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Try practising with your earplugs out. You'll either destroy your ears, or like most, you will be forced to play quietly. - David

If your cymbals are flapping around when you play, try screwing the nut on upside down. This helps especially when using other people's stands that have far too few felt spacers - David

Double Bass Tips - New!

For those aches and pains in the forearms and elbows a good rub of deep heat works wonders - David

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The best thing to do is go with what you feel (dont learn of tabs) if u go with just jamming you develop your own style. - James Mottram
For motivation surround yourself with your favorite musicians and put signs in the wall or walls of quotes that will get you to not give up, i did that and it worked for me a great deal, it inspired me to play even better - George Serrano
Always look ahead in the music piece you are playing - Danny Treptow
Learning from other drumers helps devolop own style - kwameadjei

For a nice mellow sound on tom toms use a piece of felt cut in a quarter moon shape, and tape it to the underneath side of the top batter head use the wide clear tape ,along the bearing edge, this give the drum a mellow sound taking the high end ringing out.I been doing this for years and it don't chock the drums up like deadringers that you lay on the top of the head. - fred gilt

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Spurs for vintage bass drums - if you have a old vintage bass drum that don't have spurs, and maby you don't want to drill the shell and mount the new type spures it mite devalue the vintage drum,i have a vintage leedy bass I use ludwig 6inch cow bell holders that clamp right on the front bass drum hoop, use a small rubber tip on the end if the holder is mounted in the right place thay hold very good, and look vintage.mount them so the front of the bass is 1 in. off the floor. - fred

Cymbal Cleaning: Use softscrub cleaner WITHOUT BLEACH. Its very good to remove stick marks and fingerprints, but wont remove the lacquer coating,I got this tip from the zildjian cymbal co.thay said new cymbals should not be cleaned with any harsh cleaner till thay have aged one year or more. - fred

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Duck Tape - manditory for any giging drum if something brakes chances are duck tape will do the trick - Steve Young

Be on time, early if possible to allow extra set up time and reasonably sober. Don't practise funky fills between songs. Don't be crazy. With the exception of Keith Moon, nobody wants to play with a lunatic. - Spyder Darling
Say your the best: don't let anyone say your not good or say you won't make it they just can't make the right decision if they ever say you suck then tell them you want to have a drum battle with them ok and then you'll see. - jessica
Make sure to hit your cymbals with a glancing blow, don't come staright down on them, you will acheive a more musical sound, and your cymabals will last longer - Andrew Wood
If you want to play double bass... ALWAYS play heel up it will save you so much aggrivation. Heel down is much harder to co-ordinate and gain speed with - Scott

Always carry a pair of sticks to pratice with so it can be easier to get beats on the set - Eric

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While playing really fast, just relax and bounce your sticking pattern.(It works) - Cody Roark
Heres a tip on how to double your beats on the bass drum - what you do is when you are playing a simple rock shuffle you slide your foot back on the pedal and push foward but not to hard.That should double your beats. - Robert Coxon (Australia)
Head fones connected to you're stereo, and turning it up really loud wile playing drums, is a good way to practice......and to go deff later on in life. - Josh Salop

To spice up the boring fill of: SNARE: 1e+a ||| 1st TOM:2e+a ||| 2nd TOM: 3e+a ||| FLOOR TOM: 4e+a |||, Try to play the "e" after 4 on the 2nd Tom instead of the floor tom, and make it a parididdle. It's easy, effective, sounds good, and (parididdle) just plain works. - drew

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Been playing Guitar/Bass & Keyboards for 40 years..
Would trade my children to play with drummers like...
Phil Ehart: Kansas
Neil Peart: Rush
Bill Buford: Yes
Buddy Rich
Think about it...dynamic & never miss a beat EGJ of Texas - E Jefferson
If you play by ear and don't know how to read music don't get discouraged, just keep practicing. Don't be too proud in your playing that you say you don't need lessons, you can learn more by watching other people and techniques. If you play purely by god given talent, don't get a big head about it, yes it's a good thing but god gave it to you for a reason. He gave it to you to use for his glory and to use the ability to play in the music ministry. - max

