Heart Beat: 15 Reasons to Take Up the

Drums
by Mamiverse Team | 01/07/2017

Music has an amazing ability make you feel more energized, more relaxed or more empowered.
It can give you a sense of belonging, a sense of community and a sense of freedom. And while
the lyrics, the guitar solos and the hot guy at the microphone might all play their part, the drums
have a unique ability to evoke an emotional response. Beyond that excellent reason to learn to
play drums, they set the pace and the tempo for music. There is a reason that you will find drums
in almost every genre of music, ranging from African tribal songs to pop hits.

Additionally, studies have found that there are many health and developmental benefits to
playing the drums. According to Kimberly Sena Moore, a board certified music therapist, and
professor at the University of Miami, “Research has provided support for the positive effect of
drumming experiences on social behaviors, grief, self-expression, self-esteem, group cohesion,
depression, behavioral issues, bimanual coordination, and learning for children and adults both
with and without disabilities.” So whether you plan to be the next Phil Collins or you just want to
jam with your kids, drums are a great activity to try.

Here are 15 reasons why you should learn to play drums:

1. It’s a great time! Playing the drums is actually fun. Whether you do it like a pro or you just
pound away on the bongo drum, it’s exciting and entertaining. You can be silly, you can be
strong, you can play with different rhythms and you can collaborate with different instruments.
And anyone can try it. Even an infant can create a beautiful sound using a drum.

2. You can improve your coordination. Some would argue that drumming requires more
coordination than any other instrument because you are required to focus on one pattern with
one hand and a different rhythm with your other hand. You create different sounds with different
hands at the same time. Sounds difficult, right? Well, it is, but as you learn to use the drums and
perfect your drumming skills you are also going to enhance your coordination overall.

3. Drumming may give your immune system a boost. Drum circles have been used in healing
rituals for centuries and in cultures around the globe. There is currently limited scientific data to
support whether or not drumming actually can help heal, and it is still somewhat a mystery why it
works. But studies have shown that drumming results in increased activity in natural killer cells.
NK cells play a huge role in a healthy immune system by providing a rapid, innate response to
infected cells in the body.

4. Drumming can make you smarter. Here’s some incentive to take up drumming—studies
have shown that drumming may increase your IQ. Research also implies that drummers have an
ability to tap into a natural rhythmic pattern found in elements throughout the earth. So basically,
they are better at problem solving and more in tune with nature than the rest of us.
5. As a drummer you will feel like a rock star. Sure, the lead singer might be the most famous
and the guitar player gets the most instrumental solos, but there is no denying that drummers are
true rock stars with the ability to steal the show and truly capture the attention of millions. When
you think about your favorite rock song, imagine it without the drum beat. Not so awesome, right?

6. Drumming helps to develop creative skills. If you learn to play drums, it encourages you to
be creative with sounds, rhythm and movement. You have the freedom to see where the rhythm
takes you when you move your body in a different way. And you can inspire creativity with kids
as well but helping demonstrate different drumbeats and watching how they mimic you and then
experiment on their own.
7. It can be helpful for learning social skills. Sure, you can practice musical skills solo, but
typically when a child learns to play an instrument he is not only practicing with a teacher but also
with other kids. Working in a group environment is an excellent opportunity to socialize and
improve interpersonal skills as you learn to work well with others.

8. It’s a great workout. There’s a reason that PoundFit classes are dedicated to the motions
used while drumming. Using your upper body and your lower body to create drum beats burns
calories and a lot of energy. An hour-long drumming session can burn over 200 calories! It’s no
wonder rock stars are in such good shape.
9. Playing drums can help relieve stress. It’s no coincidence that you feel your levels of stress
and anxiety diminish when you hear or play certain music. Rhythm, and more specifically the act
of drumming, has been shown to reduce stress hormones such as cortisol. Drumming can give
you energy, can relax you and can help you blow off steam, resulting in a more healthy mood.

10. Drum work can help fight depression. Research has shown that drumming can have a
positive psychological effect, to the point where it may help fight depression and help you work
through traumatic experiences in your post. According to the Daily Beast, a 2008 study with
veterans suffering from PTSD showed that drumming created an “…increased sense of
openness, togetherness, belonging, sharing, closeness, connectedness and intimacy” as well as
helping subjects regain a sense of self-control.”
11. Using drums can help you to understand music. The components of music are
complicated and understanding how music is composed is not an easy feat. But drum beats are
the foundation of so many musical productions, so understanding the rhythm of the drum and
where that beat comes from can help you improve your understanding of music overall.

