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Search the teacher database to find local drum teachers, able to help you to learn to play the drums. We welcome students of all learning abilities, including complete beginners to attend drum lessons tailored to each student’s interests and learning requirements.
Complete Beginners Welcome
The drum teachers within the MusicTeacher.com community are able to help drummers of all learning abilities, including complete beginners who are starting out on the drums.
A students lessons will focus on helping them to learn the fundermental skills required to play the drums. As the complexity then increases teachers will start to draw upon the musical interests of the students, helping them to learn the songs that inspired them to pick up the sticks in the first place.
With such a diverse community of drummers we are able to offer lessons on almost every genre, helping students to develop to be competent drummers able to perform or simply enjoy drumming as a hobby.
Developing Proficient Drummers
For intermediate and more advanced drummers we are keen to help you kick on your drumming ability, by drawing up a wider range of musical genres and exploring new techniques to help you improve. This includes subjects such as Hybrid Drum Lessons.
If you have found that your drumming has become stale or you have started to fall out of love with that standard drumming you have played over and over again, then finding a teacher who can reinvigorate your playing can help relight that fire.
Some of the teachers within the community are also able to help you undertake graded drum exams should you be interested, as well as improve your stage performance and explore new aspects like hybrid drumming.
It is fairly common for the drum students that we teach to one day enter a studio to record with their band and therefore many of the teachers will be able to help you to learn how to drum within the studio environment, for example using a click track, understanding how different recording set-up affect the drum sound and ensuring that you perform under the recording pressure. No matter where you are with your drum playing there are teachers in this community who would be delighted to help you unlock that next level of your drumming.
Are Drums Easy to Learn to Play?
So are drums easy to learn to play? Think about your goals, consider what you would like to achieve behind the kit, set targets. If you want to have something fun to noodle on, drums may well be easy to learn. If you want to be one of the greats, I may be biased, but you are on the most fun instrument to pursue that goal. Either way, why not give it a go?
When people first find out that I am a drummer, their response is almost always “Oh, I could never do that. I am terrible at multi-tasking”. There are always parallels drawn between drumming and being able to engage in a plethora of different things all at once, but I have an admission to make. I am terrible at multi-tasking. I envy those that are able to put their mind to a multitude of different tasks, cooking whilst on a phone call, responding to emails whilst planning the weekend and brewing a cuppa. Anything that involves considering numerous things simultaneously makes my brain hurt.
Many people might think that this would make drumming very difficult but, as is the same with learning most new skills, there are many different approaches and pathways to take. I personally found that the types of music that I listened to automatically made certain rhythms seem comfortable and in some cases, when first sitting behind a drum kit, I was almost able to replicate these by ear. This has been quite a common phenomenon with new students, where a certain rhythm or pattern might click and settle quickly whereas others, ones that I may feel are more simple, could take longer.
We all have our unique approaches and influences and I often found that, as a teacher, doing a bit of detective work in the first few lessons can help me in discovering which route will be best to aid a student’s development. Some learners use notation in order to best understand, others may work best through continuous repetition. Some like to approach something for a while, distract their mind with something else and revisit it again later, whereas others may prefer to learn by ear.
We all have our different methods, and all progress in very different ways, leading to a world of diversity within the drumming community. Some people are prodigies from a very young age, some people take a long time to understand a concept, but once it has been processed they are very quick to advance.
When it comes to how ‘easy’ drums are to learn, it depends on what your goal is. If it is to pick up a simple beat on the kit, that would most likely be pretty easy and would definitely be a good start on your musical journey.
Your goal may be to learn a number of covers for a band, which could be more of a challenge, but you would have the added incentive of wanting to perform alongside others, which is a huge motivational tool. If you are looking to develop four-way independence, to understand metric modulation and be able to comfortably use complex subdivisions, these goals may not be so easy to grasp, but a huge benefit of the drum kit is that with each step you take forwards, each ability you gain, each technique you build and concept you understand, you build your drumming arsenal and are able to use the tools that you have amassed to develop your very own creative language!
We live in a time in which we have an advantage for learning skills. We have access to the internet, and alongside lessons, we are able to take inspiration from our favourite drummers, to observe their posture, read transcriptions of their beats and in some cases even take online lessons with them. We are closer than ever to the sources of our inspiration and it only takes a quick search of “Drum beat from ….” to begin our journey towards playing along to our favourite songs.
