How to Play Drums Without a Drum Set

Have you ever thought about the infinite possibilities for making music? Particularly as a drummer, you can tap on pretty much anything to create a sound and establish a rhythm. As you progress in your musical studies, you’ll start noticing all of the possibilities around you, and learn how to use it to your advantage. Even when you’re not sitting at your drum set, opportunities abound for ear training, improving your internal metronome, and more.

One of the best ways to train your ears is to listen to the “music” of everyday life.  By that, we don’t mean the music playing through your earbuds.  Instead, listen to nature.  Listen to crowds of people. And for drummers (and in fact, any beginner musician), this carries over into listening to the rhythm behind everything.

Next, you can practice those rhythms on pretty much anything.  If you’re not near your drum set, tap rhythms on a desk, table, phonebook, or whatever you can find.  Parents or roommates asking you to be quiet?  Drum on a pillow.  Whatever gets your hands moving and your feet tapping – do it, and don’t be afraid to look silly.  Carry your sticks with you, and you’ll always have the freedom to practice when you have a spare moment.  Most drummers do this anyway – ever found yourself tapping your foot without even noticing?  Yeah, we thought so! Now put these strategies to work, and you can practice your drumming anytime, anywhere.

Drummers: how do you practice rhythms when you don’t have access to your drum set?  Leave a comment below or head on over to our Facebook page and share with the community! Like these posts?  Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox!  Click here to subscribe.