Reading Music and Counting

When I was first learning how to read music, my drum teacher made sure that I could count while playing. I got used to playing snare drum rhythms and counting at the same time. This started with fairly simple rhythms and also with the drum rudiments. Counting out loud was something that became familiar to me, and helped me tremendously. As I progressed into harder books and rhythmic combinations, this was something I continued to do. To this day, I still do this, especially anytime when I’m learning a new beat, groove, or hand combination. It seems to help me understand not only how the rhythms correspond to the pulse, but also how the hands and feet need to coordinate for that particular pattern. When learning new material, I start slowly, I play with a metronome and I count out loud. The benefits, for me, far outweigh the hassle of learning how to do yet one more thing while playing the drum set. Please try it and be patient with yourself.