10 years ago, I made a life-changing decision: I was going to learn how to play the drums.
As someone who knew next to nothing about music or musical instruments, it felt like a shot in the dark.
Walking into a dusty old music store in my town, searching for a drum set that wouldn’t intimidate a beginner, I took the first daunting yet exciting step on my creative journey.
Looking back, taking that leap of faith was the best choice I ever made.
My passion for drums exploded, leading me to a fulfilling career as both a drum teacher and a session musician.
But when I first started, learning drums felt like scaling Mount Everest.
Honestly, I was completely lost about what to practice.
A quick Google search throws up countless drumming videos and blogs.
But for a newbie just trying to figure out how to learn to play drums, it’s incredibly overwhelming.
What are rudiments and fills? How do I decipher drum sheet music? Which drum beats are essential to learn?
And most importantly, how does any of this actually help me play the music and songs that I love?
I completely get that feeling of being clueless about where to begin.
At first, learning drums seemed as complex as rocket science!
Your Simplified Introduction to Learning Drums
This article is designed to be your clear, step-by-step roadmap for learning drums online.
While there are many blogs that touch on different aspects of beginner drumming, very few connect all the pieces in a way that resembles learning with a real teacher.
Think of this article as the blog version of your very first drum lesson.
It’s designed to be easy to follow, covering all the key areas you need to grasp as a beginner learning how to play drums.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Play the world’s most popular drum beat.
- Jam along to 3 famous songs.
- Start writing down your own beat ideas in sheet music.
- Hold a drumstick like a pro.
- Practice keeping solid rhythm.
- Understand and talk about different drums.
What If I Don’t Have Drum Sticks Yet?
No worries!
I’ve structured the beginning of this lesson so that you don’t need any equipment at all.
I’ve also included a handy guide for what you’ll need if you decide to take your drumming further.
You can start jamming to songs and learn drum fundamentals right now, without any gear.
Ready to dive in?
This entire lesson should take around 90 minutes to complete, but you’ll be playing your first song in just about 5 minutes.
You don’t have to do it all at once. I recommend starting at the beginning and using the menu below to jump back to where you left off.
Let’s get started!
How to Learn to Play the Drums
(Use the links above to skip to any section.)
1. Understanding Rhythm: The Foundation of Drumming
What truly makes a band exceptional?
Let me share a little secret with you.
Even great bands crumble without great drummers.
As the drummer, you are the rhythmic heartbeat that keeps the music alive.
But with this power comes responsibility.
A top-notch drummer MUST play consistently and evenly. You should never speed up or slow down unless it’s intentionally part of the music.
This consistency brings the music to life for the listener. They can relax and fully engage with what the band is expressing.
The other musicians in your band will follow your rhythmic lead, and together, you’ll create amazing music.
Grasping Tempo
So, how do you learn to play drums with consistency and evenness?
To keep great time, you need to understand tempo.
Tempo is the set speed of a song that every band member follows.
Once you decide how fast the song will be played, your job is to stick to that speed (tempo) as closely as possible.
The best drummers are as reliable as clocks. Even during the wildest drum solo, you never want to lose that solid tempo that drives the song forward.
Drummers often count out the tempo aloud before a song begins.
‘1 2 3 4’!
Why do we count to 4?
Dividing the tempo into groups of 4 beats helps us understand what to play and when.
These groups of 4 give musical sections a clear structure, making it easier to follow the tempo and sound musical.
It’s not the only way to count tempo, but it’s by far the most common.
After counting the initial ‘1 2 3 4’ aloud, the music starts.
The instruments play as if you were still counting ‘1 2 3 4’ repeatedly.
But instead of counting with your voice, you’ll now mark these numbers (beats) with drums rather than your voice.
Let’s explore this concept further by jumping right into our first song!
2. Playing Your First Drum Beat and Song
One song that clearly marks the tempo with a drum hit on every beat is ‘Do I Wanna Know’ by the Arctic Monkeys.
