You loved drums since childhood. So what's better than channeling aggression into music?
During your youth, you were enchanted by legendary drummers who swung their hands in a whirlwind of passion. You spent your childhood imitating them by tapping your hands on whatever you could get your hands on, dreaming of one day being able to play drums like these masters.
That time was lost to work, career, and family. You saw your dream fading. You regret not having the bravery to do what you wanted as you drink your coffee today.
Can you try again? As you age, if feasible. Can you pick up the sticks now? Or are you too old to start learning the drums?
Drumming, fortunately, does not have an age limit. No pastime has an age limit. However, there will be some difficulties along the way, but after you've decided, these hardships will seem unimportant!
Drumming is Good for Health
Did you ever think that drumming could be beneficial for your health? Whether you are a hobbyist or a pro, we have always heard stories of people who have chased their dream of playing drums at an older age.
Playing drums keeps your mind sharp, improves mental health, and maintains body shape. So it is perfectly okay, even if you aren't in your best body shape when you begin playing drums.
Many people enter the field in all shapes and sizes but still achieve success learning the drums. The only thing that matters is your willingness to play and the effort you are ready to put into your practice.
Nadia Azar, a Kinesiologist, had spent years studying pro drummers and the energy they use during gigs. Her studies revealed that drummers had increased heart rates and burnt 500 to 1200 calories in a single show.
Is there An Age Bracket For Drums?
People believe that age is just a number. But is this true? Well, yes and no. The mind can think that you are 18. However, your body starts showing signs. You may feel your muscles tightening and more body aches and pains than when you were young.
Drumming demands hand-and-mind coordination, so it's similar to exercising the mind and body. Drumming improves children's hand-eye coordination, but adults can also benefit.
Benefits of Learning Drums as an Adult
You may have heard that learning an instrument as a child is the only way to become proficient. If so, we have some happy news for you! Learning to play the drums has many advantages, irrespective of age. So let's look more closely at the benefits of playing drums as an adult.
Motivation and Control Over Time
We all know that learning drums require patience, practice, and time. Since you are an adult, you have all the three things needed to learn drums.
You do not have anyone around you forcing you to practice for an hour daily. So you shouldn't feel guilty about missing something more crucial while playing drums. You'll feel included even if your friends hang out at the mall.
Age matures these feelings. Thus, your will to study and control over time does not override guilt and pressure. When inspired, practice drums in your playroom or garage.
You may have needed more motivation to learn the drums since your youth was full of homework, playtime, exams, and more. Now that you're older and less busy, you can pursue your passion.
Improves Happiness
Chasing your dream makes you happy. Drum lessons will help you express your feelings and relieve stress. You'll feel joyful when you learn to express yourself via music.
Musically Intelligent
As a child, we often do not understand the hidden meanings behind the lyrics. Therefore, we do not connect with the songs as we should. However, as we grow older, we comprehend the song's lyrics and understand the emotional place that artist is coming from to express his feelings through music.
Music analysis and comprehension improve with age. Thus, learning drums as an adult will benefit you in ways you never imagined. Since you've always listened to music, you recognize its motifs, composition, and progression.
You have the life experiences to connect to the songs better, making indulging yourself while playing drums intensely easier.
An Intellectual Boost
Do you know playing drums can help your brain's neuroplasticity? When you take drumming classes as an adult, your mind continues growing because you are learning a new skill.
Playing drums will help you retain other daily-life information and keep your body agile as you grow old. The more you learn during your drumming classes, the more advanced concepts your mind can handle because it is adapting to learn new things.
A Good Workout
Drumming requires using the whole body. When playing drums as an adult, you will improve your body movements. When you improve coordination, you will also benefit your body balance.
Many may think that drumming only requires you to sit and play. However, playing drums offer multiple advantages – you build core muscles. You will notice you constantly working out when you learn drums as an adult.
Challenges You May Face While Learning Drumming at an Older Age
Nothing in life is perfect. Therefore, you may face numerous challenges while learning drums at an adult age. This is to make you aware of the difficulties ahead rather than to dissuade you from taking courses. Some of the challenges you may face during drumming are as follows.
Stamina
You must have strength and stamina to learn to play the drums or any other instrument. If you start playing the drums later in life, this will be your biggest obstacle, which most people find intimidating.
We're physically strongest in our 20s and 30s. However, after that, playing does require more stamina. Thus, you may need more time to be motivated and able to practice for hours daily.
Ability To Learn
During your 30s and 40s, you are unquestionably in your mental prime, but it is primarily a function of the knowledge, abilities, and experience that you have previously acquired. As a result, learning the fundamentals may be more complex because your quick learning capacity could be improved.
Awareness of the various notes, beats, and rhythmic variations could be challenging if you experience hearing problems.
Arranging Finances
Although having access to more significant financial resources as an adult does exist, doing so requires more thought and planning.
Investing money in a good drum set may be difficult if you also have to consider paying your bills, mortgage, tuition, and other costs. On the other hand, young people may lack access to funds but also lack financial responsibilities, so they can purchase gear by saving money and doing odd jobs.
The Bottom Line
Starting to learn to play the drums is always possible. You should begin if you're thinking about doing so! It is optional to spend a lot of money on a hobby. The market is flooded with excellent, reasonably priced drum sets.
If noise is a problem, buy an electronic drum kit. You can rock into your 80s with this instrument. To avoid injury, protect your ears and use excellent technique and posture.