We all know that practice makes perfect, but you need to do more than just practice if you truly want to kick butt at auditions, in Drum Corps or in school band. Free marching percussion lessons for snare, tenors (quads), and bass drums will help you really up your game as a percussionist. The Drum Corps scene has never been more exciting or more competitive. So, putting these lessons into action will help you be the best percussionist you can be, with the highest chance of succeeding in any marching band or ensemble. Here’s why drum lessons will help you kick butt:
Look and Learn
When you are playing drums, you can’t see yourself from the perspective of the audience or judges. But, in marching percussion the physical movements and choreography are just as important as the playing. By watching videos and lessons, you can see exactly how the physical movements of drumming and marching should look as you play. This gives you a mental image to work with as you do your own practice at home. Making video of yourself practicing or performing, even on a phone, also helps you hold a mirror to your performance.
A Wealth of Wisdom
The marching and Drum Corps scenes are huge worldwide, and teachers outside your immediate community have tons of tips, insight and experience in marching percussion that they can share through lessons. Practicing alone with a metronome can get boring and lonely, so lessons are a way to get yourself energized and connected with the wider marching-percussion community. Lesson teachers with marching experience know the techniques, the rudiments, the music and the skills that band directors and audition judges want to see.
Notes and Notation
Marching band notation can sometimes be confusing or incomplete. A certain piece of sheet music may not include directions such as sticking, or which variation of a rudiment should be performed. For example, drum-roll notation can be interpreted in many different ways. Lessons can help you connect the drum notation on the page with the correct sticking patterns and performance practice in real life.
Troubleshooting and Timetabling
You may have specific issues or weaknesses in your playing, and a drum teacher can help spot these and correct them. For example, the hand you use for writing may well be playing drum rudiments higher and stronger than your non-dominant hand. Drum lessons are a great way to troubleshoot any issues in your technique and execution, and the regular scheduling of a series of lessons keeps you on timetable and motivated with your practice routine and goals.