Mastering the Drums: Expert Advice From 4 Established Drum Teachers
Invaluable insights and expert tips from Luigi Rampino, Stephen Taylor, Blue Arjona, and Dr. Paul A. Francis to guide you on your journey to becoming a skilled drummer.
Learning to play the drums sounds exciting! Until you see how much information there is on the internet. I wanted to know the best way to learn the drums.
These top 4 professional teachers gave me some invaluable advice.
Luigi Rampino
Luigi (Lui) Rampino is a London-based drummer, percussionist, educator and songwriter. He graduated from BIMM Institute Brighton, with a BA Hons. Professional Musicianship & drum studies specialization.
He also comes from a classical percussion background having studied at the 'D. Cimarosa' Conservatoire of Classical Music in Italy alongside modern drum kit studies which he has carried out since the age of 9.
So many people are learning drums online, what do you think a teacher can offer that a YouTube tutorial cannot?
I believe that YouTube tutorials can be very beneficial in some specific circumstances especially if a drummer is looking to dig more into a particular drumming concept.
Learning with a teacher instead, either online or in person, I think is a more exhaustive experience and if you are lucky enough to find a person who is an inspiring figure more than just a teacher, you’d hit the jackpot!
Having a teacher/musician there who is guiding you and going through each concept along with you can give you more insights about what you’re learning and correct more in one one-hour lesson than a month of researching and practicing on your own.
With the rise of online learning, how important do you think it is for drummers to play with other musicians?
Playing with others is paramount! It’s the reason why you go through the struggle of practicing for hours and hours on your own, that is of course for most people.
I always encourage my students to take part in local jam sessions or start a band more than practicing with backing tracks on their own.
Being able to read music makes you a more independent student and musician as it enables you to figure out new rhythms and concepts on your own
What is your opinion on learning to read drum music?
I was lucky enough to be able to study Drums, percussion, and music theory since I started when I was nine y.o. This is something I still love doing nowadays and try to always challenge myself with new unexplored concepts.
I rely on reading music during this practice or when I’m doing live shows or recording in studios as a session drummer. It’s a huge help! I also think that being able to read music makes you a more independent student and musician as it enables you to figure out new rhythms and concepts on your own and makes you more aware of things.
When it comes to playing live or jamming with others instead half of the theory I know goes out of the window! I rely more on what I and the other musicians feel and also listening to what your bandmates are playing is the key.
There is so much focus on playing fast, what do you recommend for improving your groove?
Pick a drumbeat you are comfortable playing at an average tempo, set up a metronome at 40bpm, and play along with it for as long as you can. Lock in with the click, stay relaxed, and feel the space. If it sounds good at such a ridiculously slow tempo it will sound just as solid at 120bpm or more.
It is a bit of an extreme approach but it’s a little thing I picked up at a drum clinic when I was young and I still do it in my practice sessions these days!
How important is practicing with a click/loops/drum machine for new students?
I think that it is very important and helpful to do it when you are familiar enough with what you’re playing or practicing.
It is in our human nature to tend to play differently each time we sit behind the kit, we slow down and rush a little depending on how we feel about different sections of a song, so playing along with either a metronome or a loop helps understanding the pulse behind the music and groove on it.
What projects are you currently working on?
After releasing an album with Transatlantic Family Band I am currently recording and touring with London-based songwriters as a session drummer and I am also involved in collaborations with other musicians for original projects.
For those who would like to check out more, I keep everything posted on my social media (Instagram/Facebook) and my website for upcoming shows and collaborations.
I am also teaching in music schools and privately in London both online and in person.
Connect with Luigi (Lui) Rampino
Facebook / Instagram / Website
Stephen Taylor
Stephen Taylor is the founder and owner of Stephen's Drum Shed as well as the creator of the Drum Better Daily system. His YouTube channel has over 400k subscribers.
So many people are learning drums online, what do you think a teacher can offer that a YouTube tutorial cannot?
The internet is a GREAT place to find, store, and search information. YouTube is a GREAT place to find quick tutorials to fix specific problems. I use it all of the time for just daily life “How do I fix a flat tire on my lawn mower?” or “Click track not working in Pro Tools” etc. And I usually find something that helps that specific issue. It solves that very short-term problem. It scratches that immediate itch.
