Most people learn how to play the drums and can play a basic beat, or a few common fills. But how can you take your drumming to the next level?

Beginning drum students and experienced pros have one thing in common. Whether playing in the garage or on the biggest stages in the world, you still must practice.

Practice typically requires playing with other band members. But maybe their schedule doesn’t work with yours. Or, maybe the musicians you can find to work with aren’t good enough to push you and you’re no longer challenged.

Worse, you can get stuck in a particular genre, or style, of music and no one takes you seriously in any other form. You’re a Jazz player that wants to play Hip-Hop. A Funk player that wants to rock. Or even a country player that dreams of playing on Broadway. But because you’ve been labeled as a certain form, you find it difficult to break into the field. Look at Garth Brooks, for instance. The guy could write his own ticket in country music, but when he tried to come out with a rock album he was nearly booed off the stage.

Of course, the alternative is to play alone which, lets face it, can be quite tedious and boring (there are only so many times you can play Wipeout or Zeppelin’s Rock & Roll.) Well now there is a great alternative that is both fun and does not require anyone else’s participation.

It’s a new tool called a play along CD. Lets discuss what it is as well as how to get the best results from using it.

A play along CD is simply a recording of a song with one or more of the instruments removed from the track. You can think of it like a Karaoke track for musicians. Just like Karaoke removes the vocals so you can sing along, play along CD’s remove certain music lines, which allows you to play your part of the song.

Here’s an example: You’re a drummer, so you grab a drum play along CD. All you have to do is throw the CD on, jump behind your kit, and play away. Its like having the whole band in the room with you. And, best of all, you can get creative with the part. You may even come up with something better than the original.

Every drummer has to practice. Sure, you could get some in with a metronome and a set of sticks, but whats the fun in that? To be a great drummer, you have to be able to do more than just keep the beat. Professionals are masters of timing, meter, and feel. And to master these things, you have to play with a band, either live or with a play along CD. Do that, and you’ll be the one getting all the calls for the next gig.

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