NEW - Drum Set Lesson Library

Kick off your drum set playing right with engaging and expert instruction. You'll learn how to read rhythms a variety of ways and perform your first beats by the end of this course.

Overview

Learn one of the most fun and impactful instruments in the world: drum set! From rock bands to movie music, drum set will have you playing music that you love.

This video library is perfect for:
  • First-time drum set players ready to kick off their first beats
  • All players interested in self-paced, authentic instruction
In this library you’ll learn:
  • How to start learning drum set even without drums
  • How to coordinate your hands with your feet easily
  • How to play with good technique you'll be able to continue to build on

Curriculum

Drum Set Level 1

By Mckenna Reeve
  • 0 Lessons
  • Mckenna Reeve
  • Here's Where to Start!
  • Introduction
  • Building a Backbeat with Hands
  • Adding Your Foot
  • Trying Some Variations
  • Transfer Backbeat to Drums
  • Play Along! - Slow Tempo
  • Play Along! - Medium Tempo
  • Grid Notation
  • Bass Drum Variations 1
  • Bass Drum Variations 2
  • Snare Drum Variations 1
  • Snare Drum Variations 2
  • Kinesthetic Awareness
  • Set-Up
  • Hardware Setup
  • Reviewing Names
  • Hand Technique
  • Singles, Doubles and Paradiddles
  • Foot Technique
  • Intro to Grooves
  • Pop 1
  • Playing with Bass
  • Rock 2
  • Hip-Hop 1
  • Trap
  • Country 1
  • Country 2
  • What are Hits?
  • Hits - Example on Beat 4
  • Hits - On 1+2+3+4
  • Form
  • Fills 1
  • Fills 2
  • How is a Fill Used?
  • Echo Exercises
  • Call and Response
  • Improvisation on Drums
  • Playing Over Form versus "Open" Solo
  • Practicing Playing Over Form
  • Beatboxing
  • Learning by Ear
  • Try it!-Level 1 Bass Drum, Snare Drum
  • Try it!-Level 2 Bass Drum, Snare Drum, High Hat
  • Try it!-Level 3 Full
  • Writing it Out
  • Try it with Songs you Like!
  • Cross Stick
  • High Hat Lift
  • Ride Bell
  • Rim Shot
  • Triple Meter Backbeat
  • Triple Meter Notation
  • Subdivision
  • One Drop
  • Soca 1
  • Soca 2
  • 16th Note Funk 1
  • 16th Note Funk 2
  • 16th Note Funk 3
  • 16th Note Funk Composition
  • Listening
  • Switching Up Tones 1
  • Switching Up Tones 2
  • Make A Groove
  • Rudiments - Flams
  • Rudiments - Drags
  • Rudiments - Double Stroke Roll
  • Rudiments - Buzz Roll
  • Backbeat Grid 1 - Moving the Snare Beat Around
  • Backbeat Grid 2 - Moving the Bass Beat Around
  • Tips for Grooves
  • Tips for Building Coordination
  • Tips for Practice
  • Drum Solo 1
  • Drum Solo 2

Drum Set Level 2

By Nick Costa
  • 76 Lessons
  • Nick Costa
  • Here's Where to Start
  • Course Introduction
  • Reading Drum Notation
  • Establishing the Groove with the Feet
  • Adding in the Hands - Metronome Play-along
  • Adding in the Hands - Backing Track Play-along
  • 8th Note Subdivision on the Ride
  • 8th Note Grooves - Connecting Patterns
  • Groove 2 - 4 On the Floor - Play Along
  • Groove 3 - Play Along
  • Groove 4 - Play Along
  • Groove 5 - Play Along
  • Groove 6 - Play Along
  • Groove 7 - Play Along
  • Groove 8 - Play Along
  • Groove 9 - Play Along
  • Groove 10 - Play Along
  • Groove 11 - Play Along
  • Alternating Bell/Bow of the Ride
  • Challenge - Alternating Bell-Bow of Ride
  • Introduction to Common Rudiments
  • The Flam
  • Single Paradiddle
  • Paradiddle-diddle
  • 4-Stroke Ruff
  • 6 Stroke Roll
  • Orchestrating 8th Note Fills
  • 16th Note Fills
  • Orchestrating 16th Note Fills
  • Orchestrating Fills Using 8th and 16th Notes
  • Orchestrating Fills Using Flams
  • Orchestrating Fills Using the Single Paradiddle
  • Orchestrating Fills Using the Paradiddle-Diddle
  • Orchestrating Fills Using the 4 Stroke Ruff
  • Orchestrating Fills Using the 6 Stroke Roll
  • Creating Your Own Fills Using What You Know
  • Combining Grooves with Fills Challenge
  • Groove 1 Play Along
  • Groove 2 Play Along
  • Groove 3 Play Along
  • Groove 4 Play Along
  • Groove 5 Play Along
  • Groove 6 Play Along
  • Groove 7 Play Along
  • Groove 8 Play Along
  • Groove 9 Play Along
  • Groove 10 Play Along
  • Groove 11 Play Along
  • Challenge - Opening the Hi-Hat on all "Up Beats"
  • Groove 1 Play Along
  • Groove 2 Play Along
  • Groove 3 Play Along
  • Groove 4 Play Along
  • Groove 5 Play Along
  • Groove 6 Play Along
  • Groove 7 Play Along
  • Groove 8 Play Along
  • Groove 9 Play Along
  • Groove 10 Play Along
  • Groove 11 Play Along
  • Challenge 1 - Opening the Hi-Hat on "Up Beats"
  • Challenge 2 - Playing the Rhythm One Handed
  • Groove 1 Play Along
  • Groove 2 Play Along
  • Groove 3 Play Along
  • Groove 4 Play Along
  • Groove 5 Play Along
  • Groove 6 Play Along
  • Groove 7 Play Along
  • Groove 8 Play Along
  • Groove 9 Play Along
  • Groove 10 Play Along
  • Groove 11 Play Along
  • Reverse the Rhythm - 8th/16th Note Grooves
  • Challenge 1 - Opening the Hi-Hat on "Up Beats"
  • Challenge 2 - Playing the Rhythm One Handed
  • Introduction
  • Jazz Time Fundamentals - Lock in With the Bass
  • Jazz Time Fundamentals - Skip Note
  • Jazz Time Fundamentals - Comping
  • Swung 8th Notes
  • Shuffle Grooves
  • How to Practice Effectively
  • The Moeller Technique
  • Ride Cymbal Variations
  • Hi-Hat Variations
  • Setting Up the Kit to You
  • Be Sure to Dance
  • Performance 1
  • Performance 2
  • Performance 3
  • Jazz Performance 1
  • Jazz Performance 2

