CourseDrumsRockBeginner

Part ofDrums

Rockschool Drums Method for Beginners

Name: Rockschool Drums Method for Beginners
Price: 13.00 USD
Availability: InStock

with

Sophie Alloway

$13/month

Unlocks this course + 5,000+ other lessons across every instrument.

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Cancel anytime30-day refund

$13/month

Unlocks this course + 5,000+ other lessons across every instrument.

Subscribe to Watch

Cancel anytime30-day refund

Duration3h 47m

Modules114

LevelBeginner

LanguageEnglish

Lesson Plan (3h 47m)

- 01. Welcome to the Course
  2:31
- 02. Drum Kit Quick Guide
  Free lesson
  8:36
- 03. Sitting at the Kit
  5:28
- 04. Stick Technique
  7:53
- 05. Pedal Technique
  6:15
- 06. Using a Metronome
  5:26
- 07. Reading Drum Notation
  5:26
- 01. Rock Drumming Introduction
  7:55
- 02. Example 1 - Single Strokes
  2:44
- 03. Example 2 - Double Strokes
  1:28
- 04. Example 3 - Paradiddles
  2:37
- 05. Bonus - Combining Singles, Doubles, and Paradiddles
  2:22
- 06. Rock Lesson 2 - Adding Rests
  1:48
- 07. Example 1 - Rest on Beat 4
  1:56
- 08. Example 2 - Rest on Beat 2
  1:36
- 09. Example 3 - Moving Rests
  1:05
- 10. Example 4 - Piston Bars 12-16
  1:56
- 11. Bonus Exercise 1
  1:49
- 12. Bonus Exercise 2
  1:02
- 13. Rock Section Summary
  1:50
- 01. Pop - Adding the Hi-Hat
  1:31
- 02. Example 1 - Quarter Notes on Hi-Hat
  1:40
- 03. Example 2 - Resting on Beat 1
  1:42
- 04. Example 3 - Two Consecutive Quarter Note Rests
  1:28
- 05. Bonus Exercise 1
  1:11
- 06. Bonus Exercise 2
  1:10
- 07. Pop Lesson 2 Example 1 - Combining the Hi-Hat & Snare
  1:11
- 08. Example 2 - Moving Quickly Between Drum Voices
  1:17
- 09. Example 3 - Two Drum Voices in One Bar
  0:59
- 10. Example 4 - Take It to the Top Bars 1-4
  1:10
- 11. Bonus Exercise 1
  1:08
- 12. Bonus Exercise 2
  1:04
- 13. Pop Music Section Summary
  0:51
- 01. Introduction to Country Music
  4:13
- 02. Skills Checkpoint
  1:54
- 03. Example 1 - Half-Note Rest
  1:18
- 04. Example 2 - Placing of the Half-Note Rest
  1:31
- 05. Example 3 - Bass Drum Phrases
  1:29
- 06. Bonus Exercise 1
  1:27
- 07. Bonus Exercise 2
  1:10
- 08. Country Lesson 2 - Combining Bass Drum, Snare, and Hi-Hat
  3:07
- 09. Example 1 - Combining the Bass Drum & Hi-Hat
  1:40
- 10. Example 2 - Adding the Half-Note Rest in Various Positions
  1:10
- 11. Example 3 - Moving Quickly Between Drum Voices
  1:10
- 12. Example 4 - Borderlands Bars 1-4
  1:06
- 13. Bonus Exercise 1
  1:30
- 14. Bonus Exercise 2
  0:56
- 15. Country Music Section Summary
  0:26
- 01. Metal Introduction - Playing Two Drum Voices
  3:35
- 02. Example 1 - Focusing on Coordination
  2:19
- 03. Example 2 - Bass Drum Variations
  1:16
- 04. Example 3 - Coordinating the Hands
  1:09
- 05. Bonus Exercise 1
  1:05
- 06. Bonus Exercise 2
  0:50
- 07. Metal Lesson 1 Summary
  0:25
- 08. Metal Lesson 2 - Playing Your First Full Beat
  1:56
- 09. Example 1 - Basic Rock Beat Hi-Hat Pattern
  1:08
- 10. Example 2 - Adding the Back Beat
  0:58
- 11. Example 3 - Adding the Bass Drum
  0:59
- 12. Example 4 - Power Trip Bars 13-14
  1:32
- 13. Bonus Exercise 1
  1:10
- 14. Bonus Exercise 2
  0:53
- 15. Metal Section Summary
  1:05
- 01. Indie - Introduction to the Style
  1:26
- 02. Example 1 - Resting on Beat Three
  1:01
- 03. Example 2 - More Variations
  1:00
- 04. Example 3 - Coordinating the Limbs
  2:16
- 05. Bonus Exercise 1
  1:10
- 06. Bonus Exercise 2
  0:50
- 07. Indie Lesson 1 Summary
  0:25
- 08. Indie Checkpoint - Mallets
  2:46
- 09. Indie Lesson 2 - Introducing 8th Note Bass Drum and Snare
  1:25
- 10. Example 1 - Eighth-Note Snare
  1:36
- 11. Example 2 - Eighth-Note Bass Drum
  1:04
- 12. Example 3 - Eighth Note Phrase
  0:59
- 13. Example 4 - 'Big Mouth' Bars 1-4
  1:48
- 14. Bonus Exercise 1
  0:38
- 15. Bonus Exercise 2
  0:59
- 16. Indie Section Summary
  0:34
- 01. Hip-Hop Introduction - Basic Beats and Fills
  1:33
- 02. Example 1 - Snare & Bass Drum Fill
  1:10
- 03. Example 2 - Snare & Hi-Hat Fill
  1:08
- 04. Example 3 - Fill Using Snare, Hi-Hat & Bass Drum
  1:09
- 05. Bonus Exercise 1
  1:38
- 06. Bonus Exercise 2
  0:47
- 07. Hip-Hop Lesson 1 Summary
  0:32
- 08. Hip Hop Lesson 2 - Introduction to Eighth Note Beats
  3:53
- 09. Example 1 - The Basic Eighth-Note Beat
  1:19
- 10. Example 2 - Snare Drum Variations
  1:28
- 11. Example 3 - Bass Drum Variations
  1:09
- 12. Example 4 - 'The Dogg' Bars 13-16
  1:56
- 13. Bonus Exercise 1
  1:04
- 14. Bonus Exercise 2
  1:09
- 15. Hip-Hop Section Summary
  0:32
- 01. Introduction to the Pieces
  1:04
- 02. Piston (Rock) - Walkthrough
  4:57
- 03. Piston (Rock) - Performance
  0:46
- 04. Take it to the Top (Pop) - Walkthrough
  3:58
- 05. Take it to the Top (Pop) - Performance
  0:50
- 06. Borderlands (Country) - Walkthrough
  3:49
- 07. Borderlands (Country) - Performance
  0:48
- 08. Power Trip - Walkthrough
  5:04
- 09. Power Trip (Metal) - Performance
  0:51
- 10. Big Mouth (Indie) - Walkthrough
  5:26
- 11. Big Mouth (Indie) - Performance
  0:52
- 12. The Dogg (Hip Hop) - Walkthrough
  6:14
- 13. The Dogg (Hip Hop) - Performance
  0:51
- 14. Overload (Rock) - Walkthrough
  5:23
- 15. Overload (Rock) - Performance
  0:50
- 16. Slam (Metal) - Walkthrough
  4:28
- 17. Slam (Metal) - Performance
  0:51
- 18. Under the Radar (Indie) - Walkthrough
  5:02
- 19. Under the Radar (Indie) - Performance
  0:50
- 01. Congratulations on Finishing the Course
  1:23

