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Drum Lesson Plans
A clear path beats random practice. This free 8-week plan takes you from your first beat to playing confident grooves and fills along to music. Spend about 30 minutes a day; repeat any week that does not feel solid before moving on.
Week 1 – Foundations
Kit layout, matched grip, posture, counting eighth notes. Single strokes at a slow, even tempo.
Week 2 – The first beat
Hi-hats + kick on 1 and 3 + snare on 2 and 4. Two minutes non-stop without rushing.
Week 3 – Eighth-note variations
Move the kick around (add the "and" of 3), keep the backbeat locked. Introduce the metronome.
Week 4 – Your first fills
Simple eighth-note tom fills in the last bar; land cleanly on beat 1 of the next bar.
Week 5 – Sixteenth-note hi-hats
Double the hi-hat speed under the same kick/snare. Build wrist control.
Week 6 – Reading and notation
Learn to read a drum staff and tab so you can pick up any chart. (See the notation guide.)
Week 7 – Dynamics and ghost notes
Add quiet ghost notes and accents for feel; practice loud and soft versions of one groove.
Week 8 – Put it together
Play three full songs end to end, holding time and using fills to mark sections.
How to use the plan
- Run the 30-minute routine each day, themed to the current week.
- Use Practice Mode to drill the week's pattern and watch your accuracy climb.
- Finish each week by playing along to a full song in Song Mode.