CONTENTS
Do you offer drum lessons for beginners?
We offer drum kit lessons for for students of all ages and at all levels, from absolute beginners to advanced drummers (up to and including diploma level). We also offer lessons in various world percussion instruments and styles.
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What is covered in the lessons?
Drumming is a complex skill, and drum lessons typically cover a range of elements, including:
- Grooves
- Techniques
- Rudiments
- Independence and co-ordination
- Musicianship
- Time keeping
- Drum notation
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What genres/styles of music are taught?
Our drum kit faculty, all professional drummers, teach a wide range of music genres/styles, including rock, jazz, metal, R&B, funk, blues, country, etc.
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Can you prepare me/my child for grade or practical examinations?
Drum lessons can certainly include preparation for grade examinations with three exam boards. Our teachers can also prepare students for Junior Cert. Music and Leaving Cert. Music practical exams.
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What will I need to practice with?
For drum kit lessons, students should ideally have a good starter drum kit – which consists of a snare drum, a bass drum, two or three toms, a hi-hat and cymbals – to practice at home. However, students can get started at home on practice pads before purchasing a drum kit.
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Are drum kits expensive?
Starter drum kits needn't be expensive. Waltons music shops offer good quality acoustic and electronic drum kits suitable for beginner/intermediate students at very reasonable prices, and currently-enrolled drum students at the New School can also purchase them using payment plans. See Drums & Percussion Instrument Discounts & Payment Plans for more information.
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Playing a drum kit in the house will be very noisy, won't it?
It doesn’t have to be. An acoustic drum kit can be fitted with sound reducing practice pads and dampers that considerably reduce the level of sound produced. Alternatively, there are some very good electronic drum kits available (see Drums & Percussion Instrument Discounts & Payment Plans) that can be played through headphones, making them almost silent to others.
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Do you offer group drum lessons?
Because of the noise level involved, the size of the instrument and the complexity of technique, the New School offers only private (one-to-one) or 'partner' (two-person) drum kit lessons. We do, however, offer two group courses for beginners in other percussion instruments: Introducing Bodhrán and Introducing World Drumming.
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How do I choose the right drumsticks?
A great drumstick is the perfect combination of balance, response, feel and sound properties. Each of these critical factors is a function of a stick’s design – and knowing a little about drumstick design will help you to make the right choice. First find a stick that’s comfortable in your hands – not too big or too small. Then determine the volume and technical requirements of the type of music you’re playing. Then keep the following factors in mind:
Material. Drumsticks are generally made from hickory maple, oak or carbon fibre. Each has a slightly different feel. The feel has to do with how the stick transmits or absorbs vibration and how much it flexes.
- Hickory is a common, well rounded wood for drumsticks.
- Maple is a lighter, more flexible wood.
- Oak is densest but transmits vibrations more; it tends to be more durable.
- Carbon fibre sticks are extremely durable and last significantly longer than traditional wood sticks.
Tips. The tips of drumsticks change the sound.
- Nylon tips make cymbals sound terrific and give drums a ‘pow’ sound.
- Wooden tips (the most common), give drums a deeper, more traditional sound suitable for jazz and older rock styles. These don't make the cymbals ring as much.
Thickness. The thickness also changes the sound. Higher numbers represent thinner sticks, but thickness is not completely consistent between brands.
- 7As are thinner and lighter and are ideal for beginning players with small hands. They are also often used by beginning jazz students.
- 5As are slightly thicker than 7As. They're good for rock, but are versatile enough to be used for just about any style of music.
- 5Bs are thicker, more intense drumsticks, and are generally used for rock.
- 2Bs are especially thick and are often used for metal.
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