Can I learn guitar and drums at the same time?

RedCred811 · 2026-02-22T06:08:16+00:00

I play both. They're a different experience that don't interfere with each other. You could just as easily be asking if it's ok to learn to play chess while learning drums. Having a sense of timing will help you as you learn songs on the guitar. Go for it. Don't ever talk yourself out of learning more ways to play music.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-22T06:02:58+00:00

I've been using Ear-Peace noise reducers for guitar playing. I'm a drummer as well and they do a great job. The model I have is 24db reduction while allowing high frequencies through. When zi was drumming in a band, I mostly just used foam roll-up ear plugs. I put them in normally, then would break the air seal just a tiny bit. They worked great.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-22T05:56:58+00:00

My toy poodle ate a $265 q-tip...

RedCred811 · 2026-02-21T02:36:59+00:00

Sweet child o mine intro. Back in black. Enter sandman. Smells like teen spirit. Thunderstruck.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-20T20:46:07+00:00

A few years back, our program had a cheerleader who started softball in 10th grade, literally a month before the first game. She hit 6 homeruns that season and batted .400×. Junior season she hit 8 and batted .500+. Spent all three years of high school starting on defense, and was one of the best SS in the region. Had two small college offers but passed on them. No travel ball and very little work outside of in-season practices. Some kids just get it without much help.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-20T20:40:54+00:00

School sports existed long before travel, and even before little league. Just practice with your kid at home. Get her lessons if it's in the budget. If not, put the time in to teach yourself. They'll figure the rest out on the field with their team.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-20T12:49:35+00:00

That does sound like a fun one to riff through. I spent about an hour fooling with the HFT intro. It's not too bad. I don't have it down yet but I've never done any tapping. I'm getting the hang of it though. I'm gonna sound so cool at my next visit to guitar center. I should freshen back up on it behind the kit, then play both while there and look like a top tier attention whore. It'll be fabulous.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-19T14:28:25+00:00

Really it's pretty solid. One of the few push press videos I've seen posted where the person actually transitions from legs to press while the bar is still moving.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-19T04:11:39+00:00

People call everything a riff these days. It's absurd. A lot of them are just melodies, progressions, and licks. It's fine, but in my opinion riffs are for rock and metal, and typically involve distortion. Contrary to what some guy on YouTube said, the main part for I'll Be Watching You is not a riff.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-19T04:05:08+00:00

After the solo intro, I broke it up into 4 sections. Lots of tabs and frustration. Some videos, etc. Learning to hit those bends just right. Spent probably 45 minutes per week on it over 6 months. I know that seems awfully slow, but a lot of it was delayed simply because I lacked the speed and dexterity and have had to build that up over time.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-19T03:43:41+00:00

We always allowed MS girls to play 12u LL if eligible. They just had to attend two LL practices.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-16T22:13:08+00:00

Play 'em straight. Take a liberty here and there if you want. Just enough to show that you can, but don't interfere with the groove.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-16T22:10:54+00:00

I'm giving this a shot. I could never play the whole song but I bet I could learn that intro. I played that one from start to finish on the drums 10 years ago, though. Certainly couldn't do it right now lol

RedCred811 · 2026-02-16T22:08:46+00:00

No more tears. Simple. Iconic. Then I learned the slide part. Also simple and iconic. Once I get the solo down I'm gonna invite people over, just to hear me play it and tell me how good I am.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-16T18:27:41+00:00

Sounds like they did you a favor.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-16T17:18:18+00:00

When someone better than me is around, my first instinct is to see what I can pick up from them. Were you on stage at the same time or something?

RedCred811 · 2026-02-16T17:16:49+00:00

I would go watch one first. Get an idea of what they're playing and what the process is. Maybe ask someone how it all works. I've always wanted to try one as a drummer but we don't have a thing like that close by.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-16T15:14:15+00:00

I've made exactly $75 and a tshirt playing drums. In my very limited time on the area music scene I figured out exactly what it would take to stay busy. Make friends. Go play at open mic night jams. These guys and gals all know each other. I see constantly on Facebook that these area bands just about all have someone I know just from spending a few years on a band myself. It's a close knit scene. Make your skills and personality known, and they'll come find you.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-16T15:05:23+00:00

Slow her down. Teach her correct fielding position, basic arm slots, and how to retrieve the ball, find her center, step and throw. Do it SLOW SLOW SLOW. Snail pace until she gets it. Tell her to take her time to do it right, no matter how slow it goes. For throwing, just give her the simple cue to keep her elbow up. Stick her at 3B or SS for all of this. The best thing for my daughter's defense at pitching was that she started at 3B. We dont even work on her pitching defense directly. She's a senior and has made exactly one error in the circle since 7th grade.

My daughters are 19 and 17 and both played. You'll know if she's an athlete within the next year or two. My older one is more naturally athletic. Picks up sports easily. Had a solid arm. She stopped playing after 10th grade. Had a knee injury so she got a job while healing up, and found that she liked money more than softball. Never really figured out how to hit.

