Over the course of my experience learning to play drums, I've run across quite a few useful tips that I think can benefit anyone just starting to play. I think implementing these strategies into your drum playing early can save you from encountering problems later on and make your learning process easier, more efficient, and more fun. In other words, you'll get better faster and enjoy yourself while you're doing it. The following are several tips that I've found useful for beginning drummers.

1. Go slow at first. This rule is true for most any musical instrument and drums are no exception. In fact, it may be more true for drums since staying in precise time is so important. It's of course tempting to start bashing away as fast as you can but, particularly when you're starting out, this is bound to result in poor timekeeping and a loss of technique. Focus on playing a beat or fill slowly with a metronome. Then, gradually increase the speed, making sure that at each tempo increase, you maintain the same control as at the previous, slower speed. You'll be amazed at how tight this will make your playing once you are playing the beat or fill at full speed.

2. Play along to CDs or the radio. One of the best (and most fun) ways to practice drums is to play along with your favorite band or song. Making your practice time fun will of course lead to you practicing longer and becoming better faster. There's also a practical side to playing along with a CD though...it will force you to stay in strict time and it will also make it pretty obvious when you're not quite "in the pocket" (i.e. dead on the beat). Of course, you could (and should) do this with a metronome as well but, let's face, it jamming along with a rockin' tune is a hell of lot more fun.

3. Focus on keeping time, not flashy fills. As I mentioned at the outset, keeping precise and proper time is the most important thing about drumming. Of course it is very impressive to be able to play flashy fills and exciting rolls but a drummer, first and foremost, is there to keep time for his/her band. As such, be sure that your beats, above all, are precise and perfect. Don't get me wrong, being able to play insane fills is definitely a great attribute for a drummer to have but, especially when you're just starting out, you want to focus more on timekeeping and less on crazy helicopter fills and wild double bass rolls.

4. Learn the rudiments. The 40 Drum Rudiments can be found a ton of places ranging from the Internet, various drum videos, and a multitude of drum lesson books. Although these may seem boring to practice (particularly when compared to jamming along with your favorite song), the rudiments are incredibly important to improving your drumming. Not only do they improve overall technique and skill on the kit, you'll notice that they make up parts of almost any song you choose to play...you might say they are the "building blocks" of drumming. Having a solid grasp of these rudiments will make learning new songs and making up your own beats and fills much, much easier.

The drums are an incredibly fun instrument to learn to play and I'd encourage anyone with an interest to give them a try. If you do, try following the tips I've laid out here and I'd be willing to bet your learning and playing experience will be greatly improved. Have fun!