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The most essential elements you need to have on your drumset

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My biggest concern when I was a beginner was to buy lots of drums and cymbals because as many drummers out there I tough that with the more I had,  the better I'll be.  But one of the greatest advice I had from my first professor tough me was: "If you can work a 4-piece set and amaze your audience, you can work any drumset you like".  From that day on I knew that the items you have in your drumset are unimportant if you can't play them. So what I personally recommend is to pull out the best of you on what you have. At first, I only had a kick, a snare, a floor tom, one high tom, a ride, and a hit-hat, and for me, those are the basic things you need.  And don't get me wrong having more drum parts on your set is very funny and great, but they're not essential and you should start practicing right on. So don't stress out if you don't have money for buying stuff, you don't need them.  Look at Ringo Starr, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, and Ginger

The best songs for practicing.

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As you evolve in your skills you're going to start finding that the songs that used to challenge you are turning more and more easy to play, and you may start thinking that you have grown as much as you can. But there's nothing more false than this. But don't worry, I totally get and we all have passed that, so making things a little easier, I'm going to recommend you 3 songs that I'm still figuring out because they're hard as hell. I'd like to say that any song can be turned into perfection so practice any song until you can't play it better. So let's start. 1. Make me smile - Chicago. This song has so many interesting things to practice, that we can probably divide it into little exercises. Danny Sepharine made some great drumming in the studio, a perfect combination of jazz and rock that can actually make us smile. 2. Starship Trooper - Yes. This is a masterpiece, you can pass hours, months, probably years without figuring out. I perso

The drummers that made me a better drummer.

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It´s great to improve your skills by watching tutorial videos, but my favorite way to get better (and the one that I think is the most effective) is by hearing awesome drummers and the stuff they've made. The reason why I think is a better option, is because experienced drummers have already passed for some things that we don't, and we can skip so many of their mistakes and take advantage of their experience. In that way, you can be a better drummer than they're now. So I´m going to show who are the most influential drummers I had on my drumming. 1. John Bonham: He's the greatest. Check its patterns and the way he magnified Led Zeppelin. If there´s anything that made me a better drummer, that should be John Bonham's triplets.  One of a kind and probably there won't be a more influential drummer for me. 2. Mike Portnoy: He's a monster. The most technical drummer I have ever hear. Just try to replicate all he does and your mind will explode. I personal

How to prepare yourself for a gig?

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It got my attention that when I had my first gig I was so unprofessional. I didn't know anything about performing and the experience was nice and challenging, but as it says in that song of the group Faces: "I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger". So, I'm going to share with you some little advice that I found in the way, and I hope it will help you in your next presentation. 1. First of all, don't, please don't perform if you haven't practiced at all. You will have a bad time if you don't know the songs or if you just barely know them. This may seem a little obvious but it is the best pease of advice you can have, I swear.   2. Bring all the drumsticks that you can carry on your bag. Also, place them in strategic points where you know you can lose them of your hands. You know your songs better than anybody and you we all know accidents can happen, so don't worry if you need to take and extra pair of sticks.  3. Never

How to practice when you can't play?

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A drummer's life is hard. Between rehearsals, gigs and studio sessions we have less and less time for practicing and improving our skills, and it is very frustrating not having the opportunity to get better or accomplishing all of the exercises we planed for the week or month. I can recommend to you three things that at least for me have proven to be a great option for getting better and discovering new things for evolving in your drumming: 1. Get a practice pad. This is always the best option. A pair of drumsticks and a practice pad can always be your best friends because you can take them anywhere. In this way, you can practice for 30 minutes while your on the subway or while you have some free time at work. 2. Always watch videos. This sounds easy and really it is. If you can't carry a practice pad, just grab your phone and put on some tutorials or gigs of your favorite drummers. By just seeing how they control their movements and the patterns they follow you can

How to choose the best drumsticks?

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How to choose the best drumsticks? We all know the terminology behind the drumsticks. Also, we know that if we're looking for a pair of sticks our first option is going to be one of the big brands. You know Vic Firth, Zildjian, Meinl, etc. But there´s really one true thing that we all pass away when we start on drums: the genre. If you´re looking for an awesome design in your sticks because you're goin' to use them in a gig that's just fine, but if you're looking for some sticks for practicing or evolving in your skills you should consider buying a more adequate brand for the genre or type of sound you're searching for. I personally recommend Vic Firth as the more versatile brand in the market because of the wood they're made of, but you should use them especially is you're going play rock, principally because of the attack they have on the snare. If you're going to play Jazz use Promark if you're going to play metal use Ahead, and with