The 15 Best Online Drum Lessons of 2024 (Free and Paid)

Looking for some great online drum lessons? This article has everything, from great structured courses by top drum pros to free videos that cover just about every aspect of drumming.

Get ready to level up your drumming as we dive into the most comprehensive, inspiring, and downright fun online drum lessons available today!

Whether you own an acoustic kit, an electronic drum set, or even just a drum practice pad, these resources will really come in handy.

1. Drumeo

Drumeo Edge is an exceptional source for drummers of all levels. It’s a platform with a wide array of lessons and courses led by an impressive outfit of world-class drum coaches, which we have explained in our comprehensive Drumeo Review.

Drumeo currently has 2000+ lessons and 230+ courses that you can access on-demand through their website or via their apps for Android or iOS.

Check our my review of this below:

They also have the “Drumeo Method” included in their membership, which is a 10-level curriculum to start or brush up on the fundamentals of drumming.

Members can submit their video for feedback from one of their pro drum coaches.

Membership also includes a large database of songs and play-along tracks.

They also have a pretty packed schedule of new lessons and videos, so the platform is constantly improving.

If you’re serious about learning drums, then I can highly recommend Drumeo.

2. Stephen’s Drum Shed

If you’re looking for online drum lessons, a name that often comes up is Stephen Taylor. He runs the site Stephen’s Drum Shed, which is a very popular option and well worth your consideration. He has lessons for drummers of all levels and a bunch of free lessons to get you started. This is definitely one worth considering.

3. 180 Drums

180 Drums is another popular online drum lessons platform quite similar to the other options previously mentioned. They have a very decent library of over 500 lessons by 20 different instructors.

180 Drums tries to match your goals to the tuition, as illustrated through their ‘drum quiz’. So if you are bored with skimming through YouTube lessons and not feeling the progress you want, then they are certainly one to check out.

4. Mikes’s Lessons

Mike’s Lessons is one of the largest educational resources for drummers. It is an ideal place for all. Whether you need to start from the basics or kick it up a notch, the website lets you access a huge range of courses and lessons. Browse through a vast library of drumming tutorials, information about drumming kits, equipment, and learn from experts.

Become a member today with monthly, bi-yearly, or annual paid packages and receive practice tracking tools to keep track of your advancement. Mike Johnston’s Drum Lab on YouTube also has a few selected free tutorials and tips to get you started.

5. Jazz Drums with Peter Erskine

If you’re looking for some great jazz drum lessons for all levels (Beginner to Advanced), then it’s definitely worth checking out Peter Erskine’s Jazz Drum Lessons over at Artistworks.

There are hundreds of lessons, starting with the basics and eventually getting to odd time signatures, complex patterns, and working with other textures such as brushes and mallets.

Through Artistworks, you get the option to submit videos of your playing to Peter Erskine to review. He reviews all submissions and sends you a video response to give you feedback and help identify areas for improvement.

6. Drum Channel

Drum Channel also has some big names on their site. They have a bunch of good-quality drum courses and you sign up for it on a subscription basis. They even include their own MasterClass which is designed for every skill level and even an artist preference of your choosing.

No doubt, there is a lot to learn from the instruction on this website and if you follow any of the famous drummers on their list then you might find this one useful.

7. OnlineDrummer

Online Drummer is another popular option that includes plenty of free lessons, as well as paid drum sheet music, ebooks, and video courses. 

Most of the selections on the site are quite affordable so it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re on a budget but still want some decent online tuition.

8. Orlando Drummer

Orlando Drummer is another platform to explore, which offers Online Courses, MasterClasses, and even Interviews and Podcasts to watch and listen to, or even enjoy a live session every once in a while, as they offer that option as well. Chat on the forums and share your experiences or maybe take in a few.

You can learn a specific skill set of your choosing, since there are multiple options to pick and a long list of genres included. Multiple series lessons which help guide you through the whole process, or even take a break and watch some behind-the-scenes stuff.

