Level 1

This course contains all of the content at Level 1 of the Drummers Academy of Music syllabus, written by John Vooght. This course will get you set up ready to play the drums, and playing with the correct technique. It covers all the music theory and drumming skills needed to get you playing and understanding the basics of many styles of music.

This course gives an introduction to rhythm, technique, time, rudiments, independence, music theory, Rock, Pop, Funk, Musical Theatre, Reggae, World Music, Jazz, and Orchestral music; and also includes lessons on playing to songs, and all Trinity College London Initial and Grade 1 pieces.

Course Instructor

John Vooght John Vooght Author

John has been a professional drummer and educator since the age of eighteen, playing and teaching all styles of music. He has played and studied drums in Europe and America with world renowned drummers and instructors, gaining a wealth of knowledge in all drumming topics and styles of music. As the drummer of Indie Rock band, ‘The Filthy Youth’ in 2005-2010, John played sell out shows in both the UK and America, as well as having the bands music featured in a hit New York TV series. John has also played as a Session Drummer for Pop artists, Jazz and Jazz-Funk Fusion bands, Orchestras, Concert Bands and Theatre Bands. John is the owner of ‘UK Drummers’ and ‘Drummers Academy of Music’, and wrote the syllabus for the Academy, where he is head instructor, and also teaches the Online Drum Lessons.

 

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Get monthly access to the Level 1 course on a rolling monthly basis for just £19.99 per month.

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The Fundamentals

Floor Tom Grooves

Lesson Length: 6m58s
Fill Flow

Lesson Length: 42m44s
Backbeat Variations

Lesson Length: 7m35s
Bass Drum Independence (Over Four-On-The-Snare)

Lesson Length: 8m07s
Bass Drum Independence (Over Four-On-The-Snare) (part 2)

Lesson Length: 6m40s
Bass Drum Independence (Over Four-On-The-Snare) (part 3)

Lesson Length: 7m10s
The 5 Types Of Stick Strokes

Lesson Length: 11m10s
Cymbal Strokes

Lesson Length: 05m35s
The Repeat Sign

Lesson Length: 07m01s
The Stave / Staff

Lesson Length: 05m23s
Single Strokes, Double Strokes, and Paradiddles

Lesson Length: 05m42s
Applying Rudiments to Fills

Lesson Length: 22m06s
Combining Rudiments On The Kit

Lesson Length: 07m52s
Developing A Practice Routine

Lesson Length: 10m34s
Groove Exercises

Lesson Length: 11m25s
Time Training (70bpm)

Lesson Length: 12m34s
Time Training (50bpm)

Lesson Length: 07m27s
Time Training (100bpm)

Lesson Length: 04m41s

Rock

Rock & Pop

Lesson Length: 13m46s
Weather With You – Crowded House (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 05m44s
Gimme All Your Lovin’ – ZZ Top (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 03m09s
Is This It – The Strokes [Chorus] (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 03m47s
Like A Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 05m27s
Have You Ever Seen The Rain – Creedence Clearwater Revival (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 07m36s
Smooth – Santana (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 03m55s
Honky Tonk Woman – The Rolling Stones [Verse] (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 03m04s
Set Me Free – The Kinks [Verse] (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 04m44s
Is This It – The Strokes [Bridge] (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 03m11s
Hey Bulldog – The Beatles [Chorus] (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 2m05s
California Dreamin’- The Mamas & The Papas [Chorus] (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 04m49s
Days – The Kinks [Final Verse & Chorus] (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 04m34
Universally Speaking – Red Hot Chili Peppers (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 05m35s
Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 2 – Pink Floyd (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 5m48s
Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana [Verse] (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 5m06s
A Well Respected Man – The Kinks (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 06m44s
Can’t Buy Me Love – The Beatles (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 3m06s
Livin’ On A Prayer – Bon Jovi [Chorus] (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 6m56s
All Right Now – Free (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 9m23s
Eighth Note Grooves (Bass Drum Variations)

Lesson Length: 27m03s
Eighth Note Grooves (Bass Drum Variations, Part 2)

Lesson Length: 20m49s
Eighth Note Grooves (Bass Drum Variations, Part 3)

Lesson Length: 28m03s
Eighth Note Grooves (Bass Drum Variations) Application To Music

Lesson Length: 13m30s
Eighth Note Grooves (Kick & Snare Variations)

Lesson Length: 33m17s
Eighth Note Rock & Pop Grooves Summary

Lesson Length: 02m05s
One-Bar Fills

Lesson Length: 54m44s
Quarter Note Grooves (Exercises)

Lesson Length: 32m13s
Quarter Note Grooves

Lesson Length: 23m27s
Quarter Note Grooves (part 2)

Lesson Length: 27m37s
Quarter Note Grooves (Application To Music)

Lesson Length: 11m03s

Pop

Earth Song – Michael Jackson [Verse] (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 2m08s
Billie Jean – Michael Jackson (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 10m32s
How Deep Is Your Love – Bee Gees (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 4m50s
If I Fell – The Beatles (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 4m46s
Every Breath You Take – The Police [Chorus] (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 3m05s
Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 5m00s
All I Wanna Do – Sheryl Crow (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 5m42s
Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 3m04s
Waterloo – ABBA (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 2m42s