Give it a quick listen using the link above before we break down how to play along.
Can you hear the repetitive sounds? The drummer, Matt Helders, is clearly emphasizing each beat of the tempo.
Every time you hear a drum sound, that’s one beat of music.
But if you listen closely, you’ll notice two distinct drum sounds alternating on each beat.
3. Introducing the Bass Drum and Snare Drum
The first drum sound you hear in the track is the bass drum, followed by the snare drum.
The bass drum is played on beats 1 and 3, and the snare drum is played on beats 2 and 4.
Try this: Count ‘1 2 3 4’ along with the music, so you hear the ‘boom’ of the bass drum on 1 and 3 and the ‘snap’ of the snare drum on 2 and 4.
Can you hear how the drums and your counting sync up? If you’re unsure, there’s a short explainer video below.
If you think you’ve got it, let’s start drumming!
1) Tap your right foot to represent the bass drum.
2) Tap your left hand on your leg to represent the snare drum.
Tap your right foot on beats 1 and 3, in time with the ‘boom’ of the bass drum.
Tap your left hand on beats 2 and 4, in time with the ‘snap’ of the snare drum.
See if you can tap along to the song, keeping in time with the beat. If you find it tricky, don’t worry. Keeping time is a skill that develops with practice.
If you are keeping time – fantastic job! You’ve nailed it!
Try this variation: If you’re listening through bass-heavy speakers or headphones, you might hear very faint bass drum hits under the snare drums in ‘Do I Wanna Know’.
You don’t have to play these, but if you want to try, play a bass drum (right foot) on every beat (1, 2, 3, 4) instead of just on 1 and 3. The snare drum (left hand) stays the same, played on 2 and 4. This means on beats 2 and 4, you’ll play both your right foot and left hand together.
Translating this tapping to a drum kit is quite straightforward; the right foot and left hand movements are exactly what you’d use on a drum kit for this beat.
In no time, you’re already playing along to a famous song!
Next time you listen to your favorite music, listen for the low ‘thump’ of the bass drum and the sharp ‘crack’ of the snare drum.
4. Understanding 8th Notes and Your Second Song
If you feel comfortable with what we’ve covered so far, the next step is to explore notes that don’t always fall directly on the beat.
Like a gymnast moving between bars, we use the beats as anchors, but we can also express ourselves in the spaces between them.
The simplest type of note that occurs both on and off the beat is the quaver, or 8th note.
To count these aloud, you’d say ‘1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and’.
Playing these 8th notes, both on and in-between the main beats, gives you more options to create interesting rhythms and musical patterns.
The drumming in ‘We Will Rock You’ is probably the most iconic example of 8th note drumming ever.
Listen to it before learning more about this pattern.
If you were to count the rhythm being played aloud, it would sound like this: ‘1 and 2, 3 and 4, 1 and 2, 3 and 4)
Notice how in this track, the ‘and’ after 2 and the ‘and’ after 4 are silent. We don’t have to play every single 8th note when using them; we can choose which ones we want!
When we don’t play a note, this silence is called a rest.
This is interesting, but I’m ready to play ‘We Will Rock You’ now!
‘We Will Rock You’ uses a clap to represent the snare drum.
The pattern is basically: bass bass clap. bass bass clap. This follows the count of 1 and 2, 3 and 4.
Now it’s your turn. Play ‘We Will Rock You’ and tap your right foot for the bass drum and clap your hands on beats 2 and 4.
You can see how this rhythm is a step up from the first song.
As you improve, you’ll learn to play incredibly complex rhythms, using all four limbs simultaneously.
5. Playing Drums with the World’s Most Popular Drum Beat
Congratulations on making it this far and understanding some drumming basics!
If you’ve been following along, hopefully, you’re realizing that learning drums isn’t as hard as you first thought!
Now, let’s make things a bit trickier by testing your three-way coordination with the most popular drum beat of all time.
Good to know: A drum beat isn’t the same as a beat of music. A drum beat is a rhythmic pattern that repeats over many beats of music and is simply another name for a repeating drum rhythm.
