Are you or your child trying to learn how to be a drummer for your re-enacting unit?
It can feel super intimidating if you don’t already have another drummer who can teach and direct you.
On this page, I’ll provide some resources, suggestions, and tips for beginners to hopefully make the whole process less stressful.
1. Buy a Drum Pad + Stand
Before you jump right into a drum, get a practice pad.
There are different philosophies on when to graduate to a drum, but the simple fact is every drummer should start on a pad and learn at least the fundamentals and core rudiments (more below!).
(Besides – even advanced drummers practice on pads! This is an investment in your drumming future as much as a snare drum)
Rope Tension Snare Drums are hundreds of dollars and require that you also learn to carry the drum while marching in-step and playing! Starting on a drum pad takes out the extra coordination and makes sure this is the right choice before jumping into big investments.
There are a lot of models of drum pads out there, but I would highly recommend Remo. Their pads have a fairly natural feel to them that translates well to rope-tension drums.
Most importantly, GET A STAND. Posture and arm position is essential to developing good technique. Without a stand, you’ll need to play on a table, which won’t be at the perfect height or angle for your body. (And won’t adapt with you / your child as they grow!)
Drumsticks for this style of drumming are thicker, heavier sticks. This is because the style demands a forceful style of play with greater control over open movements (this is a key concept in the Double Stroke Roll).
The typical concert sticks used in school bands are ok while working on a drum pad, though not ideal. They WON’T cooperate well once you switch to the rope-tension drum.
Unfortunately, the historically accurate, hand-turned sticks are difficult to source right now. I will update this page as I have useful leads or contact me for help.
Want to learn more about authentic drum sticks? Learn more about the materials, length, and shape of British drumsticks.
I recommend the Guardsman, Parley, or Connecticut Drummer.
Cooperman sticks are still very light for an authentic style / approach. I think they’re great options for new drummers, though. They have the correct length and width to teach good form and aren’t so heavy that they’re difficult for smaller/younger drummers to get comfortable with. Appearance-wise, they’re passable for a mainstream impression.
If you want to improve your technique and impression, I recommend finding Rosewood or Cocobolo sticks.
Be mindful that those lessons will likely come with an expectation of participation with the corps.
If the corps is investing time and energy into training you, they deserve your participation in corps events and parades. Make sure you have the time and energy to do that as well as re-enacting!
Personal Thoughts
Pros to Joining a Corps:
More marching practice / better tempo control
Experienced musicians to learn from; peers to grow with
Comradery and Connections
Musters, Jam Sessions, Resources
Cons to Joining a Corps:
Generally a greater focus on parade tunes, much less focus on duty calls
“Ancient Corps” – corps not specifically into re-enacting – are not constrained by historical accuracy; be mindful that what you learn with them may not help you with your re-enacting unit
Professional Drum Instructor
If you have the money and can find a local drum tutor, this is a great opportunity to get 1-on-1 lessons and accelerate your learning.
You can check online for listings or reach out to any local music store to see if they offer lessons.
Warning: I wouldn’t tell them you want lessons to learn ‘Fife and Drum’ or ‘Revolutionary War drumming’ or something of that nature.
I’ve had drum students turned away because the drum teacher didn’t understand the request and felt unable to help.
Instead, ask for these three things:
Traditional Grip
This refers to the left-hand grip needed for this style
The 26 Standard Rudiments
These are the foundational sticking patterns needed to learn all duty calls and drum cadences
The 26 Standard Rudiments aren’t 100% accurate to all time periods, but they’re close enough and still taught today.
If the teacher can’t offer this, you don’t want them to teach you anyway!
Reading Music
If you can read music, you can teach yourself almost anything.
A private tutor *might* work on duty calls and marching cadences if you provide them with the music, but they also might not feel comfortable teaching a piece they don’t know.
Prioritize learning to read music so you can teach yourself what you need to know.
YouTube & the Community
If you have no other options, the community has worked hard to provide resources to our fellow re-enactors and drummers.
Here are some YouTube channels that provide good drumming content and may be an asset in learning:
HistoricDrumming – Posts lesson videos and historic music examples.
Rudiments & Ropes – Posts videos about drum reconstruction, drum maintenance, and rudimental drumming.
Donka Drums – Skilled drummer who posts content about drum rudiments, technique, and modern rudimental solos
HistoricDrumming has a YouTube playlist designed to step-by-step instruction to new drummers in the duties and major marching cadences for Revolutionary War-era British Drummers:
These lessons are BAR approved and feature content that will be used at major 250th BAR events.
These lessons are also appropriate for French & Indian War-era British musicians and American Revolutionary War-era American musicians. They’re reasonably helpful for War of 1812 / Napoleonic-era musicians of both British and American impressions.
4. Focus on the Essentials
All new drummers want to jump right into wearing a drum and marching their guys around or hopping into a jam session.
Drumming takes time. Focus on the essentials and everything else comes easily. Without the essentials, drumming will always feel hard.
Hand Grip and Arm Position
This part isn’t sexy, but it’s essential.
Learn the traditional grip.
