Any tips to improve drumming??

[muskett32]

I have a hard time getting my right foot and right hand to do different things. For example, when there is a double stomp and only one has a yellow note and the other doesn't, my right hand automatically hits the pad twice along with my foot. (Hope this makes sense). Any tips or exercises I can do to get my limbs to act independently?

[RX King]

Just as the game urges you do to, if you're having trouble with a beat, start with your kick pedal and add your hands, one at a time. It's a mental block that you just have to overcome -- you'll get it eventually.

[ZkDotNet]

I had the same problem... most people probably do. I just kept playing and concentrated on those bits. It gets easier after a while.

[Orgymang]

I'd say mainly just to practice...

Also, it may sound stupid but I find it is best not to think (or over-think) about what is coming up because it just tends to mess you up. It may sound pretty strange but that seems to be how it is with me. If I think to much about whats coming up I make more mistakes.

[ClinTrojan]

try this, dont even turn the game one, wont hurt the controller to play while game not on.

if you wanting to separate your hands try Paradiddles, any pad, if you really feeling crazy do each hit on a different pad.

Obviously R=Right and L=Left but K=kick

Right handed
RLRR LRLL RLRR LRLL.....ect

Left handed
LRLL RLRR LRLL RLRR.....ect

START SLOW, keep the hits steady with left and right hand both equal strength, when your off hand starts dragging behind go back slower speed.

for the triplet with double kick practice this

Right Handed
KKR KKL KKR KKL

Left Handed
KKL KKR KKL KKR

another all around beat to try is this, kinda complicated! DO SLOW

RL KK RLRL KKKK RLRLRL KKKKKK RL KK RLRL KKKK RLRLRL KKKKKK
or
LR KK LRLR KKKK LRLRLR KKKKKK LR KK LRLR KKKK LRLRLR KKKKKK


anyone dont understand PM me and ill try to explain it farther.

[RX King]

It's a proven fact that muscle memory is infinitely superior than thinking in the moment, as Orgymang points out. When you see a note, your muscles will eventually develop a 'memory,' as it were, and automatically do what it's supposed to.

[RX King]

RL KK RLRL KKKK RLRLRL KKKKKK RL KK RLRL KKKK RLRLRL KKKKKK

That looks like it would give you quite a work out. Good suggestions.

[The Emo Crusader]

Just keep playing every day or almost every day and you will naturally improve

When I 1st got the game I couldnt beat any songs on hard on drums

Now I play regularly on hard mode but some songs I can't do yet so Ive improved from medium to Hard/Medium (Depending on song)

I figure Ill eventually get to a point where I can 5 star everything on hard and then Id move up to expert

Its just natural progression like it is with the guitar controller

[ClinTrojan]

I posted this in my own thread, hopefully it will be stickied to help some people who can get to that hard of expert level..and even help people already there get that much better.

yes the last complicated beat is pretty mind blowing at first, keep it slow to get all them pedal notes in though.

[muskett32]

Thanks for all your suggestions and especiall ClinTrojan. I find I am getting better, I can even play a couple songs on hard, but those beats get tougher and tougher. Thanks again.

[SoulScreme]

I have a hard time getting my right foot and right hand to do different things. For example, when there is a double stomp and only one has a yellow note and the other doesn't, my right hand automatically hits the pad twice along with my foot. (Hope this makes sense). Any tips or exercises I can do to get my limbs to act independently?

It's all practice. For particularly tricky songs, try practice mode at 80% speed, then 90%, then full speed. Helped me on that crazy Police track. Also, you'll find that once you get the pattern down in one song, it carries over to other. For you double stomp example, I tend ot hit the pedal a bit harder on the first so that my foot bounces up. Then when it lands it hits the second note. So, I'm not terribly conscious of trying for a second hit so my hand behaves itself.

[Conner Malvecino]

try this, dont even turn the game one, wont hurt the controller to play while game not on.

if you wanting to separate your hands try Paradiddles, any pad, if you really feeling crazy do each hit on a different pad.

Obviously R=Right and L=Left but K=kick

Right handed
RLRR LRLL RLRR LRLL.....ect

Left handed
LRLL RLRR LRLL RLRR.....ect

START SLOW, keep the hits steady with left and right hand both equal strength, when your off hand starts dragging behind go back slower speed.

for the triplet with double kick practice this

Right Handed
KKR KKL KKR KKL

Left Handed
KKL KKR KKL KKR

another all around beat to try is this, kinda complicated! DO SLOW

RL KK RLRL KKKK RLRLRL KKKKKK RL KK RLRL KKKK RLRLRL KKKKKK
or
LR KK LRLR KKKK LRLRLR KKKKKK LR KK LRLR KKKK LRLRLR KKKKKK


anyone dont understand PM me and ill try to explain it farther.

