How to Play Drums

A total beginner’s guide to drumming

Written By:

Omar Zulfi

^{_{Last Updated: June 2023 | Article Details: 5634 words (30 – 35 minute read)}}

^{We may earn commissions from purchases made through our links. Learn More.}

So you want to learn how to play the drums?

We got you. In this guide you’ll learn everything you need to know as a beginner to get started practicing on a drum set today.

We’re going to dive into the absolute basics, from how to hold your sticks to learning your first groove on the set and much more.

Whether you’re learning to play drums as an adult or as a younger person, the information you get in this guide will help start your journey on the drum set off right.

Let’s get into it…

Article Table of Contents

i Beginner’s Drumming Video Guide
ii Audio Version of Article

1. Learning the Drums

1.0 Step-By-Step Learning Process

2. Basic Drumming Concepts

2.5 Different Parts of a Drum Set

3. How to Play Drums Properly

4. Playing Your First Full Drum Groove

5 How to Practice Effectively

4 Frequently Asked Questions

6 What’s Next & Additional Resources

Audio Version of Article

Listen to the entire article instead:

[COMING SOON]

Learning the Drums Step-by-Step

There are a lot of different things you’ll learn about when mastering this instrument. But there are a few specific areas you need to focus on when you’re first starting out.

These will help you master the foundational skills you need to do all the wild and crazy tricks you’ve probably seen other more experienced drummers do.

Don’t ignore or underestimate the power of getting the basics down properly.

Here’s an overview of the steps involved in learning the drum set:

Learn Proper Technique
It’s important to learn the proper drumming technique. This includes things like posture, drum placement, how you hold your sticks, wrist movement and more. It’s much easier to learn how to play if you can master the basics of how to play.
Practice the Rudiments
Next you want to learn and practice the rudiments of drumming. This includes the different types of hits you can do using your drum sticks. If you master these, you’ll be able to play music and make your own music easier.
Learn Drum Grooves & Fills
After you master the rudiments of playing, it’s important to spend time learning and practicing different types of basic drum grooves. Mastering a basic rock beat/groove, for example, goes a long way in improving your abilities. Doing basic fills, along with the grooves, also improve your skills in an immense way.
Practice Limb Independence
One of the most challenging things facing new drummers is limb independence – or getting your arms and legs to do different things at the same time. There are many exercises one can do to help you improve this. Most importantly, don’t get frustrated – it takes a lot of time and work to develop good independence.
Learn and Play Along With Songs in Various Genres
Rudiments and skills have their place, but there’s more to playing drums. You need to learn songs on the drums – whether they’re classics or modern popular songs, learning how to play them shows you how music (and thus drumming) works in a wider context.
Work on Advanced Drum Skills/Techniques
Once you’re up and playing correctly, now it’s time to really hone in on your technique. You need to learn about dynamics (how hard and soft to play), syncopation (adding emphasis on non-dominant beats), and much more to really start to develop your nuance and performance ability as a drummer

What Drumming is All About – Basic Concepts

Before we get into how to learn to play the drums, and even before we get into the different equipment you’ll need, we should talk about some fundamental concepts related to music.

First off, why do the drums even exist?

Drums (along with the help of other instruments like the bass) provide the rhythm of a piece of music. And rhythm is all about how the music moves and feels across time. This is sometimes referred to as a song’s groove.

Drums provide the heartbeat and pulse of a song.

Keeping Time & Rhythm in Music

The drums are also instrumental in helping to keep time – that is, provide a steady beat that other players and all listeners can latch onto while listening.

Do this really quick – open up Spotify or YouTube and play one of your favorite songs. Nod your head or tap your foot along to the beat of the song.

That steady pulse you’re able to nod along to is the responsibility of the drummer – i.e. YOU.

So, your time-keeping ability is one of the most important skills to develop as a drummer. And that’s why it’s also important to make “TIME PRACTICE” a large part of your playing. Improving your sense of time and rhythm is crucial as a drummer.

Having said that, ALWAYS make sure you’re practicing along with a metronome or click-track, so you continually improve your rhythm/time.

Counting Music

Now while you’re listening and nodding (or tapping) along with the song, I want you to count in your head in groups of 4 along with the beat.

“1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4,” etc.

That’s the pulse that you need to keep steady as a drummer. Don’t worry if it’s tough right now, you’ll get better the more you do it.

