Sigh, the things we do for love
Years ago when the Dummies and Idiot's line of books were becoming popular I vowed never to buy one. Why? My opinion is that you should never buy a book that insults you, the reader, in the title. Even though the titles are self-deprecating and tongue-in-cheek, something just isn't right when just buying the book says you feel you are stupid or inept.
In my quest to learn to play drums I'm having to teach myself using whatever resources I can find. I'm searching for a qualified instructor for personal lessons, but I live in a rural area and with gas prices so high it's nearly prohibitively expensive once you add the cost of gas in with the cost of the lessons. I haven't given up, but I'm moving on with self instruction in the mean time.
There are a ton of resources on the net that show you all the rudiments, basic beats, even advanced topics for free, and a myriad of books can be ordered with a few simple clicks. The problem with all this is that all of it, most books included, is just a metric buttload of information with no structure behind it. You can easily get overwhelmed with information with no way of knowing HOW you should proceed to learn all of it.
Now, I'm the kind of person that can figure a lot out on my own, but I need at least a pointer to get started. I need someone to say 'do this then this then this' to get me started. Once I have a plan in place I can run with the best of them, but when information is just thrown at me I get overloaded and frustrated, and frustration leads to me quitting. I'm sure I'm not alone in this.
So I found myself in the bookstore yesterday getting ready to insult myself by buying The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing Drums. I'm not proud of it, but there it is. I love playing, but had no idea how to get better. I now at least have a starting map, a progression of exercises to work on. It may not be as good as a live instructor, but at least it's something to point me in the right direction. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to don my dunce cap and play the drums.
In my quest to learn to play drums I'm having to teach myself using whatever resources I can find. I'm searching for a qualified instructor for personal lessons, but I live in a rural area and with gas prices so high it's nearly prohibitively expensive once you add the cost of gas in with the cost of the lessons. I haven't given up, but I'm moving on with self instruction in the mean time.
There are a ton of resources on the net that show you all the rudiments, basic beats, even advanced topics for free, and a myriad of books can be ordered with a few simple clicks. The problem with all this is that all of it, most books included, is just a metric buttload of information with no structure behind it. You can easily get overwhelmed with information with no way of knowing HOW you should proceed to learn all of it.
Now, I'm the kind of person that can figure a lot out on my own, but I need at least a pointer to get started. I need someone to say 'do this then this then this' to get me started. Once I have a plan in place I can run with the best of them, but when information is just thrown at me I get overloaded and frustrated, and frustration leads to me quitting. I'm sure I'm not alone in this.
So I found myself in the bookstore yesterday getting ready to insult myself by buying The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing Drums. I'm not proud of it, but there it is. I love playing, but had no idea how to get better. I now at least have a starting map, a progression of exercises to work on. It may not be as good as a live instructor, but at least it's something to point me in the right direction. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to don my dunce cap and play the drums.