In this next drum beat:
- The right hand plays constant 8th notes (1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and).
- The left hand plays on beats 2 and 4.
- The right foot plays on beats 1 and 3.
Here’s a visual representation:
The new addition (the right hand) represents the hi-hat cymbal, a crucial part of most drum beats.
Try this: Start by playing 8th notes with your right hand. Count ‘1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and’. Tap with your right hand every time you say a number or ‘and’.
Next, add the bass drum. While keeping your right hand going, try playing your right foot on beats 1 and 3.
This means you’ll play four hi-hats (right hand) for every bass drum (right foot). You’ll be playing your right hand and right foot together on beats 1 and 3.
This is the beginning of learning coordination, and it might make your brain work hard at first!
If you think you’ve got it, try the hi-hat with just the snare drum. Play constant 8th notes (1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and) with your right hand, and play on beats 2 and 4 with your left hand.
This means both hands will tap together on beats 2 and 4.
This will likely take practice as your brain learns these new movements.
Like learning to ride a bike, you might wobble and fall a few times before you find your balance.
You can practice this beat along with me by watching and tapping along to the video below.
Bringing It All Together
If you think you’ve got that part down, the next step is to try bass drum, hi-hat, and snare drum all together.
A quick reminder:
- Right hand (1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and).
- Left hand (Beats 2 and 4).
- Right foot (Beats 1 and 3).
We’ve created a demo video for you below.
If you’re starting to get the hang of it, congratulations! You’ve just learned the most popular drum beat of all time.
This is the most crucial beat in our ‘How To Learn Drums for beginners’ guide.
Becoming comfortable with this beat is a significant step towards playing countless popular songs.
This drum beat is the first of 11 essential drum beats that I recommend all drummers learn.
Together, these beats provide a solid foundation for your playing. They are the core patterns I use daily as a drummer.
For help putting this beat to famous music, check out my beginner’s drum course, which guides you through everything you need to know about the world’s most useful drum beats.
6. Essential Drum Equipment for Online Drum Lessons
I hope this lesson has shown you how much you can achieve in a short time with dedication.
If you’ve enjoyed this and want to get the most out of the next part of the lesson, having some practice equipment is beneficial.
This doesn’t have to be a full drum kit or electronic drum kit right away.
All you need to start learning drums online is a good-quality practice pad and some drum sticks.
A practice pad is a quieter way to learn and develop excellent technique and control before moving to a full drum kit.
It’s also a cost-effective way to see if drumming is right for you, making it ideal for beginners.
I personally recommend this 2-in-1 pad and Vic Firth 5A Drumsticks.
Vic Firth is a highly respected and trusted name in drumming, known for high-quality equipment like the practice pad mentioned.
This higher quality equipment provides a more realistic and authentic playing experience, closer to playing an actual drum compared to cheaper alternatives.
Choosing quality equipment like this helps you develop good technique more easily and transition to a drum kit later on.
The following sections will be most beneficial if you have a pad and sticks, but you can also read along to see what you’ll be learning.
7. How to Hold Drum Sticks: Beginner Technique
Take a look at this incredible solo by jazz drummer Joe Morello:
This is what great technique can bring to your drumming.
Holding your drum sticks correctly is essential for becoming an excellent drummer.
While Joe Morello’s hands seem to blur like something out of The Matrix, he always appears relaxed and in control.
His technique is perfectly in sync with his body, requiring minimal effort for each note.
Learning to Properly Hold a Drum Stick
While we’ll look at specific grips shortly, a couple of key concepts will significantly improve your technique.
First and foremost: relax!
Joe Morello understood this perfectly. The more relaxed you are, the faster you can play.
Tension leads to fatigue and, over time, potential injury.
Let your body flow.
Learning to play drums with relaxation leads to:
- A fuller, cleaner drum sound.
- More consistent rhythm and timekeeping.
- A sense of relaxation and stress relief.
