ATTENTION DRUMMERS: Do you want to learn how to play like this?



Buddy Rich was, quite possibly, the greatest drummer to have lived. It may not seem like it because standards today are constantly being set again and again by the worlds top drummers, but what he was able to accomplish and learn was beyond the capability of today's drummers. Nevertheless, you CAN be that good, you just need to know where to go and who to listen to. That is why I have decided to make this post. There seems to be many questions asked (and will be in the future) about what an individual can do to advance themselves musically in the area of drums and percussion. I just want to share a couple resources that have helped me over the years. I have been playing for roughly seven years and have musical experience with drums and percussion in groups such as jazz band, marching band, and wind ensemble. Since I stopped taking lessons these resources allowed me to further my knowledge and really get me going in the direction I wanted to go. Anybody can learn an instrument, it just takes a little drive and motivation. Check out these resources and see how much you can learn.

1) http://drummerworld.com/index2.html
Drummerworld is definitely one of the greatest resources for drummers of any skill level, simply for the reason that you can WATCH people play, which significantly improves your skills outside of personal practice time. The greatest drummers in the world have found their way on this website and the website has compiled thousands of hours of instructional videos to help you learn. This is by far one of my favorite places to go. I could post so many, but here are some of my videos from this place:

a) http://www.drummerworld.com/Videos/keithcarlockconcept1.html
This is a cool little video of Keith Carlock playing a beat I thought was nice.

b ) http://drummerworld.com/Videos/aaronspearsslow.html
Definitely a cool beat. This guy is known for playing "above the bar line." Check it out for some impressive beats and fills. If you can get your hands on the dvds for this Modern Drummer festival (or any for that matter) I would HIGHLY recommend it.

c) http://www.drummerworld.com/Videos/jojomayersabian1.html
Jojo Mayer is definitely one of my favorite drummers. His left hand technique with the Moeller Method is great. I have learned a lot from this man. Check out some snippets of his Secret Weapons for the Modern Drummer dvds if you can. These are a must see

d) http://drummerworld.com/Videos/kikofreitasbigsolo.html
Just a nice video I liked of a jazz drummer playing a great song and later has a solo. This guy has great technique.


2) http://freedrumlessons.com/
There is a wealth of knowledge to be found here. You can learn how to play the drums for any kind of genre that you like and there are several play-alongs. Those that conduct these lessons are professional and know how to teach well. Please consider looking into this site and going onto the forums there. I assure you that you will learn a lot there.


3) http://onlinedrummer.com/
This is a great site if you want to learn how to play some beats for some of those mainstream bands or possibly even other bands you like. There are many transposed beats here and other various lessons.


4) http://www.youtube.com/user/djp132
This is simply a link to a drummer on youtube who has posted many instructional videos (most of them 20 minutes long or so) on some great drumming techniques. Derrick Pope was in many competitions as has many years of drum core experience. I recommend looking at his videos. He gives great explanations of double stroke technique and various other useful drumming techniques.

My favorites from Derrick Pope:
Double Stroke Technique -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJWldEMFem4

Moeller Technique -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HSVhDsO9jc

Heel/Toe Method -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSKS9a9NuPc


5) http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudimentlearningsequence.html
A simple link on the Vic Firth website that has all of the rudiments able to be printed if you desire to practice them. There is also a section you can visit where you can listen to each of the rudiments and build up your skill with them here: http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments/01singlestrokeroll.php. HIGHLY recommended to increase your overall skill as a drummer. There are also several instruction videos there for you to check out.

Here are some other resources and videos I found useful:
For those that wish to learn how to play the brushes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87FurYBjM1A


In no ways is this post comprehensive. I'm sure there are other great resources out there. If you know of any, please SHARE THEM! Also, if this post has helped you, please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it. As there are more posts with suggestions and questions, I will possibly create another (more appealing) post that could hopefully become a sticky for all of the drummers that use this d2jsp forum to see. Thanks everybody! I hope this helps.

This post was edited by Lifesong on Jan 18 2010 08:47am

Has anybody found this useful?

No. But that's because I'm not a drummer.

gonna be showing my drummer this maybe

pretty useful, i use all these sites already but im sure a lot of people would like these

Haha, well at least you are honest. Judging by the sig you must be a guitarist?

No. he plays flute.

Indeed. But honestly I checked the sites out and must say it should be very helpful for drummers.

The flute is a great instrument. Thanks for the feedback Darkshade!

I think its a good thread

We should try and get a thread like this sticked, with links to various resources for the budding musicians in the forum


However, we need like....guitar, piano, and maybe some brass threads as well...