Video Drum Lessons

This free PDF serves as...

This lesson expands your swing independence and four-way co-ordination skills by introducing the bass drum and hi-hat pedal as comping voices when improvising in jazz/swing...

This lesson lays the foundation for jazz ‘comping’ (accompanying) on the snare drum by exploring the seven different possibilities for ‘filling in’ triplets in the...

The swing cymbal beat is the fundamental drum feel of jazz music. The beat itself is simple; consisting of only ride cymbal and hi-hat pedal...

In this lesson we take the sixteenth-note rock beat played with a two-handed alternating sticking and add open hi-hat notes in different positions and combinations,...

Here we introduce open hi-hat notes and alternative hi-hat rhythms to the sixteenth-note rock beat. The beats in this lesson are useful for funk, fusion...

This lesson introduces an alternative, open-handed method for playing the sixteenth-note rock beat useful for faster tempos and feels that require a powerful, driving sixteenth-note...

In this two-part lesson we add various accent patterns and rhythmic variations to the sixteenth-note rock beat hi-hat part. Each hi-hat pattern is first played...

In this two-part lesson we add various accent patterns and rhythmic variations to the sixteenth-note rock beat hi-hat part. Each hi-hat pattern is first played...

Here we add bass drum notes and snare ghost notes (aka grace notes) to the sixteenth-note rock beat feel in various eighth-note and sixteenth-note positions....

In this lesson we add snare drum ghost notes (also known as grace notes) to the sixteenth-note rock beat in various eighth-note and sixteenth-note positions....

This lesson introduces sixteenth-note bass drum additions to the sixteenth-note rock beat and is a great step into counting and playing syncopated grooves and developing...

The exercises in this lesson take odd groupings of single strokes (alternating sticking) and apply them to the drum kit in a manner that takes...

Steve Gadd’s highly inventive approach to creating original beats is typified and immortalised in this awesome thirty-second-note groove, based on a re-voiced inverted double stroke...

This set of intermediate-advanced beats adds bass drum notes, snare drum ghost notes (aka grace notes) and open hi-hat notes to the eighth-note rock beat...

Here we add bass drum notes and snare ghost notes (aka grace notes) to the eighth-note rock beat feel in various eighth-note and sixteenth-note positions....

This lesson shows you several ways to apply the paradiddle-diddle rudiment to the drum kit using simple voicings, additional accents and combining it with the...

This lesson demonstrates a large group of useful beats – all variations to the eighth-note rock beat with sixteenth-note bass drum additions as well as...

In this lesson we add snare drum ghost notes (also known as grace notes) to the eighth-note rock beat in various eighth-note and sixteenth-note positions....

This series of beats introduces sixteenth-note bass drum additions to the eighth-note rock beat and is a great step into counting and playing syncopated grooves...

This lesson shows you a set of ride cymbal accent patterns that add colour and texture to the eighth-note rock beat. The basic options for...

In this lesson we add bass drum notes and snare drum ghost notes (also known as grace notes) to the quarter-note rock beat in eighth-note...

This set of independence & co-ordination exercises combines single-stroke, double-stroke and paradiddle stickings between the four limbs...

This lesson shows you 100 different ways to combine single-stroke and double-stroke stickings between the four limbs...

In this lesson we add snare drum ghost notes (also known as grace notes) to the quarter-note rock beat in eighth-note and sixteenth-note positions. As...

Here we take the quarter-note rock beat hi-hat & snare pattern and add bass drum notes in various eighth-note and sixteenth note subdivisions. The resulting...

In this lesson we take the open hi-hat patterns learned in part one and combine them with a set of eighth-note bass drum variations/additions to...

This lesson introduces basic open hi-hat patterns to the eighth-note rock beat by placing open/closed hi-hat notes in different eighth-note positions in the bar. If...

This lesson introduces various accented hi-hat patterns to the eighth-note rock beat as a simple but effective way of changing the feel of your beats.

This 3-part lesson expands on the eighth-note rock beat and contains 112 exercises – all based on adding & subtracting bass drum notes in various...

This 3-part lesson expands on the eighth-note rock beat and contains 112 exercises – all based on adding & subtracting bass drum notes in various...

This 3-part lesson expands on the eighth-note rock beat and contains 112 exercises – all based on adding & subtracting bass drum notes in various...

This lessons shows you how to play the 4/4 Sixteenth-Note Rock Beat, plus a few useful hi-hat variations involving accents and alternate hi-hat rhythms for...

The Eighth-Note Rock Beat is one of the fundamental beats in drumming and one of the cornerstone rhythmic feels in western popular music. Once you...

The Quarter-Note Rock Beat (initially introduced to me as the “2/4 Beat”) is the first thing I ever learned to play on drums. After that...

This quick lesson/practice tip shows you a simple way to achieve more consistency when changing between singles, doubles and paradiddles.

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The six-stroke roll is a versatile and musical rudiment, but it’s non-alternating nature gives it some limitations that this lesson helps to overcome, making it...