Strengthening your weakness is the key of practicing - ray

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Research is the key!!!!! - lloyd yeshua
Always practice the five-stroke roll.(the single stroke, double, paradiddle, double paradiddle, the flam, and the pressed roll). - Matt
Watch Drumline for crazy stuff to impress your friends - Matt

Don't forget your gloves if you have slippery hands. One way J

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A cheaper way to clean your cymbals is to go to a cheap shop like golo and buy the industrial hand cleaner for about $5. Rub that on your cymbals. Then if you add some more washing powder to clean the grooves, use a rag to rub it of and they will look as good as new - James
Hey if you wanna spin your sticks, listen to us. I've been playing 44 years and I know what im talkin' about. Put the sticks between your pointing finger and your middle finger and spin by supporting it with your thumb. It takes practise. HAVE A GO ITS GREAT! - ryan n leah
Tell your self what you want accomplished today behind your drumset, then get to it. This will help you get orginazed in the later run.- bucky

Read Fred Gilts tip on half moon felt on under side of batter head, does not work for me. Still rings. I get a better sound taping a 3 or 4 inch square of sweat shirt material.Works like the old adjustable mufflers. Don't know why they ever took them out. - tom johnston

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Fred Gilt's method of taking the ring out of the drums works like the one I sent in last night. But I found it works better if u tape a smaller piece of sweat chlothes material on the bottom head too. Eliminates the dead sound. - tom johnston

Tired of fumbling to grab anotherstick when lose one? i use an arrow quiver tied to my bass drum.i can adjust it to any position. i keep at least 6 or 8 sticks in it. i never miss a beat because of a lost stick. - snakeman

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Trust your ears, if the fill sounds right in your head put it out there, theres always room for progression or change. - Jay Kron
Ok if you want to expand your horizons in your drumming, my tip is to whatch other drummers, like mike portnoy or dave wreckl or niel pert. learn from the best!!! it helped me alot. - dave

If you want your drum heads to last longer and move well over the bearing edges and give their true tone use a good insulator wax on the bearing edges of your shells and also wax the underside of your heads on the edges where they sit on the bearing edges - Roger Strange

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Be careful when transporting your drum kit. Get cases for your drums. This can get expensive; into the hundreds, but it is worth it. If you don't have oodles of cash then just mainly cover the snare drum and make sure the springs aren't "uncomfortable". Bubble wrap works for me! - Moklety
Just play the drums with all your heart with persistent and determination, don't ever ever think to surrender, just hold on and everythings will be fine! that's the true secret of a true drummer!!!! that's all folks!!!!! - mr. kurt cobain
Try playing paradiddles between your snare and bass drum. It makes for a pretty cool fill - Joe Boehlert
Try this. Place a smaller cymbal upside down over your ride or whatever. DON'T Forget the Felt inbetween. As you are playing, drag your stick from the smaller cym on to the bottom cym. You',ll be Surprized what an Effect it gives..TRY IT ..and enjoy! - Bobby Wayne

Travis Barker rules! He has some sweet symbals with loads of off beat crashes. It rocks. - Travisfollower

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Quiet Bass Drum Practice
Speed up your bass drum foot and do
it quietly with this amazing foot pedal.
Learn Blast Beats
The best Blast Beats book ever
written. Play along with the CD!
Listen to the song your trying to learn over and over to get the rythem in your head - Cody Limbaugh
When playing drums, always pray before playing it helps a lot. - jett
No stick grip tape? I have found that if you grab a bit of "Gorilla Snot" from one of your Guitarist's box of goodies, you will have no problem keeping those sticks in your hands where they belong. - TJ Walker
Have extra supplies! I always lose my supplies, so stock up! - ciara

When you're constantly on the road and unable to get to your drumkit (except for soundcheck & show) exercise your brain by transcribing drumparts from CDs. For further development, transcribe styles of music less familiar to you. This will expand your musical variety, creativity, ear and hone your sense of rhythm. - John Cushon

