Instruments that are the easiest to pick upMusic brings happiness and joy to people of all ages. While many dream of playing an instrument, very few are willing to put in the time and effort to learn one, thinking it may be too difficult or that they may be too old to learn. However, this is not the case. No matter what age you are, it's never too late to pick up an instrument. The key is finding an instrument that is easy to learn, fits your level of commitment, and matches your personal tastes. In this blog post, we'll explore some of the easiest instruments to learn, regardless of your age or natural talent.  DrumsMany people can find the drums intimidating, but they are actually one of the easiest instruments to learn. While it might take some time to develop hand and foot coordination, the basics are relatively straightforward. With practice, you can learn simple drumbeats for many genres, and the rhythm will come naturally as you play more. Drumming is a great way to express your creativity and make some serious noise. Anyone can learn to play the drums in no time if they put in the practice and dedication! It's important to start off with simple beats and work your way up. As you become more comfortable, you can create complex rhythms that will have your friends dancing along. The more practice you put in, the easier it'll be to find your groove. Don't be afraid to experiment with different genres of music - you never know what kind of sound you might discover! As long as you have fun and stay focused on improving, drumming can be an incredibly rewarding experience.  UkuleleThe ukulele is one of the easiest instruments to pick up, especially for beginners. It's small in size and only has four strings, which make it easier to memorise chords. The strings are also gentle on the fingers, which is perfect for those who are just starting to develop calluses. This instrument is perfect for beginners who want to play along with their favourite songs or perform at social events. The ukulele has a mellow, sweet tone that is great for both strumming and fingerpicking. It's also quite lightweight, making it easy to carry around with you wherever you go. Plus, the cost of buying one is generally much lower than traditional guitars or other string instruments. For these reasons, it makes an excellent choice for anyone just starting out on their musical journey. Keyboard/pianoThe keyboard or the piano is also quite easy to learn. It has a range of sounds, and you can start by playing simple songs with just one hand. You can progress to playing more complicated pieces with both hands after time of practicing. The visual component can help beginners understand the basics of music theory, and you can find a wide range of tutorials and resources online. Playing the keyboard or piano can be incredibly rewarding. Pianos are also highly valued in live musicals, as they can serve as the backbone of an orchestra, providing a rich and versatile accompaniment to singers and other instruments.  HarmonicaThe harmonica is another great instrument for beginners as it can be cheap in price. The cost of purchasing a harmonica is relatively low compared to other instruments. It's compact, easy to carry around, and has a unique sound that can be used in many music genres. There may be a slight learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to play songs in no time. The harmonica can be an especially fun instrument to learn. It's great for travelling, as it fits easily into your pocket, and its sound is unmistakable and evocative. Learning how to play the harmonica may require some practice but once you get the hang of it you will soon be able to play lots of songs with ease. SingingFinally, don't forget about your voice! Singing is another way to enjoy music, and it's something anyone can do. You don't have to be a professional singer to sing along with your favourite tunes, and singing can even be a therapeutic outlet for stress and anxiety. There's also a wide range of resources online to help you improve your vocals.