For me, the enjoyment factor of drums makes them easier to learn. Music from around the world often has a clear rhythm that allows me to jam along to a wide variety of genres, to glean a deeper understanding of different cultures through their use of dynamics, timing and more. What’s more, playing along to songs that we like can allow us to feel a part of the band, releasing endorphins and helping us connect with artists that we love. Learning drums has allowed me to play with other musicians and develop our practices together, taking inspiration from their rhythmic and melodic choices and applying them to my playing. I also love the fact that I will eternally be a student of the drums; as soon as I learn one concept, I can then consider dynamics, orchestration around the kit, pitch and more. Patterns can be basic to first learn, but are able to be used in an intermediate or advanced context, so there are no limits to exploration even with the most simplistic of rudiments.
Answer provided by James Sykes, a professional drum teacher.
Are you a drum teacher?
I am always keen to work with professional drum teachers based around the world, helping them to grow the numbers of students that they teacher either in-person or online.
Many of the drum teachers within this community joined by reaching out to me to talk about taking on more students or filling out the teacher application form. Once onboarded I have worked with them to create streams of drum students for them to teach, enabling them to grow their teaching businesses and establish sustainable careers is music education. If you are interested in joining our drum teaching community simply fill out the sign-up form and then we can arrange an interview.
When to start drum lessons – is it ever too early or too late?
I started taking drum lessons at age 14, after once again copying my brother. Having taken up every hobby he had pursued, every trend he got into and every instrument that he tried, on first getting behind his drum kit something clicked in my mind, and I was absolutely hooked.
I was glad that I started at this point, as I had had some prior musical experience and therefore understood a little about melody, rhythm and harmony giving me my own approach and style, but now having taught so many students of different ages and experience I feel that the best time to start drums is whenever you feel the urge.
Some parents may push their children into learning the drums, in which case the engagement and ability to absorb information may be reduced by the weight of expectation. As a teenager, I wanted to learn the drums for myself and therefore was willing to listen and learn from anyone with more experience than me in order to develop as quickly as possible.
Saying this, I currently teach students as young as 5 years old, some of whom are already demonstrating an innate sense of rhythm! Shorter lessons tend to be more productive for early years, with fun and simple patterns that keep them engaged and build enthusiasm. I have found that if patterns are quite long or technical, young students might become disheartened, but fortunately simple drum patterns (e.g right hand, left hand, right foot, right foot) are still applicable at a much later stage, even for professional musicians. This means that no matter how easy something may seem, these foundations are incredibly important!
For older students, I would fully endorse making friends within the drum community upon starting. Having a collective of people to act as mentors can help you move forwards no matter what stage you are at and I have often found that social media drum communities provide me with a platform to show what I’m working on, receive feedback and develop my practice. Facebook drum groups offer people from all walks of life a helpful space to find out what they can be working on, what gear to use, what techniques to avoid and much, much more.
Some things to factor in, regardless of age, are the practicalities and health side of drumming. Drumming can be a great way to improve your physical health, cognitive functioning, social life and more but it does come with some warnings! The drums can be very noisy, so ear-defenders are definitely recommended regardless of age. The noise can also cause problems with neighbours, so making sure that, upon starting, you either have a practice pad, soft surface or a place that you can occasionally practice without disrupting others, can make life a lot more simple. In honesty, a lot of the practice that I do just involves tapping on my legs along to music but nothing quite beats the feel of playing an actual kit! Also making sure that from the outset you don’t build in bad habits such as a slouched posture or holding the sticks with poor technique, can safe you a lot of discomfort as you continue your drumming journey.
The final thing I would say to potential drummers young, old or in-between, is do not think that there is only one way to learn the drums! A lot of first-time students will tell me that they are uncoordinated, that they can’t do multiple things at once, that they have trouble remembering which is their right or left hand and more. Do not be disheartened! Any good drum teacher will offer numerous ways to approach the kit, sometimes offering visual aids, demonstrating and repeating patterns, breaking things down into manageable chunks and demonstrating a variety of teaching methods to tailor lessons to each student. Drum teachers are patient, understanding and will have seen countless students with low self-confidence, but our goal is to truly understand what works best for you and change our teaching style accordingly. There is no rush, and learning a musical instrument is as much learning about ourselves as anything else.
Answer provided by James Sykes, a professional drum teacher.
Drum Classes
As well as searching through the teacher database you can also find one of our regional music hubs, where you will be able to find information about a professional drum teacher in your area.
Drum Centres in the United Kingdom
Barking:
Jarred Earlington is a professional drum teacher offering high quality lessons for students of all ages in Barking. His lessons are always built around you and you’ll learn the music that you love. For more information please visit Drum Lessons Barking.
Bath:
Ramone Clark is a professional drum teacher based in Bath. He is a passionate and professional Drummer with an array of experience in performing, recording and teaching. With a love for educating future musicians and playing at a professional level.