Most popular music is played in what’s known as “common time” or 4/4 time, where there are 4 beats to every “measure/bar” (i.e. phrase) of music. The 4/4 number is known as the time signature and tells us how many beats are in one bar of music, and what type of note is considered to be one beat.

But depending on the song, there may be other ways to count. You may count in groups of 3 (ex. 3/4 time), 6 (ex. 6/8 time) or even 12 (ex. 12/8 time) in some cases.

But you’ll probably mostly see grooves that are 4/4 and 3/4, especially in the beginning.

Side Note: the terms “measure” and “bar” are interchangeable and refer to a small section of a piece of music. A full song is made up of many measures of music. A single measure/bar will contain a set number of notes to play depending on the song’s time signature.

Tempo

Now, how fast or slow you’re counting or nodding along with the music determines a song’s tempo. Tempo is measured in beats per minute or BPM. The BPM of a song has a direct impact of the vibe and feeling of a song.

Remember how you counted in groups of 4 along with your favorite song, above? Well if we set a watch for 60 seconds and counted how many times we tapped our foot or nodded our head to the beat we’d get our tempo.

Here’s an idea of how different BPMs affect a song:

R&B/Soul music is often between 60-85bpm.
Boom Bap Hip-Hop and LoFi Beats are often between 80-110bpm
- Trap, on the other hand, is often at 70-80 bpm, double time (i.e. 140-160bpm)
Dance Music is often 115-140bpm
Drum&Bass can sometimes clock in above 200bpm

So the speed we play drums at is often very related to the style of music we’re trying to play.

Note Values

Remember the bottom number in the above time signatures like 4/4? They tell a musician which notes are considered one single BEAT in the song.

There are several different types of notes you can play as a musician. They are all simply divisions of a measure of music.

For example, you could hit a drum 4 times along with the tempo of the song. Go back to the song you were counting along with. Now on every beat you count (“1-2-3-4”) hit your knee with your hand.

What you’re doing right now is playing quarter notes. Why? Because each time you hit your knee you’re “playing a note” that is the length of ONE QUARTER (1/4) of the entire bar/measure.

If you were to hit your knee twice for each count instead of once, you’d be playing eighth notes. That’s because each tap/hit only lasts for ONE EIGHTH (1/8) of the measure.

Here are the most basic note values you’ll learn to play:

Whole Note – one hit lasts the whole measure (i.e. one hit for every 4 counts if in 4/4 time)
Half Note – one hit lasts for half the measure (i.e. you hit your knee on counts 1 and 3 only)
Quarter Note – one hit lasts for one beat (if in 4/4 time)
Eighth Note – two hits per beat in the measure (if in 4/4 time)
Sixteenth Notes – four hits per beat in the measure (if in 4/4 time)

Here’s how quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes look when written in music notation:

Sixteenth Notes — Sixteenth (1/16) Notes

There are more types of notes we can play, but that should be good for us to get started.

You can learn all about note values, counting, rhythm and time in music in more detail in our free basic music theory guide (read now). It’s highly recommended before moving on if you’re unfamiliar with these concepts.

— Related Content: How to Read Drum Sheet Music – read now —

Different Parts of the Drum Set & Drum Equipment

Before we start smacking our drums, let’s talk briefly about each area of a basic 5 or 6-piece drum set.

Each drum has a function that it plays primarily. But that doesn’t mean that’s all you can use it for. You’re not stuck in any box and can use different drums for different purposes.

Most commonly, however, here’s the run-down of each drum:

Bass / Kick Drum – this is the giant drum on the ground that you hit by using your right foot on a pedal attached to a “beater head.” This drum often provides a groove with it’s core feeling and foundation. It’s one of the ANCHOR elements and center’s around counts 1 and 3, or the “down beat.”
Snare Drum – this is the (normally white-headed) drum right in front of you, sitting between you and the kick. This drum provides the “crack” you hear normally on beats 2 and 4 of a groove. It’s another ANCHOR element that gives us a steady “back-beat” to clap along with.
Hi-Hat Cymbal – this is the cymbal with 2 pieces to it that is played with your left foot (and with sticks). It’s an element that helps to give a beat/groove it’s consistent time and whatever type of “swing” feeling you’re going for. It keeps the momentum up and things moving forward.
Toms – depending on your drum set you may have 2 or 3 toms. Two of them will be connected to the kick drum, and potentailly you’ll have a third “floor tom.” These are great for adding embellishments to a groove and helping with transitions of song sections (i.e. drum “fills”).
Crash Cymbal – this is a cymbal that’s usually on a stand that provides embellishments. Hitting it on the 1 beat is a great way to “restart” a groove or add an accent/emphasis to another beat. You’ll often hear it played on the down-beat, especially at the beginning of a new song section or after (and during) a drum fill.
Ride Cymbal – this is another cymbal that is used to help keep time and keep the momentum/movement up, like the hi-hat. You hear it most often in Jazz drum grooves, but can be used in any genre.

