I got myself a practice pad and a few sticks. I’ve messed around with it a bit now but I need to start actually focusing and practicing so I can do it right and eventually be decent. Where is a good place to even start my very first ‘lesson’? Any particular social media accounts I should check out or anything like that?
A bit late, but I highly recommend practicing rudiments and working on consistency in sound. Watch some videos for form and play in front of a mirror. There’s a ton of exercise pdfs out there if you know how to read music. I haven’t looked into any in particular but I haven’t met any instructors who dont value them. Looks like video versions are everywhere from a quick search.
It sounds super boring but hear me out. The amount of awesome sounds you can get on a kit just by playing a standard rudiment with one hand on something like a snare or hi-hat and the other is going around the toms is insane. Or just playing one hand’s part on the ride. It makes a lot of things you hear drummers do make sense. Someone will pull out something that looks and sounds amazing, but is simple at its core. Don’t underestimate rudiments on the kit!
It also just helps in general with making your hands do what you have in your head. Gives you better control over time. Builds a solid foundation for you to mould into something unique. Gives you pieces that you can slap together however you want it infinite ways.
Side note: a cheap snare stand to hold the pad would probably be a huge QoL upgrade, depending on where you plan to practice most.