Birmingham:
Nathan England-Jones is an experienced drum teacher based in Birmingham, offering lessons to complete beginner students upwards. He has taught hundreds of hours of lessons over the years, giving him great insight into what works most effectively for helping students to learn to play the drums. To find out more about his lessons visit Drum Lessons Birmingham.
Bournemouth:
Conor Bell is a professional drum teacher based in Bournemouth, England. He offers individually tailored drum lessons, suitable to students from complete beginner levels upwards, both in-person and online. To find out more about his drum tuition visit Drum Lessons Bournemouth.
Brighton:
Sam Barnes has taught drums to students of all levels for many years. His individually tailored drum lessons are suited to students keen to learn through exploring multiple genres, styles and approaches to ensure they get the most out of their drum playing. To find out more about Sam’s lessons visit Drum Lessons Brighton.
Bristol:
Steve Burkewood has helped to teach students interested in developing their playing, from complete beginners to more advanced drummers. He has many years of teaching experience, to find out more about Steve’s tuition visit Drum Lessons Bristol.
Cambridge:
Lyle Broadhurst is a professional Drum teacher based in Cambridge offering high quality lessons for students of all ages. He prides himself on providing enjoyable lessons for all students. He thinks that enjoying what you learn is the key to making fast and good progress. To find out more please check out Drum Lessons Cambridge.
Canterbury:
Leo Luna is able to provide courses of drum lessons to students from complete beginners upwards. He covers a wide range of different musical styles, including contemporary rock and pop, helping his students to learn through the music that they are passionate about. You can read more about his drum tuition in Canterbury here.
Chesterfield:
David Banks is a professional drum teacher based in Chesterfield. He is an experienced player and performer who can help you learn how to play the drums in an enjoyable way. He teaches a wide range of styles for students of all ages.
Coventry:
Blaine Patterson is able to provide high-quality drum tuition to students of all ages, abilities and learning styles. He is an experienced drummer, having enjoyed working in various contexts including playing for Pop artists, CCM artists, Rock bands, Jazz ensembles, Big Bands and more. Visit Drum Lessons Coventry to read more about his drum tuition.
Cumbernauld:
Gary Gilmour is a drummer and drum teacher offering lessons in Cumbernauld, Scotland. He graduated with a Music Performance Diploma from the Academy of Music & Sound in 2014, before starting his drum teaching career tutoring students across a wide range of different musical genres.
Derby:
Liam Foster is a professional drum teacher offering high quality lessons in the Derby area for students of all ages in a wide range of styles. He teaches beginners all the way to advanced players.
Ealing:
Ivor Strickland is a drum teacher offering lessons in Ealing, London. He can help students of all ages, across a wide range of different learning levels. You can find out more about his drum lessons in Ealing here.
Edgware:
Laurie Lowe has worked with some of the top musicians in the UK, Europe and the USA in various genres of music such as Jazz, Funk, Soul, Latin, Rock, World-music, to name a few. This wide range of different genres that he has studied enables him to provide lessons that are individually tailored to each one of his student’s individual learning interests. You can find out more about his drum tuition in Edgware here.
Edinburgh:
Bruno Piedigrosso is a drum teacher based in Edinburgh offering individually tailored drum lessons, help his students to learn music from a wide range of styles such as rock, pop, funk, metal, jazz and much more. He teaches students in-person, as well as online, as suits the student.
Glasgow:
Jack Smith has many years teaching and performing experience. He can help students from beginner levels upwards, working with each student individually to build the core skills required to play the drums proficiently. To read more about Jack’s drum lessons visit Drum Lessons Glasgow.
Greenwich:
Robert is a professional drum teacher and musician based in Greenwich offering high quality drum lessons for both beginners and advanced learners. During your lessons together you will learn the styles and genres that you love and every lesson will be built around your goals. For more information visit Drum Lessons Greenwich.
Guildford:
Russell Bradley can help students of all levels, including complete beginners to excel in their drum playing through carefully planned lessons. His focus on helping his students to develop their playing by mastering the core principles of drumming has enabled him to help students interested in many different musical genres rapidly improve their playing. To find out more visit Drum Lessons Guildford.
Kent
Jamie Parker has successfully taught drums privately since 2018 and is happy to provide references. He teaches children and adults alike and is Enhanced DBS Verified. For more information please check out Drum Lessons Kent.
Leeds:
Oliver Watson studied at Leeds Conservatoire (formerly Leeds College of Music), specialising in drumming. He has been drumming for almost 15 years, and has experience playing live across Leeds and beyond as a professional drummer. His dedicated drum lessons focus on helping his students learn the technical aspects of playing the drums in a way that is fun and relevant to their preferred playing style. You can read more about his tuition by visiting Drum Lessons Leeds.