What the internet, and YouTube, are NOT good at is assimilating that found information into a cohesive plan based upon a person's goals, personality, likes, dislikes, learning style, age, etc. So if you are looking for “How to play my first drum beat?” you will find some excellent tutorials for that. Or “How to play ‘First Date’ by Blink 182 on the drums?”. You will find some great tutorials, sheet music, and play-throughs. Short-term problem solved.
Herein lies the MAIN issue with that strategy…it’s ALL short-term based. And when we are learning to play an instrument on the drums, we are engaging in a long-term adventure. It will have ups, downs, wins, losses, good days, bad days, and anything else you can think of. The last thing you want to be doing during this roller coaster of a journey is questioning “Am I learning the right thing? Am I on the right path? Is this the best direction to get me to my drumming goals?”. A teacher is the missing link. That teacher can be online, they can be in person, they can be an author of a drum book…teachers come in many shapes and sizes. When we go looking for a teacher, we want to find a guide. Someone who has done it before has been there and has the playbook. Not only that, they are willing to share that playbook with us, give us feedback, and help us on our own drumming journey. It’s the classic hero's journey. We are the “hero” in our own story. We are the Luke Skywalker. But Luke Skywalker doesn’t become a Jedi by himself. He has to find his teacher. His guide. His mentor. And that’s Yoda.
Imagine if Skywalker had tried to use YouTube only to become a Jedi master?! That movie would have sucked lol! Maybe it would have been an entertaining comedy. I’m sure a lot of people are laughing at that thought. But it is truly what we try to do when we simply jump on YouTube and try to use a short-term tool to solve a long-term problem. A teacher should give you the confidence that you are on the right path with the right guide and that if you just show up and put in the work, you will reach your goals. They give you the assurance that when you hit a bad day and want to quit. You think “No, my teacher said this is what we need to do and they’re a great drummer. So I’m going to trust their knowledge and keep going on the plan we made together.”
I have an online drum school at www.StephensDrumShed.com. I have pre-made lesson plans, over 70 courses, and more all aimed at helping a student hit their own personal goals. If you’re a beginner, I have The Warrior Way lesson plan. It will have you up and playing your first song in just a couple of short lessons. I also have a form called The Goal Generator that students use to assess where their playing is. Once they’ve filled it out, they can choose their material or they can send it in to me and I will make a personalized lesson plan for them. This gives them the assurance that they have clear goals, a clear path, and someone to help them get there.
When we begin learning the drums, what we are truly seeking is a change in our identity. We want to be able to CALL ourselves drummers. I call myself many things…teacher, drummer, father, husband, son, and many more. For each one of these things in my life, I spend a lot of time learning, making mistakes, and doing the things someone who has that title would do. To be able to call ourselves a drummer, we need to KNOW that we are on the right path. A YouTube video, while very informative, cannot do that for a person in the long term. It can really only solve short-term problems. A true teacher has the ability to give you a path so that you can learn without worrying about if you are headed in the right direction.
Playing with other musicians gives my practice time purpose. It shows me my faults and tells me where I need to work on things.
With the rise of online learning, how important do you think it is for drummers to play with other musicians?
It’s the #1 most important thing. I am a musician FIRST. The drums are simply my way of interacting with music and other musicians. I can’t imagine trying to learn the drums without also seeking out other musicians to play and jam with. Hands down my most successful students are the ones that get out and play with other musicians early on.
That’s how I learned. Within a couple of weeks of having my first drum set, I was playing at my church 3 times a week with a rehearsal attached to each of those. I was bumping elbows with players much more experienced than myself. I was only 14 when I started. But by the time I was 15, I began getting hired for my first paid gigs. At age 19 I took a full-time position as the drummer for one of the house bands at The Famous Door on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, LA. I played Bourbon Street full-time for 3 years.
Playing with other musicians gives my practice time purpose. It shows me my faults and tells me where I need to work on things. The sooner a drummer begins playing with other musicians, the better. Your drumming will EXPLODE. Your motivation will EXPLODE.
I have a student I was talking with the other day, a college professor in his 60s…he’s playing out in multiple bands, multiple times a week. He’s KILLING it. And it all started because I bugged him until he went to a local blues jam there in the Boston area. The rest is history. He was hooked.
