5 Mistakes Most Finger Drummers Make (And How To Fix Them)

Finger drumming is a very new art form, and is still finding its legs in the mainstream as as legitimate musical instrument.

Because it's so niche, finger drumming education is not standardized at all, and a lot of beginner finger drummers end up making some very common (but crucial!) mistakes.

This lesson will explore the 5 most common mistakes that finger drummers make, and how to easily fix them.

Mistake #1: Wrong Pad Layout

There are tons of different ways to set up your pads, and although there may not be one way that is absolutely superior, there are definitely some layouts that aren't optimal for finger drumming.

If you're trying to play the pads like a drum kit (which is how I teach here at Dragon Finger Drums), you want a pad layout that allows you to isolate your hands.

This is exactly what a real drummer does on an acoustic drum kit; they isolate their hands to play compound rhythms, which is why one drum kit setup can easily play jazz, metal, hip-hop, or any other style of drumming.

Some finger drummers set up their pads so their hands work together and alternate to play all the beats, but this is not a very good decision.

It works okay for basic drum patterns, but once you start developing your skills and want to play more complex beats, it becomes nearly impossible.

If your pads are set up for hand isolation, one hand can keep the pulse while the other hand plays the backbeats, exactly like an acoustic drummer on a drum kit.

This makes it SO MUCH EASIER to play finger drums at all skill levels, from beginner to intermediate to advanced.

Plus, you'll be able to play any style of drums you want, whether it's jazz, metal, hip-hop, rnb, or anything in between!

(I have a full pad layout walkthrough for free, plus a bunch of other essential lessons in my Finger Drumming Starter Course if you want to get my ultimate finger drumming pad layout.)

Mistake #2: Changing Pad Layouts

Once you have a really solid pad layout, you need to avoid the temptation to change it, at least not in the beginning.

This is because you want to build muscle memory, and changing your pad layout all the time will actually prevent your fingers from developing the proper dexterity.

Just like when you're learning guitar, it's best to keep it in Standard tuning for a while so you can learn scales, chords, and the fretboard.

Once you have a strong finger drumming foundation, you can start experimenting with other pad layouts, because your fingers will have had a chance to develop.

This mistake is super easy to correct; just find a pad layout that works for you and don't change it!

Mistake #3: Fixed Velocity

This one is incredibly common, and it can be very damaging!

Most finger drumming pads or software have the ability to set the velocity (the power) of each hit to a fixed amount, so every time you hit the pads, it gives you the same loudness, whether you hit hard or soft.

Unfortunately, this is terrible for your muscle memory, because every hit will sound the same to your ears due to artificial velocity fixing.

This literally trains your fingers to ignore the power of your hits, which is not good!

If you try to work on your dynamics to learn things like ghost notes, you'll find that you have to completely unlearn and re-learn how to control the power of your hits.

I highly recommend never using fixed velocity if you want to play realistic finger drums and get the best possible sound from your pads.

Make sure you go into your settings and turn fixed velocity OFF, and if there's a velocity sensitivity slider, turn it all the way up to 100% sensitivity!

Mistake #4: Inconsistent Fingering

This is something I don't see many finger drumming instructors talk about, but it's super important.

Fingering is basically the neutral placement of your fingers on the pads, sort of like the "home" position when typing on a computer keyboard.

If you have a good resting position for your fingers on the pads, you'll be able to easily execute grooves & rhythms while keeping your fingers in their proper place.

This will give you a lot more versatility and control, and it will make finger drumming much easier (instead of wildly moving your hands & fingers all over the pads!)

The easiest default fingering position is to keep the index and middle fingers of your dominant hand resting over the closed and open hi-hats, and your non-dominant index and middle fingers resting over the kick and snare.

This way, you can easily isolate your hands and fingers just like a real drummer, so your dominant hand keeps the pulse on the hi-hats while your non-dominant hand plays the backbeats on the kick and snare (watch some videos of acoustic drummers and you'll see that this is exactly how they play.)

(If you want to learn the 3 essential fingering positions in the Dragon Finger Drums system, check out the Foundation Course – it's basically my ultimate all-in-one finger drumming course.)

Mistake #5: Learning Too Much At Once

It's really easy to get overwhelmed when you're learning a new musical instrument, and try to learn a bunch of new things at once.

Ultra-fast rolls and combos, drum fills, complex grooves and breaks...don't try to do this all at once!

Learning finger drumming should definitely be fun and exciting, but it shouldn't be too complicated.

Take one thing at a time and follow a proven, step-by-step process that has worked for other people for the best results.

Trust me, this makes things so much easier in the short term, and it will give you far better results in the long term. You'll end up with much better skills in a shorter amount of time.

Watch the full-length breakdown of these 5 mistakes here:

And before you go...

If you want to learn realistic finger drumming taught by an experienced acoustic drummer, I'd highly recommend grabbing my free course to start.

It has everything you need to get started with realistic finger drumming, including:

-Full Pad Layout Walkthrough

-FREE Drum Emulator Software (for the best-sounding drum samples)

-Essential Drum Grooves to get you started

You can grab the course now by clicking the button below!