No matter what instrument you choose, playing music is an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Whether it's the ukulele, the keyboard, the harmonica, the drums, or your own voice, you can find an instrument that suits your preference and that's easy to learn. All you need is a little time and dedication, and you'll be jamming with your favourite artists in no time. Remember, play through your age and enjoy the journey of music-making! Blog post by Rosie Buckley
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At Planet Drum, we always like to encourage our studentsto play with other people as much as possible. That’s why we have been doing our band workshops for several years now and those sessions are enjoyed by our students and our teachers alike. There is something special about different people gathering in a room and creating music together, it’s like giving birth to a new spirit or new being that otherwise wouldn’t be possible to create. In order to enjoy playing with other people at any occasion and to benefit most from it, there are some things we can do and pay attention to, in order to make it smoother, more musical and enjoyable for ourselves and everyone else.  1. Listeningthe most important thing whether you play music on your own or with other people. Music is a language and you communicate with other musicians by listening to them. So many times great sessions are ruined by a musician focusing on his own instrument and not listening to what’s going on in the band. Remember, everyone in the band is there for the music and not for their own individual’s sake. So, if you feel there should be more dynamics involved, or you should play quieter, louder, or maybe even stop playing at all at some point, always be aware of what’s going on in the song. If you are not sure what you need to do, keep your eyes open as well as ears. By watching other band members, you’ll be safe and aware when to change gears during a song. 2. Respecting the soloistLet’s say you play in a rhythm section (drums, bass, guitar, piano…) and someone is soloing. Don’t ever force them into your own rhythmic/harmonic/dynamic variations - listen to them instead and just follow what they do - it’s their role to lead you and not vice versa. 3. Respecting the styleIf you happen to play a song in a blues/jazz style, don’t try to play your heavy metal licks or double kick rolls over the song. It just doesn’t fit there. If you are not familiar with the style, just be as simplistic as possible and it will all be ok! 4. Don't overplayLess is more, most of the time. Especially if you are a drummer. Nobody cares about drum fills every 2 bars, or every 4 bars, or sometimes even 32 bars. Same for guitarists, if there is a space for your solo in the song, that’s fantastic. Otherwise, the less, the better. Again, it’s all based on listening, being familiar with the style and the song. 5. Don't be afraid or ashamed if you are a beginnerNobody will judge you, we are all here to learn and communicate through music. As already said above, even if you know only one rhythm or a couple of notes on the bass guitar, good musicians will know how to make the best use of your skills. 6. Don't be crushed by your own mistakesIf you make a mistake, make a mental note and just continue playing, but remember it and work on it later. Again nobody will judge you. The worst thing you can do is stop because you made a mistake. It’s not a big deal, it’s human!
There is always something to learn at any band session because it’s not just music, it’s the exchange of people’s energies when we play together. Even one song can sound different every time. That’s why we are keeping the band music alive at Planet Drum. We can’t wait to go back to our regular sessions hopefully once the lockdown is over. In the meantime, keep practicing your instruments! Planet drum guitar teacher, Vladimir Where do I find ads for musicians wanted?There are so many places to look: Social media, local music shops, ads in the back of music magazines and online, notices in music venues and rehearsal studios, word of mouth, the possibilities are endless – and it’s easy to get lost. The key is: to know what YOU want. Knowing what you want to achieve will make you better to work with, more positive and focused and undoubtedly help you reach your goals faster. What do I want to gain out of the experience?Some people think of it as a hobby and others as a career choice, either way, it’s about enjoying yourself. Work out how and where you see yourself playing and what kind of commitment you are prepared to make. If you’re not sure, talk to your tutor, other musicians and friends, get involved with workshops, join a drumming group or musical collective. Sometimes you need to find ways to bounce ideas around before making an initial commitment to a band.  What type of music do I want to play?This is not about playing one style but it’s helpful to give yourself a starting point so that finding people becomes easier. You’re likely to discover all sorts of sounds that inspire you and, ultimately, it’s about finding like minded people to play with. Most bands looking for members state music their musical preferences in their ads. Match your taste against theirs. If it fits, get an audition. How long before I find something?Some of you may feel ready to go out there and find your band, others might want to join workshops, collectives and jam with other musicians to get a better idea of which direction they want to go in, musically.
