learning styles

Dustin07 · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:25 am Post subject: learning styles

I've learned two things about myself when it comes to drumming.

I learn on paper better than by sound. I can make stuff up to play along with music, but when I'm trying to repeat another drummer, it's easier for me to read tabs/sheet music and play that way.

also, when learning a new riff that's very complicated for me, I learn by sections rather than beats. For instance...

My teacher will typically have me start with the bass notes, then the ride, then the snare, etc. However, I've found that I learn better by splitting a measure into 1/4's and learning the complete 1/4 section at a time.

what about you guys?

CrazdDrumr · Ferret Joined: 06 Dec 2006 Posts: 109

When I learn a song I find it easier to duplicate what I hear. But when I am teaching myself something new, I learn better by reading it and then take what I just learned, play it and I usually stumble upon something else in the process.

007david · Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 10:35 am Post subject:

I'm about as pure of an auditory learner as there can be. I just listen to music and unless it's ridiculously fast I can generally pick out what's going on first time around.

Heck, even for college I never took notes (again, outside of horribly complex things), since I could just listen and know it all.
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Dustin07 · Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 12:45 pm Post subject:

lol, know it all... that's funny.

I'm finding that the more I learn about the drums, however, the more I can play by ear. I'm sure that will expand. I start to recognize different beats that I originally learned on paper in different songs. So I guess that's helping.

punkrocker7341 · Lion Joined: 23 May 2004 Posts: 926 Location: AZ

As you progress learning by ear gets easier. Its also something you can practice. Theres nothing wrong with learning off of sheet music though, thats how I prefer to learn things. Once I get the music learned I like to hear it so I can put the right feel to it, because its almost impossible to really notate feel.

As far as how you learn the groove, I think both ways are good. Personally, I learn it as one line, just slowly moving across the bar. If you really want to understand the beat though, its good to isolate each part: bass, snare, cymbals, toms, etc. I know that sometimes I'll play a beat and think its cool, but then I break it down and find out I'm playing a rhumba clave part on the snare with a baio foot pattern. I don't always notice those things though until I break it down one voice at a time.
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Dustin07 · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:52 am Post subject:

Drummin_Dan · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 4:59 pm Post subject:

I group things based on subdivision. If you're learning a complicated pattern, it's usually going to be all within a 16th note division (save a few exceptions). So, there are certain beats where a right hand will line up with a left foot, or both feet etc. It's a very non-linear approach to learning patterns. But, I find it's a similar approach to playing chords. You aren't thinking of chords in a linear fashion where 4 different voices are moving up or down by a certain interval. If you learned how to play a song, or passage one note at a time, it would be a long and arduous task. You learn chords by practicing voicings and changes. If you get those things down, everything else you learn takes less time. Same with learning patterns, I try to group everything together (and of course start slow).