Stand with good posture.
Watch yourself in a mirror and make corrections.
Historic Drumming also offers the following practice guides to develop and hone your technique and rudiments:
Rolls are the most iconic sound of snare drums and the Double Stroke Roll is the true foundation of historic, military drumming.
A clean Double Stroke Roll will not only set you apart from other drummers, it will improve your tempo, rhythm control, and ability to play more challenging beatings.
More specifically, you’ll want to focus on 7-Stroke Rolls, Drags (3-Stroke Rolls), and then 5-Stroke Rolls.
Historic Drumming offers the following practice guides:
Flams are another core rudiment, made by striking the drum with both sticks at the same time.
Most drummers talk about clean Double Stroke Rolls as the pinnacle of good drumming, but I personally assess other drummers on their Flams.
Clean Flams prove you have exceptional sticking control, and sticking control is the foundation of everything: rhythm, sticking, tempo, dynamics, and even Double Stroke Rolls.
Historic Drumming offers the following practice guides:
This question is hotly debated and, ultimately, there’s no single answer.
In my opinion, the answer is a mixture of financial cost, maturity (not age!), skill level, and expectations.
Are you confident you / your child will stick with it enough to spend $500-$1500?
If the answer is no, then don’t buy a drum.
This financial stake is a good way to motivate yourself or your child to practice until you feel ready to invest the money.
On the other hand, some units have a unit drum. Without the financial burden, you might justify attending events as a drummer earlier, but you should consider the other criteria.
If it’s your child, are they mature enough to show up on time, be on the field, and work with other musicians?
Firstly, some sites have age restrictions. Specifically, it’s typical for those under 12 years old to not be allowed on the field during tactical events. Some units might also enforce a similar policy.
Secondly, (and more importantly), this comment is about maturity and not age.
I have worked with very professional 8 year olds! And I’ve been frustrated by 16 year olds. (To be honest, I’ve been frustrated by adults!!)
The question – as a parent or unit commander – is whether you think the musician is mature enough to take the role seriously.
This doesn’t mean “can they play everything”.
This means:
Will they show up on time and show up reliably to scheduled events?
Can they work with other musicians professionally? Will they take direction from an officer or drum major?
If they’re told they can’t participate in an event for a reasonable reason, will they react well?
If offered a lesson or feedback from an experienced musician, would they accept?
These are signs your child is mature enough to work collaboratively and handle the re-enacting environment.
I have worked with young kids who couldn’t play a single rudiment, but showed patience, willingness to learn, punctuality, and resisted the urge to play when they were told not to.
Even though they couldn’t play, I think the experience was valuable for them because they learned the role, learned to work within the group, and worked on their marching. (And I’m sure it encouraged them to keep practicing!)
If your answer was no to any of these questions, then don’t buy a drum. They’re not ready and the other musicians don’t want to babysit.
Can you play the essentials?
A common piece of advice is to not buy a drum until you can play the essentials. What are “the essentials”? That varies from drum teacher to drum teacher and time period to time period.
From a re-enacting standpoint, here is a decent set of criteria / goals to set for yourself:
Priority:
Common Marching Cadence
Assembly
Drummer’s Call
Secondary:
Basic Field Signals (based on time period, unit commander)
Retreat / March in Retreat
Charge
Reveille
Tertiary:
Work Call
Meal Call
Tattoo / Zapfenstriech
Additional common marching cadences / tunes
This is a rough outline, since different units / nationalities / time periods might have different priorities.
You should ask your unit commander or Drum Major what their exact priorities are.
To learn these duty calls, you also need to learn Rudiments. But exactly which rudiments depends on the beatings.
In my Fife & Drum Corps, we have 5 beatings you need to learn to be invited to French & Indian War Events and 5 beatings to attend American Rev War events. You WILL NOT be able to play everything or be a solo drummer, but you can attend. That has worked well for us a good barometer of whether or not that drummer is ready to attend events.
Creating expectations for yourself (or, better yet, asking your unit commander for their expectations of YOU) is a great metric for when you’re ready to purchase a drum.
Expectations
I’ve already hinted at expectations when talking about skill level, but I’d like to break this down a little more.
Honestly, you can attend an event knowing nothing – but be prepared to be treated that way:
You might be invited to march, but don’t expect to play.
Don’t go onto the field if you can’t at least provide a steady marching cadence.
Show up for all duties, but understand that you’re showing up to listen and learn, not to play.
Going onto the field when you can’t contribute as a drummer, looks bad. For the site and your unit.
Trying to play when you don’t know the beating is VERY distracting for the other drummers and makes the whole group sound bad.
If there are other musicians, they’re more than happy to have you if you’re willing to play within your skill set (look back at the conversation about maturity).
If your expectations are a lot higher than your skill level, you’ll probably find yourself overwhelmed, frustrated, or embarrassed. None of us want that.
My Advice
Set reasonable expectation.
Get a drum when you’re ready to start performing (1 or many things) in front of people.
Take instruction and always welcome feedback and lessons!
Do you have any other suggestions or resources to help get a new drummer started?