About this course

The Rockschool Drums Method for Beginners is your starting point for life behind the kit. Taught by professional drummer Sophie Alloway, this comprehensive course is designed to help you build solid foundations and grow into a confident drummer.

What you'll learn:

Master the basics: drum kit setup, stick grip, pedal technique, and timekeeping.
Essential drumming skills: single strokes, double strokes, paradiddles, and more.
Play and enjoy drumming across Rock, Pop, Metal, Country, Indie, and Hip-Hop styles.
Learn to read drum notation and unlock a world of musical possibilities.

With interactive lessons, engaging exercises, and full backing tracks for every piece, this course gives you a hands-on learning experience. You'll practise real-world grooves, explore creative fills, and develop your ability to play full songs in your favourite styles.

By the end of the course, you'll confidently perform songs like "Piston" (Rock), "Take It to the Top" (Pop), and "The Dogg" (Hip-Hop). Along the way, Sophie shares tips from her extensive experience performing worldwide, from Glastonbury to West End shows.

Grab your sticks and start your drumming journey - this is a course built for beginner drummers of all ages.

Who it's for

Total beginners who have never sat behind a kit
Returning drummers refreshing the fundamentals from scratch
Self-taught players wanting cleaner technique and timing

What you'll learn

Set up your kit and sit comfortably
Hold sticks and work pedals with control
Play full songs across rock, pop, and hip-hop

What you'll need

A drum kit or practice pad to start
A metronome app and a pair of sticks
A few minutes most days, played regularly

Meet the Guru

Sophie Alloway

Sophie Alloway is a session and touring drummer at the heart of the London jazz scene. She has performed with Jason Rebello, Yazz Ahmed, Laurence Cottle and Tony Allen, and notably played for Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace shortly before he became King.

Touring credits include Roots Manuva, the Thriller musical and Paul Stacey (Oasis / The Black Crowes). She is also the drummer in original fusion band Lydian Collective, with over six million Spotify streams.

Sophie has recorded sessions at Abbey Road, AIR and Angel studios, and her television appearances include Later… with Jools Holland, Glastonbury and two series of Adrian Dunbar’s drama Ridley. She is featured on Abbey Road Masters: The Drum Sessions and performed for the BBC Young Jazz Musician 2024 finalists, broadcast on BBC TV and Radio. Jon Newey of Jazz FM dubbed her the “goddess of groove”.

View artist page

Published with

RSL Awards

RSL Awards (Rockschool) is a UK awarding body specialising in contemporary music, with graded syllabuses for guitar, drums and piano developed over decades. MusicGurus partners with Rockschool to provide video guides and practice sheet music for their grade books, taught by professional musicians - many of whom played on the original performances and backing tracks recorded at Abbey Road and Real World Studios.

View the Exam Board page