The advice is always the same - If you practice hard, give it your all and keep an open mind, you're likely to do just fine. Putting the work in will open doors to all sorts of opportunities and the more you put yourself out there, the more chance you have. Get involved, stay focused and things will fall into place. Don’t forget if you're a drummer, that compared to the other members of a band, drummers are in high demand, so use this to your advantage. And above all – ENJOY THE RIDE! It’s all too easy to get bogged down in music theory and lesson material when you’re doing your grades.And when you’ve managed to somehow successfully make it through one grade, you start work on the next one only to find it all gets even harder, more complex and in time signatures you never knew were possible. At times you wonder how you’re ever going to fit all this new information in your head, and when your limbs will be able to naturally jump into action to play these complex rhythms without having to “think about it” for ten minutes.  Every drummer has their own way of learning.Some like to be very rigid with their practice sessions, some are determine to play the same rudiment over and over for an hour until it becomes muscle memory, and others find short bursts of multiple exercises work best. Whatever way you prefer, I’m sure you’ve had a moment here are there where you’ve hit a wall and felt like you’ll never be able to play the piece of music sitting in front of you well enough to pass your grade. I’ve had it plenty of times, and I’ve come to accept that I probably always will. But I’ve recently found that the best way I can help myself get past that barrier is to take a little time out to just have fun.  You’re playing the drums because you want to.You decided to have lessons because you enjoy playing the instrument – that's what I remind myself of.
There are many moments I can think back to where I sat down at a kit and just had an amazing time playing. But sometimes, when you’re too focused on learning, you forget to spend time just enjoying the act of drumming. It sounds incredibly obvious, but in between work, home life and your lessons, it can sometimes be far too easy to slip into the habit of only finding time for drumming when you’re practicing for your grades or your next lesson. Personally, I stick on a couple of my favourite tracks from when I first started playing the drums and pretend I’m 17 again! Laura Barnes Editor at MI Pro, online platform dedicated to the music industry Planet drum student 2400 times!What are the musical commonalities between famous artists such as Skrillex, The Prodigy, Jay-Z, Slipknot, Bjork, Oasis, Amy Winehouse and Duran Duran?  The answer is rhythmAll of these artists have at one point used a specific rhythm pattern that is so identifiable you would recognise it even if you have never heard the original title song. At just 6 seconds long it is the most sampled rhythm in the history of drums. The Winstons, below, were an American funk and soul band who were not very well known, (their drummer G.C. Coleman even more so) and they released a song in 1960 titled ‘Amen Brother’, listen below! Little did they know that a sample derived from the drum solo in this track would become the ‘Amen Break’ - the most sampled rhythm in the history of drums. The Amen Break is a loop of 4 bars that was popularised by the drum sample album ‘Ultimate Break and Beats’ released in 1986 for the DJ population. Since the sample was created it has become a prominent feature in mainstream music, featuring in a host of famous songs such as; Oasis - ‘D’You Know What I Mean?’, Nine Inch Nails - ‘The Perfect Drug’, Slipknot - ‘Eyeless’ and Björk - ‘Crystalline’.
The concept of sampling: where did it come from?It was in the 70’s when the concept of using a ‘sample’ was brought about. Musically speaking, sampling is the process of taking a portion of a sound recording and reusing it on a separate piece of music. More often than not, this is done through a ‘rhythm break’ whereby a small section is sampled from one piece of music to form the beat on another track. It is through the sampling method that a piece of music can transform from average to being equipped with a catchy and memorable rhythm, making it hard to forget! So as a result of this, DJ’s, musicians and artists like Skrillex and Jay-Z are continually in search of a melody ostinato/lick or drum pattern, that has the ability to resound in your mind long after it has been heard, leaving the taste of desire to hear it again… which is how the ‘Amen Break’ became one of the most extensively used rhythm across all genres of music. Unfortunately, The Winstons never received any royalties for their original creation. However, in 2015 a DJ from the UK created a ‘GoFundMe’ page in the name of Richard Spencer, the singer and saxophonist from the band, to acknowledge and give appreciation to the ‘Amen Break’, whereby 2,000 people have donated $24,000!!  More about the ‘Amen Break’It is a groove of 4 bars, originally played at 136 bpm, composed of 2 sequences. 1st Sequence: The main groove is played twice; 8th notes played on ride, snare accents on backbeats, 16th notes played by the bass drum on the “and” of the 3rd beat and 3 ghosts notes per bar. 2nd Sequence: It is a variation of the first one. The 16th notes have moved to the 2nd bar on the ''and'' of the first beat, the 2nd snare accent originally on the back beat has moved to the ''and'' of the 4th and in the second bar we can notice a tasty punctuation change on the off beat of the 3rd beat, which can be played on the crash or the edge of the ride. Blog post by Planet drum teacher, Sebastien Solsona