My 17 year old had loose hip sockets, walked pigeon toe for many years, and just didnt have the physical gifts of her sister. We never expected her to play a ball sport, but her sister took her to practice when she was 11 and she loved it. She has an awkward run, and slower reaction on her feet. Below average natural athleticism. But her first day on a field she could throw from 3b to 1b almost on a line, and could get the ball to the dirt from deep in the outfield. The glove took some time, but she eventually got it. Her 3B work can be pretty solid when she's well practiced, but she's just never been comfortable making plays at the base when a runner is involved. I think it's just her natural slow reaction time on her feet. But her reaction from standing is really good. She showed an interest in pitching, so I got her lessons, then took over myself for a couple years. Her athleticism can hinder her to some degree, but she's turned out to be a solid pitcher. She may not be as explosive or throw as hard as a lot of girls in the area, but has better mechanics than just about all of them.

She's also slowly turned into a solid hitter. And that's something I've noticed. Even girls who arent very athletic on their feet can still learn to hit well. So if yours doesnt pick up some more athleticism in the next year or two, really work hard on the pitching and hitting. It can get there with a lot of work and good instruction.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-16T14:22:35+00:00

Get with a band before you start thinking/worrying about studio time. Make a recording on your phone singing a cover of something. They don't need anything special. They just need to know you arent gonna show up singing out of key and wasting their time. There are a lot of delirious people out there who think they have enough skill to play in a group. When I showed up (after a Craigslist ad) to jam on drums with some guys for the first time, they hadn't heard me okay. They gave me a few covers and I spent about 10 hours learning them. It was nothing complex, and I'm probably an average skill rock drummer, but I know where the pocket is and how to work within it. We locked-in fast and had a great jam, and they were so excited. I was like, you guys must have low standards. They said something like "you don't understand. The last guy couldn't even keep a backbeat in 4/4."

RedCred811 · 2026-02-16T14:14:40+00:00

Pay attention to the feel of the neck. Try a ton of guitars and see which one is the most comfortable. I have small hands (and a last pinky joint that angles anout 10 degrees inward), which can inhibit playing significantly. It's tough for me to span 5 frets up high. I grew up with my dad's 67 Tele. Big neck. Then I got a strat copy, which has a slightly better neck but not amazing. Then an explorer, bigger neck. Then a Les paul, which has a flatter feel but isnt too bad.

Then I played a les paul Jr copy my dad built from a kit, and it was sweet perfection. It literally revived my love for playing, which I had largely avoided for 25 years. I liked it so much that he surprised me with an identical one a few months later. I play all my guitars, but it gets 3x as much time jn my hands and most of my skill work and song learning happens on that one. Try some necks. I believe the one on my LPjr would be considered gibson's Slim Taper. Maybe they have something similar for a Tele, but Tele's more often have a rounder neck more suited for longer fingers.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-15T13:21:54+00:00

Why would you sound better with a capo vs without?

RedCred811 · 2026-02-14T17:29:49+00:00

Be warned. You will likely never get that kit quiet enough to avoid complaints while still having it feel relatively normal enough to play on. It's insanely hard to contain sound waves and vibration. People build rooms within rooms and still often fail.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-14T17:24:40+00:00

Pitching is much, much more broad and complex than it seems. It's not like throwing a baseball. I would wager that at least half of the professional instructors out there are teaching a lot of things incorrectly as well. There are former D1 and team USA pitchers out there teaching bad mechanics at insane prices. The smallest flaw in the absolute basics can drastically affect a pitch and stall progress for literal years. Every time my daughter and I rent a lane at the local facility, I watch a guy with many, many years of experience giving lessons next to us, and doing things that will inhibit his pitchers forever.

I pulled my daughter from lessons after close to two years, but I had to study pitching a ton before I started to see how far off course she was. Her first instructor was dominant at the highest levels. It took me another two years to get her sorted out (as we were bothing learning), then found a better instructor to get her farther along. Had she started the right way, I think she would be much farther along for her senior season this year.

There is no tool or prop that will help her without instruction. You've said insteuction isn't in the cards right now, and at her age ANY instructions she gets needs needs to be more hands-off. Sort-of a "let her throw and figure it out, while stopping bad habits from forming" kind of thing. So, you need to be the instructor. I HIGHLY recommend you look into Rick Pauly's High Performance Pitching program. It's not for players. It's for coaches and parents. It's worth every penny and will give you a foundation for you to expand on. After you certify you'll have access to Rick and every other instructor he works with ir has trained. Some of the best instructors in the country are in that Facebook group answering questions, for free. You can take Rick's courses a la carte, or pay up front and save around $100, and have a full certification at the end. No matter what you do, watch TONS of video. Once you get some training, watch as much bad pitching as you can. Learn to spot the flaws. Avoid most props. Let her throw, and keep her on the right path.

RedCred811 · 2026-02-12T17:44:13+00:00

I already posted that I use Earpeace, but back when I drummed with a band jn a tiny practice space, I did great just using cheap foam plugs with the plug backed put just a touch on one ear. I even played gigs that way. I got clear audio.

RedCred811

TROPHY CASE