Try this: As you play, focus on the muscles in your wrists and lower arms. Do they feel loose or tight?
Utilizing the Bounce
The next trick is to use your drums or pad to help move the stick.
Try this: Hold your stick loosely and hit it against your practice pad.
Notice how the stick bounces back up towards you? You don’t actually need to lift the stick back up using your fingers, wrist, or arm.
By using the natural bounce of the drum or pad, you save a lot of energy with every beat.
Eventually, you’ll become so proficient that your hands will primarily control the stick as it naturally bounces off the drum.
Big Movements Are Just for Show
Another useful tip is that you can play in almost any situation and volume level without large upper body movements.
One of my favorite adverts is the Cadbury’s Dairy Milk gorilla playing ‘In The Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins.
However, if I were teaching that gorilla, I’d have a few pointers.
Sticks rarely need to be lifted high off the drums. With stick control, you can achieve more than enough volume with a short, powerful stroke.
Lifting your sticks high can be visually impressive, but don’t expect to play faster than the Cadbury’s gorilla!
8. Types of Drum Grip
The next section delves into the different drum grips professionals use.
Experimenting with these grips is beneficial to find what feels best for you.
Don’t feel overwhelmed by this section. Just find one grip you like and move on to the next section.
My recommendation is to start with the Moeller grip.
Moeller Grip
This is my most frequently used grip. It offers excellent control and becomes very comfortable once you get the hang of it.
Getting into the Moeller Grip:
Imagine you’re holding and swinging a tennis racket.
Here’s a demonstration:
Now, turn your hand over so your palm faces the floor.
Try bouncing the stick on your practice pad with a relaxed wrist motion, ensuring it doesn’t fall out of your hand.
Top Tips for the Moeller Grip:
- Ensure a small portion of the butt end (larger end) of the stick is visible beneath the fleshy part of your hand.
- Tuck your fingers neatly towards the stick, with no fingers sticking out.
- Your index finger should slide slightly forward, away from the other fingers.
German Grip
The German grip is a fundamental grip used by many professional drummers. It’s a classic, traditional choice favored by many teachers.
Getting into the German Grip:
First, let your hand relax in the position shown below.
Then, insert the stick and gently tighten your fingers.
The stick should rest between the first joint of your middle finger and your thumb.
Move your hands into the position shown above.
Top Tips for the German Grip:
- Ensure the tips of your sticks come close together in the center of the drum or pad.
- The up-and-down motion of your wrist moves the stick in this grip. Practice this motion and try to stay as relaxed as possible.
- Try to keep the sticks at a 90-degree angle to each other, as shown in the picture.
French Grip
The French grip is favored by iconic drummers like Steve Jordan and Jojo Mayer. Your fingers play a larger role in stick control, which can increase speed and control for some players.
Getting into the French Grip:
Starting in the German position, bring your hands together so your thumbs face the ceiling. Looking down, your thumb should be above the first joint of your index finger. This is the ‘fulcrum’ point where you’ll control most of the stick’s movement.
There are many ways to move the stick with the French grip.
You can create pressure between your thumb (pushing down) and fingers (pulling up) to move the stick. The thumb and index finger are strongest and usually do most of the work.
You can also use up-and-down arm motions for power, and/or smaller wrist/forearm movements.
These smaller wrist/forearm movements often involve a slight rotation, similar to turning a key in a lock.
Top Tips for the French Grip:
- Instead of forming a V shape like in the German and Moeller grips, the sticks should be parallel to each other as shown.
- Experiment with using your other fingers (instead of the index finger) to control the stick’s motion (while keeping your thumb on top). You can use them together or work each finger individually by removing the others from the stick.
- Because the wrist is turned sideways and points towards the ceiling, large up-and-down wrist motions can be difficult (and painful!). A gentle lock/key rotating motion as described above is better.
American Grip
American grip is a classic ‘middle-of-the-road’ option between German and French grip. It allows you to draw techniques from both styles, making it a great all-around choice.
