How To Play The Drums In Ten Easy Steps
This easy to achieve drumming course is designed for the absolute beginner and those who play already and seek to further develop their skills and understanding of how drumming works.
With this drumming course you can be assured you’ll get great results, in the easiest way possible. You’ll benefit from 40 years experience I have as a qualified drumming coach and as a professional touring drummer in bands right across the world.
You will learn how to play drum rudiments, Rock Drumming, Funk Drumming, Latin styles, Blues and more and you’ll understand clearly how the structure of drumming works and start discovering your own unique drumming style and ideas.
The course materials include video coaching sessions, printed drum notes, and play-a-long audio track, all combined to give you the very best support you will need to develop your technique, confidence and enjoyment in playing the drum kit.
About the course tutor Steve Laffy – professional international drummer, author and drumming coach.
Steve has been a professional drummer for over 40 years, working in television, radio, theatre and has toured and played gigs extensively worldwide. He has also played major festivals in the UK and overseas including most of Europe, from Italy to Norway and worldwide to Japan and Mexico.
He writes his own music with the groups Rhythm Rising and Jama and has played drums on many albums over the years. He has played live with a diversity of international artists such as William Bell, Zoot Money, Daniel O´Donnell, Chris Jagger, Baka Beyond, The Foundations and many other acts.
Steve has achieved Rock School Grade Eight drums and has a diploma in Music Practice from London Trinity College. He is an Associate Lecturer in Music Practice and has taught in schools, colleges and at University level. Steve has tutored thousands of individual students over the years with many themselves becoming successful professional drummers and drum kit teachers. He’s a member of the Vic Firth Education Team and has published drum tutorial print and Kindle books and DVDs, with his book/CD ‘The Really Easy Way To Play The Drums’ reaching the No.1 ranking position on Amazon.
How Steve got started.
As a child there was no room in the family home for a drum kit and no money for lessons, so he started by tapping out some beats on tins with pencils. Steve was a late starter, getting his first full drum kit at 18 years of age.
He played around on the kit for a few years learning what he could, until the age of 21 when Steve decided (with the encouragement of others) that he would take it seriously and make it his profession. He soon realised he had a lot of hard work to do to reach a standard that would be required to be a professional musician, so he started on a committed 3-year study, practicing 5 hours every evening after work. He tried to learn as much as possible about all styles of music and taught himself to read drum music notation, discovered and studied the drum kit rudiments and listening to lots of great drummers. This study continues still today, some 35 years later and he now is making every effort to share his experience and knowledge with you on this drumming course.
Learning to play well, will need time to develop your skills and this will take persistence, patience and practice. It is well worth it and you will get a lot of enjoyment for your efforts. Each person will set their own goals for learning the drums and decide how much time they are happy to dedicate to developing the skills required.
Getting started is the hardest part of anything that is a challenge. I am sure that this drumming course will help you on your way and that you will learn a lot about your self in the process.
Drums have been around for thousands of years so you are joining a tradition with a long history. Now it’s your time to contribute to that amazing and rich history. Taking this course will put you on the path to becoming a successful drummer.
Here is what you will cover during this course:
Section 1
Welcome and introduction to the course.
Section 2 Pages 9 – 14
Getting started by explaining and demonstrating the fundamentals of drumming and the structure of how drumming works.
Section 3 Pages 15 -19
Playing drum grooves, by developing hand and foot co-ordination and the technique for playing four bar structures and a four bar solo.
Section 4 Pages 20 – 23
Acquiring good drumming technique and a clear understanding of drumming and various drum fill patterns by playing a sixteen bar piece.
Section 5 Pages 24 – 26
A study of three ‘Latin’ rhythms: Building different grooves and styles including Rumba, Samba and Cha, Cha, Cha beats.
Section 6 Pages 27 – 30
Learning about Time Signatures and how to combine various drumming styles to build different sections of a drumming piece.
Section 7 Pages 31 – 32
Introducing Triplets and how to play 12/8, Shuffle and Swing rhythms and fills for Blues, Jazz and Hip Hop swing style.
Section 8 Page 33
Playing Funky drums! An introduction to ‘syncopation’ using Funk beats with sixteenth note hi hat grooves and ghost notes.
Section 9 Pages 34 – 35
Reading the score and playing the final piece Show Time using the skills and techniques learned throughout this course.
Section 10
Congratulations on completion of this course with a certificate
From this course you will learn the importance
of warming up and good posture.
It is important for preventing injury to warm up your body – both on and off the kit, before playing the drums.
Before you sit at the kit stand tall, legs slightly apart, arms by your sides and roll your shoulders in big circles 5-6 times one way then the other. Now put your thumbs on your shoulders and make big circles with your elbows 5-6 times one way then the other. Now with your arms fully stretched, make circles as above.
