Best Drum Lesson Resources Online

Scouring the web for quality drumming content can be quite tiresome. You know the information is out there but how do you know what’s actually a good resource? That’s why we’ve decided to collect all the best online drum lesson resources and sort them into one convenient list. Most of the links in this collection will feature lots of totally free drum lessons with the option to sign up for more paid content. Let’s crack on with the list.

DrummerWorld is one of the longest established drumming websites out there. On the front page is a list of hundreds of famous drummers from every era, from the early 20th century to today. Clicking on one of the drummer links brings the user to a full biography complete with information about their musical background and history. You can also find samples of the drummer in question’s playing, whether that be on famous albums or live solos. It was founded by Bernhard Castiglioni who is a drummer himself, based in Switzerland.

DrummerWorld is also home to one of the most active drum forums on the internet. On this forum you will find sub-categories such as “General Discussion”, Drummers”, “Drum Technique” and “Drum Gear”.

These are great online resources for all drummers from beginner to advanced. The forum is thriving with knowledgeable musicians who are happy to help. You can browse the site using the search function or you can sign up and contribute to the discussions.

If you have any queries that you are struggling with, simply post a new thread in an appropriate sub-section and you’ll start to get replies from all over the world.

A drum forum like this can be invaluable when you are looking at purchasing new drum equipment. Take a look at the “Drum Gear” section for a taster of the equipment talk, alternatively, if you need advice on paradiddles and rudiments check out the “Drum Technique” section.

Drumeo is an educational drumming website started by Canadian drummer Jared Falk. Falk made his name in drum education by posting informative clips to YouTube in the mid to late 2000’s. Following a surge of popularity he decided to move the format into a more formal setting and named it “Drumeo”. Since then Drumeo has gained huge traction across the internet and has become one of the most popular drum websites out there.

One of Drumeo’s main selling points is that it constantly manages to showcase drumming talent. They regularly host masterclasses with some of the biggest names in drumming. Guest tutors include Dennis Chambers and Eric Moore.

Famous drummers are invited to come to the Drumeo studios and share their experiences and tips with the audience. The great thing is that a lot of the content is totally free. Sometimes the teachers will give acoustic drum lessons and other times they will be teaching electronic drum lessons.

There are many lessons covering topics such as Moeller technique and heel-toe exercises.

The Drumeo crew also go into more detail with paid extras on their website, which you can sign up for. There’s also a huge catalog of past material for you to browse through.

Drummers who are fans of social media will do well to follow @DrumTipsForum. This twitter handle regularly posts links to some of the best drumming content such as free drum lessons and advanced drum techniques.

The convenience of having all this info in a tweet means you can favorite the ones you like and revisit them at a time that suits. Tweets are usually anything from short video clips, interesting drum fills, free online drum lessons, product reviews and recommendations, and much more.

It’s the perfect way to get interesting bite-size chunks of drumming info conveniently. Give DrumTipsForum a follow on Twitter.

Mike Johnson started posting videos on YouTube over ten years ago, just for kicks. Now he’s a professional touring drummer and clinician. His channel has gained almost 150,000 subscribers and he has been invited to play with some of the most prestigious names in drumming. Mike has always posted lots of online free drum lessons. Now it’s gotten to the stage that he is a full-time professional and has dedicated his life to drum education.

Mike has a ton of drum lessons for beginners, intermediate players, and also professionals.

He likes to post short but tasty snippets of his lessons on YouTube with the invitation to click through to his main website, where you can sign up for more. Mike is a great teacher with a huge passion for music which is evident in this teaching style and playing. His style is similar to many Gospel drummers, with a bit of Benny Greb thrown in for good measure.

Kev O’Shea is a professional drummer based in Ireland. His website has a huge section which hosts some highly sought after drum transcriptions and free drum lessons.

Transcriptions range from famous drum intros such as Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” to stone cold classics such as Steve Gadd’s playing on “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”. All drum transcriptions are written in standard drum music notation, as opposed to drum tabs, so it will help you immensely to even have the slightest grasp of written music.

Fans of advanced linear drumming will find the drum transcriptions particularly useful on this site. There are detailed transcriptions of highly complex drum parts from gospel drummers like Eric Moore, Tony Royster Jr., Chris Coleman as well as the long-established studio legends like Dave Weckl, Vinnie Colaiuta, Jojo Mayer, Thomas Lang, and Jeff Porcaro.

Bear in mind that this is not necessarily a website for total beginner drummers. A lot of the information contained within is quite advanced, so they will suit many experienced drummers looking for a challenge or two. Also on the website, Kev has a range of books on learning to read drum music and advanced drumming techniques. If you’re looking for drum learning software, check out “Groove Vault”, which is a free drumming app for iOS and Android.

Drum Channel is the brainchild of Don Lombardi. Lombardi made his name by founding the infamous DW drum brand. Don set up the website in the early 2000’s and has grown it since then.

Drum Channel really is the blueprint for a lot of educational drum websites. Celebrity drummer Terry Bozzio works a lot with Drum Channel too. Since the early days Terry has been inviting celebrity drummers in his studios to play in music collaborations and talk about the industry.

Terry is a great interviewer with lots of knowledge on the subject and a huge passion for the instrument. For this reason he is able to get his guests to part with some really valuable advice for drummers of all ages and abilities.

The one downside to Drum Channel is that the majority of content is behind a paywall so you will have to shell out some cash to get your hands on all the premium content. You can choose to pay $4 a month to gain access to the entertainment package. $14 a month will give you access to entertainment and lessons. This works out cheaper if you pay annually.

In our experience, it’s a steal and well worth the money.

Stephen Taylor is another drummer who has made a huge mark on YouTube since launching his channel. Taylor has a great ability to break down complex concepts into more palatable terms. He covers everything from drum technique, fill creativity, live playing, timing issues, and lots more.

Taylor has a huge catalog of videos which are split into different sections. There are tons of beginner lessons which will take you through the basics when getting to grips with drumming.

For more advanced players might want to check out his series on John Bonham. This series is one of the most comprehensive out there on the legendary drummer of Led Zeppelin. He takes us through getting that quintessential Bonham drum sound and how to execute those blistering drum parts.

Also, for those that play a lot of gigs live, Taylor discusses techniques which are highly beneficial to increasing confidence on the drums. There’s something for everyone on his channel – check it out.

The Pearl Drummers Forum is one of the largest drum forums on the internet. Pearl is a drum company with a huge name in drumming and have been crafting drums, cymbals, and hardware for many generations now. This forum is not restricted to Pearl drums, although it does excel in detail here.

The forum is made up of almost 50,000 drummers and musicians with nearly 5 million posts on drum topics of an extremely wide range. If you’re a fan of Pearl drums, then this is the place to get your info. There are sub-sections dedicated to different models of Pearl drum kits.

Members regularly post free drum lessons and chip in with tips and advice for other players. There are sub-forums dedicated to topics such as “Cymbal Talk”, “Vintage Drums”, “Gig Info”, “Drum Corp” and even “Keyboard Percussion.

Whatever your line of curiosity, you’re sure to find the answer here.