Getting into the American Grip:
Because it’s so popular and useful, I’ve included a fantastic video (below) that explains the American grip in detail.
It covers how to get into the grip, how to distinguish it from German and French grips, and the techniques that work well with this style.
Top Tips for the American Grip:
- Use your wrists for power and your fingers to control the stick.
- Your fingers should support the stick without restricting its movement.
- Practice transitioning between German and French grip. Can you see how American grip is a blend of the two?
Traditional Grip
Our final grip is the traditional grip.
Any grip where both hands hold the drum sticks the same way is called a matched grip.
Traditional grip is the only grip we’re covering where the hands hold the sticks differently.
Joe Morello uses this grip in the video at the start of this section, and it’s essential to learn if you love jazz music.
Only the left hand uses a traditional grip, while the right hand remains in a grip of your choice.
Historically, marching drums hung to the right, requiring a different grip to reach the drum effectively.
Times have changed, and we no longer tilt our drums much. This allows more grip flexibility for both hands.
While traditional grip isn’t necessarily technically superior to matched grips, drummers still use it for tradition and to emulate jazz masters of the past.
If you want to look like a seasoned professional, you can impress your friends with the traditional grip.
Much of my understanding of traditional grip comes from the masterful Jojo Mayer, and I want to give him credit here.
As one of the world’s greatest drummers, I highly recommend his DVD ‘Secret Weapons For The Modern Drummer‘ to deepen your technical understanding.
Getting into the Traditional Grip:
Turn your hand up so your thumb points to the ceiling.
Place the stick between your thumb and index finger, in the soft part in the middle.
Your index and middle fingers then sit above the stick, with the index finger pointing inward. Your ring finger sits underneath the stick for control.
Top Tips for the Traditional Grip:
- The stick should not touch the knuckle bone of your index finger (keep it in the soft part between your thumb and index finger).
- Rotate your forearm to move the stick.
- While your thumb will move, try to keep it pointing mostly upward. Avoid rotating your palm fully upward, as you’ve rotated too far. Only a small rotation is needed.
Whew! That was a lot of information.
Don’t feel you need to absorb it all at once. If you’ve found a grip you like, use that as we continue.
But before putting stick technique to work, let’s learn more about the drum set itself.
9. Drum Set Parts Explained
Even if you don’t own a drum kit yet, as a new drummer, you need to know the parts of a drum kit.
Like drummers themselves, drum kits come in various shapes and sizes. Luckily, they have more similarities than differences.
Typically, drums come in 5-piece sets, known as a 5-piece drum set.
These sets include:
Bass Drum: Sits at the bottom, operated by a foot pedal (also known as the ‘Kick Drum’).
Snare Drum: Sits between the drummer’s legs, usually played with the left hand.
Tom-Toms: The high tom and mid tom sit on the bass drum, while the low tom is to the right of the drummer.
We’ve already covered bass and snare, but what do tom-toms do?
While bass and snare are cool, just switching between two drums might bore some listeners.
Tom-toms make listeners perk up and think: ‘Woah, what was that?!’
The high, medium, and low toms add variety and style to your playing.
Named for their pitch, they are often played at the end of sections to create ear-catching variations.
These variations are called drum fills, and nailing a great drum fill and hearing everyone cheer is an amazing feeling!
We’ll cover drum fills using tom-toms and cymbals later.
Which leads us to our next section…
Cymbals
Once you have your 5-piece kit, you’ll need great cymbals to complement your drums.
Like fine wine with a good meal, good cymbals enhance your drumming.
The high tones of cymbals perfectly complement the low tones of drums, creating a rich, engaging percussion sound.
There are three main cymbal types you’ll need on your kit.
Hi-hat Cymbals
Hi-hat cymbals tie together your bass and snare playing and help the band stay consistent.
Using a foot pedal, these cymbals can be held together to create a tight ‘chick’ sound. This is the hi-hat sound you hear in ‘Billie Jean,’ the third song I showed you earlier.
