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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.

Open Practice Mode Song Mode