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If want to improve single stroke speed do this exercise - start very slow pick up speed for 30 seconds and when at top speed continue top speed for 15 seconds then gradually slow down for another 30 seconds do this a couple of times as a warm up or how ever you want to. If you continue to do these everyday your singles with be faster and you will have much more endurance - Josh
If u want to have less ringing time in your cymbals put duct tape an the bottom of the cymbal - Josh
Hey if u want a muffled sound to get rid of that ring put weatherstriping on your drums u want to muffle. works better than any product found in a musicians store. - Josh

Put a pilllow in your bass drum it works wonders for those who want a dead kind of punkish sound - Josh

Just play on and let it flow - scott shipley

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For excellent chops you need two things: a good pair of marching sticks and a pillow. If you practice singles and open rolls on the pillow for 20 minutes every day for a few weeks, it allows you to create your own rebound and work harder. The next time you get on a drum or practice pad it will feel great and last longer. - Chris Forte
If u dont have a double bass pedal and you play a lot of ATREYU like me just hit bass and then the floor tom or other toms right after as fast as possible and it will sound like a double pedal!! SO GO ROCK OUT!! - Kevin Maslan

For flying kicks always play heal up, trust me heal up makes the foot go faster. - Pablo

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Hey if you want to get better,stop trying to play Lars Ulrich stuff. You won't get too far. Listen to Mike Portnoy or Jon Theodore from the Mars Volta. Mix it up and don't listen to the same style of music. Experiment alot. And practice for like 4 hours everyday. By the end of the month you are going to say, "Damn. I got really good, thanks to some guy on the internet." Trust me. - Jorge F
FACT: When Neil Peart goes to sleep every night he dreams he's really Chad Sexton. You know it's true. - Joe Abeyta
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If you are a speed or death metal drummer, consider stretching and getting your heart rate up prior to grinding.it takes a lot out of you so be sure to warm up. - elden

Before you warm up get some heavy sticks and slowly hit the drum. - lod

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In response to the most recent drum tuning tip: although you may have a really good sound at the moment, there is always a better sound to be had... don't ever settle for what is just okay, but find a sound that you can really embrace... keeping in mind, of course, that you can never get a better sound than what your instrument is capable of putting out... and if you have really old drum heads then you can just forget it! But it is very important to experiment and always look for that better sound. - Bill

FOLLOW YOU RHYTHM SECTION!!! YOU WILL IMPROVE!! If you follow your rhythm guitar and bass players you will be on time always! it's true, easy, and fun. 'Cuz you can have fills and not speed up or slow down. Just keep bass drum going! - kevin maslan

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WHEN YOUR IN THE PIT on big hits try to hit atleast 1 second after the band, beacause if you hit when you here the band, it will be off to the judges or the crowd because you are on the side lines your sound travels faster cuz your up front. Also work with the drum line and band director some on getting it good. it worked for me. - Austin
From what i've learned after only playing for about a year, is that when you listen to music on the radio or a cd, imitate the drum beats. Try and get down the basic beat, and if your up to it, play the fills with your air drums (lol). Might not sound right in your head, but at you practice on real drum set, experimenting with different sounds, you start to understand more complex beats and fills from practicing more. P.S. As many should know, you more air drumming you do, the more accurate, coordinated, and precise your playing will be. - Future Peart
Before you leave for a show, and before you load everything into the car or van, lay all drum equipment out in the ground or rug. That means all cymbals, stands(folded saves room), and drums and any other hardware that you have. This helps you get a picture of everything you have. - Pat Leamy
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Just get together with your bass man, maybe for a couple of hours and run through the rudiments of your songs with each other, to get them nice and tight. You and the Bass man are the backbone of the band, and if something doesn't have a backbone, it falls on its ass! - Ben Jones---The Clones
DONT FORGET TO BREATHE - Lucy Gibs
Snare Vibrations?--On the bottom snare head, Take a little bit of tension off the head and put some on the snares by unscrewing the two tension rods on both sides of the snares on both sides of the drum. This is better than using Duct Tape. Dont go overboard though, you dont want to bend your hoops. A slight adjustment should do the trick! - Don Santamoor
When you play the snare you have to feel the beat and with the high hat when you do that it gets and sounds better! also DONT MESS UP DAWG! - Madison DeSantis