Leicester:
Dan Ristic holds a BA Hons in popular music from the University of Northampton, a Grade 8 Drumming certificate, an A level in music as well as a vast amount of touring and real-world experience. He can help students of all learning abilities, offering drum lessons in Leicester from a dedicated drum studio in the city center.
Liverpool:
Gerald William has focused his teaching on providing his students the ability to express and convey themselves behind the drums, whether that means expanding their vocabulary to freely improvise with other musicians or helping them have fun playing along to their favourite songs. He is able to help complete beginners to more advanced students develop and improve their drumming through his dedicated tuition. You can read more about Gerald’s drum tuition by visiting Drum Lessons Liverpool.
London:
Karl Morgan provides drum lessons in London to students of all ages. He welcomes complete beginners, as well as more advanced drummers to progress their drumming ability through carefully planned lessons, focused on helping students to learn the music that inspired them to want to play drums.
Margate:
Victoria Smith has performed alongside bands such as M.I.A, The XX, Soulwax, Jamie T, Miles Kane, Glasvegas, The Big Pink and many more during her time as a professional drummer. Drawing on all of this experience she is able to help develop her student’s drumming ability, building courses of lessons suited to each individual student. Click here to find out more about her drum tuition in Margate.
Manchester:
Peter Simons is a professional drum teacher based in Manchester, offering drum tuition to students of all learning abilities including complete beginners. You can find out more about his drum lessons by visiting Drum Lessons Manchester.
Nottingham:
James Sykes offers lessons to students based in Nottingham, helping both beginners and more advanced students to progress on the drums through individually tailored courses of lessons. Click here find out more about his drum tuition in Nottingham.
Oxford:
Cathy Ife is a professional drum teacher based in Oxford offering high quality drum lessons for both adults and children. Cathy covers the genres of pop and rock and her goal is to give students the confidence to drum and to be excited in what they have achieved. To read more about her lessons, please check out Drum Lessons Oxford.
Sheffield:
Tom Warner has been teaching drummers for many years, working with each of his students to help them develop an understanding of how to play the drums. His approach takes students through a course of lessons that improves both their technical playing and also their theoretical understanding of how to approach playing the drums. To read more about his lessons visit Drum Lessons Sheffield.
Southampton:
Jack Grossman is an experienced drum teacher based in Southampton, England. He is able to help drummers of all learning abilities, including complete beginners, to progress their drum playing through individually tailored drum lessons. To find out more about his lessons visit Drum Lessons Southampton.
Stratford:
Karl Morgan is a professional drum teacher based in Stratford, London, able to offer mobile drum lessons to students in the surrounding area. You can find out more about his drum tuition by visiting the Drum Lessons Stratford page.
Sunderland:
Andrew Sheldon is able to help drummers of all ages, working closely with them to develop their playing. His approach to teaching enables students to learn the styles and genres that they enjoy listening to, while exploring areas of music that perhaps they have not encountered before. Visit Drum Lessons Sunderland to find out more about his dedicated drum classes.
Tottenham:
Rhys Fleming is a professional Drum teacher based in Tottenham offering the chance to learn to play the drums. His lessons are built around your personal interests and the genres and styles that you enjoy. Find out more by visiting Drum Lessons Tottenham.
Upminster:
Drum Lessons Upminster is a great place to learn to play the drums with professional drum teacher Ben Bashi. Ben is an experienced player and touring artist offering high quality drum lessons in the area.
Woking:
Kameron Ponce is a professional drum teacher based in Woking, offering tuition to students of all abilities, including complete beginners. To find out more about his drum tuition visit Drum Lessons Woking.
York:
Craig Hill has been teaching drums to students based in and around York for many years. His approach to teaching is student lead, meaning that his students learn by playing the music that inspired them to pick up the sticks in the first place. Visit Drum Lessons York to read more about his drum tuition.
Drum Centres in the USA
Find drum teachers based across the United States of America, ordered by states:
Florida
Daytona Beach:
Gregg Eckersen is an experienced drum teacher based in Daytona Beach, Florida. He welcomes students of all learning abilities, helping to develop them into confident drummers with good technical ability. To find out more about his drum lessons visit Drum Lessons Daytona Beach.
Drum Centres in Europe
Berlin:
Barney Riley is an experienced player and drum teacher offering high quality lessons in the city of Berlin. His lessons are always enjoyable and students of all ages are welcome to take his lessons. Lessons are conducted in English and or German (German language page can be read here: Schlagzeugunterricht Berlin.