These are great exercises even for the experienced drummer. Thank you! I remember way back in the day locking myself in the family music room and painfully going through these patterns with no immediate application. Now there's Rock Band!

My take on improving is humbling the ego and taking things SLOW...and go to the practice mode at slower speeds and reinforcing good habits as oppose to staying at the same 100% tempo and compounding bad habits. I've actually considered getting a drum coach after accomplishing the endless setlist to examine my technique. I think some of the quality drumming RB YouTube videos are going where you some great fluid technique and not just some guy getting 100% on Expert but how exactly he/she achieves that level. We'll see how things evolve.

[j00zt1n]

When it comes to trying to get better at any of the instruments on this game, on any song, try practice mode. Seriously.

Start out at the slower speeds until you figure out the pattern, then just repeat it five times, ten times, a hundred times, however many it takes you to be able to do it comfortably.

Then just work on getting it down at full speed!

[Conner Malvecino]

When it comes to trying to get better at any of the instruments on this game, on any song, try practice mode. Seriously.

Start out at the slower speeds until you figure out the pattern, then just repeat it five times, ten times, a hundred times, however many it takes you to be able to do it comfortably.

Then just work on getting it down at full speed!

If anything, I hope this game allows the non-musician to appreciate all the hard work that authentic musicians have to put in to be proficient at their instruments. And yes, there are 'gifted' musicians out there but even they had to put the time in...long long hours of arduous and often times very mundane practice sessions.

[JamesGarr]

Today I found that I could only play the fast parts of Green Grass and High Tides on medium when I was looking away from the screen. My kids were amazed.

Probably this technique is not suitable for all tough spots, but I think it forced me to listen to the music and let my limbs learn the song rather than using my eyes. Sometimes all those notes coming down so fast are distracting you from what's really important...the rythym of the song.

[Sarge51]

I think my main problem with drumming, is that I am so used to the notes coming at me a lot faster. So when I see a note, I hit them early. and the difference of Guitar and Drum hitting is very different. I suppose it just takes practice. Though, I hate people who can play well on Hard or Expert. Especially so darn quick...

Try to keep yourself away from other instruments and just keep playing the drums everytime you play. Think back to GH. It sure did take awhile to get off of Medium.

[HellishFiend]

I realized that you do indeed get better with time on drums the same way you do with guitar when I kicked the crap out of GGaHT medium a couple weeks after it caused me to fall flat on my face.

[defmonkey]

It's a proven fact that muscle memory is infinitely superior than thinking in the moment, as Orgymang points out. When you see a note, your muscles will eventually develop a 'memory,' as it were, and automatically do what it's supposed to.

Yea, muscle memory is real.

Its just sometimes I hit the pedal twice, when it should be once, but it was twice in the last row of beats. :mad:

[Rogue42]

I realized that you do indeed get better with time on drums the same way you do with guitar when I kicked the crap out of GGaHT medium a couple weeks after it caused me to fall flat on my face.

I hear ya. I never would have thought I'd be picking things up so quickly, though. I'm a decent RB/GH guitarist, but have pretty much hit my cap in rapid improvement after beating Freebird way back when. I'm glad to have something else that I can at least see marked improvement in on a (currently) daily basis. Just getting in an hour each day helps immensely.

[JohnDubbyaRocks]

call me crazy but when notes like that come up. I close my eyes and then hit the yellow then double bass. It has worked for me I just dont know if I miss any notes or not

[switchdoc]

I just moved on to Medium from Easy so I have a long way to go, but one thing I discovered pretty quickly is that its much more necessary to count beats in my head on Medium. On Easy I could pretty much just watch and listen.

I have trouble with multiple beats inside Bass beats... for instance the REM song on easy has Bass/Red, Yellow, Bass, yellow, Bass/Red (I think thats how it goes). I haven't hit that once yet. I stomp on the Bass at the wrong time, or hit the Red instead of the Yellow, or miss the Yellow completely. it was the only song on easy I didn't get a 5 on. I figure I'll go back and try it again after more practice in medium.

I also have a hard time with the longs strings of notes (In Bloom on medium has a strong of like 15 reds in a row). It's not even an issue of moving fast enough, its moving not too fast and not to slow thats the issue.

Still it IS exciting to see improvement. I'd love to get to the point where I have enough of a basic idea that I could get a real set and have a chance to play drums for 'the reals'.

I saw a guy at Guitar Center the other night just going out of his ming crazy on a set. Blew me away. It looked like he had 7 arms.

Anyway, just sort of blathering here, but there you go.

-Switch