One of my goals for my sabbatical is to learn how to play the drums. I’ve always wanted to play, just never actually made the effort/time/space for it. This is my chance! I’m a month in now and so glad I’m making the effort.
Now, everything I’m about to say is from the perspective of someone who has barely just started their musical journey, so maybe take it with a grain of salt, but so far, I’m amazed at:
- How much of the basics you can learn in a short period of time to at least play along with some basic tunes well, which is extremely satisfying
- How hard all the seemingly “minor” notes/beats are and how difficult it is to learn the little nuances, which is extremely motivating
My hunch is that my findings are true for any instrument you try to learn in earnest. I’ve been playing every day, with no exceptions. I’ve had several in-person lessons with a real life drum player, as well as going through several different YouTube course-type experiences. I have a metronome app on my phone. I have a practice pad. And, while I don’t have a “real” drum kit yet, I have a digital drum pad (Yamaha DD-75) with pedals, which is enough for now to learn the basics.
In addition to the aforementioned learnings, I’m also becoming acutely aware that playing drums is also very physical, which I guess I understood intuitively (after all, every drummer you see playing on stage is sweating their ass off), but it’s a different thing to feel the physicality. Again, this is probably the case to some extent with all instruments, but it’s something else to feel. Getting your body and mind flowing in sync with music adds a whole new dimension to the musical experience, something I think I’ve missed for much of my life, and I’m glad to be discovering it finally.
Comments welcome!