If your drums ring too much just fold some duct tape up, stick it on your drumhead, and it will get rid of that nasty ring you hear. - Zack Mester

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It takes 100 hours of practice to be able to do something, though when you think about doing that thing, it takes 10 hours of thinking to be able to do that. To break it up 15 minutes at night and in morning, and before you know it, after 10 hours your doing whatever! - Practicing with Brain
I always keep my eyes on the lord he always helps me when i can't do somthing so keep your eyes on the lord and play the drums lol!!! :) - kody

Ok dude... ive been playin for 9 yrs... the way to get better is to not just practice, practice, practice (althought that helps) you should reasearch other famous/non-famous drummers and look at their style, technique, such, really get into, oh yeah and Practice! - David the great

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1) Practice is one of the best factors to be the best. 2) Make your own metronome in a CD with lots of tempos. - Chris Likourgos
If you get sweaty hands while playing, buy some of that fluffy tape for tennis rackets and wrap it round your drumstick. It will also double as a grip too. - Sniff
For drum solos, I recommend that if you start with a simple snare groove that becomes more complex adding in triplets with toms and cymbals and a steady 4 on the bass. Can get some cool sounds! Also practice your trills and quads they come in handy. Cool thats it for me.:) - Brandon Brooks

Myth: Ringo is the best drummer in the world; Fact: Neil Pert is in fact, the best drummer in the world. That is why his nick name is "The Professor". He is so unbelievably clean. The only reason Ringo was in the beatles was because he had a bull cut and a British Accent - Chris Roberts

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Listen To other Drummers Listen Listen Listen... Look at the Grip of A bass drummer who is on a line or the Way the Snares and Tenors do there things watch listen and learn. When you do, You will have a better chance at Getting the Drum You Want later or next Year. P.S. Listen to The Band Director(s) as well as concet is as important as marching and they still control your grade and will be with you for a while So... - Mike
Learn to spell the word rhythm,
Rhythm
Has
Your
Two
Hips
Moving
- fred

Another good tip is to practise your drum rudiments/rolls etc. on a pillow this way there is no reverb of it where there is on your drum skin especially your skin this way you can pickup any slight mastakes you are making which makes a big difference on recording!!! - alex kontos

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A good way to help you set up faster without making any mistakes is have a mat/carpet with markings or lips made out of celatape where each of your stand's and legs of your drums stand that way you can anyways have your equipment set up in the same place where you feel most confortable thanks - alex kontos
Make sure that the screw that adjusts the tilt of your bottom hi-hat faces 180 degrees away from your foot. I occasionally see experienced drummers who don't even know about this fundamental set-up aspect and the difference in their open HH sound is very noticable. - Carl

Use your mouse pad to practice drum rudiments while your waiting for pages to load. - Sean Wharem

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Always be Patient. You have to crawl before you walk. - Austin Jackson
Never give up. - bob
Create your own style of play. look towards the greats for ideas but don't become like them. Give the audience something unique to remember only you by. - Charles Johnson

Practice on snare drum for 30 minutes the start playing - Nick Hansen

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Keeping coordination/reading drum tabs - michael avila
 

Tips: 1. dont rush...if your a new band pepole wont know your stuff so just go with the flow
2. relax and have fun with all the drumin your doing.
3.you dont always hafe to be the best...you get better the more you play.
4. for the best kind of playin..i say to play you drums on till you know where everything is...by that i mean move the tomes and stuff like that, so you could play with your eyes closed.
5.JOEY JORDISON IS THE BEST DRUMMER EVER...(6)sic(6)SLIPKNOT (6)sic(6) - jeremiah the bull frog

