How to Play Drums if You're a Beginner

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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Learning to play the drums can be a fun and rewarding experience, especially for children. It is one of the easiest instruments to learn to play and can put to use all the banging they have grown to love. It is also a great way to teach basic rhythm and beats.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Become familiar with the drum sticks. It is important to know how to hold the drum sticks. There are many different techniques, but the two basic drum stick holds are the matched grip and the military hold. The matched grip is palms up and relatively flat; this is used most often for playing one drum. The military hold is used for playing drum sets. It is done by lacing the sticks between your thumb and index finger wrapping your index finger slightly around the stick, then resting it between your middle and ring finger. Tighten up the grip with your thumb and index finger.

Step2

Start with a practice pad. It simulates the bounce of a real drum with ball bearings inside that make a sound similar to the snare drum. The top is made of rubber. This is a lower cost way to learn to play the drum well, before investing in a complete drum set. Practice pads can be found at any musical instrument store, such as Guitar Center.

Step3

Play the snare drum by choosing one of the drum stick holds. You can play not only on the surface of the snare drum, but also on the rim of the snare drum. On some snare drums this rim is made of metal; on others, it is made of wood offering different sounds for each one.

Step4

Learn the different techniques to playing the drums. This should include the high hat technique done by using the foot pedal to keep a steady beat with the cymbal by tapping the heel down. A rocking motion can also be used with the foot to create a different tempo.

Step5

Invest in a beginners drum set. They are not as expensive as a professional set, but still offer great quality and a solid warranty. Some of the best brands of beginner drum sets are Ludwig, DW and Premier. If the drum set does not include cymbals, put this on your purchasing list.