Beginner Technique

Holding the drum, playing the Doum, Tek and Ka, reading notation, practising and avoiding the mistakes every beginner makes.

137 questions answered

Questions and answers

On your leg, under your arm, on the floor or on a strap — the angle, the posture, and how to stop the drum sliding away.

The Doum, the Tek and the Ka: what each stroke is, where on the head it lands, and where the slap fits in.

Why your Doum sounds flat or your Tek sounds weak, how hard to hit, how much to bounce — and when it’s the drum, not you.

Which hand plays what, which fingers to use, playing left-handed, and getting your weak hand up to the level of the other.

Sore fingers, bruises, blisters and calluses, aching wrists and shoulders, nails and rings — what’s normal and what isn’t.

What D, T and K mean, capitals against lower case, dots and dashes, and how to count a rhythm out loud.

Practising in a flat without falling out with the neighbours, quiet drums and pads, and practising with no drum at all.

How long to practise, what a session should look like, what tempo to start at, and how to use a metronome properly.

Which rhythm to learn first, which ones suit a beginner, how to learn a new one, and when to start ornamenting.

The mistakes nearly every beginner makes — tension, rushing, losing the beat — and how to get yourself out of them.

Whether you need a teacher, how long it takes, starting with no musical background or later in life, and staying with it.