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When someone says to you that you sound good while playing the drums, don't take it as a compliment. They might just meen that they didn't get the urge to cover their ears, so don't stop practicing a pieace of music because you think it sounds good - drummer
For a better performance, concentrate and feel the rhythm...- Matt Casillan

Even though your advanced, once in a while, break out the old school books from when you first started. You'll be suprised on what you still can stay focused on after knowing what you can play now!!! - Richard E. Piechnik II

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When tunning drums always tune from the points of a compise and you will tune to perfection. Premier snare drums are the best - Raymond (ballymacarrett defendersdrummer)
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!! u should spend hours and hours listeng to the radio.(dosent matter what station) and learn the timing and play along! Its fun and a good work out!! Well see ya later!! - kevin maslan

STOP VIBRATION OF DRUMS: to stop the vibration of the drums, take peices of duct tape,about an inch or twoand pinch it so there is almost a wall in the middle of the tape. then stick it on the side of your drum and it stops the vibration (works best on snare drum) - Ed Struk

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Practice! practice where ever you get the chance to. Whether it be at a drum or in your parents van! thats where i learned so no matter where you are... you can make pretty much anything into a drum! - Jose
When playing make your own beats and if needed wright the notes on a piece of paper. But remember its easier to remember and/or make the beat up as you go along it will get you more experience - Rebecca D
If you and your band want to become famous you have to play in front of people.This will help you get over stage fright and you'll feel confident and play better and louder. - Rebecca D

Patience is a true virtue when working with drums,especially with other drummers in marching band. Always treat your drum as if it was a child. Take care of it and it will return the favor..- Christina Hendrix

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Use cymbal stackers - saves room and money ;>) -unknown
Simple. Play it like you feel it, become it. - Jesse

1. When practicing, try stuff you can't do or find difficult. It is better to do 10 minuites of something you can't do that 1 hour of stuff you can.

2. If your in a band, spend a lot of time with the bassist and let the vocalist go with the guitarist(s). Then meet back together and play. You will sound much more "together".

3. When playing with a group try to listen to all the other instruments and keep everyone together. - Alex

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Learn to play something on all the drums individually then play them all together. - Michael Mooney
Watch other people drum u can nick their fills n stuff! - rebekah
Make a cheap/strong stand and hardware case. buy a 1.5 to 2m length of PVC pipe(sewer pipe) between 150 and 250mm depending on how many stands you have, glue a fixed cap to one end a screw cap to the other and a handle to the middle and you will have a case strong enough to survive the most careless airport baggage handleler. - Karl Lorenz

Never put muffling on your drums. Try tuning them with equal tension and both heads tuned the same. This is what a drum was built to sound like. Forget about making your drums sound like drummer X on CD. It's not real with all the studio gimix and mic placement, etc. Get your own sound. PS. Drums without muffling are louder and can cut through guitar amps better! - boomboom

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For those of you that ( like me) that misplace the little things, wingnuts, felt, snare wire plastic, etc,etc... i have a cheap(er) remedy. You know those little sheets of plastic that rig the wires to either side of the snare, if you loose those, cut out strips, the same size, out of a Starbucks cup, I did, four months ago, and they haven't given a bit of trouble! - Jer Smith

Drummer T-shirts

For double bass, don't over use. Play your normal beat and when the audience never expects it play the double. then you leave them wondering how the heck you did that. - Zach

Practice practice practice i have been playing the drums for about a year and i think you need a good book and a dvd which tell you everything you need to know so get practice - lindsey

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Be cool! Don't act stupid,retarded,or really dumb. Thats the importantist tip ever! Trust a pro. - Rebecca the coolest drumer alive
Play your drums in front of either small groups of people or your family to get used to playing in front of crowds (small or big). - Rebecca D

Limit yourself to additions to your set. Practice, get better, and then after being able to use every symbol and tom. Then advance and add a new addition. It's always fun to have a large set, but if you only use a general part of your kit when you play then eveything else is just a waste of space. Remember: You have to crawl before you walk. - Josh

