How To Practice Drums - 30 Mins Per Day

Great question by monthly member Tom - How to structure your session if you have 30 minutes per day for drum practice. These are my thoughts!
I'll provide a personalized daily practice plan following this structure for every monthly member and update it each month for you - sign up here: www.buymeacoff...
Thanks for watching :)
Mike
-
Online drum lessons with Mike via Zoom!
Video about how it works here: • Video
Book in for your lesson here, open to all!: mikesdrumstudi...
---
Become a monthly supporter of this channel - See members-only videos and get video support from Mike
Sign up here: www.buymeacoff...
Become a member of Mike Barnes Drums for £10 per month and you’ll get:
*A weekly members-only video
*Drum support from Mike in the form of video responses - Send me your question about drumming, drum grades etc and I'll send you a video response in reply! - up to 2 per month for members.
*Hassle-free access to all my KZbin playlists via one simple list.
*Every new member will also receive a shout-out on my KZbin channel.
I massively appreciate you supporting the channel, and sufficient monthly sign-ups would allow me to further increase the output of the KZbin channel as well as the Instagram/Facebook feeds.
Sign up is via my online support page at Buy Me A Coffee, click here: www.buymeacoff...
You can still “buy Mike a coffee” in the form of a one-off small donation too if you wish to support the channel without becoming a member - www.buymeacoff...
-
Mike’s Kit
Drumtec Diabolo with Roland snare and cymbals, TD-11 sound module. Full kit tour here: • Tour Of My Electronic ...
Vic Firth Extreme 5A Sticks - buy here: amzn.to/38ck8Xv
Mixcder E9 Active Noise Cancelling Headphones - buy here: mixcder.com/pr... (my video review of these headphones is here: • Gear Review: Mixcder E... )
-
Mike Barnes Drums Amazon Shop
I now have an Amazon store featuring all the gear, books etc you see here in these videos, and that I use myself on gigs/in the studio and recommend. It doesn’t cost any more to buy from this store than it does from regular Amazon, but you’d be supporting this channel by doing so, which would be very much appreciated!:
Shop here: www.amazon.co....
-
Socials
Follow Mike Barnes Drums on Instagram: / mikebarnesdrums
Follow Mike Barnes Drums on Facebook: / smileygingerdrumman
TikTok: Mike Barnes Drums
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mike-barnes-07b5ab51
-
Mike :)

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Great question by monthly member Tom - How to structure your session if you have 30 minutes per day for drum practice. These are my thoughts and this would be my advice. I'll provide a personalized daily practice plan following this structure for every monthly member and update it each month for you - sign up here: www.buymeacoffee.com/mikebarnesdrums Thanks for watching :) Mike

[@cojones-72]

I've only just discovered you quite recently Mike but I think you're a fantastic educator. You get to the heart of the issue very quickly in all your videos. No BS. Love it!

[@bobmizen1]

Hi Mike, thanks for sharing your skills online. I’m 67 with health issues, on the ‘Shielded List’ at the moment during lockdown, but trying to learn drumming. I am fortunate in having a Roland TD17 kvx set and just started setting up a new, bought by my wife for Christmas, Pearl Export EXA 6 piece percussion set. So I’m not short of kit, I just try and play, aches and pains permitting, as I can. I’ve just bought Grade 1&2 books and cd’s through your Amazon link, so I hope I did it properly. Thanks again for your great tuition. Regards, Bob M. South Wales

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Ah great stuff, cheers Bob! So glad you're enjoying it and getting some value out of the vids. Thanks for watching :)

[@sterlingpratt4901]

I love discovering old videos of yours with these great insights 😁🖤

[@wannabeadrummer]

Sound advice, doing what you suggest, luckily I've got a bit more time on my hands.

[@suminshizzles6951]

I leave out the heart. Gonna have to work on that. I do do the hands and head in that order though. But most of my time is spent learning things and not enough time is devoted to just playing around or noodling as guitarists say. I guess i get my heart "play" when i play the song that i am learning over and over again in an attempt to master it. I find that fun. Last two days were spent tryiing to learn eagles - one of these nights. Was scared of this groove cos of the hi hat work. 3-16th notes on the hi hat. So i put this off for two months. Finally three days ago i said enough is enough. I broke down the groove and started at 60 bpm till i could play it. Then slept on it. Next day i moved it up 5 bmp at time till i got to 110 which is song speed. Too k me about an hour to get there. Once i could play that in my skeep i started working on the fills. In three days i almost managed to play the whole song in time. Yesterday i managed to play more than %75 of the song in time. Stoked.