This group of exercises shows you some extensions and modifications to the flam accent rudiment with the aim of enhancing it’s usefulness as a musical...

This lesson shows you a set of bass drum variations for your rock & funk beats. This means that bass drum notes may fall on...

This lesson shows you a set of combined bass drum and snare drum variations for your rock & funk beats. This means that bass drum...

This lesson introduces you to the concept of polyrhythms, and demonstrates the formula for working out everything from basic and advanced polyrhythms based on any...

I’ve been using a new camera to record some gigs lately so I’ll be sharing the footage from...

This lesson aims to get you using your hi-hats more dynamically and creatively. The exercises themselves are rooted in 4-way co-ordination and take you through...

These ‘swinging latin’ grooves came out of the bebop era, when Cuban percussion rhythms were being introduced to American jazz. They are often used in...

In this video, you’ll see 55 different 4/4 drum fills that you can copy and try out in your own drumming. They start out simple...

This video shows you a drum lick based on a 12-note triplet sticking suitable for dropping into a Songo or other Cuban feel without breaking...

Ever see those drummers who hold one of their sticks funny? If you want to know what that’s all about this lesson shows you why...

Never held a drum stick before, or just want to know if you’re on the right track? This is the lesson for you. You’ll learn...

This lesson shows you how to draw out maximum power and tone from your snare drum using a common technique called the rim shot.

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Matched Grip’ is the most practical and commonly used grip for modern drummers. This lesson shows you the basic concept, and the 3 variations on...

This is one of my favourite concepts to teach. The ‘Dynamic Strokes’ (Full, Down, Tap, Up) are key in an approach to stick technique that...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Triple Stroke Roll drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Triple Ratamacue drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Triple Paradiddle drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Thirteen Stroke Roll drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Ten Stroke Roll drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Swiss Army Triplet drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Six Stroke Roll drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Single Stroke Seven drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Single Stroke Roll drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Single Stroke Four drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Single Ratamacue drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Single Paradiddle drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Single Flammed Mill drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Single Dragadiddle drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Single Drag Tap drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Seventeen Stroke Roll drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Seven Stroke Roll drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Pataflafla drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be applied...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Paradiddle-diddle drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be applied...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Nine Stroke Roll drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Multiple Bounce Roll drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Inverted Flam Tap drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Flamacue drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be applied...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Flam drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be applied...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Flam Tap drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Flam Paradiddle drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Flam Paradiddle-diddle drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Flam Drag drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Flam Accent drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Five Stroke Roll drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Fifteen Stroke Roll drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Eleven Stroke Roll drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Drag drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be applied...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Drag Paradiddle 2 drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Drag Paradiddle 1 drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Double Stroke Roll drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Double Ratamacue drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Double Paradiddle drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be...

In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Double Drag Tap drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can...

Learning to play with brushes can be a great way to start discovering some of the secret sounds hidden inside your drum kit. This lesson...

This lesson on foot technique helps you begin to unlock the secrets of developing speed and power into your bass drum and pedal hi-hat strokes.

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This lesson introduces the 3 basic foot strokes used by drummers to achieve a variety of sounds and feels.

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In this lesson you’ll learn how to tune your high and low tom toms for optimal tone and projection.

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Tuning your snare correctly is important for getting the right sound for any particular style of music. This lesson shows you the basics of snare...

This lesson is an in-depth introduction to tuning your bass drum. It covers the basic concept of tuning your bass drum and shows you how...

Sacha performs to our play-along version of “You And The Night And The Music”. Download the ‘minus drums’ version and have a go yourself.

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In this performance video, Sacha plays “Oleo” – a typical example of the AABA rhythm changes song form. Download the ‘minus drums’ version and have...

“Green Dolphin Street” is a popular jazz standard which can be played many ways. This version uses a simple medium swing feel but also modulates...

This is a slow 12/8 version of the popular standard “Georgia On My Mind”. It starts off nice and easy but builds and builds and...

This play-along track is great for practicing your rock and funk grooves with sixteenth-note subdivisions. There’s a lot of different ways you could interpret this...

In this lesson, Sacha performs to a play-along track called “Damas Cha Cha Cha” – a traditional Cuban cha cha cha with a modern edge....

This track is a fairly typical modern jazz trio rendition of Duke Ellington’s “Caravan”. Keep in mind that once the melody starts, the song is...

12-Bar Blues is the most basic jazz form, and learning to play and feel it is essential to become a great jazz player. “C Jam...

“Bernie’s Tune” is an example of the AABA jazz form. In this version we have a 2-feel in the A sections (2 beats to the...

A triplet is a kind of note that allows you to divide beats into 3 notes rather than 2 or 4. This lesson shows you...

In this lesson you’ll learn a technique often used in jazz and other types of improvised music for drummers to take a drum solo while...

These demonstrations show you a few ways the Six Stroke Roll rudiment can be used to create drum licks with left and right hand lead.