There are many other elements that can be added to a drum set, but those are your bread-and-butter basics that are a part of almost every drum groove.

You’ll also have things like the drum throne (the stool you sit on), pedals (to open/close the hi-hat and to hit the kick drum), and sticks/brushes to hit the other drum and cymbal heads with.

Advertisement:

How to Play the Drums Properly

Ok, now that we have those fundamental concepts out of the way let’s talk about actually playing the drums.

We’ll get into how to position your drums, how to hold your sticks and the 3 most fundamental types of stick movements you need to master.

How to Position the Drums and Yourself

Setting up your drums is fairly straight forward.

Your snare drum will be right in front of you, while the hi-hat is to the left of it. Behind the snare sits the kick drum with 2 toms attached to it, using the kick as a base. On the right of the snare you’ll usually find a third “floor” tom that is independent from the kick. Behind and to the left of the kick you’ll position your crash cymbal, and to the right of it, the ride cymbal.

How high or low you place your drums/cymbals, really all depends on you and what’s most comfortable.

Here’s what that looks like from your (the drummer’s) perspective:

Basic Drum Set POV — Image from DrumHelper.com

Sitting at the Drums – Your Legs and Arms

Now let’s turn our attention to you.

What’s the idea way to sit at the drum set? This is all going to vary, and there’s no one right way for everybody.

How high your throne (stool) is, how close you are to the snare drum and many other variables will be pretty unique to you.

The one thing you want to keep in mind is you want to be as comfortable as possible. Added strain is a big no-no. It’s already tough enough to play the drums. If you’re having to over-extend your reach, or the kick drum beater keeps hitting your shins, make adjustments accordingly.

As a general rule, you probably want to be close enough to the set so that your foot rests naturally on the kick drum pedal while your leg is at about a 90 degree angle. It doesn’t have to be exact, but close enough while still being natural/comfortable to you. Some people like to be a little wider, and some people like to be a little narrower – so adjust to what’s best for you.

As for how high you sit on the drum throne, think about your shoulders. You don’t want to be reaching or raising your shoulders too much to be able to hit the hi-hat with your right-hand stick. You also don’t want to be too high from your snare drum so you’re having to move your arm further that necessary.

Basically, if your left elbow is making about a 90 degree angle, give or take, and you’re comfortable hitting the snare, you’re probably good.

Try different positions and different drum/cymbal heights until you find what’s most comfortable and natural to you.

How to Hold Drum Sticks Correctly

So this is the most fundamental skill you want to master. A proper grip technique on your sticks will make the difference between smooth hits on the drum that can be done in quick succession, and stiff jerky movements that just don’t work right.

You don’t want to hold the stick too high up or down too low. But you don’t want to hold the sticks in the middle, either.

So how do you hold a drum stick the right way?

You need to find the “fulcrum” point of the stick. This is essentially around the point of the stick where you’re able to balance it on the edge of your index finger. It acts as the ideal lever point. If you focus on the bottom of the stick up to the center of the stick, the fulcrum will be around the middle point of those two areas (half way between the center of the stick and the bottom of the stick).

That’s not exact, so you’ll need to experiment a bit with your sticks to find the ideal point. Just try balancing the stick on your index finger’s edge and find the point that happens best.

How to Grip Your Drum Sticks

You don’t clamp down on a drum stick with your entire palm. You want to be able to pivot a stick back-and-forth easily between your fingers.

So at the fulcrum point of the stick, rest your thumb on top of the stick and curl your index finger around the bottom. The stick should be gripped only between those two fingers. Your other fingers (middle, ring and pinky) should be curled very loosely around the bottom of the stick.

You should be able to use these loose fingers to hit the bottom of the stick upwards, while your thumb and index finger remain gripped to the stick.

The drum stick will kind of see-saw back and forth between your thumb and index finger when you do this.

That’s how we move a drum stick to strike a drum head (along with some movement from the wrist, as well).

French Grip

There is another method of holding your sticks called a “French grip,” that some drummers find easier to play fast with, but we won’t get into that too much here.

