{"id":1118,"date":"2020-09-10T06:13:43","date_gmt":"2020-09-10T11:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/soundadventurer.com\/?p=1118"},"modified":"2020-09-10T06:19:14","modified_gmt":"2020-09-10T11:19:14","slug":"how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-drums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/soundadventurer.com\/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-drums\/","title":{"rendered":"How Long Does It Take To Learn Drums? 130+ Drummers Answer!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wow, what a great question. Learning the drums seems like this impossible thing and sometimes you may wonder if you need to start learning drums when you’re a kid. You’re in luck, it’s not too late. Let’s talk about how long it takes to learn the drums.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can learn the basics of drumming in a month, but most drummers play for around 26 months before feeling competent enough to play for an audience. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I asked over 130 drummers <\/strong>how long they played before they felt competent to play in front of an audience. Read on and I’ll share some of the details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Long Does It Take To Learn the Drums<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’ll cut to the chase–this is how long it takes to learn the drums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goal:<\/th>Time Necessary<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
To Have Fun<\/td>None!<\/td><\/tr>
To Really Have Fun<\/td>1 Month<\/td><\/tr>
To Play Along With Music<\/td>6 months<\/td><\/tr>
To Play a Gig (In Front Of An Audience)<\/td>~2 years (26 months)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The reason why this question is complicated to answer is because everyone has a different expectation of what it means to learn <\/strong>the drums. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your goal is to have fun, then it takes all of 2 minutes to learn the drums!<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your goal is to play competently in front of an audience, well that’s another question, entirely, since competently is also another subjective word. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I have some awesome data to share that will give you some perspective. <\/strong> I also did an experiment, myself, and will help answer this question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning For Fun<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Before embarking on learning an instrument, it’s important to know what you are trying to accomplish. If you just want to have fun<\/strong>, then it simplifies things and relieves some of the pressure. If, however, you have other goals, <\/strong>it’s good to think about those, because it’s a real time commitment to reach those goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just having the drums in your house isn’t going to get you better at them. So, it’s good to know your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are curious about the drums and just want to learn to play a fun instrument<\/strong>, you’ll be amazed<\/strong> how quickly you can figure out the basic coordination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MULTIPLE times I have taught people to play a basic (but popular) rhythm on the drums in less than 30 minutes<\/strong>. It doesn’t sound great, but they can still play that basic rhythm. That’s fun!<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if your goal is to play for fun, you can get there in a very <\/strong>short time… like say… practically instantly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if you have other goals? Well, let’s talk about that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning For Fun But Being Able To Actually Play<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

So maybe you are just learning for fun but you actually want to feel like you can play the drums. Well, there’s a lot that goes into that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most important skills a drummer can gain is the ability to keep time.<\/strong> This is part of feeling the beat–this is about creating the beat for your listener (which is just you right now) to feel as they listen to the music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning how to keep the beat is a lifelong journey, but you can keep a solid simple beat after around 3 months of playing consistently with a metronome. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This kind of skill doesn’t happen automatically. You can “play the drums” for years without making much progress. Learning to keep the beat<\/strong> takes 3 months of mindful <\/strong>practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning For Playing Along With Music<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your goals are a little higher, let’s say, being able to play with your favorite music, or a minus track (a song with all the other parts except the drums), or maybe even being able to jam and play songs with your friends.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s go over the skills you are going to need to make this happen. All these time estimations are assuming you are practicing 5 times a week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n