1. 1

   Listen to a song of your choice and count along to the beat.

2. 2

   Count the beat in fours: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4. In this example, we’ll use the Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.”

3. 3

   Put your right foot on the bass drum pedal and your left foot on the high hat pedal.

4. 4

   Keep the high hat pedal pressed down while you play.

5. 5

   Begin with the music playing, and use only your right stick on the high hat.

6. 6

   Hit the high hat once for every syllable in the chorus: “Lu-cy-in-the-Sky …” Keep this steady rhythm throughout the song.

7. 7

   Add your bass drum pedal on beats 1 and 3 when you can keep a steady beat on the high hat. For our example, the bass drum would sound on “Lu-,” “Sky,” and “Dia-.”

8. 8

   Add the snare drum to complete the beat.

9. 9

   Use your left stick on beats 2 and 4, which is when you might naturally clap to a song. In our chorus, it would be played on “In” and then just after the word “Sky,” and on “-monds.”

10. 10

    Try playing your rhythm throughout an entire song without a missed beat.

11. 11

    Try new songs with different tempos.

Tips & Warnings

• Hold the drumsticks in the middle, loosely between your thumb and second and third fingers.
• Keep your arms and shoulders very relaxed.
• If you’re having trouble coordinating your hands and feet, try playing the high hat and bass drum until they are automatic. Then you can work on adding the snare drum.
• If you’re having trouble keeping a steady beat, practice with a slower song.
• Play softly at first, until the rhythm becomes more automatic.
• Most new drummers put a death grip on the sticks, which can cause fatigue and/or injury. Relax your grip, and your arms and shoulders, as much as possible.