We know it, we are drummersWe all like crazy syncopated patterns, intense solos and intricate rhythms. All that noise can sound cool, but we often forget about the power of simplicity in music. Some of the greatest songs ever recorded have been done with two verses, a chorus and most of the time with a single rhythm looped for the entire duration of the song.  Why am I writing about simplicity? Well, for two main reasons.The first one, is that I spent the whole summer gigging almost every day with instrumental jazz gigs with various acts, electronic rock/pop (http://www.fjokra.com) and last-minute function gigs. The differences of “vocabulary”, sound, repertoire and approach are quite challenging and very often there’s no time to prepare or rehearse the set list. There is always a good solution for this kind of situation, it is simplicity. Keeping the rhythmic section clear, minimal and most of all musical helps the music breath more and sound better ( and eventually get more bookings).  The second reason why I’m talking about simplicityis for all the music students who are reading this. During lessons, I talk with students about band workshops and about “being ready” to play with a band. I know it can be hard to believe, especially for beginners, but a single rhythm looped for an entire song, plus maybe a single fill is enough for a successful session. To be good drummers/musicians in a band context, we don’t need to show several different ideas squeezed inside a single song or demonstrate incredible technique and independence. The main factors we need to take care of are: timing, song/structure (stating the form), and sound control. If we are successful in doing this, we will have a successful session, 100% assured! Don't misunderstand meI’m not saying that technique and other more academic studies are not important. Indeed, every kind of music requires a specific standard knowledge; what I’m saying is: do not confuse practicing with playing when you're making music with a band. In other words, while you are playing, focus on the “now’ and do your best with the skills you have acquired up until now. Of course, I like watching skilled drummers showing off brilliantly executed chops and taking inspiration from them. But don’t forget that what you really need to do is to play for the song, this is what drumming and making music is about.. As Miles Davis used to say “I always listen to what I can leave out” Blog post by Planet drum teacher, Filippo  Music classes can feel solitary,when you just have one on one lessons and practice alone. Being in your own space and having the freedom to go over parts you’re struggling with is a great way to improve your skills, but practicing with others is how you can take your playing to the next level and learn to adapt your skills in new ways. I have been going to Planet drum for over 3 years now and have improved my drumming and participated in performances, all whilst playing with talented and inspiring fellow students and musicians. You can attend workshops for free if you are taking private lessons too, and they’re a brilliant way to meet other drummers, get involved in playing with other instruments and to try something different alongside private lessons.  Being a lover of Afro-Latin rhythms and dances,my favourite workshop that I have attended is the Drumkit and Percussion workshop with Louis. This workshop incorporates traditional percussion instruments and rhythms with contemporary drum kit grooves, and allows us to have some fun with percussion instruments and bits of the kit too. The workshops occur once a month and all levels can attend and can benefit from it. You can set the pace and pick up a clave – a wooden percussion instrument found in Cuban, African and Brazilian music, or learn some rhythms on a conga or two. Maracas and shakers are often involved as well, and parts of the drum kit – or the whole kit itself – is sometimes used to create rhythms. When they all come together, it sounds incredible and is very infectious – I have been lost in the moment many times! Louis is passionate and patient and involves everyone equally in this workshop. Attending it has improved my confidence in many ways, as the group performs at the summer and winter shows each year which are great fun and a good introduction into playing in front of a live audience. I have also met other fellow drummers this way, some of whom have become wonderful friends.  