LIFESTYLE | Drumming trial with AB Music Academy

I’ve wanted to be (or be with, at least) a rock star for as long as I can remember and music is one of my biggest passions. I have the uttermost respect for those who have that talent to create music but unfortunately, despite a failed attempt at learning guitar when I was younger (I learned two songs on it before giving up on practising), I don’t have that talent.

That said, I have always wanted to learn another instrument after my failed attempt at learning guitar and I’ve been leaning towards drums for a good few years now. I think I’m pretty good at rhythm and I do Pound Fitness, which I’ve been told doesn’t make you good at drumming at all but is still kind of similar.

So when AB Music Academy got in touch and asked if I wanted to give one of their trial sessions, I couldn’t say no. 

The company is based in Acton (in West London) and at their quant studio they offer both vocal and instrumental tuition, as well as hosting live events, performances and workshops. Students have also gone on to create bands, and the studio can also be used for recordings and rehearsals as well as lessons.

I headed down on Wednesday and found the studio easy to find in a quiet part of London. There were many train problems that day however, with a few delays, but if this hadn’t been an issue then the journey would have been relatively simple. 

Though Acton is a long way from Luton, anyone based in London will find the studio easy to get to and not too far at all. 

My taster session took place with co-founder Florin Pascu, who greeted me warmly and first spent some time telling me a little bit about the studio and what they offer there. He then taught me some basics of drumming, such as what parts of the huge drum kit I’d be using during my session (Hi-Hat, Snare Drum & Bass Drum), and briefly explained to me how to read some basic music.

Reading music sounds super complicated but he made it seem really easy. Of course, we only went over a few basics so that I could learn a relatively simple beat, but I felt like I took a lot away from it and hadn’t expected to actually learn how to read a bit of music during my short taster session.

Next, I was given some headphones to protect my ears and Florin taught me how to hold the drumsticks correctly. He explained that when playing the drums, it sounds best when your hands are relaxed rather than stiff.

Then it was time to actually drum. We took it slow, getting used to using just the Hi-Hat first, before slowly adding the bass and snare drum. It took me a few goes to put it all together of course, but it wasn’t long before I settled into a rhythm. 

I found the best way was to not think too much and let my hands do what they were supposed to; often I made a mistake when I was overthinking things. But of course, this is natural being that I was learning a new tune.

By the time the half an hour was up, I’d pretty much gotten it and felt really pleased. Even now I can remember the beat in my head and want to practice!

Florin even said that it was clear I could pick up the rhythm quickly and recommended I come back; so at least I wasn’t a complete failure.

Will I continue?

I think I definitely will. I enjoyed and learned enough in such a short time to feel confident that I can continue learning and will go far, but of course, London is rather far for me to travel for regular drumming lessons.

AB Music Academy offer lots of great deals on bulk lessons however and I really love that they offer taster sessions which means you don’t waste a lot of money booking lessons when you’re not even sure how well you’re going to take to an instrument. It’s a really sweet deal.

I’ll be continuing lessons perhaps maybe monthly, but overall I was very impressed. I’ve held back from looking into lessons before as I thought I might find studios too professional or lessons too expensive, but this wasn’t the case here. My taster session was very relaxed and informal and when I messed up, Florin was encouraging as opposed to judgemental.

For anyone that has even a small interest or flicker of passion to learn an instrument, I’d 100% recommend booking a taster session (and hopefully regular lessons after that!) with AB Music Academy. 

I learned so much during such a short time and think it’s amazing that by spending just half an hour with the academy, I was already sold on the idea that drums are the instrument for me.

Would you ever pick up a new instrument? Let me know!