Hi-hats can also be opened for exciting drum fills and to change the music’s dynamics (getting louder or softer).
Crash Cymbal
Ever find a moment in a rock song you can’t resist air drumming to?
Crash cymbals often accent the most important notes in a musical section or melody.
With a crisp, shimmering sound, this cymbal is usually played with the bass drum for maximum impact.
Ride Cymbal
The largest cymbal of all, the ride cymbal offers a great alternative to the hi-hat for added variety in your drum beats.
Next time you listen to your favorite songs, see if you can hear when the drummer switches from hi-hat to ride cymbal.
You’ll hear the tight ‘chick’ sound change to a big, washy sound.
Did you know? Drummers often switch from hi-hat to ride cymbal when a song transitions from verse to chorus.
10. Understanding Drum Sheet Music and Drum Tabs
Now that you know your way around a drum kit, it’s time to unleash your creativity and share your own ideas in this section.
Using what we’ve learned, I’m going to teach you how to read drum sheet music and tablature. This is often the fastest way to learn new drum beats.
You’ll be able to write down your own beat ideas and play ideas from others. In fact, when you become proficient at reading drum notation, you can play drum beats you’ve never even heard before!
This is just a basic guide to get you started, but for a deeper understanding, I’ve written a full guide to help you master reading drum sheet music.
Reading Drum Sheet Music
Sheet music typically gives you three crucial pieces of information:
- Which drums and cymbals to play.
- When to play them.
- How to play them.
Let’s look at how the drum beat from our third song, ‘Billie Jean,’ appears in sheet music.
Each drum or cymbal in the kit is on a different line.
Cymbals are marked with crosses instead of notes.
Now you know which drums and cymbals to play; next, we need to figure out when to play them.
You can see the music starts with a bass drum and hi-hat, so we’ll start there.
Let’s ignore the hi-hat for now and just focus on the bass drum.
In the example above, the bass drum note lasts for one beat of music, called a crotchet.
You can identify a crotchet as any black note or cross with a single straight stick attached.
Each musical section always starts on beat 1, so you’ll play the bass drum on beat 1.
After the bass drum, the snare drum is next (ignoring the hi-hat for now).
If you know the bass drum lasts one beat and starts on beat 1, can you guess which beat the snare drum is played on?
The answer is beat 2!
Think of the bass drum as occupying all of beat 1. This means you must wait until beat 2 to play the snare drum.
So, if you were to count the first 2 beats aloud (1! 2!), you would play a bass drum on 1 and a snare drum on 2. This pattern repeats in beats 3 and 4.
But what about those hi-hats?
With the hi-hat, you’ll notice the note shapes are different.
Hi-hat notes are joined together by a sort of bridge.
These notes are quavers and last only half as long as crotchets.
Do you remember counting (1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and) to learn this drum beat earlier?
This is the same way you count quavers in sheet music.
In the example above, there’s a continuous string of quavers played on and between every beat of music.
So, you’d count the hi-hats as 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and, as we discussed when first learning Billie Jean.
Think of it this way: in each section, you have 4 beats worth of notes to use. You decide how much space each note takes up before the next note is played.
You start on beat 1 and add notes until you reach 4 beats, then go back to beat 1, indicated by a line separating the music into sections (bars).
But if there are four crotchets and 8 quavers in the example, doesn’t that equal 8 beats?
You only add up the beats horizontally, not vertically. You can play many notes together without exceeding four beats per bar.
If you’re confused, don’t worry. It can be tricky at first. Feel free to leave a comment with questions, or read my drum sheet music guide for more detail.
Dynamic Symbols
Often, you’ll see letters and symbols in sheet music that tell you not just what to play, but HOW to play it.
Here’s a common symbol in drum sheet music:
This is a dynamic symbol, indicating how loudly or softly to play.
‘mf’ means ‘moderately loud’ in Italian.
You won’t always see dynamic symbols and often rely on your musical understanding to play appropriately.
But this also gives you freedom to improvise and add your personal touch to the music.