[@luismartins6239]

Grate content thanks man!

[@ma.ginger0303]

Thanks for the advice, very useful!👍

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

👊🏻

[@warburtonpaul]

Bang on as ever, Mike! I do much the same. However, 30 minutes? I wish! I have to practice a minimum 45 minutes daily to make progress. The thing is that like Bob, when you're on Grade 1/2, how do you jam? It suggests you have enough skill to play along to tunes - and I do try. But it's dispiriting making lots of mistakes, and therefore counter productive. I see playing the drums as an exercise; a job that will one day yield results and pleasure. But I can't honestly say I enjoy it right now. I'm wondering if you get reactions like these?

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Hi Paul, I'd go with this - kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppatmJyHea9ggtk and just pick one or two of the beats and basic drum fills, and try playing them along to some of the suggested songs on the playlists I've linked to. If you can play them in time, you could then try to vary your fills a little bit - some suggestions here: kzbin.info/aero/PLcfoni8UPb9opFnGubPIthJTQm5jKFrVU. That should get you going and enjoying it. That's the key, just get playing - even if it's very basic, that's a great place to start. And in my opinion you should absolutely be enjoying it from the start, even if you're just playing a basic Straight 8's beat along to, say "Sweet Home Alabama", which is often where we'll start in the sessions I teach. Cheers! Are you taking lessons btw? Cheers Paul.

[@warburtonpaul]

@@MikeBarnesDrums many thanks! Will give it a go.

[@teedbeats9826]

Thanks for the tips.

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Thanks for watching :)

[@drumming4p]

Great advice, as always.👍

[@RasNaaSay]

Well said...

[@Benjamin_Lees_]

If you're dedicated, do the exercise 3 times to make it to 1.5 hours, then do it again later

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Obviously do as much as you have time for! 👊🏻

[@richardelliott3221]

Hi Mike, great video as always. Do you have a good source for drum notation - particularly what symbols mean. I've been trying to find out what the diamond shape means at the end of the trinity grade 2 NY Nights but I can only find note values/ meanings.

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Hi Richard, thanks for watching. Notation guide is on page 4 of the Trinity Grade book. I have a video demo for NY Nights here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jWbXo4mqf5aJY9E The diamond you're referring to does not refer to a particular part of the kit. It's an instruction to play a whole note/semi-breve, orchestrated as you feel appropriate on the kit. When you see the diagonal slash - larger than normal note heads (crotchet), the diamond with a note stem (minim), or the diamond on it's own (semi-breve) written on the stave itself, the composer is telling you the rhythm/note values to be played, but not where to play it on the kit. You use your musical judgement to decide how to orchestrate it! As you'll see on my vid I chose to use the cymbals at the end, although that's def not the only option. Cheers man!

[@richardelliott3221]

@@MikeBarnesDrums thanks for the detailed answer and clearing up my confusion on diagonal slashes/ diamonds :)

[@ExpellerYT]

First!

[@Stew37i]

Hey Mike, how can I arrange getting lessons with you?

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Hi Stuart, thanks for your interest. By singing up as a channel member at www.buymeacoffee.com/mikebarnesdrums - you get a comp session on sign-up, then you can book in for sessions via the channel members’ booking page. Cheers!

[@Stew37i]

@@MikeBarnesDrums Thanks! And by signing up to be a member we get 20% discount off standard drum lesson prices?

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

@@Stew37i Yes, although happily due to demand, lessons are now channel member only: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6m4cnyclLSNl80 Cheers!

[@Idolikethis]

30 mins???? Im 2 hrs a day!!!!

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Great! Good for you :)

[@Idolikethis]

@@MikeBarnesDrumsHi! So I've been wondering if you give in person/zoom lessons? 🤔 I learn quickly from you on here but I have no teacher. Besides myself currently. And I don't think that's good enough. Thanks!

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

@@Idolikethis Yes Zoom and in person lessons available to channel members signing up at www.buymeacoffee.com/mikebarnesdrums. Cheers!