[Infero Exicution]

I toke drum lessons for a little bit until they started to lead me toward
Blues and Jazz when I tryed to tell them that I was a hard rock to metal drummer.
I quit.
Don't get me wrong, blues and jazz are very nice styles and will make me better
because the music has complex beats and requires an advanced amount of
coordination. But, it just wasn't my thing.
I quit when they offered me a drum book for free.
I took it and ran.
All in all, I think lessons helped me greatly, took me to places I wouldn't reach for
a long time without their help, and I benefited greatly.
I'll probably go back. Me and my book I mysteriously got.
Other than that, I'm self taught. 4 years strong.

[Tainojim]

Joe, one thing about drumming is that you'll always be learning something all the time. I've been through some rutts getting into the habit of playing habitually the same riffs. It does take some work at getting out of that rutt. In other words breaking that habit of playing the same riffs even when they keep calling you again in the back of the mind. Some call it the valley of fatigue, and it's hard to get out of it. That's why you need to take a break once in a while and just enjoy life.

[phillywillis]

So I am also self -taught. The majority of my motivation has come from playing in all sorts of different groups since I was 14 and my learning has come from strictly listening/observing other musicians along with books and the internet have had a big part in this too. I think that for being self-taught, I did fine learning how to play. However, I feel like because I did not have a teacher, I am lacking in certain skills like having a variety of rudiments to work with. Because I was always listening to music and mimicking that, I left some other things by the way-side. I am now trying to make up for that which is pretty painstaking.

[Infero Exicution]

I do much the same thing.
I thought that I was missing a bunch of stuff one day,
so, I looked at that "Basic Drumming" book for a while and
learned a few beats.
I found that I was an Auditory learner.
So now, i mostly listen to music and learn to play along.
I have to say it did teach me to keep time
and keep a beat. That book always come in handy.

[Tainojim]

A few have mentioned developing bad habits in self taught drumming.

But what bad are habits?

Is it picking your nose with a drum stick, a bad habit?
Scratching your arm with a cymbal?
Texting while playing a gig?
Scratching you head with a drum key?
Rubbing your back on a tom because it feels good?
What are bad habits?

Playing the drums everyday is a good habit.
Give me some examples of bad habits...

[Infero Exicution]

I guess using your arms to do the work in stead of your wrists
is a bad habit.
One habit Travis Barker couldn't fix.
Other than that, I don't know.
Maybe choking up on the stick instead of having a very tight grip
on it at the bottom of the stick?
Having a tight grip?
Those where some funny guesses Tainojim.

[Tainojim]

Dude those are some good points in drumming. But using arms strength instead of wrist is not a bad habit and Travis Barker did just fine.
As far as getting a grip, there are no rules to that. Lots of people don't even know about the unwritten laws of drumming.
Just speculations. Lots of self taught drummers have made it to the top. No broken rules, laws or bad habits were applicable to arrest those drummers.
Bottom line is that some are born with rhythm and don't need to be assaulted literally by those who think that having a teacher to show them what to do or how to do it by those who have written books.

Text books are not at all accurate. These are the criteria that teachers use. If the sticks feel comfortable in the hands and you can play drums, use of common sense that's all that counts.

If ya ain't got the rhythm, get a metronome, it helps. Learning by the book doesn't help if you weren't born for drumming.

[phillywillis]

Amen to that!

[Alec57]

well i have been playing for.. 4 months now? and i think i only got 1 class when i was.. idk 7? but like that helped
i've been playing 4 months now like i said, and i'm a pretty decent drummer i think i am pretty good since i've only played 4 months but i've only learned some from a book ^.^ self taught mostly

[little elf]

Hi All,

Have read this thread with interest - I'm just starting out on the drums and have chosen to go with a teacher as opposed to self-taught. I think it's an individual choice and I have a good muso friend who is always poo-pooing my desire to learn 'properly' - he's what we'd call an awesome 'hack' - he can pick up any musical instrument and play it, not technically great but with awesome feel and creativity. I guess I chose to get a teacher for the following reasons...

1. I want to get my technique right because I believe good technique will give me the best drumming skills I'm capable of. Just this week my drum teacher mentioned I need to hit my snare harder - it wouldn't have occurred to me just listening to my own playing. Same goes with stuff like stick placement and the like - getting the best sound out of the instrument. It's great to have an objective ear.

2. Motivation - going to lessons each week gives me mojo to practice and keeps me connected to drumming.

3. Monitor progress - going to a teacher allows me to monitor how I'm progressing and to learn in a structured way, suitable to my growing skill level. I'm not just randomly learning stuff - each skill builds on the last, and it feels more wholistic, if that makes sense?

4. Objective and expert criticism - valuable feedback from someone who knows drumming and can assess my growth and areas of weakness on an on-going basis.

I don't believe that learning formally or being self-taught necessarily indicates differences in playing ability. I think it's a personal decision and for my wants and needs, it's helpful to have the structure and feedback. I'm one of those people who really needs to understand how things work, to know and apply the theory, while others learn more organically 'from the heart'. I guess my ideal would be to combine both head and heart to my playing.

Rock on brothers and sisters.