Here you will learn the names of each of the parts of the drum kit and what their roles are....
Step 1
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable. Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 2
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
Learning to read music can help you to understand music on a wider scale. This skill set will unlock a gateway to millions of songs and ideas that would otherwise be unaccessible. Like any new process, it will be confusing to begin with, but with time it will make sense and become easier to understand.
You may even find that you quite enjoy it eventually!
Step 1
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable. Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 2
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
Rudiments are the foundations to everything that we do as drummers. In the same way that other instruments work with scale, we use rudiments. In short these are different combinations of right and left hand patterns that enable us to move around the drum kit quickly and efficiently.
Step
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
Watch the video demonstrations below
Step 4
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
During this module we will look at the basic technique required for balanced and efficient drumming.
This includes sitting correctly behind the drum kit as well as the positioning of both the hands and feet. These finer details are the difference between crashing away or playing with a flow. It can also be very difficult to build hand speed and to sustain it for longer periods without good technique.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
You can try playing in front of a mirror or recording yourself and watching it back.
Throughout this whole process you can adopt the view that it is far better to do something the right way than it is to play quickly. Speed comes with good technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module looks further into reading music and in more detail at the first note values we will use. Music is very much like maths with pieces/songs being broken down into bars with each bar containing a specified amount of notes. Information at the beginning of a piece of music will detail the total amount of beats to be placed within each bar. This information forms the basis of structure and timing throughout the piece.
When working through this module, try to break down a note value to identify:
What it is called? There will often be more than one name for a particular note, for example a Crotchet can also be know as a Quarter note.
It's value (How much of the bar it takes up)
What it looks like as well as the similarities and differences that it shares with other notes
How it sounds. This can be achieved with musical counting, using syllables such as musical fruits and finally the sound achieved when it is played aloud on the drum. All of these aspects will be unpacked further as the course progresses.
Lastly, you will need to consider the voicing that is required. This can be achieved by using the 'Code breaker' or 'Notation key' found earlier in the course. The positioning of note values on the stave as well as the 'note head' detail what particular part of the kit is required.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module continues where the last module 'Note Values' finished. This is where aspects such as musical counting or musical fruits are discussed in more detail.
As you begin to understand this aspect you will find that it begins to unlock a world of music notation that will slowly begin to make sense!
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
Now that you have begun to gain an understanding of note values and musical counting, this module will explore moving between some of these notes. In this case we are using Crotchets and Quavers (Quarter and Eighth notes). It is important to understand and to hear how each of these note values sound and how the transitions between them are achieved.
A great tool to use here is a Metronome!
A metronome is a clicking machine that keeps a steady beat (set by you at your chosen tempo). If you don't own a metronome then you can find one simply by searching the word 'metronome' on Google or other search engines.
You can experiment by combining different aspects of the previous modules covered, for example you could try the transitions using different rudiments or by increasing the tempo whilst ensuring that you keep correct technique.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 4
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
You will now have some knowledge of note values and in this module you will learn and begin to understand how each note value or note shape can relate and fit into one another.
The main concept here is that there is a set amount of space within a piece of music. The piece is broken into individual bars and these bars are given a time signature. The time signature tells us how many beats are in each bar as well as what type of beats (we will discuss this aspect further in the future).
If a bar of music has 4 beats in it, then it can have any combination of note values as long as the total adds up to 4 beats. For example, 4 Crotchet beats, 8 Quaver beats or 16 Semiquaver beats.
It is also often the case that these note values can be mixed to form combinations, such as:
2 Crotchet beats and 4 Quaver beats
8 Semiquavers, 2 Quavers and 1 Crotchet.
etc...
We must also remember that we always value rests in the same way that we do audible notes.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
Now that you have lots of theory and technique knowledge, this is where you get to put it all into practice.
This is the first place that you will see two different instruments playing together written on the stave as well as beginning to tackle the coordination involved with using your hands and feet together...
The fun starts here!
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
You can watch the individual video demonstrations below
Step 4
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
Now that you have worked through the Crotchet Rhythm exercises and begun to get a feel for the coordination involved, you can move on to look at these Quaver Rhythms.
You can view them as an extension of the crotchet rhythms. For example, exercise 7 shares the same crotchet pattern as exercise 4 but with added quavers on the hihat.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
Watch the video demonstrations below
Step 4
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
You will now see how each module feeds into the next. In this module we are taking the Quaver Rhythms that we looked at previously and extending them. Rather than playing with 2 beats in each bar as we have done until now, here we begin to look at 4 beats in a bar.
What we are referring to here is the amount of notes or note shapes. Remember this is not the total amount of shapes across each of the different voices (drums) within the bar as it is possible to have multiple sounds playing at the same time. It is the total number of beats as we move across the bar horizontally regardless of whether there is more than 1 sound being played.
