Best of… Drum lessons online

In case you missed…

Play-along drumming songs – from Queens of The Stone Age to The Police, Toto to Amy Winehouse, The Killers to Herbie Hancock… This list of drum-along songs was compiled by our readers and drum students and it’s a great resource for anyone searching for ideas of songs that are good to practise drums to.

How to set up a drum kit – a handy guide to setting up and positioning acoustic and electronic drums. It’s not a dark art; simply follow these principles and your kit will feel comfortable to play.

Playing with a click track – often feared as ‘Enemy Number One’, the metronome is not such a scary part of learning to play drums.

For the experienced player

The 3 ‘M’ Words – explores the merits of applying Mathematical, Mechanical and Methodical approaches to understanding a new groove, fill or concept.

‘The Plan’ – Drumming Practise Regime – for anyone getting serious about their drumming and needing a little more structure to their practise time. This article lays out a serious day-to-day regime for rapid improvement and development.

From One Thing Know Ten Thousand Things – an ancient snippet of wisdom which aptly applies to the world of drumming. Most drumming concepts can be simplified down to common roots. This article discusses this useful conceptual approach to drumming.

For Beginners

Here are a few links to practical tips and articles that will help get you started on drums:

First drum lesson – discusses counting and playing a steady groove, how to read drum notation and gives an interesting history of the development of the drum kit.

Rock Band drums vs Real Drums – a comparison for anyone into the computer game Rock Band thinking of trying out playing real drums.

Guide to buying a drum kit – Practical advice on how to decide whether to buy electronic or acoustic drums, new vs second hand, and what to look for when buying drums.