Drumeo Summary
There’s an opportunity in online drum lessons, and it’s called Drumeo. Aimed primarily at beginner to intermediate students, Drumeo offers a ton of professionally developed content illustrated by some of the best drummers in the world.
Note: we were allowed unrestricted access to the Drumeo lessons program to make sure you get a complete first-hand unbiased Drumeo review.
Editor’s Rating
(4.8 / 5)
What We Like
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- An extraordinary amount of quality content
- Excellent production standards
- Lessons with legendary industry names
- Robust community and support
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What We Don’t Like
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- Close, but still not the same as private instruction
- Amount of material can be overwhelming at first
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Prices and Membership Options
At the time of this writing, Drumeo is also donating 20% of every new membership towards a MusicCounts Band Aid Program. We absolutely LOVE this kind of promotion as every little bit of generosity helps the music community as a whole.
For overall value, the freebies you get with the yearly subscription are significant making the option very attractive. You get:
- The annual membership
- Drumeo branded Vater 5A drumsticks
- An extra 26-week online course on drum technique with Bruce Becker
- Plus a 4 hour video course on hand health from Tommy Igoe
The verdict is: of the three options, the free add-ons you get with the yearly subscription certainly make the offer that much more worthwhile.
Does Drumeo Offer a Lifetime Membership?
Drumeo occasionally offers a Lifetime Membership. As you would expect, it’s not cheap, but considering the platform’s longevity and commitment to continuously add exceptional educational content, the one-time expense will pay for itself in spades if you intend to stick with the drums for the long term.
Not only that, Drumeo’s parent company, Musora Media Inc, is aggressively developing all their musical education platforms including Guitareo, Pianote and Singeo.
Chances are If you’re a member you’ll receive a very attractive offer have any interest in other musical disciplines
For this one reason, it’s at least worth joining Drumeo’s mailing list for when the offer comes around again.
How Does Drumeo Compare to Other Online Programs?
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Service |
Cost |
Comments |
Offer? |
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$180 Annually |
Limited to Ringo Starr | |
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$35 per Month |
Jazz and world beat options only | |
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$29.99 per Month |
Solid criteria and instruction but singular perspective | |
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$25 per Month |
Long on pro players, short on structure | |
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$29 per month |
Designed for beginners by an experienced teacher | |
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Free – for now | You get what you pay for, but you can mine for gold |
So how does Drumeo stack up? Pretty darn well we think.
All things considered, Drumeo Edge is VERY MUCH worth the money. Especially for beginner and intermediate students, you’ll find hours of valuable content on Drumeo that blows other content out of the water, and all for the price of what a single hour of in-person drum lessons would cost.
source: https://musicalpros.com/drumeo-edge-review/
Other than the overstated value of private lessons in the above statement, I’d say it’s a pretty fair assessment.
Personally, I’ve been following Drumeo’s progress for years and considering the alternatives I agree, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better bang for the buck.
What Makes Drumeo Different?
Drumeo’s long standing history has allowed them to amass a number of critical factors that let’s them stand apart:
- A massive library of over 3000 videos
- Over 1340 free YouTube video lessons
- Nearly 1 million followers on instagram
- Over 100 professional instructors
- Lessons with legendary drummers
Since Drumeo got their foot in the right digital door early on, they’re reaping the benefits of that groundwork.
Not only that, the demand is increasing. Compared to online guitar instruction, which are somewhat saturated, online drum lessons are still in their infancy.
Does Drumeo Have an App?
Drumeo on Different Devices
Who Started Drumeo?
Jared Falk began working towards the idea of Drumeo back in the early 2000’s. While working as a music teacher and gigging musician, Jared and business partner Rick Kettner formed DrumTechniques.com, which later became Musora Media Inc.
Realizing the potential of video instruction, streaming, and perhaps more importantly building a community, Jared joined YouTube in the mid-2000s.
Of all his YouTube videos, his earliest dates back to August 3, 2007 – now that’s a nice chunk of history! Now so many years later, Drumeo boasts the phrase, “The world’s largest collection of free drum lesson videos!”
