Drummers typically get less time to solo than other instruments. This makes sense because they are so important for all of the other instruments to stay on beat.

When you finally get the chance to showcase your talent, it can be difficult to give yourself the control you need to do it well. How can you perform a great drum solo that people will like and remember?

With confidence, skill, practice, and structure, you can create some drum solos for beginners that will impress the rest of your bandmates.

Get some extra tips below to see how you can make it happen.

Drum Solos for Beginners: Tips to Get Started

Drum solos can be so fun and entertaining, but that doesn’t mean that they are easy by any means.

Keeping up the energy to bring a great performance is difficult and it can be even more difficult when you also have to be sure to keep your place.

Since drum solos are generally unaccompanied, no one else can help you find the tempo or the form. You also have no one else to play changes.

Drummers also usually have a better understanding of rhythms and this means the rhythms they perform could be complex. If their bandmates aren’t quite as rhythmically skilled, this could cause some confusion.

When you think about these things, you can see how it is important to be able to keep your place during a drum solo. Here are 5 tips that will help you have a great, memorable solo that also works for the rest of the song or band.

1. Gain a Better Understanding of Rhythms

Rhythm is a very important aspect of any type of music, but it often isn’t given the attention it deserves.

Having a strong sense of rhythm will help you to keep a more solid foundation in drumming and allows drum solos to become much easier.

In order to improve your understanding of rhythms, it could be helpful to work on implied metric modulations and some polyrhythmic exercises.

These tools will allow you to develop some new ideas about rhythm and what you can do with it.

2. Strengthen Your Phrasing Skills

A common problem that people have when they want to follow a drum solo is counting each beat and each bar. This causes people to easily get lost.

Instead of thinking in beats and bars, you should be thinking in phrases and consider the music in large chunks rather than small pieces.

This will help you play a little more loosely and less rigid as you may normally. You can be more risky with the tempo and form.

3. Don’t Forget the Basics

Although having a crazy and exciting drum solo may seem super appealing, it takes a lot of experience and skill to make it sound good.

You need to know the basic skills necessary to be a good drummer before trying to do anything too fancy.

Basic skills are the necessary skills that you need to be a drummer. This means they are not even necessarily the easiest skills you learn, such as hitting the drum in the middle.

Even an elegant paradiddle or something comparable is better than just crashing all of your cymbals.

4. Think of the Type of Environment You’re In

You shouldn’t try to improvise all of your solos because it’s not only way more difficult, but it can become a disaster very quickly. You want to compose a drum solo that matches the tone of the song and the environment you are playing in.

Rather than just doing whatever you want, you should make sure that you are making good music that is enjoyable for everyone.

This is going to make your solo stand out and be more memorable than a solo that is just mashed together.

5. Remember the Rest of the Band

If you’re in the middle of the song and suddenly decide to start playing your own solo, this is obviously going to be confusing for everyone else and not make a lot of sense. You don’t want to drift away from the rest of the band.

Although you don’t have to be a follower in a band, you should be sure to remember that you are basically responsible for a large part of the show.

Drummers are the backbone of a band and they should refrain from drifting from that responsibility.

You want to practice starting the solo, performing the solo, and then getting back into the groove of the song in order to be effective.

Be The Best Soloist You Can Be

Now that you have more information about drum solos for beginners, you’re likely ready to start making your own music with the new knowledge!

Remember that you are still part of the band, but can be unique with your rhythms and sound. Practice makes perfect.

If you need a new drum head, check out our selection online and see if we have what you need to be an even better drummer.