BEGINNER

Level 1: Beginner

Where everyone starts, whatever their age. Learn to hold the sticks, count, read simple rhythms, play the essential rudiments and your first real beats, and meet every instrument in the percussion section.

THE DRUM ROOMMeet every instrument in the orchestra59 percussion instruments, from timpani and chimes to triangle and wood block. Tap each one to hear it and learn what it is.Enter the Drum Room →

Parents: what gear to buy first →

01Start in the Beginner Lab

The 24 Level 1 lessons: note values, rests, eighths and sixteenths, then paradiddles, flams, drags and rolls, with notation that lights up, a count-in, loop, challenge mode and progress tracking.

• Beginner Lab24 lessons with play-along

02Getting started

From the Amadeus Drum Method, Part 1.

• 1. How to Use This Book
• 2. Meet the Drum Set
• 3. Holding the Sticks
• 4. Setting Up and Sitting
• 5. The Four Basic Strokes
• 6. Reading the Drum Staff
• 7. Beats, Bars and Time Signatures
• 8. Using a Metronome
• 9. How to Practice

03Counting and reading

From the Amadeus Drum Method, Part 2. Read it, count it out loud, then play it.

• 10. Counting Out Loud
• 11. Quarter Notes
• 12. Half Notes and Whole Notes
• 13. Rests
• 14. Eighth Notes
• 15. Eighth Rests
• 16. Reading Quarters and Eighths
• 17. Sixteenth Notes
• 18. Sixteenth-Note Rhythms, Part 1
• 19. Sixteenth-Note Rhythms, Part 2
• 20. Off-Beat Sixteenths
• 21. Dotted Notes
• 22. Ties
• 23. Eighth-Note Triplets
• 24. Triplet Partials
• 25. Accents and Dynamics

04The essential rudiments

The eight rudiments every drummer learns first. Each page plays the sticking with the right hand on the right speaker.

• Single Stroke RollDrum Rudiment #1
• Double Stroke Open RollDrum Rudiment #6
• Single ParadiddleDrum Rudiment #16
• Multiple Bounce RollDrum Rudiment #4
• FlamDrum Rudiment #20
• DragDrum Rudiment #31
• Five Stroke RollDrum Rudiment #7
• Single Stroke FourDrum Rudiment #2

05Your first beats

Famous grooves that only need a few moving parts, played on a real recorded kit.

• The Groove LibraryPlay along with rock, funk, Motown, disco, hip-hop and more

06Meet the orchestra

Every percussion instrument in the orchestra, from timpani to wood block. Tap to hear each one.

• The Drum Room: meet the instruments59 instruments you can play
• Play the kitTap the real kit

Helping a child learn? Read the Parents' Guide: what to buy, how much to practice, and how to help.

Get new lessons