Here at the SDS Studio, we host multiple in-person drum camps each year. One of the most important days is when the bass player comes in. Each camper gets 20-30 minutes with a professional bass player. For many of them, it is the first time they have ever played with another musician. It can be life-changing for them. One of my students walked out and said “I don’t know what taking drugs feels like, I’ve never done that, but it HAS to feel like the high I just got from playing with another musician!” It’s so addictive. And it’s so important to the learning process.
My job as a teacher is easier when students play regularly with other musicians in some capacity.
Groove and pocket are found in the space in between the notes.
What is your opinion on learning to read drum music?
Reading music simply enables us to ingest information in a different way. It helps us learn better. It helps us teach ourselves. So I think it’s important to at least be able to look at a sheet of music and decipher what is going on. Even if that takes a few minutes.
Sheet music, in its simplest form, is just a way to convey a lot of information about something in a very short period of time. So I think reading music is important if you plan on playing the drums for a while.
Now, sight reading music is a different skill. Playing the drums is one skill. Reading music is another skill. Playing the drums while reading the sheet music in real-time is a 3rd skill. Each one has to be worked on individually.
In my experience, unless you are planning on being a session musician or elite-level professional, being able to sight-read drum music is not at the top of the list of important things you need to work on. However, I believe every student should strive to at least understand how to decipher sheet music on the drums.
There is so much focus on playing fast, what do you recommend for improving your groove?
It’s funny…drummers are always talking about speed as if it only goes one way. Speed is a two-way street. We have faster speeds and we have slower speeds. Playing slow with a solid pocket and feel is WAY harder than playing fast imho.
Groove and pocket are found in the space in between the notes. Timing is the notes themselves. It’s the black ink on the paper. But groove…how you interpret those notes, the space you put between them…that’s the white space on the sheet music.
We sometimes get so busy reading the black ink that we forget to back up and see that there is WAY more white space on that page than black ink.
For me, the best way to practice groove and pocket is to first be able to hear it. So I recommend playing along to your favorite music as much as you can. Try to emulate their feel. Try to make what you play feel like theirs does. If we will let it, the music will lead us to a deeper groove.
Listening is also a huge component that so many drummers forget about. I think we should all be listening to 10x more music than we already are. Your ears will pick up on the pocket. We have to train our ears to hear the quality we want in our playing. But to be able to do that, we have to be familiar with the real thing. So spending a lot of time with the real thing (MUSIC) is key for a deeper pocket and groove.
The Time, as Elvin Jones put it, is non-negotiable. It is a given. It has to be there and it has to be solid.
How important is practicing with a click/loops/drum machine for new students?
With our current musical landscape, we are often tasked with playing to click tracks, loops, etc. very early on in our drumming careers. So we need to have solid time and we need to be familiar with how to play with these different tools. I consider them another musician in the band.
The Time, as Elvin Jones put it, is non-negotiable. It is a given. It has to be there and it has to be solid. If it is not, you are not doing your job as a drummer. Our job is not to babysit the rest of the band. But our number 1 job is the keeper of time.
I teach a concept called The Big 7 to my students. The Big 7 are Timing, Groove, Dynamics, Articulation, Technique, Melody, & Flow. In any exercise we are practicing, we can at different times focus on one of The Big 7 concepts.
Need to work on your timing? Get a metronome out and start playing that exercise but with the intent of improving your timing. Your internal clock. The Big 7 narrows down what we have to work on in our practice time by giving us larger concepts we can apply to each exercise we are working on.
The way we work on our timing is by spending more time with something that has better internal time than we do…a metronome. I also suggest using tools like Visual Metronome. It helps you see how your timing is instead of just hearing it.
What projects are you currently working on?
Earlier this year I came off of the road with a southern rock band called The Steel Woods. I did something like 150 shows with them over a year and a half time frame. Had a blast. Was happy to do the shows, and I’m now happy to be back home full time hanging with my family. I guess maybe if I didn’t like my wife so much or I hated spending time with my kids, I would feel different about being on the road full-time lol. But I love being around my family…they’re the reason I do everything…and so I’m extremely happy to be back at a point in life where I can see them every day, have coffee with Kelli in the mornings, coach football, teach them to drive, have impromptu dance parties with my daughter, and all of the things a dad/husband gets to do. I don’t take any of those things for granted. I have the best wife and the 3 greatest kids in the entire world. I think we oftentimes take the best things in life for granted. I try to never do that.