I was lucky enough to receive some Arts Council fundingfrom a new strand they’ve recently launched called ‘Developing Your Creative Practice’. It’s all about giving arts practitioners time to explore one particular area in-depth. I proposed that I would embark on a year-long project composing new music for four different sized ensembles. The outcome would be four sets of music accompanied by four separate day-long workshop sessions with the musicians, which I would record as a document. Each ensemble would be a different size to the band I’m used to composing for: my quintet, Entropi. So I decided that I would write for a duo, quartet, sextet and dectet.  In December, at the start of the project,I thought I would be doing project planning for the year, contacting musicians, booking rehearsal rooms and sitting down to compose music for one of these four ensembles. A very organised and logical approach. This is not what happened. In this blog post, I’ll outline what I’ve learnt so far in the hope that it might inspire you to think about how you approach your music-making, composing and improvising. Up till now, my composing has been ‘on demand’ for a very specific reason. Normally it’s a gig with my band where we need an extra two tunes to have enough original material for the whole gig, or I need to write one more composition for a recording. The process has often been quite stressful and close to the wire. I’d find myself up late trying to finish a tune off for a rehearsal the next day with my band. Fear played a great part in getting the thing done and I didn’t find the process very enjoyable  When I started this project I did not want to compose in this wayso I forced myself to find another way to go about writing music. This has been quite unexpected. A book came into my hands called ‘Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear’, by Elizabeth Gilbert, which talked about nurturing and unblocking creativity. While reading the book I realised that I was quite creatively blocked when it came to composing. You know when you are blocked when you avoid doing the thing - whatever that is, writing a novel, painting or in my case composing and then make up a load of excuses in your mind about why you can’t do it. I realised that I hadn’t really seriously addressed the practice of composition. Often when I did sit down to write, I’d have an inner critical voice saying: ‘what is this piece of rubbish?’ This is no way to get into the zone and be creative! Improvisers compose in real time all the time. As an alto sax player who is extremely into free improvisation and jazz, I normally have no problem coming up with ideas and essentially making stuff up on the spot. This is just because I have done it a lot, so it feels comfortable for me to do so. A large part of improvising in any kind of music is interaction with the other band members, listening, reacting, developing ideas all in the moment. To be able to do that you need to be far away from the critical mind and right in the flow of ideas. I wanted to be able to recreate this feeling while composing new music.  In the book ‘Big Magic’,Elizabeth Gilbert talks finding our creativity by following what makes us curious. I realised that I wanted to do some visual art. So I proceeded to spend an hour a day doing A5 sized pieces of colourful abstract art. The rules were: do it everyday and be non-judgmental about the outcome. In other words value the process and not the result. This was hugely beneficial for me: because I am not trained in art, I had no real value judgements on my choices of colour, shape or line. I just did it every day for a month. Over the weeks, I started to notice that this art activity was having a positive effect on the way I was improvising on the saxophone. I was applying the freedom I was experiencing on the blank canvas to music. As musicians, we spend a lot of time learning and practicing technique. Obviously this is very important, but I feel that we can sometimes forget to engage with the side of music which is artistic. As musicians we are all creative artists, but do we always feel like that? Expressing ourselves through music is probably the reason why we all started playing in the first place. This must be something to nurture as much as achieving technical prowess on the instrument, I think.  In January I switched the visual art sketches to musical sketchesusing the same system: one hour a day and no judging what ideas come out. It is much harder to ignore the critical mind when shifting the creative process to something we HAVE trained in. But I had developed a non-judgmental muscle through doing the artwork the previous month. When starting a piece of visual art, it was very unhelpful to question ‘why did you use that colour?’ so using that same principle I trained myself to stop questioning every single choice of chord, melody note, bassline, theme and just let the music unfold - much like improvising. Over time, ideas started to flow more freely when I stopped putting so much pressure on myself. I shifted the focus away from outcome towards process. In the month of January I have composed 16 musical ‘sketches’.
