Are Drums Hard Or Easy To Play? We Discuss

Drums. They seem simple in concept to play. You just bang some drumsticks against it, and you have sound. Drums are even one of the instruments children first know the idea of playing it. But does this make them easy to play?

Yes, drums are easy to play, but they are more difficult instruments to master than you may initially think. It takes time and effort to learn how to master the drums, just like learning a new skill or instruments of other categories.

Many aspects go into learning to play the drums. It can be easy or hard. But let’s begin with why drums can be easy to play.

What Makes Learning The Drums Easy?

First, you need to discover what your goal is to learn the drums. If you are doing it for fun, it is quite easy to learn to play them. If you are looking to become a professional, it will take consistent practice and time, but drums can be easy to pick up for the pleasure of it.

Easy To Start Out

Drums are easy for children to start playing because playing them does not require a lot of fine motor skills, and it helps them strengthen the muscles in their hands and their arms. It is also fun for children to partake in because they don’t have to have a lot of skill to make the noise.

This goes for adults too. If you have never played an instrument before, drums may be where you want to start. They aren’t discouraging, and you can see the improvement as you continue to practice.

As humans, we naturally can understand rhythm. It is a part of our nature. You can easily start hitting the drums and begin a basic rhythm. You can even learn a popular song in a matter of thirty minutes, depending on your skill level.

Many of us understand basic beats. You see this with people when listening to a song, and you start bobbing your head. Maybe you are at a concert or a gathering, and you guys start clapping together. These are all rhythms you can use to play the drums.

Easy To Teach Yourself

Drums are also an instrument that you can teach yourself. You can practice the basic beats that many beginners first learn. You don’t have to memorize different keys or notes on the instrument like you would an instrument from a different category: i.e., wind instruments or brass instruments.

With the internet today, you can find so many resources online to help you learn. You can find articles, podcasts, and videos that will give you step-by-step instructions on how to play the drums. You just have to do a little research.

If you are a little more serious about learning to play, you can also find someone to teach you. Many people offer drum lessons, and with all the technology today, you can even participate in virtual classes, so you don’t even have to leave your home.

You can also learn these beats without a drum. Just use your fingers or even writing tools, and you got yourself a drum on any hard surface. Practicing can happen anywhere!

Drums Can Relieve Stress

Drums can help you relieve stress, and so this can make it easy for you to play. You can take your stress out by channeling that energy to your movements.

If you just need to use this instrument for stress relief, you don’t need to master the complexities of advanced rhythms. You can easily just get yourself some drums and start playing your heart out. You don’t need all that fancy stuff.

Drums Are Fun To Play

Drums are so much fun to play, even if you don’t have any skill or talent. You can get a basic beat without trying. You may even be able to do a little bit more if you’ve had practicing thrumming on a desk or table like most younger children do during class.

You don’t need to be a professional drummer to have a little fun. Just go with the flow and figure out what you want to play, whether something simple or more complex and sophisticated. Do what makes you happy.

Drums Do Not Have Pitch

Drums do not have a pitch like other instruments. In other instruments, you will have to learn how to get different pitches. For these instruments, it means pressing the right keys or moving your lips a certain way. Even some percussive instruments have pitch and key.

You can learn other techniques and styles to make your playing a little more advanced, but you don’t have to worry about things that you may when learning the piano or learning the saxophone.

Guitars are much more difficult to learn than drums are for beginners. With guitars, you will have to learn the strings. You will have to position your fingers on specific strings to play certain notes.

What Makes Learning The Drums Difficult?

Many people assume that drums are easy just because you are just hitting the drum to a beat. This is the case if you are learning the drums for fun and playing them for stress relief and coping. But, if you are looking to become a professional, it takes a lot more than banging a stick against the surface of a drum.

Complexity Of Drums

You will have to learn the different styles, beats, rhythms, the different types of drums, and how to use both hands different rhythms and beats; you will also have to discover your style. Professionals find their voice that they like to show the entire world.

Drums can become complex depending on what you are playing. If you want to learn how to play an entire drum set, you will have to practice quite a bit to master playing the drums. Or you can just play the snare drum. It depends on you. You get to choose how much you need to learn.

You can make many mistakes as a beginner, but many people who get discouraged quickly often make the mistake of playing advanced music fast. Drums can be complex just as much as the music, so take your time. Don’t push yourself to advanced levels when you aren’t ready.

Reading Music

Even though drums do not have a pitch like other instruments, you will still have to learn how to read music. You will have to learn the rhythmic notations so that you can play songs. But this is not as difficult as you may think.

Drum notation is different than other instrumental music sheets. Instead of learning keys, you have to learn symbols that represent different drums on your drum set. This is where understanding the anatomy of your drum set comes in. You have to know the drum set to be able to read the music and vice versa.

Choosing Your Technique

Choosing the technique and style you want to use can be difficult. You will have to try different styles before you find out which one fits you. The best way to find your fit is to mimic professionals and see which one speaks to you.

You will also need to consider what genre you want to play in. Deciding on a genre will help you figure out what style and technique you will need. Some genres don’t even require you to use a full drum set.

How Long Does It Take To Learn The Drums?