Since 2011, I have run an online drum school at www.StephensDrumShed.com. That’s always a big focus. A few years ago I started offering in-person drum camps. Those have been a blast and have continued to grow into a really cool event. We are constantly looking for better ways to teach, new concepts, trying to improve our online community, and more. I work in a building every day with another killer drummer. We have more drums and cymbals to hit than I ever dreamed I would. We get to talk about music and drums all day. It’s the best job ever and I get to work with some of the best humans in the business.
On top of that, I get to head up a community of super passionate drum students who push themselves (and me) to be better every day. Musically, I have a new rock project that just launched with a guitarist I have worked with for years. We were in a band together on Universal Records called Lovers & Liars. The new project is called Staylor. We’ve released the first 2 songs wherever you can stream music and we have 6 more finished. It’s been a lot of fun to watch it evolve. Even over the first 8 songs we have seen a very definite writing style begin to emerge with each of our influences showing through. I’m really looking forward to watching it grow over the next couple of years.
If you need me, you can find me making music, teaching, and hanging out with my awesome family in a small town just south of Nashville, TN. It ain’t a bad life ;^)
Connect with Stephen Taylor
Facebook / Instagram / YouTube / Website / Spotify
'30 Days To Better Doubles' free program
Blue Arjona
Blue Arjona aka 'Drum Teacher Manila' has nearly 5 million views on his YouTube channel! His videos are fun and engaging, great for beginners and intermediate students.
So many people are learning drums online, what do you think a teacher can offer that a YouTube tutorial cannot?
When you are a beginner or starting from scratch, going to YouTube to learn drums, or any musical instruments for that matter can be so overwhelming and frustrating. Like, “Where do I start?”, “am I on the right path?”, or “Why am I not getting the results I want?”.
There are so many videos. So many teachers, may at times have differing schools of thought.
So, I think the number one role of a personal teacher is guidance. Your teacher can give you a clear path based on your personal goals. You can also get feedback that a YouTube video can’t give you.
You can’t rely on just reading transcriptions, you must know how to play by ear
With the rise of online learning, how important do you think it is for drummers to play with other musicians?
Playing music in your bedroom along with an MP3 and playing live with other musicians is a totally different experience and would require a different skill set.
You will learn how to “lead” as well as “follow” other musicians. You will learn how to balance your own sound against actual people playing actual instruments.
You can also benefit by playing with other musicians who are better than you. You will learn things that you wouldn’t learn otherwise.
What is your opinion on learning to read drum music?
For me, it’s not really a must, but it will definitely help you learn faster and better. I teach all my students to read music, but we cannot neglect the importance of playing by ear.
You can’t rely on just reading transcriptions, you must know how to play by ear if you want to be a musician.
Speed is just one facet of drumming, groove is still king.
There is so much focus on playing fast, what do you recommend for improving your groove?
Playing fast can be so appealing on TikTok and Instagram, so I understand why people keep uploading those kinds of videos. I enjoy those videos myself.
But speed is just one facet of drumming, groove is still king. I think the best way to improve your groove is to listen to the greats. Study and emulate them.
And then of course, find a teacher who can help you. Ideally, one with a great groove himself/herself.
How important is practicing with a click/loops/drum machine for new students?
Besides improving the student’s timing, practicing with a click can also boost their confidence. This will result in the student having the courage to take on more difficult songs, patterns, and techniques.
And, if the student is planning to be a recording drummer in the future, he or she would need to play with a click. It would be easier in the recording process.
What projects are you currently working on?
YouTube! My goal is to reach 100k subscribers this year. I’m at 88,476 as of today. Wish me luck.
Connect with Blue Arjona
Facebook / Facebook - Drum Teacher Manila / Instagram / YouTube
Dr. Paul A. Francis
Dr. Paul A. Francis is an experienced musician, composer, producer, and leading educator in the UK with international credits.
His work has toured internationally and worked in both radio and television.
So many people are learning drums online, what do you think a teacher can offer that a YouTube tutorial cannot?
