Want to work on your hand technique? Vocabulary? Flow around the drums? Let’s do it!

Post a comment with which was your favorite!

Louie

Lesson Updates

Here are some of the latest lessons at playbetterdrums.com. Join for less than $1 per day and learn how to express yourself on the drums.

Happy drumming,

Louie

Which are your favourites? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for watching,

Louie

Check out this 20-min detailed discussion and demo of the new Istanbul Mehmet cymbals in the members area at playbetterdrums.com

More soon,

Louie

Just a quick note to let you know that I’ll be in the UK and will have some time for private students on & off between 7th-14th Feb.

If you live in the UK and would like to book a slot or find out more, just reply to this email or send me a message at mail@louiepalmer.com!

Lessons will be in the Surrey area; I’ll have two kits setup ready to go!

Looking forward to our drum hang!

Louie

Check out this clip from the latest playbetterdrums.com lesson upload where I talk about how I practice, and why it’s not only OK to ‘noodle’, but it’s actually important to do so. I also talk a little bit about setups and what gear I’m using:

A warm welcome to the new lifetime members who jumped on the Black Friday offer! See you in the members area!

Louie

Learn to play with total confidence. No hesitation. No weak sound. No hands giving out. Just strong time, strong ideas, and a rock-solid groove.

Right now, you can join the school for life with a one-time payment of just $499 (usually $1000), and you’ll receive a free 1-to-1 Zoom lesson to go along with the 400 videos, PDFs and play-along tracks inside the school.

Click here to grab this amazing deal. Offer ends Monday 1st December!

Check out this video below where I talk in detail about why my teaching is different and why is will help you:

See you in the members area!

Louie

This level of freedom is closer than you think.

At PlayBetterDrums.com, you’ll find nearly 400 concise, practical videos focused on the problems drummers actually struggle with:
• Not knowing what to play
• Hesitation and lack of flow
• Fear of improvising or soloing
• Hands that can’t execute what you hear
• A groove that doesn’t feel solid

There’s no need to spend hours forcing yourself through material you think you should study. Instead of random exercises or overwhelming method books, you get real-world material that improves the only two things that truly matter: time and sound.

And this week is the ideal moment to jump in and start your journey toward confident, expressive drumming.

Check out this video where I explain the Black Friday offer where you can join for LIFE for $499 (usually $1000) and also explain in detail WHY my school is different and why it will help you!

Click HERE to take advantage of this deal. Offer ends Monday 1st December!

See you in the members area. Let’s get to work!

Louie

Thought I’d share as I think this is a great tool for everyone to have in their stick bag.

Happy drumming,

Louie

I recently did an interview with Freddy Charles for his podcast ‘Freddy and Friends’. It was a great conversation! We talked about the pros & cons of traditional grip; our favourite drummers; moving to the US; the music business and lots more.

You can check the full video version out on YouTube (below) or the audio wherever you get your podcasts. Just search ‘Freddy and Friends’.

UK LESSONS

Another reminder about UK drum lessons - I’ll be teaching on and off between August 27th and September 5th. Lessons will be in Surrey, UK. For more info and to book a slot, please email mail@louiepalmer.com

Happy drumming,

Louie

I’ll be in the UK from August 27th to September 5th and will be teaching a very limited number of lessons. I’ll have two kits setup in a location just south of London in Surrey. If you’d like to book a slot or ask any questions please email - mail@louiepalmer.com

New ‘Practice Pad’ course

A brand new course is underway at playbetterdrums.com - the ‘Practice Pad Course’. I thought it was worth collating a lot of the pad exercises peppered throughout the site into one definitive course while adding some new ones. Moreover, I think it’s important to specify what kind of pads are good vs bad to use, and talk in detail about HOW to practice on pads. Most students still misunderstand this. In the first couple lessons I demonstrate exactly how I practice on pads and more importantly, practice to failure. This is key, and if done little and often will transform your hands!

The first lesson is live HERE.

Check out the school here

Happy drumming,

Louie

An absolute monster band! Hope to see you there!

For tickets CLICK HERE

Quick note to let you know the full 1-hour clinic performance is now up in the members area of playbetterdrums.com!

