How to Choose an Online Drum Course

Quick Answer

Choose an online drum course based on your goals first and the teacher second.

Ask yourself: do you want to play songs or just develop technical skills? Then look

for a teacher whose playing you love and whose personality feels like a good fit.

Structured learning matters more than production values or a large content library.

Sound familiar?

It's Friday night. You sit down, pick up the remote, open Netflix. Hundreds of things to choose from. You scroll. You flick. You read half a synopsis and move on. Twenty minutes later you still haven't picked anything. What did I fancy again? I can't even remember now. So you end up watching nothing, or putting on something you've already seen. I think choosing an online drum course can feel exactly like this. The internet is saturated with drummers putting courses out there, and fair play to all of them, but for the person trying to learn drums, it's overwhelming. Where do you even start? Do you go with the big platforms? Do you go with a smaller independent teacher? Do you pay once or subscribe monthly? Do you need 500 lessons or would 50 focused ones do the job?

I'm going to help you cut through the noise. Not because I want you to choose my course specifically, but I';ve been on both sides of this. I've bought courses, I've studied with teachers, and i've taught hundreds of students. I know what works and what doesn't.

Start with your goals, not the course

Before you look at a single course, answer this question honestly: what do I actually want from playing drums?

Because the answer to that question is what will keep you playing.

If you want to play along to your favourite songs, feel the groove, and eventually sit

in with a band, you need a course built around music. Real songs, real grooves, real application of technique. If you want to develop serious technical chops, increase your speed, nail complex

rudiment combinations, then you need a technique-focused course. Some do both well, and then you have millions of lessons to wade through.

The mistake most beginners make is choosing a course based

on production quality or price rather than asking whether it actually matches what they want to achieve.

I'll be honest about where I stand on this, because you deserve to know the bias of

the person giving you this advice.

I'm a less is more guy. I don't teach the ''definitive bass drum technique'' or the

''ultimate hand technique''.

I'm sceptical of courses that market themselves around those things. Technique for techniques sake, separated from music, doesn't interest me much. If you can play a 300bpm single stroke roll but it sounds like shit I'm not sure what the point is.

My thing is how drumming feels and sounds within music. I want to sound good in music, not just on my own. And I've had enough drum education with some of the best drummers in the world to know that there is no one technique, or even a right way. That's how I've always played and that's how I've always taught..

Pick a teacher who you want to sound and play like.

This is the advice I give everyone and most people ignore it until they've wasted

money on the wrong course. I pick drum courses the same way I pick drum teachers: do I like how they play? And would they be a good hang?

That second one sounds flippant but I'm serious. You are going to spend a lot of time with this person. You're going to watch them talk, demonstrate, break things down. If you find them dull, or their energy grates on you, or you just don't connect with who they are, you will practise less. It's that simple.

The good news is that finding out if a teacher is your kind of person has never been easier. Every serious online drum teacher has free content on YouTube. Watch a few of their videos. Do you enjoy watching them? Do you like how they play? Does their musical taste overlap with yours?

There are some very famous, very technically accomplished drummers out there

who I simply don'tt want to sound like. So I don't buy their courses. This isn't a

criticism of them. They are brilliant. They're just not for me. Find the teacher whose playing makes you think: that's what I want to sound like. Then look at their course.

What your goals are and who you vibe with

Once you've got a teacher in mind, ask two things:

- Does this course match what I want to achieve?

- Does the structure give me a clear guide from where I am to where I want to

be?

A good online drum course should have a logical progression. You should be able to look at it and understand exactly where you're starting, where you're heading, and what you're doing at each stage. If it's a random collection of lessons with no clear thread, that's a red flag.

Also look at what the course actually teaches. Is it songs and musical application? Is it technical exercises? Is it a combination? None of these is wrong. But you need to know which one you're getting before you hand over your money.

One-time payment vs subscription: which is better?

This question comes up constantly so let me be direct about it.

Subscription platforms like Drumeo have a lot going for them. Excellent production, famous guest teachers, a huge library of content. If you are an intermediate to advanced player who wants variety and inspiration, a subscription can make sense.

But for a beginner, a subscription platform can be the worst possible choice. Not

because the content is bad, but because having access to hundreds of courses and thousands of lessons means you have no clear guide. You will jump from one thing to another. You will start five courses and finish none. You will feel busy and productive while making no real progress. I have heard this story from students more times than I can count. A focused one-time payment course with clear structured learning from beginner to confident player almost always serves beginners better. You follow the path. You make progress. You don't get distracted by the next shiny lesson.

My course is one-time payment. £97. Lifetime access. No subscription. I'm not going to pretend that's not a factor in how I'm framing this. But it's also genuinely what I believe. For beginners, structure beats volume every time.

Try before you commit

You are living in a time where everything is at your fingertips. Use that.

Most serious online drum teachers have free content. Watch it. Get a feel for how

they teach, how they break things down, whether their explanations click for you. A few hours of free content will tell you more about whether a teacher is right for you than any sales page ever will.

If a course offers a free trial or a money back guarantee, use it. I offer a 30-day

money back guarantee on my course because I'm confident it delivers.

If you go through it and don't feel you're making progress, I'll refund you in full. No questions asked. Every teacher who is serious about their course should be willing to back it with a guarantee like that.

If a course has no trial, no guarantee, and no free content from the teacher, think

carefully before buying.

The honest summary

Here is the simplest version of everything I've said:

- Know what you want before you look at courses

- Find a teacher whose playing you love and whose personality you connect

with

- Choose a course with a clear structured path, not just a large library

- For beginners, one-time structured learning beats subscription every time

- Watch free content before you commit

- Only buy from someone who backs their course with a guarantee

The internet has made it easier than ever to learn drums. It's also made it easier than ever to waste money and time on the wrong course. Take thirty minutes to do your research properly. Your future self will thank you.

If you want to see what a structured beginner course built around real songs from

day one looks like, The Beginner Drum Course.

Or if you're not quite ready to commit, grab the free drum starter pack.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose the right online drum course?

Start by asking what your goals are. Do you want to play real songs or develop

technical exercises? Then look at the teacher. Do you like how they play? Does their

musical personality match yours? A good fit between student and teacher is more

important than credentials or production values.

Should I choose a subscription drum course or a one-time payment

course?

It depends on your learning style and goals. Subscription courses like Drumeo offer a huge library of content which can be useful if you want variety. One-time payment courses offer a structured path from A to B without an ongoing cost. If you want a clear progression and lifetime access to a focused course, one-time payment is usually better value for beginners.

What should I look for in an online drum teacher?

Pick someone whose playing you love and whose personality feels like a good fit.

You are going to spend a lot of time with this person. If you find them engaging, you will practise more. If you find them dull or you don't connect with their musical style, you will practise less. Simple as that.

Is Drumeo worth it for beginners?

Drumeo has excellent production and a huge library, but the sheer volume of content can be overwhelming for beginners. - too many shiny objects. A more focused structured course with a clear path from beginner to confident player often serves beginners better than a large library where it is easy to get lost.

Can I learn drums online as a complete beginner?

Yes. A well structured online drum course can take you from never having touched a

drum kit to playing real songs with confidence. The key is choosing a course with a

clear progression, not just a random collection of lessons.