In basic terms, we could simply take two of the 2 beat Quaver rhythms from the previous module and put them together to make one 4 beat rhythm.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
Watch the video demonstrations below
Step 4
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module looks at keeping a steady beat on the bass drum whilst playing a beat. This can be a powerful effect when looking to build anticipation or drive a piece of music along. It is often referred to as playing '4 on the floor' implying 4 bass bass drums within the bar.
This can be confusing as the Lo Tom can also be called the Floor Tom. In this case the 'floor' is implying the bass drum.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
Watch the video demonstrations below
Step 4
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
In this module we look at bringing in more Snare drums within a groove. This can be used in a similar way to the 4 on the floor approach seen previously with the bass drum.
This type of groove can be heard within a wide range of musical styles from Soul and Motown through to Punk and Metal. Often, the voicing (sounds used) such as open or closed hihats as well as tempo changes can affect how the groove feels and is subsequently heard by the listener.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
Watch the video demonstrations below
Step 4
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
A lot of the grooves that we hear in our day to day lives are in 4/4 time. This means that we have varying combinations of note values across the 4 beats within a bar.
In this module we look at adding quaver bass drums. Quavers can be used in pairs as well as separately. When used separately you will be familiar wo9th the single line joining the two notes. When used individually it is important to complete the bar by using rests. These quaver rests mean that half of the usual pair of quavers is now silent. We still value it but we do not play it.
For example, where a pair of quavers may play '1 +' if we were to see a quaver rest followed by a single quaver we would then count this as 'rest +'. When played in this way, we are resting 'on the beat' and playing 'off the beat' or playing the 'up beat'.
When a single quaver is played followed by a quaver rest it can be more confusing on the drums. The reason being that we do not control sustain or how long a note rings on the drums in the same way that you can on a trumpet, guitar or piano etc. These instruments would play the first single quaver and rest the second part creating a shorter sounding note. When played on a drum this would sound the same as a single Crotchet.
If you have access to an instrument with sustain, it would be a good idea to compare the differences in length of notes with a drum and that instrument.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
Watch the video demonstrations below
Step 4
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
In this module we look at introducing cymbals to grooves. Cymbals can affect the tone of a groove and used sympathetically can really add to a groove and piece of music.
In this case we focus on the impact that a crash cymbal can have both at the start and end of a bar.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
Or you can watch the individual video demonstrations below
Step 4
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module continues to look at the impact that the crash cymbal can have within a groove.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
Watch the video demonstrations below
Step 4
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
As a drummer we can be very versatile and it is with this in mind it is good to have an understanding of a variety of different musical styles.
There are certain rules within styles that will become clearer as you progress. For example, grooves played using the crash cymbal are likely to be found within styles such as Rock or Metal. Jazz often uses a distinctive pattern on the Hihat or Ride cymbal etc.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
Watch the video demonstrations below
Step 4
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
In this module we extend the patterns that we are playing further than just 1 bar.
We started with 2 beat rhythms and then extended to 4 beat rhythms. You can think of this 2 bar phrase as an 8 bar rhythm. In short, it is 2 different 4 beat bars that are placed one after another and then repeated as a group of 2.
This idea is used to create a little more interest within a groove and to move away from constant one bar repetition.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
Or watch the individual video demonstrations below
Step 4
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
The temptation when sitting behind a drum kit is to play everything as fast and as loud as you can however, this is not always what is needed.
This module looks at how less can sometimes be more and how certain musical styles require this approach.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
Watch the video demonstrations below
Step 4
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
As you continue through this learning process, you will be bombarded with a whole range of new words and meanings.
Some of these will be official musical terms and others will be abbreviations or common interpretations.
The module below looks at some of the musical terms that you will or may come across. You may have also realised by now that words such as 'groove', 'beat' or 'rhythm' are often used to describe playing a repetitive pattern on the drum kit.
There will also be lots of confusing situations where slightly different notation can be used. Always check the Notation key for the piece that you are working on if there is one.
You will also have seen by now that even the names of drums can vary such as a bass drum being called a kick drum or a lo tome being called a floor tom.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
As with the previous module looking at definitions within music, this module explores musical markings that you may come across in your learning.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This first of four pieces provides opportunity to test your musical reading and ability to transition between a variety of note values.
Be sure to read the instructions at the top of the piece, particularly the use of crosses to represent 'stick clicks' and not the usual hihat.
The second piece in this module explores moving from a set groove into a variety of fills that are played around the drum kit.
Keep a steady beat when moving and think through the best sticking patterns to ensure fluency and accuracy.
This third piece builds on the skills developed with the second piece 'Beware of the shark' and will place you perfectly to consider moving to the next module and grade.
This fourth and final piece in Course 1 explores playing as part of a duet. You are given part 1 of a piece that has 2 different drum kit parts playing simultaneously. Your challenge is to keep a steady beat and to focus on what you are playing whilst also ensuring that it fits with the second part that can be heard on the backing track.