I'm Teaching Myself to Play the Drums and the Story Behind My Name Duane's World
16 months ago in February 2016, I decided to start a Youtube channel appropriately called Duane's World. The idea to produce weekly 5 - 10 minute webisodes of my artistic meanderings and insatiable desire to learn new skills. The format, a variety show of sorts. Cut up snippets of short video clips, motion graphics, animation, interviews with myself and others. 5 to 60 seconds or so each a collage of my week's work, learning, play and art!
Just starting, that's the big issue a lot of people have. I, for example, have to get all my ducks in a row, get everything just right. I think I have this issue because I'm always thinking about first impressions when I start a project. Always having that fear that I'm starting off on the wrong foot with a new project and potentially making the wrong impression it if I don't have it just right at launch. It paralyzes me and often I just don't start, years just go bye, bye. It's these same fears I had when I started my Duane's World blog here on Steemit. Telling myself I'm unable to create brand new content because of my current workload but knowing in my gut I had to get on involved right now with this platform and cryptocurrency or another year would pass me by.
I love to learn. It's an amazing and exhilarating process teaching oneself new skills. At the moment, I'm a screen printer, I dabble in video and animation, 3D modeling and plan soon to try my hand at video game creation. I'm teaching myself how to sew so I can create rudimentary costumes, in addition, practical model making, props and make-up for my short videos. Oh yeah I dabble in confectionary and candy making :D
2 years ago I started learning guitar and practice a least an hour a day, occasionally borrow a friend's bass guitar as well and thought damn perhaps I should just go all out and try my hand at drums. I had caught the music playing bug I guess. I was already scheming plans for World domination with my future or make-believe bands! Yes bands with a "s" plural, lol.
I tend to jump from one interest to the next. Losing interest sometimes because I don't think I'm progressing. So I got to thinking perhaps I could document the journey on a blog and track my progress. So I decided to start my Duane's World channel on YouTube to document my artistic interests and indirectly encourage others watching to just get started on a hobby or dream.
Ideally, I wanted to film a bunch of different content and create a cool intro title sequence for the launching. Since I was learning to play music and the theme of my channel is about skill building, I thought it would be only proper to produce the music score myself, even if I suck at first.
I couldn't wait so I decided to just start! I scrapped the idea of getting all my ducks in a row and just begin with me learning the drums and then build upon that with more content. So I went to my local music store and rented out the cheapest drum set for $25 per month and started playing drums by watching Youtube tutorials, but only lasted 4 weeks.
16 months later I found Steemit. It has ignited the fire once again. Over the next week, I'm going to post the 3 other weeks of me learning drums intermittently with other posts. In about 2 weeks I hope to be making posts of all new content. I hope you find inspiration in my meanderings and just get started on what you dream of.
So finally this is my first-week video learning how to drum with no prior experience. The drum kit is a cheap rental and the hit-hat and cymbal are crap, made of a really cheap material. Hopefully, it's not too painful of a watch, perhaps you will have a bit of a laugh :) This was quite difficult for me being in front of a camera, expressing myself. It's good though as it's a fear I want to overcome.
Check out the book "Rapid Drumset Improvement: Exercise Workbook"...this exercise routine grid is the most fundamental key for drumming, and you will master rhythm and coordination quickest and most efficiently with this.
You're welcome! :)
https://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Drumset-Improvement-Exercise-Workbook/dp/0984406913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499666940&sr=8-1
Sorry for the late reply, but I'd like to thank u for the recommendation. I'll check it out :)
you are most welcome :D I hope to one day soon post all of the exercises here.
I'd love that!!
follow meee! i can't wait until these exercises pop up on your feed :)
Learning is life my friend! My coworkers make fun of me because I'm just like you, always trying to learn something new by myself! They call me "The Challenge Man" 😂. But I can't help it, I like the fact that you can actually learn a brand new skill by yourself. Youtube and Google are my best friends for that 👌. Hope I'll have the time to share it on Steemit as well. You did a great job so far, keep digging brother!
haha I love it!! My friends joke with me and call me "Renaissance Man" Yes I know the sickness, lol. Thanks for the encouragement :)
Doing well Duane! If youre serious about learning though do yourself a favour and get off the kit and on to a practice pad first. Learn your rudiments and master your stick grip and then introduce feet and multiple drums. Trying to start it all at once is some kind of mental torture ☺
@markfitzgerald thank you for the encouragement. I'm not really taking it too serious atm, but who knows. That was just week 1. I did it for 4 weeks total and put it down as I was on to the next thing. However, it has been on my mind to start again so I'm going to make all new videos after I post the other 3 drum videos. At the time of those videos, I was practicing rudiments a bit. However, I think it's was just so fun to pound on them drums.
I may take a few lessons to get a basic grasp on those things you mentioned. Thanks again for the advice :)
nice! I love music!
thank you :)
hah ... i know there is always a beginning. need to loosen a bit on em drum sticks bud. :) cheeers
haha yes this was only week one, but I do thank u for the tip ;)
Good quality content! I like the idea behind your username and how you constantly try new things and are very artistic. Keep sharing your adventures! Can't wait to see what's next :)
Thanks for the compliment! I have plenty more to share this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Very nice! Well done :)
Thank you I really appreciate it :D
Nice work friend friend, am so in love with the futuristic buildings :)
Awwe thanks I love them too :D I wanted to see if I could make them easily enough. I have plans for a future music video with them in mind.
Great job man. Nice to see you doing so well. I love your ideas. Keepp experimenting and learning man
thanks buddy :)
Lots of great content! Yeah, some days I struggle with producing any type of work because I want it to be perfect. Honestly, that's not realistic. There just isn't enough time in the day to overthink it.
I agree, you just got to do your best and put out the result. This drum solo is for you @DuanesWorld
Love the comment @vermillionfox U know what is funny somebody almost word for word copied your comment for their own in here and I upvoted it, lol. After reading your reply, I retacted it of course. So people even do that now in the same thread. No shame, lmao.
Yeah, it's almost as bad as someone attempting to comment on your post without reading any of it! 😂
lol. Yeah, there are handful of those on here on this post about my drumming. Still, I can't believe somebody would copy another's comment in the same post. I had read their's first and upvoted it, then read yours but it was posted hours before. It was almost identical except for a few changed words.
I recall being the first to leave you a comment on this post! Anywho, awesome job! I see that you got noticed by @curie, they're fantastic!