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If you are just beggining, and your drum teacher, (or if you are learning on your own). starts you off by teaching you a song, go to a drum set sit down and listen to that song over and over again. If you are a natural drummer, u will get it quickly. - Joe
If you want hardware that lasts for (almost) a lifetime...choose Pearl! I'm not saying this because I play Pearl, actually I play Ludwig. But Pearl hardware is so solid and reliable..some of my Pearl stands, ive had for 15 years. And they are as good as new! AND, they are not even the most expensive series..it's just great! - daniel
For a good way to help develop four way independance in your playing, try only using the left hand for the left side of the set and the right hand for the right side. When you use your left hand on the high hats it frees your right hand and makes the toms more accessible. - Joe Presti

Research brands before you buy anything. If you dont do your research you're gonna end up wasting $500 on a paper mache drumset made by 8 year old korean slave children. dont buy anything from the brand DB, horribly crappy. - jodio

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To make your toms sound better, take TISSUE PAPER, (not Kleenex)and fold it into a about a 3 by 2 inch rectangle and duct tape it on the inside of your top drum head, not in the middle. - Cody
Alway hit the bass drum as hard as you can if pretty girls are near. They like that kind of stuff and get a good sense of a man's power. - Bill Drumherder

Drumming is only 10% hands and 90% mental...Count your heart out... - The One

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Too loud? - if u dont have a cover instead of doing a strait hit on your snare use a rim hit its a hell of alot more quiet - raphael
Be enthusiastic with what you are doing offer it to God - Ellen C. Silawan

Never lose concentration. It is commom to lose concentration while showing off by rushing into a fill, or tryin to throw in rudiments you just learned into a beat. This is often done when a drummer gets to cocky, or tries to show off for friends, just do what you practiced, never try something new during a show or gig. And NEVER try to spin ur drumsticks when you THINK you have enough time to do it during a song, often drummers will spin sticks if they even think they have time, and often they run out of time to finish the spin, and get delayed on the song. - ct_drummer_boi

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TO BEGINING PLAYERS: Patience is KEY. It may seem that your not getting any better on the drums but you are so just STICK WITH IT!!! - Greg Smith
For a new and different kick drum sound, try lining the inside of your bass drum with tin foil, you will get a Thunderous sound, check it out.- Bailey
When playing with your high hats two handed, make sure that you do not play with a traditional grip. Instead, drap your stick and dont hit it. - Mike Feeney
Neal Peart, Tommy Aldridge (whom I happened to see live with the greatest guitar player who ever lived Randy Rhoades) are quite surely the cream of the crop, but i believe the for sure that Drummer TOMMY STEWART will definately be added to the ranks of the greats........awesome - jodi cool

Posture is key if you dont sit straight up behind the drums you will only hurt yourself in the long run! - Eric Poore

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Having drummed for more than 22 years, I have to say that in my professional opininion, very few of the tips listed here are actually helpful to drummers.

Here are some useful tips for you...

**Duct tape is for repairs only, not muffling drums. The only thing you should ever need to deaden the excessive ring of a drum is MoonGels.

**NEVER wear gloves to drum! If you can't hold on to the sticks, or they are giving you blisters, you're doing something wrong!

Drummer Jokes

**Whenever you're gigging on the road, type out a checklist of all your drum gear, including duct tape and tuning keys, and a small tool kit with pliers, a 4-way screwdriver, a crescent wrench and a small hammer (you'll need them all eventually). Take inventory before you leave FOR the gig and before you leave FROM the gig.

**By the way, the best drummer in the history of drumming was, is, and will always be Buddy Rich. He is the drummer by which all other drummers always have been and always will be ranked.

