Budding drummers who are looking to get better often get confused on what to focus on – should I practice my rudiments more or theory or beats & fills?
Each topic in itself has so much material it can get really overwhelming. But there may be one method that is often overlooked in drum instruction, that not only helps you improve your drumming considerably, but may even be the most fun: playing drum covers.
So what’s the deal? Can drum covers make you play that good? Well, yes, they can, and should be part of your educational tool kit.
Let’s go over some reasons why drum covers are such a great tool for improving your drumming.
You are forced to observe
Ok , I have put in my time learning different exercises on the drum kit , but where are the professional drummers using them ? As you listen to songs to cover you will in the process develop the ear to analyze and break down these songs into multiple drumming parts. Listening to multiple covers of songs also gets you to look at how different artists play the same song helping you develop your own style in the process.
You develop discipline playing drum covers
To get the song right, you may have to play it over, and over, and over again. This forces you to discipline yourself. Do this enough times and this learned discipline will spill over into other aspects of your drumming, be it practicing or performing.Covering a song gives you a tangible result – one that is measurable , and one that you can build on.
Drum covers are fun!
Let’s face it: in the end, it’s all about playing songs, right? Sure drum solos are cool, but not everyone can play them. But anyone can play at least one song they like (by ‘anyone’ I mean an aspiring drummer).
Playing songs on a drum kit is almost always more fun than playing rudiments on a practice pad. Now don’t get me wrong – playing rudiments on a practice pad is essential to improving your fundamental drumming skills, and it is certainly a worthwhile endeavor.Adding drum covers to your tools for learning to play is also a worthwhile endeavor.
Secondly, get into the habit of recording as much of your drum covers as possible. There’s nothing like having a documented timeline of your improvement. You’ll be shocked at how well you cover songs after a year of recording yourself. Seeing yourself play gives you immediate feedback. You can see and hear timing issues that need improvement, and you’ll be able to notice technique issues that need to be addressed that you won’t otherwise notice if you don’t see it.
Drum covers give you exposure
Checkout Cobus or Kristina Schiano. They didn’t just play drum covers – they recorded them. They posted them to a public platform (YouTube). Lots of people saw them, and the rest is history. Did they do it for fame? Probably not, but visibility would not be possible without the recorded drum cover.If your goal is to play in a band, having some videos online will facilitate showing one’s wares to interested parties.Many bands just play covers. If you have proof that you can learn and play songs, you’re in! So you can use your YouTube channel, full of your drum covers, to advertise yourself to bands looking for a drummer.
Awesome Drum Cover Artists
Are you a beginner to learning drums?
No fret, here are few suggested songs for beginners too. Check out our Top 6 Best Drum Songs for Beginners
You can also try out our 6 Weeks Beginner’s Crash Course