The length of mastering the drums depends on what your goal is for learning them. You will need to ask yourself: is this for fun, or are you trying to become a professional? Once you figure this out, you will understand how long it will take to master the drums.

You can learn a few songs as easily as a few days or a little more than a week. This time frame is for basic rhythms but is still impressive when you put your mind to it.

The length of time of mastery also depends on how much time you have to practice. The more you practice, the better you will be more quickly. If you do not have a lot of extra time to spare, it is said that even twenty or thirty minutes can help you improve tremendously.

Even with this practice each day, don’t expect immediate results. You may not find yourself mastering a basic rhythm or song as quickly as you have hoped. Some say that it may take up to 2 years to get well acquainted with drums and play them.

If you are searching to become a professional, it will take much longer than two years. It can take about 7 to 8 years to become an expert, but there are exceptions. You will find that those exceptionally talented musicians may not have had to practice as long.

What Goes Into Learning The Drums?

Many things go into learning the drums, but two areas you will need to know about the drums are mental capacity and physical capacity. This goes for many instruments, but drums can be quite taxing on your physique.

The Mental Capacity

When learning anything, you have the mental strength to take the time out of your day and stay motivated even when things become difficult. Drums will not always be easy to practice or learn new skills and songs.

You will also need to understand some of the basic concepts about drums:

• The anatomy of drums.
• The beats.
• Implement both hands.

Learning The Anatomy Of Drums

Learning the anatomy of the drums will take some time. You will need to know what each type of drum is and the sounds each make. Each drum has a specific role they play in the entirety of the drum kit.

It may be a little difficult at first, but as you keep playing the drums and practicing new songs, you will soon realize how each drum has its purpose. You will then be able to differentiate the unique sounds.

Each drum has a unique symbol for drum notation, so memorizing what is where will only make learning how to play so much easier.

Learning The Beats

Depending on what genre of music you want to play, you may not have to be too advanced to learn the music. Rock music often has similar beats and rhythms, so you will find yourself understanding it quickly and won’t need to adjust to yourself too often.

Even though you may not need to read music to the full extent of other instruments, you still need to understand rhythmic notation.

Learning How To Implement Both Hands

Learning how to use both hands at different rates and using your feet can be a daunting task. If you already know how to play the piano, you are already ahead of the game, but it isn’t always so simple to learn these skills.

If you have never played an instrument, this can be difficult. Sometimes you will have one hand going at a completely different rhythm to the other one. It takes a lot of mental concentration to be able to do this.

Some people often fall into the trap of one hand following the other in a beat. When this happens, it can throw off the song’s rhythm and make for a pretty dull sound. It does not take a lot for you to get distracted and mess up the beat. But this is why practice is important.

Learn These Things

When you are on your way to mastering the drums, you will have to learn quite a bit before playing well. Here are a few things you will need to know to help you improve:

• How to count the beat.
• How to tune your drums.
• How to set up your drum set.
• What are the best drumsticks for you?

You will have to learn many other things, but these are things to help you when you are just starting.

The Physical Capacity

Although it is understood that you will need to move your arms and feet to play the drums, some people don’t realize how physically draining it can be to play the drums. If you have ever seen a concert, look at the drummer. That isn’t fame sparkling on his skin but sweat dripping from hard work.

You will be using some muscles when you play the drums, especially if you play more complex rhythms and beats. Your forearms may be a little sore after the first week of practicing. Don’t expect drums to be easy just because you can hit them with a stick. You can get exhausted physically.

You can get a decent workout, and it’s nicer on your body than running! If running is not your style, then just play your drums. You can get that exercise in and not have to worry about making that mile.

Can Anyone Play The Drums?

Drums are a great instrument to learn at all ages. Children love playing on them and making loud noises. Teenagers love it for the rebellion and releasing that teenage stress. Adults can understand it as well.

You can never be too old to learn to play the drums. It is quite beneficial for even the elderly to learn them. It is great exercise, and since, at this point, you are learning for pleasure and stress relief, you don’t have to worry about mastering it at a professional level.

Simple Mistakes That Make Learning Difficult

Sometimes learning how to play the drums may be difficult, but it is only because of simple mistakes that beginners often make. Here are some common mistakes by Drumeo that make it hard for you. If you find them useful you should check out our review of their Drumeo Edge training:

• You don’t warm up.
• You grab the drumsticks like you don’t want to let go.
• Ignoring your non-dominant side.
• Moving too advanced too quickly.
• Not using a metronome.
• Having no goals.
• Not protecting your ears.

These mistakes can be detrimental to your progress. Remember not to move on too quickly. That is one of the biggest mistakes a beginner can make. Find a happy medium between having no goals and moving too quickly. Make those goals realistic.

Some of these mistakes may not seem very impeding, but they really can harm your technique and style. You can also learn bad habits that are hard to unlearn. The death grip is one of the most harmful mistakes to make. Don’t hold your drumsticks too hard. It can ruin your sound and make you stiff.

Are Drums Easy Or Hard To Play? Final Thoughts

Depending on your goal, learning and playing the drums will decide whether mastering them is easy or hard. You may not even attempt mastery and just learn for pleasure. Either way, it all comes down to you, what you want, and the talent you may have.

Just stick to the arrangements and know the basic anatomy of your drum set, and you will learn songs in no time.