9. Sheila E’s MasterClass

Sheila E is an incredibly influential drummer. In addition to her own act, she collaborated with Prince and Ringo Starr, as well as with many other bands.

If you want to get some top-quality instruction from a legend in drumming and percussion while also getting some great advice on mindset and “tasteful” playing, then this is certainly worth considering.

She covers everything, from getting started on drums, learning basic drum beats, playing drum fills and solos, as well as tons of other advice and instruction on working with bands, collaborating with others, and lots more.

MasterClass.com have now built up an extremely strong list of music courses, from famous music producers such as deadmau5, Armin van Buuren, Timbaland, to film scoring legends such as Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman. Even if you’re not in the music production game, these are incredibly interesting to watch and give you quite an insight into different parts of the music industry.

10. Drum Lessons on Skillshare

Skillshare is a learning community with many great quality learning videos. They have numerous drum lesson courses. A particular one of note are the drum lessons by Larry Crowe, which include two separate beginner lesson courses and one intermediate course.

There are also a lot of other lessons on drums and percussion, as well as music production and beat making.

11. DrummerWorld

DrummerWorld is more like an encyclopedia on drumming. It was created 25 years ago by Bernhard Castiglioni in Switzerland. It features a wide range of videos with performances by skilled drummers from all music genres. Along with these, you get to explore free discussion forums run by over 60,000 members that will surely answer most of your drumming queries, free drum clinics, grooves, and sounds.

The fast and free site has fans widespread over 248 countries, with a majority of the traffic flow from Canada and the U.S. The video libraries and information are regularly updated, so the students can see and learn from the experts and masters at work.

12. Drum Lessons at Udemy

Udemy has a wealth of drum lessons. If you’re looking for a particular style or type of drum lessons and want to sign up for an online structured course, then be sure to check this one out.

There are some great deals on courses at Udemy, but keep in mind that not all Udemy courses are created equal. Be sure to check out the reviews on the platform before deciding whether to go for them or not.

13. Bill Bachman’s Drum Lessons

Bill Bachman is a famed drummer, popular for his world-renowned expertise and techniques of drumming. He is a celebrated author and a drum clinician as well. His videos offer a step-by-step course through the essentials of drumming.

You will find his videos quite helpful in improving your skills, timing, groove, and speed. There are great visuals and close-ups in his videos, covering all grounds that we tend to overlook. Subscribe to his channel with free video tutorials to improve and enhance your drumming skills and learn cool new tricks!

14. Drum Ambition

Drum Ambition is a nice, structured learning resource for beginners by Simon DasGupta.

Although the course is quite limited in comparison to the likes of Drumeo, but it starts from the very basics and includes a lot of what you need to get started. Each lesson includes a good-quality video, along with additional supporting materials, such as sheet music and audio files.

You can sign up for the full curriculum, which currently includes 75 videos, or you can go one step further and sign up for the Pro option, which includes email support as well as a monthly live video chat to answer your questions and set goals.

The site includes a free lesson, “Creating Your First Drum Beat,” and another, “Basic Notation – an Introduction,” which anyone can access without needing to sign up.

15. Take Lessons

TakeLessons is quite different from most of the others on this list, as it’s involved with matching students with teachers. The website offers a clear overview to meet and choose a drum instructor.

They currently hold over 100 drum instructors, and they have a filter system to make the choice easier based on the price range, gender preference and even age preference to find just what you’re looking for. With the option to have live lessons as the platform allows you to negotiate whether the lesson would be online, at your place or at the Teachers studio.

If you want to improve your drumming career, this is definitely worth trying. The website is really easy to navigate with clear instructions and options to make the whole experience easier.

Conclusion

There are many websites and YouTube channels that can help you and prove to be a great aid in learning and advancing your drumming career. However, make sure you practice regularly and get some one-on-one experience as well—there can’t be any substitute for that. What you learn online can only help you practice at home and reinforce the knowledge you gathered through practical lessons.