What is the Drumeo Method?
The Drumeo Method is the platform’s core offering based on a 10-level course aimed primarily at beginners giving the best start possible at learning drums.
Each level in turn is divided into a number of chapters which thoroughly covers each topic in detail.
What we really appreciate is the logic and linear approach to the program in general: you start out with simply identifying the parts of the kit in front of you and, by the end of the series, wind up with a comprehensive knowledge of advanced skills every drummer should know.
Videos and Playback
As video learning continues to become more popular, playback features and controls are becoming more robust and interactive as well. Case in point: YouTube’s instant captioning and chapter navigation.
Drumeo’s video playback window is just as robust and draws heavily on YouTube videos, but adds features geared more towards tools a music student can appreciate.
Every track in the songs section comes with a full notation transcript, a scrolling cursor during playback, a looping feature, playback speed adjustment plus additional controls you can tweak to maximize your leaning experience.
On the upside, there’s a very cool Synth feature which isolates a digital version of the drums. On the downside there are some synching issues with the metronome and track – not all songs, especially older recordings, are linear or consistent.
Sections Layout
Once you login, you’ll find Drumeo’s layout broken down into four main sections:
- Home – The main point of entry including quick access to top sections.
- Main Content – Packs, courses, lessons quick tips plus all the other resources and materials.
- Forums and My List – Here you can access Drumeo’s lively forum, and keep track of you progress using the handy “My List” feature.
- User Profile – Your account info, you can adjust settings, plus it’s your main communications hub. You can also post a photo of your gear to show off your kit.
Inside the Drumeo Program
Home
Drumeo’s home page unifies the platforms most attention-worthy elements, such as your current progress, popular conversations, new additions and upcoming events in one convenient spot.
Note: The platform contains a massive amount of content, which is very much a good thing. But as such, it can be a headache to find that one specific lessons you really need.
If you do become a member, do yourself a favor and get friendly with the search function right away. You’ll find what you want and save yourself a ton of time.
Method
The heartbeat of the platform, the Drumeo’s Method is a well-conceived and executed on-boarding system designed to for beginners. Featuring video lessons that range from 5 minutes to over an hour, each concept is thoroughly explained giving new percussionists an efficient and comprehensive and start to playing drums.
Songs
One thing Drumeo is strong on is adding new material. This is where the Song section shines. Virtually every time you log in you’ll see a slew of new songs, each timed for a release date, listed at the top of the page.
This is a great way to keep interest up, plus you can request a song if you don’t see it in the massive archive of over “3100+ of the most iconic drum songs of all time.“
Coaches
Drumeo’s list of instructors is truly impressive – you get to learn from the best drummers in virtually any style of music.
Want to learn a mambo groove taught by John Wooton, there’s a 40 minute video on that. Or how about syncopation and funk drum fills? There’s a complete 12 video masterclass course taught by Dennis Chambers – no joke!
And the list goes on:
- Hannah Welton
- Bruce Becker
- Billy Cobham
- Jim Riley
- Simon Phillips
- Steve Smith
- John Wooton
- and many more.
There’s not only a host of stellar instructors stellar, some coaches get put in the hot seat to test their real-world skills. How would you fare if you were asked to learn a Slipknot song on the spot?
Watch how Domino Santantonio handles the challenge in real time – truly inspirational, and educational at the same time:
Packs
Have a particular skill set you want to work on? The Lesson Packs section provides convenient and complete bundles of videos that cover topics in detail.
Want to learn songs faster? There’s an eight video lessons pack for just for that.
Courses
The Courses section is truly impressive. If it involves drumming, Drumeo has a course on it.
Click on any particular course and you’ll find a complete list of available videos that cover the topic in detail. And the courses are not limited to just lessons, there are even videos covering specific gear such as a complete Yamaha DTX6 unboxing.
Quick Tips
The Quick Tips section offers the opportunity to drill down on specific fills, grooves and tricky drum parts associated with unique players or bands in bite-size chunks.