Here’s a clip from the first tune I played called “First Tune of the Set” by Randy Brecker:

And here’s a clip from the Q&A. This was the tail end of talking about vocabulary/improvising & learning to sing your parts:

Check out the full clinic here!

Happy drumming…

Louie

Thought I’d write a little update as I’ve been pretty quiet on here, and over on social media.

Drum Clinic

The Las Vegas drum show was a big success - was great to take all my new Yamaha drums and get to play some fun tunes and a long solo. I recorded the clinic so I’ll post some video to YouTube soon.

Spud Gig

The Baked Potato gig with my band was also a lot of fun. It was a killer band featuring Luis Conte on percussion - what a blast it is to play with someone like that. His choices and taste are always just so great - the real deal. This gig was also filmed so I’ll work on getting some footage out there.

Moving On

As I write this, another chapter is quietly drawing to a close. I’m currently in the chaos of moving house and studio back to Los Angeles. I never really shared that I’d relocated, but for anyone wondering—Las Vegas has quietly been home since summer 2023. It’s been a great two years with a very different pace of life, but it’s time to go back.

Vegas is an interesting place; people tend to either love it or hate it, with very few in between. For those unfamiliar—or those who only know the Strip and can’t imagine actually living here—Vegas is a surprisingly calm and relaxed place to live. The suburbs are clean, quiet, and safe, and one can afford a much nicer quality of life here. And I actually love the chaos of the strip; it’s been so fun having world-class food & entertainment 15 mins away.

But as much as I’ve enjoyed the change, I’ve really, really missed LA. It was home for over a decade and was the backdrop to the best chapter of my life. My friends are there, my network is there, and I just miss the city ‘thing’ - the culture, weather, food & people.

There’s something about cities like LA, NYC, and London—you’re either built for them or you’re not. Rich or broke, if you can survive and build a life in one of those places, you’re a doer. They pull in the ambitious, the creative, the relentless. And I’ve missed being surrounded by that kind of energy.

So here’s to a new chapter in an old city. Very excited!

PBD

In other news, PlayBetterDrums has being chugging along as usual with new content uploaded every month. We’re now in the 11th year and have over 375 videos! Recent uploads include a two-part series on some Dennis Chambers groove vocabulary ideas, some great ‘Lick of the Month’ phrases and a guest lesson Steve Pruitt! Check it all out at playbetterdrums.com!

Hope everyone is doing well and I’ll talk to you from my new (old) LA studio in June!

Louie

I’ll be in the UK from 8th-22nd April and will be teaching on & off during that period. Lessons will take place near Banstead, Surrey. I will have access to a room with two kits setup & ready to go.

Limited slots available so if you’re interested, please email me - mail@louiepalmer.com

Thanks!

Louie

Tonight (Wednesday) at The Baked Potato in Studio City! I’m leading my own band with some incredible musicians! The great Luis Conte is on percussion!

Sets at 8pm & 10pm. Please come & say hi if you live in the LA area!

Tickets are at thebakedpotato.com; walk-ups also welcome!

Louie

I just uploaded this full lesson from the PDB library to YouTube as an example of the material in the school. Check it out:

I often hear drummers and students air their frustration at the moment they try to ‘go’ for that fast & energetic phrase around the toms but end up hitting rims or just flubbing it completely. After a couple of bad experiences, they just stop even trying. But, I also hear people admit they never actually practice this stuff; they’ll often say there’s too much to work on and they feel silly practicing virtuosic things because they’re ‘just a drummer’, or ‘I’ll never really use it’.

While you may not need to play things like this that often, there will be moments where the band, or the music itself, looks to the drummer for something exciting and high energy. Those are the moments you need to be ready and capable to execute the right thing for that moment, without fear of failure. It’s also very rewarding when you do play the perfect thing for the perfect moment…and it can often be far more impactful when it’s just a one time thing.

Join the school

So, in order to get in the kind of shape to execute things like this from nowhere, you need to practice them. A lot. It’s just like having the right tool for the right job.

Give this phrase a try and let me know what you think. I love getting into the phrases that go back up the toms, and then combining the down with the up for some question & answer-type phrases.

Happy drumming,

Louie