More Coming Soon!
Over the past few months, I’ve combed through probably 2-3 dozen online learning resources for learning how to play drums and percussion. Why you ask? I want to take the research out of the equation for you.
And so, In this article, my aim is to provide you with a resource for the absolute best online drum instruction resources by eliminating the flops, highlighting the winners and also calling out specific niches of instruction available online.
Below, I’ve broken out various online resources into categories, so that you can quickly get to the content you’re looking for. I’ve combed through a lot of content which I don’t find particularly helpful and have omitted it from this list, which means in this article you’ll primarily find courses which I find to be good quality.
General Drumming
There are TONS of resources out there geared towards the beginning drummer. Some are great! Some…not so great. Below are a few of my favorites:
Liberty Park Music
is not the most flashy website and/or program out there, and doesn’t focus on ‘star power’ as you won’t find celebrity drummers on the site. But I think THAT’S WHAT MAKES THIS PROGRAM GREAT! Instruction is intimate, easy to follow and thorough. They care about musicality and also offer instruction in other instruments. So, while it’s not the most popular and flashy…it might just be the most effective and least distracting.
Drumeo.com has evolved into the world’s premier resource for drumming education, winning both Modern Drummer and Drum! magazines best educational website awards. There is tons of free content to browse including videos, articles and podcasts. They are even expanding into their own product lines for drummers.
180Drums.com is a very reputable portal containing tons of drum instruction from an impressive array of very talented drummers and educators. Lessons are very nicely categorized and are primarily video-based, with very good audio/video quality. You can view 40 lessons for free and upgrade to a paid account for less than $10/month, which is a very good value.
Jazz Drumming:
The art of jazz drumming has long mystified a lot of drummers, especially as beginners as it is one of the most complex and free form styles to play. Luckily, ArtistWorks has put together a wonderful course taught by Peter Erskine, who is one of the world’s best at the craft. He breaks it down nicely and starts from the very bottom to build a strong foundation for more complex lessons later. Definitely worth checking out if you want to improve your jazz chops.
Rudemental/Marching Drumming
Coming Soon!
Notable Mentions
LinkedIn Learning (fromerly Lynda.com) has some very good courses for beginning drummers, including the basics of drumming and drum set notation. What’s more, LinkedIn Learning has a MASSIVE library of other courses on just about any other topic you might want to learn about. Want to learn a new career? How to become a blogger? Learn how to code? It’s all here and definitely worth checking out.