Designing Your Own Drum Beats
Using what we’ve learned about sheet music, I have a challenge for you.
Try writing down some of your own drum beats by rearranging the bass and snare parts.
Instead of just bass on 1 and 3, and snare on 2 and 4, mix it up!
I’ve made a couple below (with sound examples) to give you an idea.
If you’re listening on mobile, use the ‘listen in browser’ option to read the article while listening.
Try writing a beat on paper, then bring it to life by tapping it out like we did with the Billie Jean beat.
You’ve now written your first piece of drum music!
What About Drum Tab?
If you can read drum sheet music, you can also read drum tab.
Drum tablature is a quick way to write down drum beats.
It often provides less detail than sheet music and is shorthand for drummers writing a lot of music quickly.
Here are a couple of examples:
A basic drum tab for hi-hat, snare, and bass drums, with a busier bass and snare pattern than the sheet music beat we covered earlier. Here’s a more advanced one. Because tabs are less detailed than sheet music, you often need to listen to the song while reading the tab to understand how to play it correctly.
However you write your ideas, you now have the tools to create great-sounding beats and express yourself!
11. How to Play Drum Rudiments
So, you’ve learned basic drum beats, played along to great tracks, and know how to create and write down basic drumming ideas.
But there’s another fundamental drumming element we must cover.
Certain drumming patterns are absolutely essential.
No matter the music you play, they always reappear.
Mastering these patterns will allow you to play diverse music, create impressive drum solos, and move effortlessly around the drum kit.
These patterns are called rudiments.
Become a Speed Demon
The first pattern to learn if you want lightning speed around the kit is single strokes.
Simply, single strokes use both hands to increase playing speed.
It’s the simplest drumming pattern.
Play one note with your right hand, then one with your left.
While easy to start, keeping it even and balanced becomes harder as you increase speed.
You want both sticks to sound the same on the pad or drum. Each note should be roughly the same volume.
When comfortable, try making the first of every four notes slightly louder (as in the video). These louder notes are called accents.
When your sticks become a blur, you’re crushing it!
We’ll cover the best way to practice rudiments in the next section.
Keep on Rollin’
The next game-changing rudiment is the double stroke.
It’s easy to start with, but getting it faster and smoother requires developing muscle memory through regular practice.
The pattern is now two notes with your right hand, then two with your left.
Why is this useful?
Because even playing two notes per hand, you only need one wrist movement. You can use the bounce we discussed earlier to provide the height for the second note.
This dramatically increases your speed, making double strokes a classic choice for fast, demanding music sections.
Playing multiple notes per hand gives the other hand time to move to other drums for complex rhythms.
Mix It Up
Drummers quickly expanded beyond single and double strokes to explore further possibilities.
There’s a whole world of rudiments out there.
There are 40 standard accepted rudiments, but hundreds of variations, and you can even create your own.
I’ll show you one last rudiment, and then we’ll look at practicing them and using them in real drum fills.
The final rudiment is the paradiddle.
The what?
The paradiddle!
Huh?
It’s a crazy name, from how teachers explain the pattern. Singing it aloud, pa – ra- did – dle is close to the sounds.
The pattern is:
Right Hand Left Hand Right Hand Right Hand
Then it reverses:
Left Hand Right Hand Left Hand Left Hand
Did you spot this? Keen observers will notice the paradiddle is two single strokes followed by two double strokes. The second half mirrors the first.
This makes 8 notes total in a paradiddle.
This rudiment is fantastic for explosive drum fills around the kit, delicate hi-hat and snare interplay, and fancy variations.
Now, let’s practice these rudiments and put them into musical context.
12. Practice with a Metronome
To master rudiments (or any drumming aspect), the metronome will be your best friend.
Metronome apps for phones or computers help you stay in time while practicing.
We’ve discussed beats of music a lot.
Simply, the metronome plays the beats for you. It helps you keep perfect time with clicks.
This shows if your drumming is even, consistent, and stage-ready.
