosophy of learning which we teach alongside the drums. (we think this makes learning a lot less frustrating, and a bunch more fun; plus you learn faster to boot!) We will give you a bunch of learning and band materials to review at your leisure, and give you some ideas of what you can expect from us as well.
2nd lesson- We will double check that you haven't developed any bad habits in your hand technique, check to make sure you are lifting properly, and that any other stray strange things haven't come up... plus you get more of the basic rhythms to work on. These first two lessons are the basis for everything you will learn on the drums, for most of druming revolve on these two items: the tap and the lift. Future fancy bits (gracenotes, rolls) are built using the techniques gained in these two lessons.
3rd Lesson- If you have good understanding the basics of playing, (which you probably have) you learn more rudiments (different drumming patterns), and will start your first song.. (If you haven't mastered the basics of playing the exercises, we will rap your knuckles with a ruler! Just kidding! ) This is the point where our students diverge in learning speed and style. Everyone learns physical stuff at their own pace, and we want you to play correctly so you can be proud of how you play.
As I said above, students tend to diverge at this point in the speed in which they learn... we don't pressure you to learn faster than you are able, and accept whatever speed you can go at. We don't want this to be a pressure on you, because we don't "work" the drum, we "play" the drum. Playing and learning should be fun, not work.
So if you have thought about learning the drums, drop me a line through the website here, and I would be happy to talk with you on the phone, or via email!
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The Midland Highlanders teach the pipes and drums for free!… Learn More
