Learning to play drums might look difficult, but it’s easier than you think. And you can start playing drum beats more quickly than you think, too!
In this video, Domino Santantonio will show you how to play one of the most popular beginner drum beats of all time, then coach you through a 5-minute drumming ‘workout’ as you build the beat into something you can play confidently.
It’s like a fitness video, but with drums!
Here are the five steps to learning a basic drum beat:
With your right hand on the hi-hat and your right foot on the bass drum (left hand/left foot if you’re a lefty), hit both the hi-hat and bass drum together.
With your right hand on the hi-hat and your left-hand on the snare drum (or in reverse if you’re drumming open-handed or on a left-handed kit), play the hi-hat and the snare together.
Alternate between steps 1 and 2 to create a beat!
You’ll play twice as many hits on the hi-hat than you were before. Think of it like adding one more hi-hat stroke that you play alone in between steps 1 and 2.
You can then try alternating steps 3 and 4 to go between playing one hi-hat stroke and two hi-hat strokes.
Every time you restart the phrase – or every 4 or 8 repetitions – replace the first hit on the hi-hat with a hit on the crash. And there you have it: the most popular beginner beat ever, and one of the most used rock beats of all time.
(While writing it out might make it look overly complicated, watch the video to see how simple it actually is.)
Domino Santantonio is the host and instructor of 30-Day Drummer, a workout program that will challenge you to practice drums every day for one month. It’s built for new drummers, so you don’t need any experience to sign up!
The latest challenge is over, but here’s some info for next time!
When you sign up for 30-Day Drummer, you’ll:
This challenge only needs 10 minutes of your time every day. You decide where in your schedule these workouts fit best.
For just $97, you’ll get to join the program and have lifetime access to all the videos. So down the road if you feel yourself falling out of the routine, you can jump right back in. It costs less than private lessons and you’re guaranteed to be playing drum beats and fills by the end of the month.
Over 6000 drummers participated in the last 30-Day Drummer program. What are you waiting for?
Domino Santantonio is a professional touring and studio drummer who was known for her work with Quebec artist Roxane Bruneau until she became a viral sensation on TikTok (1.5 million followers). Domino is also the host and coach of the breakthrough Drumeo workout program, 30-Day Drummer.
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