If you’re unsure which metronome to get, use any free online metronome (search ‘online metronome’).
Challenge #1
Set your metronome to 80 bpm. Play one note on your pad or kit on each click.
Start with single strokes.
Try to anticipate the next click, playing in sync with the metronome, like musicians do.
This is the first challenge in our metronome challenge video below.
If unsure how exercises should sound, each is demonstrated in the video.
Once you know how they should sound, practice each yourself with an online metronome.
Take your time; no need to rush. The video is just a quick demo of all 3 exercises.
Just so you know: Playing to a metronome is hard! It takes practice to develop timing skills, so be patient with yourself!
Challenge #2
Now try playing quavers to the metronome, like in the video.
This means two notes per beat, with one note between metronome clicks.
Try playing the 3 rudiments as quavers. Switch between single strokes, double strokes, and paradiddles as you get comfortable.
Challenge #3
Classic drum fills often use semiquavers. These are twice as fast as quavers, with four notes per beat.
Try playing the 3 rudiments as semiquavers with a metronome. Count this rhythm as:
‘1 e and a’ ‘2 e and a’ ‘3 e and a’ ‘4 e and a’
If you understand rudiments, it’s time to use them in the final part of our drum lesson.
It’s all been leading to this, the grand finale of our how to learn drums guide.
13. Playing Drum Fills
Every beginner learning drums should grasp basic drum fills.
Drum fills add magic to regular drum beats, often becoming memorable moments in famous songs.
There’s a reason the Cadbury’s Dairy Milk advert featured their gorilla playing ‘In The Air Tonight’.
The drums start with that iconic, recognizable drum fill.
I’ll now show you how to add a drum fill as a finishing touch to your regular drum beat.
It’s the icing on the cake for great drumming.
Drum Fill #1
Remember the Billie Jean drum beat we looked at?
We’ll play it three times, but on the 4th time, we’ll do something different.
Here’s how it looks in music:
And here’s how this variation sounds.
Those two quick notes at the end are an open hi-hat and a snare drum.
You can hear these notes in the drum fill at 1:09 in the Billie Jean video.
On the ‘and’ of beat 4, instead of just a hi-hat, we play an open hi-hat, followed by a quick snare drum on the ‘a’ of 4.
On your drum pad, you’d count it as ‘4 and a’.
Here’s what it looks like on the pad.
This is a great, snappy little variation to learn as your first drum fill.
After practicing on the pad, it’s easy to transfer to a real kit. You don’t need to open the hi-hat for a great fill.
Drum Fill #2
Before that, let’s give you another great fill for many musical situations.
This fill is longer and will draw more attention to you as the drummer. It’ll help you stand out and create contrast in the music.
This fill uses the paradiddle rudiment. Here’s how it looks in sheet music.
And here’s how it sounds.
Finally, here’s what it looks like on the pad.
In the last bar (the fill bar), beats 3 and 4 are entirely filled with the paradiddle. The right hand plays on the hi-hat, and the left hand on the snare.
The paradiddle is played as semiquavers, with four notes per beat.
And the exciting part is – learning the paradiddle gives you access to more than just one drum fill.
Once you learn a new rudiment or pattern, you can apply it to the drum set in countless combinations, depending on the drums you choose to play.
We often learn patterns on the pad, perfect them, and then unleash them on the drum set.
Conclusion and Next Steps
I hope you’ve enjoyed this ‘how to learn drums for beginners’ guide.
There’s truly nothing stopping you from becoming a creative, unique, and inspired drummer.
I’ve given you a lot of information, and congratulations for diving in and hopefully learning something new!
If you’re inspired by what you’ve learned, you might be wondering, ‘where do I go from here?’
To help new drummers get started, I’ve created a drumming survival course that teaches you everything you need as a new drummer.
You can find out more about the course by following the link here.
I hope a bit of my drumming passion has rubbed off on you after reading this article, and I hope you’re inspired to discover your musical gifts and all the amazing things you’re capable of.