It involves holding one of the sticks in an opposite way than what we described above. You can learn more about it here if you’re interested.

Deviant Noise Top Pick Recommendation:

How to Hit (Strike) a Drum Head or Cymbal Correctly

Now that we know how to hold drum sticks, let’s talk about using them to hit an actual drum the right way.

The most important thing to remember is it’s all about that bounce.

Normally, you don’t want to slam the stick down onto the drum and let it rest on the drum head. In fact, you would have to do this pretty purposefully if you try. (And sometimes you will for a specific effect/sound).

The stick will naturally want to bounce off the drum head when it strikes. You want to work with that natural momentum and let the stick bounce back up.

Try it out:

Don’t hold the stick too high from the drum head surface and keep the stick slightly angled upwards
Maintain a relaxed grip on the drum stick (between your index and thumb)
Use a slight flick of the wrist along with a slight push from your supporting fingers to move the top point of the stick towards the drum head
- This should be in a smooth, fluid and controlled motion
When the drum stick tip strikes the drum, don’t force it down or stop it’s motion. Allow it to bounce back up naturally.
Strike the drum again using the same motion until it becomes fluid and fully controlled

Here are some tips to keep in mind about hitting a drum or cymbal correctly:

Aim to hit the drum head a couple of inches above the rim, and a couple of inches below the very center (i.e. “the sweet spot”) for the best sound
Try to hit the drum or cymbal head with only the tip of the drum stick
Use an even amount of pressure – don’t hit the drum too hard or too soft.
Start slow, and focus on developing a smooth and controlled, fluid motion that is natural and not forced.
Work on BOTH HANDS equally!

Closeup of Hi-Hat and Snare Drum Being Played

Using Drum Pedals Correctly

Drum sticks are only half the equation when playing the drums.

We also need to use our feet to press down on a couple of different pedals. The most obvious one is the kick pedal that strikes the big bass drum in front of the snare. But there’s also the hi-hat pedal under our left foot.

The left pedal is used to open and close the hi-hat cymbals to alter the sound and character of the cymbal hits when using a drum stick. It can also be used alone (without hitting it with a stick) to create a cymbal sound when the two parts hit each other (when the pedal is pressed).

How to Use Your Feet When Drumming

Again, this is all about comfort and being able to use your leg and foot most efficiently.

Put your foot on the pedal and make sure your thigh is parallel to the floor with your knee slightly wider than 90 degrees. You want to be able to comfortably move your foot up and down like you’re tapping your foot to a song.

You want to be controlled, and not straining, so make sure your knee isn’t bent too much (especially not over your toes or less than 90 degrees).

Pressing the Pedal:

Now, there are a couple of ways to play a pedal: either keeping your heel up and using only the balls/toes of your foot to press down, or keeping your heel down on the pedal while using the rest of the foot to press down.

Both work, so choose what’s most comfortable and natural for you.

Beyond that, for the kick drum pedal at least, you can choose to “bury the beater” or not.

That means when you press the pedal and the kick beater hits the bass drum, you keep the pedal pressed down and the beater head remains in contact with the drum. The other way is to let the pedal beater swing/bounce back from the drum head after it’s struck it.

Again, it comes down to preference, so try both and use the technique you feel most natural/comfortable with.

Here’s a couple of tips on how to hit the drum pedals correctly:

Keep your feet relaxed – any tension or strain will make it hard to use play fluidly or fast.
Position the beater head of the kick pedal so it hits the center of the bass drum when struck.
Your foot placement matters – place the ball of your foot a little above the center of the pedal.
It’s ok if your left leg moves up and down to help you keep time, as long as you’re not inadvertently raising the pedal when you don’t want to.

Playing Your First Full Drum Groove

Alright, alright, alright – we’re ready to play our very first full drum groove.

Now it’s going to be basic af, but that’s ok! Once you get this groove down, you’ll be able to modify it in so many ways to make it more complex and interesting.

But this is the PERFECT groove to help you start gaining limb independence (getting your arms and legs to do different things at the same time – learn more).

The Basic Rock Drum Groove

The following is a very basic ROCK groove that uses everything (except the ride cymbal) on the drum kit.

This groove is in 4/4 time, meaning that there are 4 beats to every measure of music and we count it out in groups of 4 hits – “1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, etc.”

Before you try playing this groove with a metronome, just get the movements down first. It doesn’t matter how slow you go at the start.

The Kick Drum Pattern

In this groove, the kick drum is hit on counts 1 and 3, and stays silent on counts 2 and 4. That means it plays on the “down beats” of the measure.