Music Theory

Dynamic Marks

Lesson Length: 11m53s
Dynamics

Lesson Length: 04m29s
Tempo Marks

Lesson Length: 03m23s
Expression Marks

Lesson Length: 04m16s
Articulation Marks

Lesson Length: 01m06s
Performance Marks (Summary)

Lesson Length 01m29s
More Symbols & Articulations

Lesson Length: 09m32s
Slash Notation

Lesson Length: 03m47s
Song Form

Lesson Length: 02m13s
Anacrusis/Pick-Up Bar

Lesson Length: 03m53s
Reading Sheet Music (Example 1)

Lesson Length: 16m51s
Reading Sheet Music (Example 2)

Lesson Length: 18m52s

Fundamentals

Sixteenth Notes on the Downbeat and an Eighth Note on the Upbeat

Lesson Length: 06m42s
Sixteenth Notes on the Downbeat and an Eighth Note on the Upbeat & Quarter Notes

Lesson Length: 21m50s
Sixteenth Notes on the Downbeat and an Eighth Note on the Upbeat & Eighth Notes

Lesson Length: 18m05s
Sixteenth Notes on the Downbeat and an Eighth Note on the Upbeat & Sixteenth Notes

Lesson Length: 18m06s
An Eighth Note On The Downbeat & Sixteenth Notes On The Upbeat

Lesson Length: 04m15s
An Eighth Note On The Downbeat & Sixteenth Notes On The Upbeat & Quarter Notes

Lesson Length: 20m24s
An Eighth Note On The Downbeat & Sixteenth Notes On The Upbeat & Eighth Notes

Lesson Length: 18m27s
An Eighth Note On The Downbeat & Sixteenth Notes On The Upbeat & Sixteenth Notes

Lesson Length: 19m49s
1-Beat Figures (Review)

Lesson Length: 14m45s

Rock & Pop (continued)

Rock & Pop Fills

Lesson Length: 34m18s
Rock & Pop Fills (part 2)

Lesson Length: 13m04s
Rock & Pop Fills (part 3)

Lesson Length: 25m39s

Soul

Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) – The Temptations (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 3m48s
Too Much Heaven – Bee Gees (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 6m10s
Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart) – Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 3m27s
Shotgun – Junior Walker & The All Stars (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 6m19s
The Tracks Of My Tears – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 2m23s
Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 3m26s
Let’s Stay Together – Al Green [Refrain] (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 4m56s

Rhythm & Blues (R&B) 

The Genre & The Drumming Greats

Coming Soon
Got To Be There – Michael Jackson [Verse] (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 6m34s
Motown Grooves

Lesson Length: 26m48s
Motown Grooves (part 2)

Lesson Length: 25m56s
Motown Fills

Lesson Length: 31m54s

Disco

Young Hearts Run Free – Candi Staton (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 6m33s
Lose Yourself To Dance – Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 7m46s
Ain’t No Stopping Us Now – McFadden & Whitehead (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 9m27s
Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 5m50s
Ladies Night – Kool & The Gang (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 3m19s

Neo Soul

At This Time – Algebra (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 7m53s

Funk

The Genre & The Drumming Greats

Coming Soon
Get Down Saturday Night – Oliver Cheatham (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 3m39s
Get Down On It – Kool & The Gang (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 4m18s
Slide – Slave [Verse 1] (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 4m47s
Eighth Note Funk Grooves

Lesson Length: 24m36s
Funk Fills

Lesson Length: 23m01s
Quarter Note Funk Grooves

Lesson Length: 12m52s

Hip Hop

Frontin’ – Pharrell Williams (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 4m00s
Dear Mama – 2Pac (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 5m46s
The Way She Dances – N.E.R.D. (Groove Studies)

Lesson Length: 5m43s

Fundamentals

Dotted Half Notes

Lesson Length: 10m08s
Dotted Quarter Notes

Lesson Length: 11m20s
Ties

Lesson Length: 18m57s
Fills with Ties

Lesson Length: 21m15s
Time Signatures

Lesson Length: 09m55s
Playing in 3/4

Lesson Length: 13m48s

Reggae

The Genre & The Drumming Greats

Coming Soon
I’m Still In Love With You – Alton Ellis

Lesson Length: 4m58s
Marcus Garvey – Burning Spear

Lesson Length: 4m02s
One Drop Grooves

Lesson Length: 26m09s
Fills

Lesson Length: 32m54s

Fundamentals

Linear Fills

Lesson Length: 15m26s
Linear Grooves

Lesson Length: 05m16s
Accented Fills

Lesson Length: 04m49s
Left Foot Technique

Lesson Length: 02m40s
4-Way Independence

Lesson Length: 04m39s

World

The Genre

Coming Soon
Cha-Cha-Chá

Lesson Length: 15m14s
Baião

Lesson Length: 13m06s

Orchestral

Orchestral Figures

Lesson Length: 20m33s