If your drumming journey hasn’t included any theory instruction yet, get started with some fabulous resources that are available free on the internet.

Why Study Theory?

Drummers are sometimes perceived as the non-musicians in the band.  The stereotype of the college guy starting to play the drums to get into a band without having any real musical knowledge still exists (for good reason in many cases). This stereotype doesn’t really apply to women, though does it?  While plenty of guys out there think that women don’t hit as hard and aren’t aggressive enough to play the drums (p-lease!) you won’t find many female hacks out there.  Women who choose to play typically take the time to really learn to play. When we decide to ignore the stereotypes of what women instruments women should play, we go all the way.

Simply put, learning theory will make you a better player.  Ear training and developing your creativity are important, but adding a sound understanding of musical fundamentals will take you further. You’ll be able to work with other musicians, speaking the same language to create a song.  You’ll be able to read drum charts to cover that amazing solo by your favorite drummer. Understanding theory will improve your critical listening skills, helping you to know how to enhance whatever is being played by the musicians around you. And learning how music is constructed will allow you to have a foundation from which to launch your own creativity and develop your style. There is just no downside to learning musical theory.

For those taking on the challenge by self-teaching instead of taking group or private lessons with an instructor, it can be tough to wade through all the noise out there to find some good theory resources.  And just because you pay a premium for some online lessons or DVDs doesn’t mean that you’ll come away with a good foundation to build on.

This article contains links to free lessons that are worth your time. A variety of formats are included because everyone learns differently. Some people learn more effectively with visual explanations, while others are auditory learners.  Exploring these free lessons can help you determine what format works best for you before you spend money on a particular course.

OnlineDrummer.com

This website is a wonderful resource for self-taught drummers and for those taking instructor-led lessons as well. The bulk of their lessons are free to users and the quality of the content is top notch. They have a wide range of learning topics, but their ‘Learning to Read’ series is a great place to start for drumset theory. Each lesson is delivered in a professionally produced video that you can watch online (streamed in multiple formats) or download for offline practice. Each lesson has an accompanying ‘Beat Sheet’ for printing with the lesson charted so you can practice without the video.

If you enjoy learning in a video-based format, give these lessons a try. Most videos in the series are about 10 minutes in length, so you’re getting a lot of information. Nate Brown’s delivery is fantastic – he has a gift for teaching and keeping the lesson moving.

FreeDrumLessons.com

This website contains free lessons as a tease to market their other commercial lesson products. That doesn’t mean the content isn’t valuable. It is!

Most of the lessons are provided in professionally produced video format with supporting charts and text. Jared Falk delivers the lessons with just the right balance of personality, knowledge, and encouragement. What I like about his style is that it’s friendly without being over the top, so I’m never distracted from the lesson itself. The pace is good, never dragging or wandering onto other tangents. The free lessons cover notation and note value counting exercises – just some easy basics.

While just an introduction, this painless first step might be enough to get your confidence up in your ability to read music.  From there you can branch out to other topics covered in their commercial systems or try out other free resources on the web.

Free Drum Lessons from Tiger Bill

The Tiger Bill website promotes some paid online group and private lessons with a set of free lessons, including some targeted theory lessons. The theory lessons are all text-based and can be printed for self-study at your kit.  Topics include reading music (specifically drumset notation) and how to chart music yourself. Exercises at the end of each lesson will test your knowledge.  While the theory content is light, I do like the practical application stressed in the later lessons.

Related posts:

1. Larry Bennett on Teaching Female Drummers Drum instructor Larry Bennett shares his experiences teaching girls and women how to play drums. He also provides his top four tips for practicing. My approach to teaching drum students...
2. Guitar and Drum Trainer Software Wins Award Boston, Massachusetts, July 2008 — Renegade Minds’ “Guitar & Drum Trainer” software for musicians won the “Best Vertical Market Program or Utility Award” at the Shareware Industry Awards Banquet on...