So it will be counted (and played) like this:

KICK(1) – 2 – KICK(3) – 4

Try doing that first. Just count out sets of 4, and hit the kick/bass drum on counts 1 and 3.

The Snare Drum Pattern

The snare drum keeps the “back beat” in the grooves of most western styles of popular music. That means it plays on the 2 and 4 counts.

But you will be using the stick in your LEFT HAND to strike the drum. Your right hand will be used later for something else.

So it will be counted and played like this:

1 – SNARE(2) – 3 – SNARE(4)

Try doing that alone – don’t worry about the kick yet, just play the snare using that pattern. Play it a few times. Easy enough, right?

Let’s move on…

Deviant Noise TOP PICK Recommendation:

Learn the Secrets to Writing and Producing HIT SONGS

Playing Both Snare and Kick Together

This should still be relatively easy to do, because the patterns are opposite of each other without any overlap.

Try combining both kick and snare patterns together, now. It will look like this:

KICK(1) – SNARE(2) – KICK(3) – SNARE(4)

Play that pattern over and over again, and do it while counting out loud. (Seriously, keep counting out “1-2-3-4” as you’re playing the pattern).

Still pretty easy to do, right?

Cool…

The Hi-Hat Pattern

The hi-hat cymbal is going to be played in a completely closed position. That means your left foot will be pressing and holding the left pedal down during the whole pattern.

When striking the hi-hat you’ll be using your RIGHT hand stick. And you’re going to play the hi-hat on EVERY beat of the pattern – all four counts.

Here’s how it looks:

HAT(1) – HAT(2) – HAT(3) – HAT(4)

So count out loud – “1-2-3-4” – and hit the hi-hat cymbal with your right stick on each of those counts.

It’s pretty easy to do alone, so let’s move on…

Putting Those Elements All Together

Here’s where things can start to get trippy (literally, you’ll trip up). We’re going to play all 3 of those patterns we just learned together at the same time.

Don’t worry if you can’t get it immediately. It’s very easy to get caught up and crossed up when you first try getting your limbs to do different things together at the same time.

TAKE IT TURTLE SPEED SLOW!

Essentially, we’re going to play the kick drum on 1 and 3, the snare drum on 2 and 4 and the hi-hat cymbal on 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Here’s how it looks in a chart:

	1	2	3	4
Hi-Hat	X	X	X	X
Kick Drum	X		X
Snare Drum		X		X

Remember to count out loud while you’re playing the pattern.

And play it over and over again until you’re comfortable with it before moving on.

The easiest way to do this when you’re first starting out is to start with the hi-hat and the snare. Don’t play the kick yet.

Once both your arms are locked into the groove – with the hi-hat playing all four counts, and the snare playing on the two and four – start to bring in the kick. Start playing the kick drum ONLY on the 1 count, while still playing the hi-hat and snare properly. Then once you’re comfortable with that, bring in the kick on the 3 count as well.

Bringing In the Toms for a Simple Drum Fill

Now that you’ve got the groove down, we’re going to try adding a basic drum fill to spice things up.

In this fill, we’re going to use a 4 count again, and each count is going to be one specific hit on one specific drum. The order we’ll play is Snare Drum -> High Tom -> Middle Tom -> Low Tom.

It’ll look like this:

SNARE(1) – TOM(2) – TOM(3) – TOM(4)

That’s all that gets played during this part of the groove. No other drums get played – not the hi-hat, not the kick.

Try it out. You’ll want to use your right hand to strike the drums, but that’s not a hard and fast rule. You can also use both hands, alternating the hits on each drum.

Simple enough right? Learn some more beginner drum fills in this guide.

Practicing the Basic Rock Groove and Fill Together

Ok, now that we know and are comfortable with each part of the overall groove, let’s practice it all together.

Here’s how this will work:

We’re going to play 4 bars/measures of music.
- This means we count “1-2-3-4,” four separate times. (1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4)
The first 3 bars will play the above basic rock groove we just learned, like normal
- That means we’re going to repeat the above snare/kick/hi-hat patterns together, 3 times in a row
The last bar/measure is going to be the simple “drum fill” described above.
- That means hitting the snare/toms on each count of this bar/measure.
You’re then going to start the 4 bars/measures over again immediately from the beginning
- And with each repeat, you can hit the crash cymbal on the very first 1 count of the first bar/measure (if you’re feeling a lil spicy).

