Ok well I have been playing drums now for almost a year (not quite) and I am not great still at all. People tell me I learned really fast but to me I suck still and I don't know a lot of the theory at all and also I don't know what the things like 4/4 mean. Can someone tell me what 4/4 means and how to play it please I know it's something with counting but I don't ever do that and I heard that when you count when playing it helps a ton. I know I have been playing for a while and I am dumb for not knowing that but I never took lessons and just learn on my own and listen to songs and play them. I got to learn sometime right?
So any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks a lot!

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4/4 is four beats in a measure like 1..2..3..4

a walzrythm for example had 3 in one measure 1..2..3

for good theory you could get any drumlesson book or take lessons

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Yeah, it can be also useful to know that this 4/4 is called the time signature.
The number above shows how many beats there are in one measure.
The number below shows what IS one beat.
(eg : 4 means one beat = 1/4 note
8 means one beat = 1/8 note)

So 9/8 would mean 9 eigth-note beats per measure.

Bands like Martyr, Mastodon, actually most progressive bands experiment with time signatures a lot.

I hope it helps. Of course, you could just have searched "time signature" on Google and we wouldn't have had to answer the stupid question.

I think that TOOL time signatures are also a little bit complicated. You must hear them.
And you´ll see.

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Yeah thanks a lot. I still don't understand it too much... I don't know, I get the counting part but how do I know how many times I hit something? Like say with the 4/4? Do I count to 4 like 1.2.3.4 and then hit any drum like snare or whatever 4 times but keep a constant on the hi hat? Sorry but I just don't get this and wan't to learn this today. Thanks.

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Theory?? Cmon we all know drummers arent REAL musicians

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I don't know about you but I like to learn as much as I can about drumming and know as much as I can. You might not be really dedicated to it or not care but I do.

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The "how many times you hit something" is not important, you just have to know how many beats there are in one measure, then fill this measure with anything you want. As I told you, just search on the net for some online drum lessons.

you have a metronome, haven´t you????
You put it at 90 bpm,s (for example), and play


DRUMS(you): bass - snare - bass-bass - snare
metronome:tack - tack - tack - tack.

That is 4/4: ( 4 metronome "tacks")
I can´t explain it better because i don´t know english very well.

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if you want CRAZY time sigs, listen to some Meshuggah, and listen to the cymbal parts, how he keeps the beat steady with one hand and does crzy shit with his other hand and his kicks, it is cool!!!

as for time signatures, all music is made up of diff length notes and the go:

1 (4 beats worth)
1/2 (2 beats worth)
1/4 (a 'beat' known as a crotchet or quarter note to you yanks)
1/8 (half a beat, known a a quaver or '8th note')
1/16 (a quarter beat, a '16th' and this is the note that you play in the first fill you will learn 's,s,s,s,t,t,t,t,2t,2t,2t,2t,ft,ft,ft,ft'
1/32 (an eighth of a beat, known as a '32nd' this is the fast note you hear alot in metal)

a time signature works by having 2 numbers, the number on the bottom is what not you are using as your measure (usually an eigth note or a quarter note) and the number on top is the number of them in one bar.

you can also change the feel of the music by using some things like dotted notes in your base feel, which will give you the swing feel, this is done because a dotted note adds half of the note to itself, making it longer.

hope that helps!

For counting, I sugest you download or buy a metronome or metronome software. Start at 60 or so bps, it's nice and slow and will let you get used to being in time. Don't you have a teacher?

Counting in 4/4 is generally

1 e and a 2 e and a 3 e and a 4 e and a

Counting triplets in 4/4

1 e a 2 e a 3 e a 4 e a

It might help you to count pine ap le instead of 1 e a

It's kinda sad that you played drums for so long without knowing that. It defeats the point of drumming. Can you read music? Most drummers I know can't, I'm lucky I learnt music theory since I was 9.

To all of you who can't read music, learn to, foo! It's very easy and it's a regulated system, I've found 5 different drum tab systems and I don't like that.

buy a metronome, I got one for about 30 NZD so it should cost you around $15, and as for reading music, I can do it, but not fluently, I would be able to play the beat faster if someone just showed me how it went than me trying to decipher the music.

Thanks for the tips. I do have a metronome and use it but not much. I am going to start using it much more so I can stay timed well. About me not knowing that, I do get the 4/4 some but there are all different kinds that I don't know. I don't care if I have been playing this long and know this stuff, I am learning on my own and just listening to music and playing it, I don't have money or have a mom and dad that buys everything for me so I can't get a teacher right now or maybe never, I can barely afford a new pair of drum sticks and heads for my set.

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