There are feature videos that explain broad topics such as “Why are Great Drummers Better Than Us?” to more intimate subjects that utilize the digital drum player to loop specific grooves.
Student Focus
Drumeo’s Student Review feature is, in their own words, “~ our most valuable resource here on Drumeo”.
Interaction is worth its weight in gold, and Drumeo has their students covered.
As a method maintaining accountability, it’s great feature as it works both ways – you get the help you need to stay motivated, Drumeo keeps a happy student in their program.
At the very least you have a method of qualifying your progress or problems with genuine interaction.
Need help with a particular skill? Take a video of yourself tackling the problem, upload it as unlisted to Drumeo’s YouTube channel, and fill out a brief questionnaire form with your concerns.
Drumeo’s team then goes over your video, offers constructive guidance on how to work it out and schedules a review for you at the next available date.
While this type of interaction certainly is valuable, some students may be inhibited about making a video of themselves.
Live
The Live section offers a chance to interact through a live stream, practice sessions, get involved with celebrations.
Again, this opportunity to be part of the community goes a long way in allowing you to have a say and share experiences.
Play-Alongs
Play Alongs present a two-pronged approach to refining your technique and skills on your own terms:
- Click on any thumbnail in the section and a backing track with a click track starts playing. This lets you play in complete isolation so you can focus on your work.
- Click the camera icon and a new window opens up featuring a Drumeo instructor putting their own spin on the track. This makes for a great way to get inspired and find your own footing.
Rudiments
Rudiments – the grass roots of good skills You need rudiments, they got rudiments:
- All the rolls
- paradiddle variations
- Flams
- Pataflafla
- Drag combos
- Ratamacues
- and more
Shows
The Shows section is like having your very own streaming channel dedicated to all things drumming.
Though there is some repurposed and recycled content, you do get to check out some pretty unique and entertaining material. You can go behind the scenes with Rush on the road, or learn hip hop drums with Captain Carson and the aid of a robot sidekick and alien.
Forums
If you’ve spent any time on forums you know they can be an invaluable source of information and an opportunity to ask questions or share opinions with like-minds.
As an interchange for drum knowledge at the personal level, this is it.
Interestingly enough, one of the most popular topics is on the subject of gear – over 3,000 threads. Because hey, who doesn’t like gear?
My List
The My List section offers up a convenient way to keep track of your own progress.
As a tool, it’s a sure-fire way to keep your own motivation up as you see your accomplishments stacking up over time.
Shop
Lastly, we have the Drumeo Shop which offers all their lesson programs as independent courses, plus a good variety of brand merchandise and quality accessories including the very practical P4 Practice Pad.
Beyond the Method program, you find additional training packs hosted by legendary drummers such as Neil Peart, Mike Portnoy, Thomas Land and more.
Personal Notes on Drumeo
At the end of the day, the core question on anyone’s mind is: “Is Drumeo a good deal or not?”.
Let me put it this way: In terms of learning drums through an online service, Drumeo is worth every penny. Whether you’re a beginner who just wants to have fun, or a more experienced intermediate student who wants to be the best in the world – it’s a no-brainer.
Consider this, if cost your defining factor, how can you beat a price of $29 a month to learn drums from the best of the best?
Want to learn killer drum skills from Dennis Chambers, Jay Weinberg, Simon Phillips, Steve Smith, Peter Erskine and dozens of other legends? Yes please!!
Historically speaking, the days of rigid, musically-dry instruction are long gone; you’re not gonna get your knuckles wrapped by an educational overlord.
Instead, drum students, or any student for that matter looking for music instruction, have an entire world of information at their feet – for peanuts.
When you consider the lifelong value of music education, modern students have the best of both worlds: remote learning and private instruction.
Granted, in-person lessons are at a premium, and you do benefit from immediate interaction when your instructor is in the same room. In this respect, online drum lessons simply can’t compete. But the convenience of digital learning platforms can’t be underestimated.
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