Aaaaaargh!..Did someone say RUDIMENTS?Well before you can take on a solo from that Greg Bisonette or Neil Peart CD, you should at least try mastering the following BASICS, known to drummers as Rudiments. They are to drummers what musical scales are to piano or guitar players...(NO, not boring!)
It's really quite simple, all you need to do is follow the lines below in an UNINTERUPTED and EVEN rhythm and slowing build up your speed...Yes, it will get boring and yes, you will ask yourself "is this really doing me any good?" but belive me, they weren't invented for the pure enjoyment of all drummers!! (only the insane ones..)
Where R is your right hand, Umm, I wonder what L must be?..Simply repeat these rudiments over, so that the end joins the beginning, making it sound conitinuous and smooth..
The SINGLE STROKE ROLL is the most basic and commonly used of rudiments
See, now that wasn't that hard was it?...In no time, you'll be pounding away wondering why you ever thought it was ever "going to be too hard to learn the drums".
Of course, these being just the BASICS, there are many different variations on each rudiment, by simply changing what hand you start with and where the accent is played, there are dozens of possibilities. I'm sure if your just starting out, these should keep you busy for a while at least. Just remember, speed is not the most important thing to aim for!...Try to make each stroke smooth and even in rhythm. A good thing to practise to is a metronome..( or even a very bored bass player would do the job!)