I'm not trying to be an ass or bust anyone's chops, I just want you to have some good drumming advice. And for cryin' out loud, will some of you learn how to spell?! Thanks! Happy Drumming! - Drum Bum Hicks

P.S. Want better grip on your sticks? Try sanding the lacquer of with steel wool and rubbing the bare wood with a wet wash cloth. This exaggerates the wood grain and gives your skin a surface against which to form friction. Works for me! - Drum Bum Hicks

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Filthy,gungy,disgusting dirt encrusted cymbals? Try "Groove Juice",it really works,BUT FOLLOW DIRECTIONS!!!! - Paul
Relax your hands >:E - bagaboom

For control over your sticks, play on top of a 20oz bottle. This will keep your playing area consistant and it will help you gain control. Also practice things that you have trouble pulling off "slow and low" this is a concept from Steve Smith. - Matt Hill

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Joey Jordinson is greatest drummer alive. - the_four_blades
Don't just play... .improvise and create styles and different rythms - Dave
Play for yourself and make sure you enjoy doing it otherwise drums aren't for you. - Jenna
I got this brand new rudiment called the dragadon't. It goes like this:

llr L RRR llr LL rrl R LLL rrl RR

This is a badass rudiment. Try it - Jimmy

I've got a new rudiment for everyone out there!!! It's a little challenging but made tight!!! It's called the Tap-Shirley! Here's how it goes: First, you gotta know how to do a Shirley Murphy ( RLLRRR LRRLLL)!!!! NOW ALL YOU DO IS JUST PUT THE FLAMS IN THE RIGHT PLACE!!! Here's what it looks like: (R*LL*RRR L*RR*LLL) THE (*) indicated where the flam is suppose to be!!! I can play it better than I can explain it!!! lol Enjoy!!! - Cliff

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Put a plastic film for your car windshield on your single ply drumheads, its will give an effect of double ply drumhead. you can also improvise by doubling it so you can have more muffling. - jolly

Use a news paper for practicing brushstick, it;s cheap and it work, you can also read news after it! or if you had pads, use double tape underneath it and put a hard paper. so you will have a double practice pad for stick and the new brush pad. - jolly

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Over 2000 Tips, Tricks, and Secrets for Drums!
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To kill the hollow echo sound from a low ply set, just get egg crate foam (the stuff for beds) and line it on th inner shell of the desired drum. Usually your toms and bass drum. It really gives it a punchy sound. - four_blades
Before practicing or playing a date, it is good to do some streching excerciseing to loosen your muscles because drummers play with all their muscles - robert phillips

Explore the possibilities of rudiments by re-defining these buidling blocks. Example - a paradiddle if broken into 2 seperate sound sources sounds cool. Now try it between the bass drum foot and right hand while playing ride patterns with your left hand. U getting it ? Good.......do likewise with all the other drum rudiments while maintaining the left hand ride pattern. PS, if you are a player that plays open handed (ie Carter Beauforn, Simon Phillips) this would usually be a lot easier. If not, then LEARN how to play open handed.........what's with all this crossing over anyway....talk about wasted motion !!! - Francis

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Want to speed up your drumming? Ok, this may sound daft, but take your drum sticks and play with them underwater! It will defnatly build your arms, wrists and speed. Dont believe me?
Try it out. - dean
Practice, practice, practice - ANGEL
Myth - Ringo is not the greatest drummer. Fact - Danny Carey is the greatest drummer of all time - Ron

Every real drummer starts out with pots and pans when they're like 5 years old. - jeRin

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Always try to keep your cymbals at a good tilt. If you keep them strait, then its possible that you'll bend or dent the cymbal by playing on the edges, or nicking or chipping your drumsticks - Drummin EFFIGY
On a snare drum they drumline the speed and beat - christopher singleton

When hitting your drums, try concentrating on "pulling" the sound out of them instead of hitting them and forgetting about it.The same applies to cymbals;hit, and pull the sound. its all about feeling the rhythm in your bones! - R.W.Singh

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You play drums...don't forget to actually play its not all about show. - Corey Yoder

Learn what you do best, and create "your" style. Trying to be the greatest drummer is absurd, just be great at what you do and improve on that. - Dave from Dave's Planet

Personalized Drumsticks

Practice with running weights on ur ankles and wrists it will increase your speed and muscles - WING NUT