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This lesson demonstrates of some of the ways the Six Stroke Roll rudiment can be used to create melodic patterns around the drum kit.

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PDF Worksheet...

This lesson demonstrates of some of the ways the Single Paradiddle rudiment can be used to create melodic patterns around the drum kit.

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This is a short demonstration of Single and Double Paradiddles and how they can be used to play freely and fluidly around the drum kit.

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This lesson demonstrates an ‘inverted’ Single Paradiddle rudiment and how it can be used to create melodic patterns around the drum kit.

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This advanced lesson deals with the concept of Metric Modulation, which means changing the meter (time signature) and/or tempo (speed) of the music.

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I came up with this 9-note drum lick back at university and have had people asking about it ever since. One YouTube commenter said it...

This is a powerful and very handy drum lick made up of a flam and a drag. With a little practice the ‘Blushda’ will sit...

Here’s a really cool drum lick made famous by the great Steve Gadd. Remarkably simple but really effective when practiced right.

This is a simple but effective practice exercise designed to get you moving around your drum kit with more speed and endurance. It’s more of...

This simple drum lick is made up of only six notes and can be used in any sort of music where you want a heavy...

Sometimes the best thing you can do behind your instrument is just play. Free playing time can allow you to momentarily forget all the structured...

Sacha warming up to record some lessons by playing some songo grooves.

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Found in an old Billy Cobham drum clinic video, this pattern combines a 3-note pattern in the left hand with a 4-note pattern in the...

This lesson introduces the Twelve-Eight Rock Beat: a great rhythm to learn when you’re learning rock and also interested in music that uses the shuffle...

This lesson gives you some simple ideas to add flavor to your Twelve-Eight rock beats.

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In this mini-lesson, Sacha demonstrates some great swing coordination exercises that really put your snare drum and bass drum to work! When you practice these...

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Steve Gadd invented some killer grooves over the years and this is one of my favourites. It’s incredibly simple but...

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Learning the sixteenth-note rock beat opens the drummer up the mountains of possibilities available for creating different types of rock,...

The rock shuffle is a triplet-based rock beat that introduces the drummer to the ‘swing’ feel.

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This lesson shows you a few ways to add interest to your rock shuffle grooves with some snare drum and bass drum variations.

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This lesson introduces the basic feel behind rock and pop drumming. Also a great coordination exercise, this beat is often...

This lesson shows you various rock/funk beats that require you to open and close your hi-hats. You’ll see a few very important technical tips for...

The jazz cymbal beat is the rhythmic foundation of jazz and swing drumming. After learning this short, simple beat, you are on the way to...

In this lesson we go through a few variations on the Jazz Cymbal Beat that will give some ideas on how to make your jazz/swing...

This lesson shows you how to combine exercises from the jazz coordination master list to create musical phrases and ideas.

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This lesson give you a list of exercises that allow to start incorporating bass drum and snare drum rhythms into your jazz cymbal beats.

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The half time shuffle is a groove made infamous by studio legends such at Jeff Porcaro, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie and Steve Gadd. Learning it helps...

This lesson shows you some interesting variations to completely change the feel of your half time shuffle grooves. Make sure you check out Steely Dan’s...

This lesson was great fun to create! James Brown’s ‘Funky Drummer’ is perhaps one of the best funk recordings ever made, no small thanks to...

In this video, Sacha plays a swing coordination exercise where the right hand plays a traditional cymbal beat while the other three limbs play a...

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The eighth note rock beat is the most commonly used drum beat in popular music today. After mastering this lesson,...

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This lesson shows you a set of simple bass drum variations to the eighth-note rock beat. Bass drum notes may...

This is essentially a video response to a YouTube video Sacha posted a few years back. Quite a few people wanted to know what was...

This lesson shows you how to begin to interpret the Brazilian Samba groove with brushes.

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Coming from Brazil, the samba is a unique rhythm that opens up some interesting possibilities on the drum kit.

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Bossa-Nova is a Brazilian groove that is often used as an alternative feel in rock and jazz. This lesson introduces the basic building blocks of...

This lesson gives you a few neat variations to try on with your basic bossa-nova feel.

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Songo is a rhythm that really put the drum kit on the map in Cuban music. This lesson shows you the different parts of the...

The Clave is the fundamental groove behind Afro-Cuban music and is important to understand when learning the rhythms behind many styles including Salsa, Mambo, Bolero,...

Cha Cha Cha is a simple yet catchy Cuban rhythm that’s really fun to play on drum kit. It’s a great coordination exercise too.

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The Cascara is a simple but very important and widely-used rhythm in Afro-Cuban drumming. Once you memorize this pattern, many things you hear in Afro-Cuban...

More cowbell! This simple cowbell pattern is what drives a Salsa or Latin-Jazz ‘Montuno’ groove. It’s easy to play but it takes practice to make...

This lesson shows you what you can do with your bass drum when playing in various Afro-Cuban styles. It’s not always on the...