Instructors

Mckenna Reeve

Drummer Mckenna Reeve (she/her) is a versatile performer in genres ranging from rhythm changes to rock and roll on instruments including drumset, vibraphone, and world percussion. She received her Bachelors in Jazz Studies in 2020 and her Masters in Jazz Composition in 2022, both from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Her debut album Lavender Skies and Golden Plains was released in May of 2022–it features original jazz compositions for a variety of instrumentations, and can be found on Bandcamp. Mckenna has shared the stage with Grammy-nominated poet Faylita Hicks and jazz composer Ben Boone as part of the Nobody Promised You Tomorrow: Art 50 Years After Stonewall Exhibition (October 2021). She can also be heard on No Hands Brass Band’s EP Off the Curb (2021), as well as live with Veronica May and the Magnetics, the Julie Koenig Trio, No Hands, and more. An active composer and educator, Mckenna has written for UNC’s Lab I, II, and III and their jazz festival All Star Band and maintains a private studio of drumset students. She can be found teaching, writing, and performing in the northern Colorado area, where she currently resides. More information can be found at https://www.mckennareevemusic.com/

Nick Costa

Nick Costa is an educator based out of Philadelphia, a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) candidate, and a member of the Percussive Arts Society’s Drum Set Committee. He is also an independent drummer, clinician, and drum technician, with both national and international touring experience. Nick has focused on providing ways to integrate drum set studies into K-12 Music curriculum, and is an active session musician engineering and recording drum tracks remotely from his studio. As an educator, Nick has focused on providing ways to integrate drum set studies into k-12 music curriculum to bridge the gap between general and instrumental music studies. He has also played a pivotal role in integrating “Modern Band” curriculum for the School District of Philadelphia by creating relationships with Conn-Selmer, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks, Remo Heads, The Recording Academy (Grammy’s), and Little Kids Rock, to outsource all 220 schools with drum sets. The School District of Philadelphia’s music education model is what motivated the Pennsylvania Department of Education to create and implement “Modern Band” into the State’s music curriculum. Additionally, Nick has also written and recorded lessons for Modern Drummer Magazine, and the Percussive Arts Society’s Rhythm!Scene. As a performer, Nick is actively performing throughout the Philadelphia region with various groups ranging from rock, to jazz trios and big bands, to being a first call musician for local theater groups and schools for their annual musicals. Nick was also a candidate for the Mamma Mia and Green Day’s American Idiot National Broadway Tours. Currently, Nick has been active as a session musician recording and engineering drum tracks remotely for various artists including Shane Henderson (Valencia), and MAHANA (Iranian Pop star on NAVAHANG records). Nick also teaches privately, has facilitated workshops helping educators learn the drum set, and has been praised by numerous producers including Mike Watts (The Dear Hunter, Story of the Year) Steve Haigler (Brand New’s Deja Entendu, Fuel’s Sunburn, The Pixies), Jason Elgin (Collective Soul, Terrible Things), Fred Mascherino (The Color Fred, Taking Back Sunday), John Naclerio (Brand New, My Chemical Romance) and Eric Plesha (Cobra Starship, Valencia) for his consistency and energy while recording. Nick is an educational artist for Ludwig Drums, Vic Firth Sticks, Zildjian Cymbals, Remo drumheads, and Prologix Percussion.

FAQ

  • Can I teach myself to play the drum set?

    With proper instruction, you can teach yourself to play the drum set. MusicProfessor’s step-by-step process will not only assist you in teaching yourself, it will provide you with an easy way to get started playing the songs you love.

  • Is drum set easy to learn?

    With proper instruction, the drum set is easy to learn. All instruments require practice to develop good sound and technique, and drum set is no exception. MusicProfessor’s drum set library is easy to follow, provides expert demonstrations, and is self-paced, which means you can watch videos when it is convenient for you, and rewatch lessons as often as you need to until you fully absorb the content.

  • Can I learn drum set without a teacher?

    It can be challenging to learn an instrument without proper guidance. This is why MusicProfessor is a great way to get started learning the drum set. Not only is MusicProfessor more affordable than in-person lessons, the teacher is an expert in drum set education and will guide you step-by-step, at your own pace and on your own schedule.

  • Can you be too old to play the drum set?

    You cannot be too old to learn to play the drum set. In fact, learning to play the drum set can help your body maintain its precision dexterity and keep your mind malleable. Learning to play an instrument is a great way to keep your body and mind young.

  • Can I learn drum set from home?

    You can learn drum set from home on any device with a browser. Simply login to MusicProfessor and practice along with the easy to follow video curriculum.

  • Can I really learn drum set online?

    You really can learn drum set online! Learning online is affordable, and the curriculum is self paced, which means you can watch videos when it is convenient for you, and rewatch lessons as often as you need to until you fully absorb the content.