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Practice all your drum rutiments on a pillow or a surface that dosent rebound as well. You'll find it helps your left hand get out those doubles quicker. Virgil did it, and look where it got him! - Tim
If you practice your drums every day, learn your rudimants and have fun you can eventually pick out the people that play with you because you so good. But like all other instruments YOU HAVE TO PRACTICE!!! - Mr. Drummerman
It is generally (A LOT!!) easier to listen to a song to find the drum beat rather than to spend three hours finding drum tabs that fit the song. Drum tabs come in handy if you can't hear the drums in a song but 9 times out of 10 you can hear, learn and play the beat just by listening to the song. - Mr. Drummerman

are you some times kinda scared that you are annoying some one with your druming (dont wana play when some one is home or some like that) well i am like that and ill tell ya on thing. YOU WILL GET NOWHERE!! now dont thake this as a insulte because when your shy its hard to play. all you have to do is think in your head "im good and i know it, no need of being shy" and then you just play who cairs about the neibers or what ever.a good drumer is not shy and will not cair of what people say, they do what they have to do and have fun. (sorry for my spelling mistaks as you see im not a good writer haha) - Charles

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Let your drum be an extension to your soul. Pour your feelings into it, throw your anger in toms, and be a drummer that communuicates with his drums. After all, we drummers are the luckiest ... We have the most of the fun. - Joe_The Killing Drummer
Always bring some sticks and a stool to a gig where someone else is providing the kit. It would also be a good idea to take a pedal and drum key as well. - cookie

Don't hit cymbals in a T position, sticks will break - francis

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After traveling with a touring group for a while I have found that the most important thing is the audience. You can be the best drummer in the world, but if you dont communicate with the audience you are nothing. It is most important to make them have fun at the show. After that i would say know your limits... and then figure out how to surpass them! - Dexter Markley
count your beats 1&2&3&4& - pernell knox

Neil Peart and Ringo may be awesome drummers, but don't forget Lars Ulrich and tre Cool! Just thought I may mention that. - zach

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To help with tuning snares and toms, ducktape on the heads works pretty good. might as well try it - zach
Don't forget that drums aren't everything. Remember to keep your other priorities in order and don't let drumming run your life! - Alfonso Portela
Get your ghost-strokes quieter by hitting the drum closer to the edge. Play the backbeat in the center. This way you can easily control the dynamic differences. - Troels Nissen

Try playing open-hand style, that is playing the hats with your left hand and snare with your right on a right-handed kit. This is different from playing with your arms crossed and opens up the tom-toms since your arms isn't in the way. - Nehemiah Chu

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Have fun - aaron
Do your best and visulize you doing it - ryan

Steve Gadd may not have the most chops...but he lays down a groove like no other drummer. if somethings not sounding right, try to play like steve. buddy rich had more raw chops, but nobody grooves like steve. - john dole

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BASS DRUM SLIP: Try this(It works!) take a mic stand base,put your bass drum leg(the outside one - if you only have 1 mic stand base) into the whole, position it in place and Duct tape down. It'll hold like you won't believe! It works on Drum Rugs or Pads also. In 25yrs = never failed! - Mickey Splinters
Always have sticks, a drum key, and a stool with you when you go to any gig - cook

Just take it easy and have fun doing your thing and you don' t know what might happen - Big Zay

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First you eat chicken then you bang on the drum as hard as you can. - Jordan
Play with heart and soul. your drumline is a team so act like a team.If one person mess up you all mess up. - cliff foster
Never give up on practicing.. You may surprise yourself at what you can achieve on the snare drum or drumset. - Drum King

Practice ghost notes, they are great for solos or just to sneak them in on simple beats - jason cline

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If you are a beginner and u cant hit the drums hard enough (whitch does happen... seriously), then imagine the drums are your maths teacher from school (even if you aren't in school anymore). - Lee-j

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Don't get lazy. remember not to let your hands end elbows get droppy. keep your elbows up and you'll feel alot more action out of your drum heads - bub

Read every single drumming tip on this site, pay attention to 75% of them, then take lessons and practice. - bub

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Over 2000 Tips, Tricks, and Secrets for Drums!
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