If you're searching for online drumming instruction, you can find an endless array of websites, written tutorials, DVDs, streaming video, and advertisements. But how do you choose one over the other and, just as importantly, how do you compare these online tutorials with the advantages of live instruction you would receive from drumming lessons with an experienced teacher? We can't teach you how to play the drums in a quick, one-page article, but we can give you an overview of the pros and cons of different methods and how to increase your chances of success no matter what route you take. And this is in addition to our primary service: Connecting you with the best drumming teachers available for lessons in your area. Here's what you need to know about how to learn to play the drums....
Learn to Play the Drums with Video Instruction
If you're all but broke, you can find a passable drum tutorial through any number of DVD series. There may not be an ironclad, silver-bullet solution to know which video instruction is the best for you, but consumer reviews are a good place to start assuming you can find a website that makes an honest attempt to eliminate fraudulent feedback. In general, video instruction can teach you the fundamentals of drumming, but you won't have expert eyes monitoring your progress and ironing out the bad habits that are all-too-easy to form during the initial learning process. Fortunately, one possible solution is to mix-and-match. You can take a few beginners' lessons with an experienced teacher to start off with good playing habits and a basic introduction to the instrument, and then switch to cheaper video instructions to continue your education with the drums.
Learn to Play the Drums with a Teacher
Learn to Play the Drums without a Commotion
Find Local Drum Lessons, Teachers, and Music Studios
Unless you've been blessed with an inordinate amount of innate talent, your learning curve will be considerably steeper by taking lessons with a teacher face-to-face. Beyond ensuring solid playing habits, a drumming teacher will apply positive pressure, definitive deadlines that will help motivate to practice. Like any other musical instrument, a willingness and long-term commitment to honing current skills and developing new ones through practice is the biggest predictor of success or failure. Needless to say, you should ask a prospective teacher about his or her musical background, playing experience, and preferred teaching methods. This informal interview process will also help you gauge whether your two personalities will work together in a pupil-mentor dynamic.
Speaking of practice habits, unless you have a detached garage or some other space that's already set up for noise control, you will need to create or remodel a space to practice the drums without disturbing other household members. Even with a detached garage, you may want to add some sound-dampening insulation so you can practice the drums late in to the evening without invoking the ire of neighbors or, worse, a complaint call to local law enforcement. The good news here is that you don't need to make a lot of noise for your first few lessons. You can learn how to read sheet music for the drums, how to properly hold the sticks, and your first few basic beats with a relatively quiet drumming pad.
To learn to play the drums is a great way to create a rewarding experience for the rest of your life. Whether you're looking to join a rock band, marching band, orchestra, freelance recording artist, or you just want to learn a musical instrument that's within your comfort zone, you can basic drum lessons that will serve well with just a minute of your time and a few clicks of your mouse. Let us know that you're interested in drum lessons, and we'll do the heavy lifting for you, searching our database for prescreened drum teachers with the prerequisite musical background and teaching experience. You can even use our quality-controlled system of customer ratings and reviews to see what other new drummers thought about their experience with various music studios and individual drumming teachers. There's simply no more reliable way to learn to play the drums.