Take up drums at age 56?

FYI the tribute to Miles Davis is evident in the Pee Wee Ellis penned Cold Sweat song.

you can hear another tribute in this JB s tune

https://youtu.be/jbWTYhTDLlk

there is a language to music and like any other language it opens many doors and insights...once you can speak the language then you will “get it”....so the effort is mind expanding or true “mind power”

https://youtu.be/YiOgPd18UmQ

Lessons are important but practice is the real key. You should devote 2 to 3 hours daily. YouTube is amazing. If you want to get really good with technique then rudiments are a must. There is no way around it and you need discipline - devote at least 1/2 hour to rudiments daily. Top level drummers all still do rudiments daily to warm up.

If you happen to have a School of Rock in your area then join the adult band after six months of practice. This is more important than all the above.... you got to get out and play with others......that is priority #1 otherwise you will lose interest.

Check this out, I am working on it currently and I can guarantee you that you can achieve this level in 3-5 years of hard work. Producing it credibly with all the nuance however may take a multitude of life times....

http://vicfirth.com/zoro-we-want-the-funk-15/

For me, the above and the New Orleans Second Line style are the kind of  “goals”, that I work towards or aspire to

https://youtu.be/uVnm8ixW3pw

But Rock has plenty of meat and potatoes to work with on that great and wonderful journey (which never ends because there is always more to learn)...check this out, the feel of this non-technical drummer is godly...the timing follows the lead guitar and believe me time is stretched and compressed by these experts of tension and release (possibly the best rhythm section in rock n roll of all time)

https://youtu.be/n_GFN3a0yj0

@n80 

Surprisingly few drummers are good dancers - so don’t worry about your tendency towards tripping.

I only know of Steve Ferrone, Buddy Rich and Steve Gadd who were all accomplished tap dancers. Dancing a bit (body movement) does help with making and keeping a locked in groove. Many will dance with the left foot and head.


https://youtu.be/6DVbt5W-DNc

@richopp

Great advice!

Rudiments are indeed essential to achieve a high level and so is doing them precisely and properly and at first, very slowly. However, working on chops can be rather boring and therefore it is important that rudiments are just a part of a practice routine and warm up. The joy is in the music. Learning to groove is even more important than chops! A band will take a drummer that can groove over one that has amazing chops!

Some of the greatest rock drummers learned by playing along to tracks and learning to groove/feel.

@bdp24

Gretsch family has been involved in making instruments for 6 generations. I met one of the Gretsch Family’s latest generation recently - great guy - and he plays drums!

I found George Stone Killer exercises with accents worked best for me. It forced my left to be the equal of the right. Accents helped me keep the hands relaxed and use the weight of the stick and rebound. Repetition creates muscle memory. Use a soft or gel practice pad - less rebound forces you to use better technique.

I use Sound Brenner metronome app and play 100 bars at half a bar R handed and half a bar left handed, then repeat 100 with a full bar each hand, then 100 again one bar and a half each, and final two bars of 1/8 th notes for 100 bars. This is at a low metronome setting which is then increased by 5 bpm and the whole thing repeated again and so on and so forth - gradually increasing speed by 5 bpm until I feel tension or start mucking up. I alternate between playing evenly at various volume levels and between accent both the first and last notes played with each hand.

STAY RELAXED

Of course everyone is different.

Also don’t underestimate how long it will take to get strength and strong nerve feeling in the left hand. We are talking years of work with several hours a day.

I would say that starting with proper technique is essential - bad habits take time to correct and have a way of returning as soon as you are pushing hard.

Hold the sticks like a bird in your hand - gentle pressure from index and thumb with the other fingers cradling your bird  - barely touching and providing a spring-like counter balance to the rebound. Control is a combination of wrist and those other fingers. Snapping the wrist down and squeezing the other fingers can create powerful accents and a great rebound if you train to accept the stick rebound (relax hand as the tip hits the skin)