Test if learning the drums is going to suck or be something that you’ll enjoy by trying to learn to play a basic beat.

Sitting position.

Assume your dominant arm is your right.

Three actions:

1. Left Hand pats the left knee: snare drum
2. Right Hand pats the right knee: hi-hat
3. Right Foot taps the ground: bass drum

Count the beats: Out loud count, at regular intervals, “one and two and three and four and”: four beats counted as eight eight notes that comprised a measure.

Combine the actions with the count:

One: hi-hat and bass

And: hi-hat

Two: hi-hat and snare

And: hi-hat

Three: hi-hat and bass

And: hi-hat

Four: hi-hat and snare

And: hi-hat

Some people can learn this in less than a minute. When I started playing drums it took me roughly ten minutes. If this takes you ten minutes then you’re probably not going to enjoy what comes after.

If you’re faster then that then you should still not begin with a drum set. Instead, buy a snare practice pad and sticks, learn to read music with them, then learn to roll and paradiddle. That’ll keep you busy for a long time. This is how people learn to play with buckets and trash for a set. The expensive drum set comes after learning stick control and technique on the practice pad snare.