Learn To Play The Drums

Using
Beginners Headquarters

Hey guys & gals, if you're ready to learn to play the drums or improve on your beginning skills, then I'm very glad you're on this page because it has got resources straight from one of the best in the business.

My dad, who is the well of drumming knowledge behind what you'll find here, has been teaching drums for nearly 40 years, and a while after touring with The Who and then Paul Revere and the Raiders, he penned some well-circuited "Teach Yourself" drum set books.

He would never be this straightforward with his credentials himself, I know him, but that's why I make it my job to make sure you know just how good of hands you are in when you're checking out these lessons. So if you're looking to learn to play the drums you're in the right place.

Now the rest is up to you.

Drum Books For Beginners

If you're going to learn to play the drums it is important to have the right resources at your disposal. My dad started writing drum instruction books a couple decades ago and now has close to a dozen published with Mel Bay Publications, one of the best instrument education publishers out there. Here are a few of those books, targeted towards the beginning drummer, that can really provide you with valuable tools to learn to play drums.

You Can Teach Yourself Drums by James Morton This is my dad's most popular book, and for good reason. It comes with an extremely convenient audio CD that goes along with all the music inside and is very thorough and easy to understand. It is an exciting method of learning that is loaded with information that very clearly teaches the basics. (See more...)

Easiest Drum Set Book by James Morton This one's a real simple, easy to understand method for learning to play drum set. It's ideal for the beginning student of any age. (See more...)

Beginner Drum Music

Here we've gone through the entire sheet music library and sorted out all the songs that are most conducive to learning for beginners. They are the ones that will get you off and running with reading and playing sheet music. There is no better way to learn to play the drums well than by practicing and mastering actual songs, once you have the basics down of course. Click on the music stand below to see all the sheet music.

See All The Beginners Drum Charts

Or if you're really committed to learning and want to get a jump start with at least 10 charts check out the beginner chart books below. The package deals allow you to save big on your purchases.

Beginner Drum Music 10 Songs

Beginner Drum Music 20 Songs

Beginner Drum Music 30 Songs

Videos - Beginners Drum Lessons (see all Beginners Drum Lessons)

Sometimes, the easiest way to learn something is to see it done right in front of your eyes. This collection of free video drum lessons designed for beginners allows you to do just that. Learn to play the drums, from fundamental sticking patterns to shuffle beats, by following along with the sequence of video drum lessons below.

Paradiddles & The Big 5 Patterns

Countdown and Mix & Match

How To Play A Shuffle Beat

Articles - Drumming For Beginners (see all Beginners Drum Lessons)

One of the best ways to improve your skills and mature as a drummer is to draw on the wisdom and experience of others, people who have already been there and done that themselves. From useful basic knowledge to technical tips and inspiring stories, these articles will give you the jump start you need mentally to learn to play the drums or sharpen your current skills.

Reading and Playing Sheet Music

Reading Drum Music
Beginners new to drumming will benefit from learning about keeping good time, feel, and form....

Inspiration

The Night My Career Changed -- Mental Attitude
Let's go back three decades to an Italian restaurant/club called Lorenzo's. I'm a young energetic drummer, and I'm playing a nice cushy job six nights a week. The gig lasted over three years....

Self-Analysis at Lorenzo's -- Playing Relaxed
It was a Saturday night, and the place was jumping: lots of dancing, the room was full of smoke (this was the '70s), and drinking and carousing.... Honest self-analysis is one of the best things you can do your yourself, and when I was a young drummer, my way of doing that was....

Hone Your Skills -- Minimizing Weaknesses and Maximizing Strengths
...if you're at all serious about drumming, your goal should quite obviously be to minimize your weaknesses and have as many strengths as possible....

Drumming Is Dancing -- Inspiration from a Martiniquen Shirt
My wife and I were on the island of Martinique (where the merengue dance originated) more than 25 years ago, when we came upon this shirt...I asked the shopowner what the inscription (tambou ka dansˇ) meant...

Sound

The Properties Of Sound
It was a dark and stormy night. Suppose you heard a sound in the middle of the night that was later connected to a crime. A detective comes to interview you...

The Importance Of Vocalizing -- Engaging Multiple Senses
In 1979, the great violinist Isaac Stern visited China, to perform and give master classes. A young violinist was struggling through a musical passage...