The Pros and Cons of Teaching Yourself How to Play Drums.
Learning how to play drums is an exciting and rewarding journey, but many aspiring drummers face a dilemma: should they teach themselves or seek formal lessons? Both paths have their advantages and disadvantages. If you're thinking about taking the self-taught route, it's essential to weigh the pros and cons carefully. This post will explore both sides to help you make an informed decision. I’ll let you know my journey at the end.
The Pros of Teaching Yourself Drums
1. Flexibility and Freedom
One of the biggest advantages of teaching yourself drums is the freedom it offers. Without the constraints of formal lessons or a fixed schedule, you can learn at your own pace. Whether you're balancing school, work, or other commitments, self-teaching allows you to practice when it suits you, even if that means jamming in the middle of the night (sorry neighbours!).
You can also choose your learning materials and tailor them to your preferences. If you're interested in learning rock beats before you dive into jazz, you're free to make that decision without adhering to someone else’s curriculum. This flexibility allows for a more personalized learning experience.
2. Cost-Effective
Drum lessons can be expensive, especially with highly skilled or in-demand instructors. Teaching yourself saves you the cost of regular lessons, and you can access a wealth of free or affordable resources online, such as YouTube tutorials, drum books, and online forums. These options allow you to acquire a lot of knowledge without the financial burden.
Here are some great YouTube Channels:
3. Developing a Unique Style
Without the influence of a teacher guiding every step, you may develop a more unique playing style. Formal lessons often focus on technique and theory, which can sometimes mold students into a specific way of playing. As a self-taught drummer, you might experiment more freely and discover unconventional methods, sounds, and styles that set you apart from others.
Some legendary drummers, like Dave Grohl and Travis Barker, were largely self-taught. They developed their own distinctive sound by breaking the rules and experimenting in ways a traditional teacher might not have encouraged.
4. Learning by Doing
Self-teaching often involves a hands-on approach, which means you’re learning by playing rather than focusing heavily on theory. This can lead to quicker progress in terms of practical skills. You might jump straight into playing songs you love, which can be more motivating than starting with rudimentary exercises and sticking to a structured lesson plan.
The Cons of Teaching Yourself Drums
1. Lack of Structured Progression
While the freedom of self-teaching can be a pro, it can also become a con if you lack structure in your learning. Without a teacher to guide you, it's easy to overlook important fundamentals like proper technique, timing, and theory. As a result, many self-taught drummers may hit plateaus in their progress or develop bad habits that are difficult to break later.
For instance, a teacher would likely introduce you to foundational techniques like how to hold the drumsticks properly, which impacts speed, control, and endurance. Learning without these fundamentals can lead to frustration or injury down the road.
2. Limited Feedback
One of the main disadvantages of teaching yourself is the lack of immediate feedback. Without an experienced teacher watching you, it’s easy to develop poor habits without realizing it. You might be practicing with poor posture, bad stick control, or inconsistent timing, but without a trained eye to correct you, these issues could go unnoticed.
Furthermore, having a teacher’s constructive criticism can push you to improve in areas you might otherwise neglect. A teacher can offer insights that aren’t always available from books or videos.
3. Harder to Learn Complex Techniques
As you advance in your drumming, you'll inevitably encounter more complex techniques that can be difficult to grasp without proper guidance. For example, learning intricate hand and foot coordination, polyrhythms, or mastering dynamics across different styles may require an experienced drummer to demonstrate and explain the nuances.
While there are excellent online tutorials available, some things are simply easier to learn in person with someone correcting your form, technique, and timing on the spot.
4. Slower Progress
While some people thrive as self-taught musicians, others may struggle with the discipline required. Without someone to hold you accountable, it’s easy to lose motivation or skip essential practice. This can result in slower progress compared to those taking lessons with a structured curriculum.
Also, when you're stuck on something difficult, it’s easy to become frustrated without guidance, which can further slow down your learning curve. A teacher can help you move past roadblocks more efficiently, offering alternative approaches or explaining a tricky concept in a way that makes sense to you.
5. Missing Out on Theory
While drumming is very much a hands-on, physical instrument, understanding music theory is crucial for long-term growth. It helps you communicate better with other musicians, understand different time signatures, and create more complex rhythms. Many self-taught drummers focus primarily on the practical side of playing and neglect theory, which can limit them in the future.
Formal lessons often include rhythm reading, music notation, and timing exercises, which can help you become a well-rounded drummer. Learning on your own, you may skip over these aspects, not realizing their importance until later in your playing career.
My Journey
I started playing when I was around 16 and I taught myself for over a year. Every day after school, I would rush home to play all my favourite songs, learning how to play like my favourite drummers and working out how to pick out drum parts from a recording. I got pretty good from this alone. I don’t think I even owned a practice pad during this time, I just spent hours on the kit.
During this time I joined a band with my mates from school. Alongside my own playing for enjoyment, I was doing weekly rehearsals, writing songs and learning how to play with other musicians. Though I certainly wasn’t thinking like this at the time. I was just having fun with my friends.
After a year or so, I realised I was getting pretty good at this thing I enjoy and that I wanted to do it properly. So I asked my mum if I could have lessons and she said yes! So this is when I started learning with a local teacher, Ian Sands, every other Saturday. Ian introduced me to rudiments and techniques and more sophisticated ways of playing. Did I do everything he asked me to do? Absolutely not. But then I decided to go to uni to study drums two years later and so I started taking Ian’s lessons a bit more seriously.
I learned the Moeller technique, and the correct bass drum technique, alongside a look at different styles of genres like Songo, Mozambique, and Jazz. This set me up perfectly to go to uni.
When I went to uni I stopped lessons with Ian and focused a lot on my lectures and after my second year I started having lessons with Pat Garvey who was and still is the Head of Drums at BIMM Brighton. Even to this day I still take lessons with Pat every two weeks and I can say with certain I would not be the drummer I am today without his knowledge and guidance.
From over 10 years of playing, roughly the first 1.5 years were self taught. I consider that valuable time in my development as I got to work out how I like to play, what music I want to play and develop some of my own ideas before being influenced by a teacher.
That being said, since then I have learned so much from my teachers and consider working with them a priceless experience.
Final Thoughts: A Hybrid Approach
If you’re drawn to the idea of teaching yourself but worry about the potential drawbacks, a hybrid approach might be the best option. You can start by teaching yourself the basics using online resources, then supplement your learning with occasional lessons from a professional to fill in the gaps and receive feedback. Alternatively, some drummers seek out short-term intensive lessons (1 Day Intensive) or workshops to address specific areas they’re struggling with.
Additionally, you can take advantage of online platforms like Drumeo or YouTube, where you can get both structured lessons and a community of drummers to offer feedback and advice. Engaging with other drummers in person or online can also help keep you accountable and motivated as you progress.
Ultimately, the choice between self-teaching and taking lessons depends on your personal learning style, goals, and commitment. Many successful drummers have followed both paths, so it's all about finding what works best for you.
By weighing the pros and cons, you can decide whether to embark on a solo journey or seek out some guidance along the way. Regardless of which route you choose, the most important part is staying consistent, motivated, and passionate about your drumming journey!
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And don’t forget—I post daily blogs with tips, tricks, and guides like this one, so be sure to check back regularly for more drumming advice!
Until tomorrow,