FAQs

Click on any of the Book A Lesson links found on the website, fill in your preferences and details, then you can book your lesson using the secure online scheduling calendar.

The best way to get started is by taking an introductory Taster Lesson, which you can book and pay for up to 3 weeks in advance using the online booking system.

From there, if you decide to continue, your tutor will help you move onto an ongoing personalised course of lessons, arranged around your schedule.

For further details about booking a taster lesson, please don't hesitate to get in contact, or take a look at the Getting Started with Drum Lessons guide.

Not at all - many learners start as total beginners. Your tutor will guide you step-by-step from the basics of rhythm and coordination through to playing songs and developing technique.

For those with previous musical experience, the first lesson will build upon existing strengths and identify the areas for focus and development.

If you'd like to continue learning the drums, your tutor will help you plan an ongoing personalised course of lessons around your goals and schedule. Optional Drum Pass membership provides member lesson pricing and additional benefits to support your learning.

Most learners have lessons weekly or fortnightly, depending on their schedule and goals. Your tutor can recommend what works best for your learning pace. Regular lessons help you progress faster and stay motivated.

All lessons are fully personalised to suit your goals, experience level, and musical interests. Whether you want to learn your favourite songs, build strong technical foundations, or explore different styles, your tutor will tailor each session to you.

This varies from person to person, depending on your goals and how regularly you practise. Many beginners are able to play simple beats and grooves within a few lessons, and progress steadily from there. Consistency is key, and your tutor will guide you at a pace that feels comfortable and rewarding.

Practice between lessons is recommended, but it doesn’t need to be time-consuming. You don't need to have access to a drum kit at home (most professional drummers practice away from their own homes or have a quiet practice setup that doesn't disturb the neighbours). Even short, regular practice sessions can make a big difference. Your tutor will give you clear and manageable ideas to work on between lessons.

No - one of the many advantages of the Drum Pass is that it allows you to take a flexible, ongoing personalised course of drum lessons without committing to paying in bulk.

You can simply pay for lessons as you go, booking sessions around your schedule. If you prefer, you can choose to pay for multiple lessons in advance for convenience, but this is completely optional and down to personal preference.

Yes - lessons are designed to be flexible around your lifestyle. If you're a Drum Pass member and you need to take a break for any reason, you can pause and resume when you're ready. Simply use the Drum Pass management app or webpage (link in your Drum Pass Welcome Pack) to set the dates for your pause.

You can choose lesson times to suit you. Lessons run on weekdays from 10am to 9.30pm and at weekends from 10am to 5.30pm. Please refer to the Availability page for general information about which times are the most flexible and which times are busiest.

When you book an Introductory Lesson the specific week-by-week availability is shown in the lesson scheduling calendar.

Home tuition and online lessons are available at all times of day by arrangement.

Drum lessons normally run on 1-hour timeslots with 10 mins buffer for changeovers, warm-ups, minor transport delays, resetting the kit, or any other factors that can cause small variations to scheduling.

It is possible to do extended or extra-long sessions on request. This is normally only recommended for more experienced players, and the standard length is the optimum for most learners. An extended lesson is 75 mins and an extra-long lesson lasts for 90 minutes.

Click for more details about Standard, Extended and Extra-long lessons. Please note Taster/Introductory lessons are always standard length lessons.

You can learn a wide range of styles including rock, pop, funk, jazz, blues, and more. Lessons can be shaped around the music you enjoy listening to, helping you stay engaged and motivated.

Elephant Drums offers professional drum lessons for a competitive price taught by a team of fun and friendly tutors. Find out about who we are and what we do on the About Us page of the website.

We are truly independent (not linked to any corporations or commercial pressures) so we can provide totally bespoke tutoring tailored to each individual's needs. We specialise in providing one-to-one tuition combined with opportunities to participate in group workshops and community events.

No - you don’t need your own drum kit to start learning. If you’d like to practise at home between lessons, we can give you advice on affordable and free methods to practice drums without a kit.

