Ok so i just made snare on my schools winter drumline! I have a HUGE problem with play and marking time at the same time. i can march, i can play, but when putting them both together i cant do. Any suggestion?

Try marking time while playing simple exercises like a basic 8s pattern, then work your way up to more difficult pieces after you can do that well.

I used to struggle keeping my feet in time, too. The way I worked past it was to work and work and work on the music until it was second nature. Not just 'til I could play it, but until it came almost as naturally as breathing or speaking, so I didn't have to consciously think about it while playing. Once I didn't have to think quite as hard about the music, I could think more about my feet.

But that's actually backward from what I try to teach my students nowadays. Above all else, keep your feet in time. Use your feet as your metronome and match your hands to your feet. When learning the music, note where the downbeats are and line 'em up with your feet.

When I first started marching I played lots of warm ups and other stuff that didnt take a lot of playing skill so that I could focus on marking time. Also like Sky said pay attention to the downbeats in your music and you'll be able to find the groove.

Start with simple excercises. You have to feel it rather than constantly think about making sure that your feet are on the beat. Pay attention to it at first, but as you work with it it should become to feel a little more natural.

go through the music and put little arrows where your feet will land. then as you pracitce, use your feet to line up the music, as reference points

take each rhythm one beat at a time. you need to understand how each beat relates to your feet. dont "fineness" it, cause you won't ever get it completely right if you dont know each rhythm.

This is what I do take your music if you have it yet mark every count and march around playin it at a slow tempo knowning were every step is then when you start to get it speed it up to tempo.

This is just what i did it helped out aloy and also do it with different simple excercises.

Yea I could't do it at first either but I took a concert snare stand and put my practice pad on it, marked time with a metronome, played 8 on a hand, then started playing cadences while marking time and eventually i got good at it now it is easy.

everything these guys has said kid..i had trouble marking time my rookie year but i practiced using simple exercises and now im better at it..wouldn't say i've perfected it but almost..do some of the things these guys has said .........learn it one rythm at a time ..draw arrows on your music anything...

metronomes help a lot though u probaly hate listening to the annoying beep it makes but u'll just have to work through that...or do what i did at first go to your section leader and have him/her work with you one on one...get him/her to click sticks together or something and then just match your feet to the clicks...

once u learn the music well enough to where you can play it without really having to concentrate on it ..just picture the clicks in your head... click click click click....i know it sounds kinda weird but its how my section leader helped me overcome it