Try and stay loose and relaxed at all times while playing the drums.
You will learn the benefits of correct grip and sitting positions for good drumming.
Hold the sticks correctly and you will make a good sound from the drums and be able to play without getting fatigued.
Are you already learning to play the drum kit?
– Do you ever feel stuck with what to practice when you sit down to play your drum kit?
– Do you wish you had someone to coach you to become really good at drumming?
– Do you wish you had a clear understanding of what you need to play to make great progress?
– Would clear drumming goals, practice examples and an easy to follow simple method, inspire and motivate you to play better drums?
This Course For Beginners Will Help You: – Understand The Most Important Drumming Skills To Focus On – With Support To Make Fast Progress Learning Drums – Build A Clear Understanding Of How To Play Drum Kit – Gain The Control Of Drumming That Will Build Your Confidence
Issues That ‘How To Play The Drums In Ten Easy Steps’ Will Address: – To Handle The Challenge Of Making Continuous Progress – How To Deal With Any Self Doubts – Building Your Confidence As A Drummer Today
This Progressive Method Drumming Course Will Guide You With: – Proper Grip And Posture For Learning Drums – Skills For The Most Useful Basic Drum Rudiments – Understanding Drum Notation And How To Read Drum Charts – Understanding The Structure Of Different Drum Rhythms
Specific Sections On Playing Different Music Styles: Learning to play the Basics of Rock, Funk, Blues and Latin. Understanding time signatures and how to play them whilst learning how to develop your own ideas and playing style.
Specific Sections On Developing Drumming Skills: Play the drum kit using 4way co-ordination. How to develop snare and bass drum variations and increase your speed and stamina. Discover your sense of excitement as you feel your capability and confidence build.
What The Experts Say About
‘How To Play The Drums – In Ten Easy Steps’
“I’ve been looking for a course that explains drum beats, music notation, and counting systems in an uncomplicated way. Steve has made it as easy as possible for any beginner to gain a good knowledge of playing the drums and reading music. I highly recommend it for all new players.”
– Ross Elder; Professional drummer and Drum Kit & Percussion Tutor.
“This course helps students be self motivated and to develop their own style – it’s great.”
– Sam Kelly; International Drummer and Educator. Voted Best UK Blues Drummer of the Year.
“Your books and course are methodical and progressive. I like the carefully graded feel to them and the fact that they are easily achievable beginning to end by most beginners.”
– Colin Woolway; International drummer, Author of Drumsense books.
A personal note from Steve:
Hello and thank you for your interest in ‘How To Play The Drums In Ten Easy Steps’ drumming course. I am delighted to communicate and share my experience and knowledge with other people who wish to learn to play the drum kit, .
This interactive course is derived from the print book version of an Amazon No 1 Best Selling drum book and is the result of my professional work as a drumming coach and teacher. The course helps thousands of students learn to successfully play the drums using the practical knowledge of my 35 years as an International professional drummer.
I know the experience first-hand of learning to play the drum kit, especially for beginners and the whole subject of how to solve the problems that can sometimes seem a mystery. Enjoy the journey.
I wish you every success and enjoyment with your drumming, and I will be delighted to join with you on the ‘How To Play The Drums – In Ten Easy Steps’ drumming course.
Very best wishes with your drumming adventure!
Steve Laffy
A bit about the instructor:
When he first heard a drum kit being played live the sound just amazed him. Steve starting playing on some tins as a teenager and eventually got a kit and at age 20 deciding he really wanted to dedicate himself to drumming.
Steve didn’t realise then where that journey would take him, what he would learn about himself in the process, and that he would play the drums professionally for the rest of his adult life. Over those years Steve has had the pleasure to play with some great musicians, hundreds of different bands, travelled to play in many countries across the world and to earn enough money with his drumming to live and raise a family.
His great respect for the long tradition of drumming has encouraged him to share what Steve has learnt along the way with others. He has had the opportunity and satisfaction to share the skills and knowledge that he’s gained, and had the pleasure to coach many young drummers (and some older ones), even some who have gone on to become excellent, successful professional drummers themselves.
The single thing that inspired Steve in the early days, was that although he did not have the skills necessary at the beginning he had the self-belief that with effort, by applying himself and developing his ability he could find out what it takes to be a good drummer. In a nutshell Steve says regular practice, dedication and learning the skills that you will really need to know is a unique journey, full of interest and adventure and he wants to share what he’s learnt with others.
With this in mind, he has designed this drumming course to help you get the very best start with playing the drums. Steve’s intention is to keep it simple, clear and achievable so that you can go on to develop your own unique way of playing the drums and discover all the wonderful material that exists to help you.
