Latest Drum Lessons | Total Drummer

Beginner Snare Drum Sight Reading

Beginner Snare Drum Sight Reading Learn how to read drum notationWelcome to the beginner snare drum sight reading. Here we will learn how to read drum notation. In the world of drumming, it’s often thought that a great drummer can simply “feel” the beat or rely on their ear to perform. While these skills are undeniably important, the ability to read drum notation is equally crucial, especially for drummers who want to elevate their playing and communicate effectively with other musicians. Whether performing in a band, recording in the studio, or working with arrangers, reading notation offers a universal language…

Drum and Bass Drumming

Drum and Bass Drumming Learn how to play drum and abs drum beats. This Is The Drum and Bass Drumming Lesson Welcome to the drum and bass drumming lesson. In this lesson, we dive into the electrifying world of drum and bass drumming, a genre characterised by its rapid tempos and intricate rhythms. Originating in the UK during the early 1990s, drum and bass (D&B) has evolved from a fusion of various musical styles, notably funk, breakbeats, and hip-hop. Understanding the essence of drum and bass drumming involves dissecting its signature sounds and techniques.At the core of D&B drumming lies…

New Orleans Drumming

New Orleans Drumming Learn how to play second line drum beats This Is The New Orleans Drumming Lesson Welcome to the New Orleans drumming lesson. Here we will learn how to play funky second line drum beats.Second line drumming comes from New Orleans and the name relates to the lively parades that take place for various occasions such as Mardi Gras, community events and even funerals.They are colourful occasions often with amazing costumes, music and dancing.The first line consists of the main ingredients of the parade, such as the casket at a funeral, the family members and the musicians. The…

Drum Solo Over A Vamp

Drum Solo Over A Vamp Learn how to create a drum solo over a vamp This Is The Drum Solo Over A Vamp Drum Lesson Welcome to the drum solo over a vamp. Here we will learn how to play an awesome drum solo.In music a vamp is a repeating musical figure. Often this can be played indefinitely which gives a lot of creative freedom. When you are soloing over a vamp it allows you to play for as long or little as you want before signalling to the band that it's time to move on.It also gives you something…

Blushda Drum Fills

Blushda Drum Fills Learn how to use the blushda in drum fills This Is The Blushda Drum Fills Lesson Welcome to the blushda drum fills lesson. Here we will learn how to use a blushda in drum fills.What is a blushda?A blushda is a rudiment that has become popular since the likes of Vinnie Colaiuta, Tony Williams and many more since, have wowed drummers with it as they tried to figure out what was being played.It's not particularly difficult so we're going to break it down and develop lots of ways that we can use it to spice up our…

Flam and Drag Drum Fills

Flam and Drag Drum Fills Learn how to use flams and drags in drum fills This Is The Flam and Drag Drum Fills Lesson Welcome to the flam and drag drum fills lesson. Here we will explore drum fills using these two common rudiments.Flams and drags are two of our core rudiments. When played on the snare they can sound very military, which harks back towards their origins. But they are really useable rudiments to spice up our beats and fills on the drum kit.In this drum lesson we break down how to execute the core rudiments properly. We then…

6 Stroke Roll Drum Fills

6 Stroke Roll Drum Fills Learn how to use six stroke rolls in drum fills This Is The 6 Stroke Roll Drum Fills Lesson Welcome to the 6 stroke roll drum fills lesson. Here we will learn how to use six stroke rolls in drum fills.Recently we looked at the 5 stroke roll and how we can use it to be creative on the drums. In this lesson we will progress this on to the six stroke roll. This is a great rudiment which lends itself well to 16th note triplets due to the nature of having six notes.So we…

5 Stroke Roll Drum Fills

5 Stroke Roll Drum Fills Learn how to use a five stroke roll to create fun drum fills This Is The 5 Stroke Roll Drum Fills Lesson Welcome to the 5 stroke roll drum fills lesson. Here we will learn how to use five stroke rolls in creative ways. You are probably familiar with a five stroke roll but just to be sure; It consists of five notes played as: r r l l R and then reverse the sticking to play l l r r L Those last single notes are accents and the first four notes are played…

Mixed Up Paradiddle Grooves

Mixed Up Paradiddle Grooves Learn how to play funky paradiddle based drum beats This Is The Mixed Up Paradiddle Grooves Drum Lesson Welcome to the mixed up paradiddle grooves drum lesson. Here we will learn how to play funky paradiddle based patterns. These grooves are based on the standard paradiddle and the inverted paradiddles. You don't need to know these before you watch this drum lesson but it does give you a much more solid foundation.In this drum lesson we take elements of the different versions of the paradiddle and stitch them together to create something unique. We learn each…

Inverted Paradiddle Beats

Inverted Paradiddle Beats Learn how to play inverted paradiddle beats This Is The Inverted Paradiddle Beats Lesson Welcome to the inverted paradiddle beats drum lesson. Here we will learn how to play some amazing inverted paradiddle drum grooves.Hopefully you are familiar with the paradiddle but today we are taking this common rudiment to a deeper level. We will break down the inversions of the paradiddle which gives us much greater creative scope. We will then turn them into really fun drum beats that you can use right away.Once you start mixing these up, your playing will flow much more naturally…