A huge advantage of joining as a Drum Pass Member includes access to special rates for drum practice at many locations around London. The Drum Pass member's guide includes details of numerous options for studios where you can practise on a full kit - ideal if you want to play at full volume on a kit but can't do so at home!

The focus of your drum lessons is always personalised one-to-one learning. The supplementary workshops and events are entirely optional so there is no obligation to attend any of them. Your tutor may encourage you to attend a group drumming session or workshop when the time is right, but it's absolutely 100% your choice.

We are in London, UK.

View the locations of the London studios on the Location page of this website.

All the studios are in superb locations, well-connected by public transport and equipped with great drum kits, music playback and a full set of tuition resources.

Yes - it is possible to learn drums in your own home using an acoustic or electronic drum kit. Please see the Home Tuition page for more details.

Depending where you live there might be a small cost on top of the lesson fee to help cover the visiting tutor's travel expenses and travel time. Our fully-equipped studios are just as good if you don’t own a drum kit.

We take into account your location, availability, experience level, and musical interests when matching you with a tutor. Simply fill out the booking form when arranging your first lesson and this will ensure your teacher understands your goals and helps you feel comfortable, inspired and motivated in learning the drums.

We normally teach one-to-one (one teacher to one student) so that the lessons are personalised to each individual learner. Participation in group events and workshops is encouraged but optional. We run drumming workshops and community/corporate events for larger groups using hand percussion. Please see the information on the Bespoke Tuition page if you are looking for information about hiring us to provide drumming lessons for a group of people.

A drum lesson for two people is called a one-to-two lesson (one tutor, two learners). The additional cost is +50% for the second person. There are some important considerations to bear in mind if you are thinking of learning drums with another person. Please click to read more about one-to-two lessons.

You are never too old or too young to start learning drums!

There is no upper age limit (we have taught students in their 80s). For younger students, age 13 is usually about the youngest we can teach at the drum studios. Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Children younger than 13 years old can have tuition at their home with a visiting tutor travelling to your house (see Home Tuition).

There are 2 types of savings available.

For anyone new to Elephant Drums, take advantage of the introductory discount and get £20 off your first session!

Then, save at least a third off lesson fees by subscribing to ongoing lessons with a Drum Pass membership. Drum Pass Members receive lots of additional benefits including priority booking, drum events, access to online resources, discounts on drum gear, and practice studios. Drum Pass members receive the ongoing discount on every drum lesson they take, on top of the other benefits.

Yes! Check out the awesome drum tuition gift packs. Gift packs come with a free pair of drum sticks and include a subscription to the Drum Pass for free access to all the member benefits. Drum lesson gift vouchers are valid for a whole year.

Physical gift packs are custom printed and posted. For anyone in a hurry who needs their voucher straight away, new digital E-Vouchers are available 24 hours a day and will be sent instantly. Ideal for that last-minute gift!

Gift vouchers are designed so that the person receiving the gift is able to book their first lesson at a time that suits them, when they're ready to redeem their lesson voucher.

Yes - book online to use a credit or debit card. We do not take card payments over the phone or in person at the studio. You can pay by bank transfer, Direct Debit (for subscriptions) or via PayPal if you do not have a debit or credit card. Please ask for details if you would like to set up using an alternative payment method.

No problem! Please give at least 48 hours notice if you need to cancel your lesson or rearrange it for another time. If you have paid for your lessons in advance your lesson will simply roll over to the following week. If you can’t give more than 48 hours notice we may have to charge 50% of the lesson cost to cover the lost studio time. If you forget about your lesson and don’t turn up at the agreed time (or if the teacher arrives at your house and you’re not there) or if you cancel less than 24 hours before the scheduled start time, you will need to pay for the whole lesson. Please refer to the Terms of Booking for the full terms & conditions.

Funny you should ask that… The jury is still out on this one. Let us know if you have any strong views on this.