I got out of the car about 7:30 last night and heard someone playing his drum set.

Oh… we live in a condo, by the way.

It didn’t bother my wife and me because we live on the other end of the building so we didn’t really hear it unless we were actually listening for it, but I do remember feeling very sorry and angry for their upstairs neighbor (so I guess it did bother me).

While this drummer is actually pretty decent, he’s giving drummers a bad name. Many people think that the drums are cool and that drummers themselves are cool, but only during a performance or conversation. Any other time, people find us annoying. We drum on everything: shopping carts, the desk, the table, our laps… And then there’s practicing: the tick-tick-tick on the drum pad, the loud sound of the drums… it’s rare that I can drum on my drum pad at home without my wife asking if I’m going to stop soon.

We are annoying musicians to most. And the guy playing a drum set in a multi-dwelling building is a rude contributor to that. But, he’s also one of the inspirations behind this post.

There is no reason why he needs to drum on his kit, really. Yes, playing on your instrument of choice will help you to become more familiar with how that instrument feels, how to handle it, how to manipulate it, etc. But the drums are unique in that all you really need is a pair of sticks (and sometimes not even that). You pretty much need a saxophone to learn how to play the saxophone. Same with a violin, cello, trombone, etc. But drummers can learn how to play the drums with nothing but a pair of sticks and a surface to play on.

The other inspiration behind this post is a particular group of high school kids that just don’t understand this concept.

Back in February, at one of my high schools, several of the students got very, very disappointed when I told them we wouldn’t be using drums for at least two months. A deep sigh emanated from their breaths and all I could say was, “You don’t need to play on a drum to be a drummer.”

A good drummer should be able to sound good on a drum pad. If you sound good on a drum pad, chances are you’ll sound pretty decent on a drum. If you sound horrible on a drum pad, you are most definitely going to sound ten times worse on a drum. Everything becomes amplified: all the mistakes, the bad attacks, the lack of control… the rule of thumb is if you can’t play it well on a pad, it will sound worse on a drum.

In the end, if a drummer really loves the act of drumming, it shouldn’t matter if they’re playing on a drum or a tin can. The physical act of drumming should be fun, no matter the playing surface. Indeed, playing on a drum is fun, and it’s certainly educational, but time has taught me that a pair of sticks and a surface that can tolerate a beating is also just as fun if I’m playing well.

Plus, I can play in my condo without bugging the neighbors.

I’m pretty sure it was my age-out year of drum corps. I was walking across the gym at our housing site with my instructor/mentor/friend/boss, talking about… drums, probably… and we passed by one of my fellow snare players ramming beats on his pad. We asked him what he was doing and he said he was working on his chops.

In response I said, for the first time, “Remember: technique first, chops second.”

Technique, technique, technique. It’s important. Yes, chops are important, too, but without technique your chops will be useless if you hurt yourself.

If you look up “technique” at Dictionary.com, you’ll find the following definitions pulled from the Random House Dictionary:

1. the manner and ability with which an artist, writer, dancer, athlete, or the like employs the technical skills of a particular art or field of endeavor.
2. the body of specialized procedures and methods used in any specific field, esp. in an area of applied science.
3. method of performance; way of accomplishing.
4. technical skill; ability to apply procedures or methods so as to effect a desired result.

Okay, so let’s derive that technique is a specialized method by which something specialized is accomplished. Let’s specify this for drumming, shall we?

(Yes, you can also apply this to other disciplines)

Technique is a specialized method that helps to accomplish a specialized goal in a manner that allows the body to function naturally, with some modification, and promotes efficiency, fluidity, and prevents physical harm.

Several techniques exist for drummers and other percussionists to choose from, depending on what instrument they’re playing and what they want to accomplish. In my case, I developed a default technique that I use for general playing, but when needed I use another technique. The general technique I use is also the one I teach my students, and the reason I do is because I think it embodies the definition of “technique” that I presented above. As a teacher, my goal is to make sure my students learn to relax, play efficiently, and play in such a way where they don’t physically harm themselves. If they can learn to do these things, then drumming will be easier for them.

Learning and using bad technique will do the opposite; drumming will be difficult, consume a lot of energy, become a tense activity, and may cause detrimental pain that could have long term effects.

Now, let’s define “chops”. The closest thing I could find was on Dictionary.com’s pull from the American Heritage Dictionary:

Slang The technical skill with which a jazz or rock musician performs.

Meh.

In the drumline activity, at least where I’m from, I know that we use the term “chops” a little differently. “Chops” is certainly a slang term, and in my usage, it refers to speed and stamina as they pertain to muscle use. How fast one can play and for how long is an indication of having chops. And having chops is a good thing, of course. Without chops, a drummer is limited in how fast and how long they can play, obviously. Chops also aid in the betterment of technique. The more a drummer practices using a particular technique there will be an increase in the ability to use the technique more naturally as the muscles become used to the motions used.

Thus, a cycle is created: the better a drummer’s technique, the more speed and stamina will come as a result. As the muscles get exercised, chops will increase resulting in a boost in speed and stamina. As the chops increase, the technique used will be practiced, resulting in improved technique.

Now, let’s think about this. If a drummer has bad technique and continues to play and play, thus increasing their chops, and thereby getting better at using their bad technique, they’re basically increasing their muscle strength while supporting bad drumming habits. And, as mentioned before, bad technique can be detrimental to both playing and to the condition of the body.

Unlike the chicken-and-egg scenario, we know what comes first in the cycle: technique. When a beginner picks up drumsticks for the first time and attempts to drum, the way they hold their sticks and hit the drum or pad is, essentially, a form of technique. This is where the journey begins. Chops come from playing and practicing, and you can’t play drums without some form of technique, whether that technique is primitive and uneducated or refined.

Hence, technique first.

If the concept here is indeed cyclical, then why worry about it at all? If technique begets chops, which begets improved use of technique, then what does it matter as long as proper technique is used?

Young drummers should make sure that they actually DO emphasize the learning of good technique. This, of course, is part of the teacher’s job, making sure they are promoting good technique. However, young drummers should also know that the more they play, the better their chops will get. In the drumline activity, we do chops-busting things like hold rolls and accent patterns, but never, ever at the expense of technique. Chops will do then no good if they play with bad technique.

The moral of the story is: chops will come. Don’t worry about them. Good technique is the basis for everything physical. Concentrate on learning good technique and, I guarantee, the more you play, the more chops you’ll acquire.