learning drums at 40 and beyond
If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times. “Nikao, I’d love to learn how to play the drums, but I’m too old! I can’t pick up things like these kids can.”
Kids seem to pick up on everything quickly. In many people’s eyes, learning the drums is a young person’s game, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. I believe that a lot of the challenges that are brought up about learning the drums at an older age are really based on faulty habits and beliefs. Adults are just as capable of learning the drums as children.
Why Kids Learn The Drums Quicker
In my experience, it is true that children tend to learn drums more quickly than adults, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I’ve noticed two mindsets that contribute to a child’s rapid growth.
Children haven’t learned that the drums are “too hard.”
Everything is new to a child, and they’re horrible at just about everything… But they don’t care! Every new skill is a chance for a child to have an adventure, explore, and have fun. Children have no expectations of getting to a certain level of proficiency as quickly as possible. They are the embodiment of enjoying the process.
The older we get, the more we’re conditioned to compare ourselves with others and value quick results. This pressures us to perform, sets unrealistic expectations, and sucks the fun out of learning, eventually causing most people to quit or not even try in the first place. Ironically, the quickest to get better is to release the need to get better quickly. As adults, we need to relearn how to let go, have fun and embrace the suck!
Adults give children more grace
I also think we adults give children much more grace than we give ourselves. We expect children to be bad at things initially and encourage them to stick with it. Every slight improvement is noticed and celebrated. Children cannot help but feel more motivated and have a sense of accomplishment when they receive consistent encouragement. Before we know it, the child begins to make bigger and more significant improvements. Then we marvel at how quickly they’ve progressed.
When it comes to ourselves, however, we don’t extend the same grace. The fact is that learning to play the drums is difficult whether you’re a child or an adult. Setting small attainable goals and celebrating yourself for achieving them is crucial. You deserve the same grace and consideration that you’d give to a child. Before long, you’ll see your progress begin to snowball as well!
Advantages to learning drums as an adult
I’d like to flip the script a little bit. I think that learning drums as an adult actually has some advantages over learning as a kid that you might not have thought of.
More clear on what you like
Lack of clarity is one of the most significant hurdles to learning an instrument. As a kid, you’re a blank slate. You could be into the drums one day, guitar the next, and then scrap the whole music idea altogether and decide you want to be the next Hollywood movie star. Everything is new and exciting to children, which makes it hard to buckle down and focus long enough to get good at something. As an adult, you’ve already gone through that process and have decided that the drums are the direction you want to go in. This makes it much easier to stick with it and see noticeable results more quickly.
Your musical tastes and goals are also more refined at an older age. You have a much clearer grasp of the music that you like and don’t like. Knowing this will allow you to focus on the skills that will help you grow into the drummer you want to be. A lot of time is wasted learning skills that don’t get us where we want to go. If your goal is to be a classic rock drummer in a weekend band, for example, working on jazz fusion chops won’t help you reach that goal. Knowing what to say no to is a major advantage.
Learning Experience
Learning can become easier with age. The older you get, the more things you’ve had to learn. You’ve gone through grade school, maybe college, have worked one or more jobs, and picked up a hobby or two. Your whole life, you’ve started at ground zero countless times and have worked your way up. You know what kind of learner you are and are well acquainted with the fact that things don’t happen overnight. This is a massive advantage because you’ll be able to evaluate a teacher or online course and know pretty quickly if their teaching style will work well for you.
Picking up and understanding complex concepts is easier the older you get as well. As a teacher, some things are difficult to explain to my younger students. Many times I’ll have to spend a couple of weeks on certain subjects before they start to sink in. With my older students, those same complex subjects are a breeze.
More Resources
One of the perks of picking up the drums at an older age is that most of the time, you have more resources available than you did as a kid. When you were younger, you had to rely on your mom or dad to take you everywhere and pay for equipment and lessons. Now You have a little more income to buy nicer gear that you’re inspired to play. You also have your own means of transportation and have a little more control over your schedule.
In my completely biased opinion, drums are the best and most fun instrument to learn. It’s never too late to jump in and start learning. Any time spent learning the drums is not a waste. If you have any questions about picking up the drums, feel free to email me at nikao@thedrumbreakdown.com.
Also, if you’ve decided to pick up the drums and are struggling with figuring out what to practice, click HERE to download my free checklist outlining core skills I believe every drummer should learn.