Here’s how it will look across the 4 bars:

Crash

Hi-Hat

Kick

Snare

High Tom

Mid Tom

Low Tom

Repeat this full pattern over and over again for practice. Remember to take it slow and break it down into parts if you’re having trouble.

One of the hardest parts will be switching from the main groove to the drum fill smoothly. Don’t worry if you trip up. It will take time to get it down.

The more you do it, the easier it will become to transition across the drum set and play the entire groove fluidly like a pro.

And there you have it! You just played your very first FULL drum groove and fill. Rockstar status soon. Learn more drum beats for beginners in this guide.

How to Practice the Above Techniques Effectively

You’re not done quite yet… Once you’re comfortable with the overall pattern above, it’s time to add in a metronome and work on your timing.

It’s the only way to really get good at drumming, because part of your job as a drummer is to keep time for other instruments.

So once you’re comfortable playing the above groove, grab a metronome or a metronome app and set it to a slow speed (something like 60-70bpm).

Play this pattern along with the click of the metronome. Let the metronome be your time-keeper for counting, and play along following it’s lead.

If it’s too fast and you’re messing up, it’s ok to slow it down even more. If you’re finding it too easy at the slow speed, try a higher tempo like 80-90bpm.

Try to make each hit happen as close to the click of the metronome as possible. You won’t be perfect, but you want to get as close as possible, and be as consistent as possible (staying in time with the metronome).

Don’t worry if you mess up. This TAKES TIME to get comfortable with. Just keep practicing.

One final note about practice – make sure you’re practicing the above groove on a daily basis.

The best way to improve is to play every single day. Even if you only practice for 10 minutes a day, that’s enough to make serious improvements.

I’ll put it this way – it’s better to practice for 10 minutes a day every single day, than to practice for an hour once or twice a week.

Remember that!

— Related Content: Develop a Drumming Practice Plan and Routine – read now —

Advertisement:

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Drums the Oldest Instrument?

Drums and other percussion instruments are some of the oldest known instruments, having been used for thousands of years. But it’s hard to say what the oldest instrument in the world is, specifically. There are 5000+ year old drawings that depict drum playing from Mesopotamia.

Are Drums Hard to Learn?

Learning how to play the drums isn’t hard in concepts and theory. But it is hard to do in practice. That’s mainly because drumming requires limb independence – your arms and legs need to be able to different things at the same time. That is the main thing that makes drumming difficult, especially for beginners.

Can Drums Be Self Taught?

Yes, drums can absolutely be self-taught, like any other instrument. Of course, you will need learning aides like this guide to help you learn the fundamental techniques. There are also a lot of other great resources to help you learn how to play drums yourself, from YouTube videos to structured online drum lessons. The only real downside to teaching yourself to play drums is that you can’t get real-time feedback on your technique or learning methods.

Can You Learn Drums on a Drum Pad?

You can definitely learn the basics of drumming on a drum pad or practice pad. That means you can practice the different types of movements you’ll use with drum sticks. But it’s normally been more difficult to learn how to use your feet on a drum set if you’re only using a practice pad. Developing limb independence is also hard when you’re only using a practice pad. However, you can tap your feet on an “imaginary” pedal to pretend you’re at an actual drum set. You can also get foot pedal practice pads nowadays from companies like Drumeo.

Your Next Steps

Now that you’ve got a solid foundation for playing the drums, you’re probably wondering what to do next.

First things first – keep practicing those rudiments and that groove daily.

There are SO MANY avenues to go down now – you can learn basic rudiments, or learn essential grooves every beginner should know.

Or maybe you can start learning the drum part to your favorite songs?

The best place to go now, though, is to learn drum rudiments for beginners – read now. These are the “bread-and-butter” movements you’ll need to master to become a great drummer.

We kept things very basic in this guide, but when you start to shift notes and hits around slightly off the main beats, you can play some very cool grooves/patterns.

If you really want to level up your drumming, I highly recommend you use a drum practice/training app like Melodics – you’ll improve your rhythm and groove whether you use electronic/acoustic drums or want to finger drum.

But that’s all for now! Thanks for reading. I hope you found our complete beginner’s guide on how to play drums helpful!

Additional Resources

Related Drum Guides + Articles:

Time and Rhythm in Music Theory – Read Now
How to Tune a Drum Kit – Read Now

Resources for Drummers (affiliate links)

Drum Lesson Reviews

[COMING SOON]

Go Back to Main Drumming Learning Section