If you are already into music, it can be fun to add some new skills. Maybe you produce a lot of music with drum samples, because you always find it hard to think of percussion yourself. Time to learn some percussion, because if you have a musical talent, learning percussion is not that hard. In this article, we share a few tips and tricks to become a pro at percussion!

Start small

If you want to start with percussion, you need to know that having a feeling for rhythm is not enough. The movements you make with your hands and sometimes your feet, can be a little bit overwhelming in the beginning. Your brain needs to get used to these movements and it requires a lot of muscle memory to play percussion without even thinking. Whether you want to learn from tutorials, or take a teacher. It is important to start really small.

Instruments

When you want to learn percussion to use in your music productions, it can be a good idea to have electric drums. You can wear your headphones while playing, so the neighbours won’t be bothered, and you can record via MIDI. A cowbell and conga and other small percussion instruments can add a nice addition to a production. You can record them with a microphone. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different rhythms and instruments. After all: that’s how you learn!

Learn the theory behind it all

When you have a feeling for rhythm, you don’t need to be able to read sheet music when you want to produce cool songs. You might feel like there is no need to learn difficult theory, because you can feel the beat. Nevertheless it can be a good idea to learn the theory anyway. It can be very helpful to be aware of the count and to know which rhythm patterns are good for a certain genre. If you are aware of the count, you will be able to play patterns that are way more advanced. You can learn a lot of that online, but a real teacher can give you feedback that’s meant for you especially.

Play along

If you want to practise different ways of performing a certain rhythm or if you want to experiment with different patterns, it can be helpful to play along to music that already exists. Just put on any number you like and try to play along with the beat or go against it! You can be as creative as you want while having a lead that can help you to improvise. If you do this everyday for twenty minutes, you will be a pro in no time.