12. Drumming can sharpen your concentration. You have to truly focus in order to play the
drums, or at least play the drums well. Your arms are doing several things at once while your feet
do something different and your entire body needs to keep the beat. Not a simple task. Learning
the drums will help you train your mind to focus intensely on several tasks at once while also
using your body. And if you can use that concentration for almost anything.
13. You will improve your reflexes. Drumming requires extremely quick movements of the
hands, fingers and feet in order to maintain the beat and work on several different tasks at one
time. By training your body to excel at drumming you will simultaneously improve your reflexes,
as your body will be more accustomed to quick, repeated movements.

14. Working with drums improves your rhythm. Some people are born with good rhythm and
an ability to heat the musical beat. Some need to work at it, but either way, using the drums will
enhance your rhythm in everything you do. And it’s great for teaching children rhythm as well.
You can start by drumming simple beats and showing them how to repeat your actions.
15. As a strong drummer you become the center of a band. Without a good drummer a band
is just a lot of noise. If you learn how to play drums, you set the tone, the beat, the rhythm and
the mood of a song. A strong drummer can enhance any band or any musical production, which
makes it an invaluable musical skill.
 Drumming: 10 Reasons Why
You Should Learn
By Lizzie Ball 03/04/2014

A lot of people shy away from learning the drums when deciding to play an
instrument. They see them as loud and large, taking up a lot of room. There are so
many reasons why being a drummer is a great talent to have, and here are my top
10:

1. Percussion is the heartbeat to every musical style.

Take a listen to some of your favourite songs, whatever genre they may be.
Imagine there are no drums or beat carrying you through it. Having that percussive
element to the song is what makes you tap your foot, defines the changes between
the loud and quiet parts and creates the dramatic build up to the music. You control
the intensity and speed of every song you perform.

2. It’s a chance to express your creative side.

When you’re being creative, it opens your eyes to look at everything in a different
way. You express your musical ideas by playing all sorts of new, different beats
and fills. The drums are like your voice, you have to be confident in expressing
your new ideas and skills to gain more knowledge and experience. You may find
yourself being interested in styles such as samba drums or playing in groups as part
of your creative exercise.

3. You don’t have to play a big acoustic kit, there are plenty of great electric
kits out there!

The idea of having to own such a big instrument, having no room and neighbours
is daunting. There are so many electric drum kits available that are great to practice
on with or without headphones. They have smaller frames and a lot of them are
able to fold up and move out of the way!

4. Helps your concentration and coordination skills.

If you’re playing as part of an ensemble, it is important that you do not disturb the
tempo of the song. The more rehearsal you put into drumming the more you can
hold your concentration for long periods of time. If you practice more your
coordination skills will improve at change over’s and drumming patterns. All of
this will benefit you in everyday activities as well.

5. Once you have your desired kit, you can add all sorts of fun drum
equipment to it!

Although it is preferred by some people to have minimal drum kits, there is so

much you can add to your kit to make it sound great. As you progress as a
drummer and start playing different kinds of music, you will find yourself wanting
to add more and more to your kit. This may be different cymbals or even bongos
for a more traditional style. Electronic drum machines are forever getting more
popular in music and adapting them to an acoustic kit can sound great!

6. It is a brilliant stress relief.

Whether you have had a bad day at school, work or just in general, there is nothing
better than being able to come home and relieve it. Drumming can be fast paced
and give you such an adrenalin rush it will help shake off the stress and cheer you
up.

7. Learning drum notation means you can play for anyone.

Although it is not as common to read drum notation these days, it is always a good
thing to learn. This will help you if you ever get asked to do session or show
drumming as well as being able to write down ideas for new songs or interesting
drum beats and fills you come up with.

8. Whatever instrument you want to play, learning the drums means you’ll
always have perfect timing.

It’s your job as a drummer to keep everyone in time. You become a human
metronome after years of experience. No matter what you go on to play you will
always have good timing. You know exactly how the music works so you can
progress as a player in any instrument you choose.

9. You can rock out to anything!

Even though you may be sitting down, you are always moving the most in a band.
Everyone else will be able to move around on stage, which is a great opportunity to
get into the music and let yourself go. You have to have a stage presence
somehow, so being able to rock out means you can show off your talent and look
impressive at the same time. Everybody wants to rock out!

10. You get to learn one of the oldest, most cultural instruments there is.

Being a drummer isn’t just about sitting behind a drum kit. There are so many
different types of drums out there such as djembe’s, bongo drums and timpani’s.
You may find yourself wanting to play in a marching band, jazz band or orchestra.
All these styles involve different a form of drums which creates an endless list of
what you could do in your drumming career.

https://www.normans.co.uk/blog/2014/04/drumming-10-reasons-why-you-should-
learn/