YouTube tutorials are great and can offer lots to people, e.g. it’s an opportunity to see how others do it and even learn from some of the best players in the world.
What these tutorials often cannot offer is the immediate interaction you get when you have a teacher. With a teacher there are those vital opportunities to ask questions, to get clarity, to get extension tasks or ideas, and perhaps most importantly, with a teacher, based on a relationship of trust, mutual respect, and an equal sense of discovery, there is the important opportunity to individualize your development.
A good teacher gets to know their student. That knowledge is invaluable when it comes to promoting a student’s development towards a personal pathway to potential.
With the rise of online learning, how important do you think it is for drummers to play with other musicians?
For me, music is ‘the coming together of different instruments, played by different people to produce something bigger than the parts’.
If someone wants to be a solo player, there is nothing wrong with that and there’s enough technology out there to enable the solo drummer to sound like they’re playing with everything, including the kitchen sink.
On the flip side, when you find a connection with another person (or people), and you each do your thing and create something that wouldn’t have been created otherwise, that’s special.
If your aim, as a drummer, is to be able to connect with and inspire others to be their best, then playing with other musicians is vital.
Why would someone not want to read music? I never met anyone who says it is better to be illiterate
What is your opinion on learning to read drum music?
I always find this a strange question. Why would someone not want to read music? I never met anyone who says it is better to be illiterate and we should stop teaching the 3Rs in schools because being able to read and write is a bad thing. Why should music be any different?
Being able to read music, (like being able to read a novel or textbook), is a skill that enables you to access a whole world of opportunities, ideas, and concepts, and, (like having the ability to write sentences), it enables you to share your ideas.
Yes, many brilliant musicians across instruments can’t, don’t, or haven’t had the opportunity to learn how to read music, but if there is an opportunity to learn something, why would someone not take that opportunity?
I can read music. I am very happy I can read music and I have been employed as a drummer many times because I can read music.
The best way to improve your groove is to make sure you feel like you have a groove.
There is so much focus on playing fast, what do you recommend for improving your groove?
In my opinion, the best way to improve your groove is to make sure you feel like you have a groove. What I mean is; to have a vibe that inspires others. Play in a way that enables people to connect with you, because that connection is the groove.
Alternatively, have something in your head that you are playing along with. The thing to keep in mind though is whether a track is fast or slow whatever you do, try not to just play the drums. Use the drums to play the song.
How important is practicing with a click/loops/drum machine for new students?
All practice is important and being able to stay in time with other musicians, or (as is often the case nowadays) machines, is part of the music-making process. My answer to this question is similar to the reading music one. Many great drummers are well-known for their negotiable time-keeping, and many great drummers are well-known for their machine-like precision.
Sometimes, using loops/drum machines, etc. can be off-putting in the early stages, and, in my experience, it can sometimes get in the way of just enjoying playing. To all players, at all stages of their musical journey, I would promote being able to play with a click, but more importantly, I’d say, make sure you are always listening to whatever it is you are supposed to be playing to or with.
What projects are you currently working on?
To follow up my last book, Concept: Challenging The Undergraduate, which provides students and teachers with an operational toolkit for alternative approaches to drum kit tuition and performance, my new book Concept: Drums, Bass, Guitar, provides teachers and students across the three instruments, tuition and performance repertoire.
Alongside that, I’m currently working on a new album by Ricardo Henriques, a Portuguese singer-songwriter. I’m also in the studio working on my new album of original material.
My website www.pafrancis.com also provides drummers and teachers with performance and tuition repertoire.
Connect with Dr. Paul A. Francis
Beginning Solo Drumming, Gaining Confidence Course
Creative Drumming: Bass Drum Fun Course
About Magesh Magesh
Magesh is a musician and producer who has worked with Rihanna, Lionel Richie, Ricky Martin, Chris Brown, The Pussy Cat Dolls, Nelly Furtado, and Vernon Reid of Living Colour.
He released an instructional drumming DVD called "Unique Beats" where he mixed the drum kit with electronics and Indian hand percussion. He recently moved from Australia to the UK to explore new musical opportunities.
Website: mageshdrumteacher.co.uk
Contact Magesh Magesh at magesh.magesh7@gmail.com
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