Skip to content
Have you ever wondered how often you should practice the drums to truly see progress? In this post, I’ll give you a clear, actionable plan for structuring your drum practice so you can maximize your results, whether you’re just starting out as a beginner, or aiming for mastery. By the end of this post, you’ll have the tools to create a routine that works for your goals and schedule.
Before we begin, let’s analyze ourselves and our drumming goals. What do you want to achieve as a drummer? How much time are you realistically willing to put in each day? How much time do you actually have to practice? Are you free for a few hours per day, or available to hit the practice room from dawn to dusk? Answering these questions, and any others you can think of will help you to decide how often you “will” practice. As opposed to how often you should. In short, you should practice as much as you can in order to reach the goals you have set for yourself. The question then becomes how often, “will,” you practice.
Either way, consistency is key when it comes to drumming, but knowing how much time to invest can be tricky as already suggested. In this post, we’ll explore how your goals—whether you’re playing for fun, preparing for gigs, or aiming for professional-level drumming—should shape your practice routine. Plus, I’ll share some advanced tips for building muscle memory and keeping your sessions efficient and effective.
To start, how much time you practice depends entirely on how far you want to take your drumming. Think of practice time as an investment, just like money. Spend it wisely by planning each session with clear goals. For example, the Drumming Foundation Series is a 12-part program that breaks drumming into manageable steps. If you’re a beginner, you could spend six weeks on each part, (there are six lessons in each book), dedicating one week to mastering each lesson. More experienced players might complete each part in just one week. The key takeaway here is that structured goals can guide your progress. The program isn’t actually ready for publication yet so I am not trying to sell you anything. The program just serves as a possible beginner structure, or process to follow, in order to form a clear and solid foundation.
So, what I am saying here is, know where you are heading. Then set goals you want to achieve on that journey. Followed by steps, or subgoals, or tasks, that you need to complete, in order to achieve each of your main goals.
As a benchmark, aim for at least 30 minutes per day practicing rudiments and another 30 minutes at the kit. If that feels like too much, start smaller. If you’re hungry for faster progress, consider doubling it. The better you want to be, the more time you’ll need to invest. For absolute beginners, I recommend alternating practice days—focus on 2-4 hours of practice one day, then take a rest day. This approach helps ingrain the basics deeply into your muscle memory. Once you’re past the foundational stage, shift to a more consistent daily schedule. This may not be practical so just do what you feel is right for you.
It’s also critical to structure your practice into shorter chunks with frequent breaks. Science shows that we retain the most at the start and end of any learning session, so take a two-minute break every 10-20 minutes. Stand, stretch, walk around, and come back refreshed. This method optimizes your learning and prevents burnout during longer sessions. You may want to look into accelerated learning methods to understand this better and to get more from your studies and practices.
While many suggest that you should only practice if it’s fun, I challenge that idea. In the beginning, discipline matters more than enjoyment. Mastery isn’t built on fun alone—it’s built on repetition and perseverance. As your skills grow, so will your enjoyment of practice. Stick to your disciplined routine, even on the tough days, because the joy of playing comes when you know you’re improving.
Ultimately, the amount you practice and how you structure it will depend on your aspirations. Whether you’re playing casually or striving for mastery, the key is to stay consistent, take breaks, and always work toward clear goals. And if you’re ready for a structured program, the Drumming Foundation Series can provide the guidance you need. Even if it’s just looking at the basic structure.
In the meantime, you will find many posts on the drum coach blog that go into more detail about setting goals, time management, and more. You can also try visiting task dais dot com to make goals and tasks a regular practice.
You can also try visiting task dais dot com to make goals and tasks a regular practice.
But as we have seen, your practice time depends a great deal on your personal circumstances. Whether you practice for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening, shorten or lengthen those suggestions, or choose a single-session approach, is entirely up to you. But, and this is a big but. Make absolutely sure you know exactly where you are going, and where you want to be as a drummer. You’re then less likely to waste your time on your drumming journey.
In the next post, we’ll dive into a critical question every drummer faces: What Should I Practice? Whether you’re overwhelmed by options or looking to sharpen your focus, I’ll guide you through the essentials. Click the next post to read that now, and let’s keep on developing!