My website is: deebyrnemusic.com if you are interested in what projects I’m involved with and where I might be playing next. Thanks for reading this and I hope to share some of these compositions with you in the future! Blog post by Saxophone teacher, Dee Byrne Last month it was with great pleasureto be asked to supply the Planet Drum Studio with our Practice Drum Pads. Planet drum joins a long list of teaching studios in the UK that use our products. We have been manufacturing practice pads since 1973 and have supplied top drummers and teachers with our pads for over 40 years. We use a special drum feel rubber which is very quiet and doesn't wear out. That's why every year schools and studios research other pads that are on the market but always come back for ours.They know our pads will give a lifetime of use. In fact it was only last week I saw one of our original pads that's over 30 years old and still being used on a daily basis. We offer a full range of pads to include Button Pad/Mini Pad/Brush Pad/Snare Pad/Dual Knee Pad/Pads on stands and our highly successful full practice kits. We can simulate any drum kit arrangement into a practice kit format so you can practice drums at any time. No electronics to go wrong. No headphones. Next time you are at Planet Drum check out our practice pads. It could be the best investment you will make in your drumming career. For special prices, reference 'Planet drum' and contact me direct on [email protected] Tel Mob: 07778 288783 or see our full range at: www.practicedrumkits.co.uk  In trying to explain Metric Modulation, I came up with the exercise below.This is an area of theory that has proved difficult to study and even when I ask professional drummers about it I never really feel that many of them have a confident understanding of the subject. I also came across this lack of confidence when discussing Time Signatures with pupils, other drummers, music teachers and other musician's. No one gave me the total confidence that actually new the subject well until I read a fantastic article on the subject of Odd Time Signatures by Chad Wackerman. With Chad's help I was able to really dig into the subject and develop a system that helped my pupils to feel confident in their understanding of Time Signatures. As I "enjoyed" nearly eight years in an earlier life in accountancy, numbers had always come easy to me but after cracking the "Time Signature Code" I'd love to move onto cracking the code behind Metric Modulation.  The exercise So...here's an exercise with no musical notation that will help develop something closer to Polyrhythmically/Metric Modulation/Superimposed Metric Modulation/Tempo Modulation...but which one is it and how can it be developed with confidence? (Answers on a postcard please). Start by learning the following 3 Stickings. I used the four different versions of the Paradiddle to come up with these sticking patterns but number 1 could also be described as inverted double stroke roll:
1, RLLR 2, LLRL 3, LRLL Then when comfortable play them as 16th Notes on your snare drum to create a bar of 3/4: 1e+a = RLLR 2e+a = LLRL 3e+a = LRLL This will look like this: 3/4 RLLR LLRL LRLL Once comfortable add your bass drum on the 1st note of each group. If you prefer to count like me this means that you will be adding your bass drum on the following counts: 1 2 3 (Not any of the e+a notes). This will now look like this: 3/4 RLLR LLRL LRLL (If a note is underlined this means play your bass drum at exactly the same time as your snare). Once comfortable with this it now starts to get a bit more tricky. (Please fasten your seat belt at this point). Turn off your snares and whilst leaving your Right hand on the snare at normal volume then reduce the volume of your Left hand and carefully move your Left hand onto your Left knee. You should now have created a Polyrhythm playing 4 notes on the snare against 3 notes on the bass drum. Count the bass drum out loud: "1 2 3" and repeat this until comfortable. Next step Keep going but stop counting the bass drum. Now count the snare drum out loud "1 2 3 4" whilst still keeping the bass drum going. (This, is were the seat belt might come in handy). Whilst counting the "1 2 3 4" out loud please remember that you are still in 3/4. At this point stop playing your Left hand on your Left knee and see if you can keep going with the count "1 2 3 4". If you can do this you are now counting "1 2 3 4" in 3/4 time without the help of the Left hand filling in the gaps but with your bass drum still going. This is known as 4:3 (4 against 3) in 3/4 time. Now whilst keeping the Right hand going on the snare stop your bass drum and you now have your new Metrically Modulated 1/4 Note/Crotchet Pulse. (Remember 4:3 is written above the bar at this point so that everyone can see that you have Metrically Modulated.) Julian Marsden Drum tutor Article first published in: www.drumteachers.info |
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