Tips Drum

1. Use a can of compressed air to get the dust out of those hard to reach places like in-between lugs and under the foot pedals of your drums.

2. Teachers: Use flash cards to help your students learn note values, dynamic markings, etc. You can make them yourself on 3 X 5 index cards.

3. Have a "Don't Forget" list for all your instruments and related drum gear. Be sure to include such things as extra drum heads, drum sticks, mics and mic cables, etc. This list will help you to never have one of those gut-wrenching moments when you realize you left something at home 2 hours away.

4. Listen to "all" styles of music. This boosts your creativity on the drums and makes you more aware of how to approach these styles if you ever confront them in your band.

5. For dried up duct tape residue on your cymbals or drum stands, invest in a bottle of "Goo Gone". This stuff is amazing (and even smells good!).

6. Teaching drums is an excellent motivator. You'll learn a lot and your students will constantly keep you challenged. When you're able to articulate your point about any given subject, it's then that you truly understand it.

7. Play "heel up" on the bass drum for more power and speed. The heel down technique will work but requires a bit more effort. Also, it's easier to play heel up technique with drum fills.

8. Books: There are many good drum method books that are not out in the limelight but are brilliantly written. They may not be published through Warner Brothers or Hal Leonard, but the content is still top notch. Check out magazine reviews in drum publications, the web, etc. for independent book publishers.

9. Gaffers Tape: Ever hear people talk about "gaffers tape" and wonder what they're referring to? Although it is similar to duct tape, gaffers tape leaves no residue on your drums, is a bit thicker and easier to tear. It's also considerably more expensive.

10. The Library: Don't forget your local Library as a rich resource of information about drums, drumset, and overall drumming and percussion (CDs, reference books, music history, etc.).

11. Soundproofing: To truly soundproof a drum room, you must create air channels between wall layering. We will be describing this in more detail later.

12. Warming up before a gig. This is terribly underestimated. Spend 20 to 30 minutes warming up with drum rudiments and related sticking exercises. Practice them with music playing through a Walkman. It's a great motivator and you'll be very loose when you get ready to play.

13. Drum Set 101: It's a bit of a misconception that you always need a drumset to work out licks or patterns. One can still have an effective practice by playing in the air (air drums) and/or tapping on their legs. The main idea is to go through the motions so you form some amount of muscle memory.