Can anyone learn the science of drumming ?

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Lately I’ve seen a lot of articles talking about how advanced the brains of talented drummers are. While it’s awesome to be able to pat ourselves on the back and proclaim “WE DRUMMERS ARE SMARTER THEN EVERYONE!“ I think the better question to ask is this. Can anyone learn the science of drumming ?

As we know, from the many articles pertaining to the science of drumming hitting publications lately, the brains of drummers function much differently than most. I believe anyone willing to put the time into learning the drums can ultimately develop these same skills.

It’s cool that we as drummers train our brains to think different and Its really neat to see what happens inside our brains while we drum. Although, I think that a better topic to discuss is essentially where practice, talent, and hard work all meet as one. I’ve heard a lot of drummers say that it takes both talent and hard work to be a great drummer. I think we can leave talent out of this when we look at some of our favorite influential drummers. We already know how much talent it takes to hold the crown of a reputable touring band. Most talented drummers have spent their lives studying, practicing, and learning to play the drums. They spend countless hours practicing new techniques that they were bad at until they have mastered them completely. All that falls under hard work and having the discipline to push on through something that challenges you.

I think that natural talent and ability are often misused in this industry and it has a lot do with ego. I’ve heard lots of my non-musician friends say “Wow look how talented that guy is!!!” when I go through drum videos on youtube and show them some bad ass drummer I’ve been into at the time. The thing is, when you look at the back story of most of these drummers, you’ll find their love affair with music go’s back to when they were young. A lot of those guys came from very musical families that exposed their children to all the music that they loved and played from a young age. When we look back and think about it, they were taking in all these wonderful rhythms and melodies at an age when our brains are going through the most development. So when they start learning how to play drums on the kit things just seem to come naturally and concepts are learned fast. Just look at Drummers I Like founder Rich’s son Everett. He has been learning the drums from a young age. In fact, he had him playing with drumsticks, messing with drum rudiments, learning a different drumming exercise daily and beating on the kit at just a couple months old. As he gets older his exposure to the drums at such a young age will allow him to start developing technique and it all comes at that perfect time in a child’s growth.

For someone that didn’t have early exposure to music and drums, they have a bit more work ahead of them. It is not because they lack a natural talent. It’s because they are just starting the journey much later than some. I have a very dear friend of mine that started drumming much later than myself. He didn’t come from a musical family that nurtured his desire to play drums. But in the time that we’ve been friends he has no problem learning when he slowly breaks down something new. The only thing that really separates us as drummers is the fact that I started when I was 10 and he started around 16. I had a six-year head start.

The other day I came across a video that was produced by the GE Company that broke down what happens scientifically in our brain when we drum. These things happen in any human that learns to play rhythms. Even very basic ones. What I take from this is that we are all born with a natural talent for the drums. However, it is up to us how far we are willing to push ourselves on this amazing instrument we choose to pursue.