[2026] Practice Songs for Beginner Drummers: Easy and Cool Recommendations
Many people who have just started playing the drums may be wondering which songs they should practice first.
If you don’t know how difficult the song you’re trying to tackle is, it’s hard to make steady progress.
So in this article, we’re introducing songs recommended for beginners who have just taken up the drums—tracks that will help you step up your skills.
We’ve picked a wide range, from the latest hits to timeless classics.
Of course, improvement comes from steady practice and developing your feel and technique, but we’ve also included “I tried playing” videos arranged for beginners, so be sure to use them as a reference!
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[2026] Practice songs for beginner drummers: Easy and cool recommended tracks (1–10)
A bouquet of flowers with loveSuperfly
This song moves along at a relaxed tempo, making it easy to play, yet it’s packed with a wide variety of beats and phrases—perfect for beginners looking to step up.
Throughout the track, the basic groove is an 8-beat pattern with hi-hats, and thanks to the laid-back tempo, it’s approachable for newcomers—that’s the first key point.
The second is the range of grooves that appear: variations that increase the number of snare hits within the basic 8-beat, beats that use offbeat hi-hat accents, and even patterns that mark eighth notes on the floor tom.
Plus, at the transitions between sections, you’ll find fills that make use of hand-and-foot combinations.
Practicing just this one song exposes you to a lot of different beats and phrases! And to repeat, because the original track’s tempo is relaxed, you can carefully and thoroughly practice each beat and phrase while working on the song itself, which is great.
Maplesupittsu
Since this song is built around a basic 8-beat pattern, it’s a great recommendation for beginners.
The 8-beat used here is very fundamental, but there’s a ghost note placed on the fourth sixteenth note.
A ghost note is a note played much more softly than usual, intended to add groove to the beat.
Once you can do this naturally, the beat will sound really compelling and cool.
Another key point is the fill right before the chorus: there’s a crash cymbal on the fourth sixteenth note of beat 4.
This phrase is super handy for carrying momentum into the next section with a sense of drive.
If you learn it now, you’ll definitely be able to use it in other songs as well.
A flower called “you”ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
If you’re thinking, “I can already play the 8-beat, so I want to move on to the next step!”, this song—featuring offbeat hi-hat and ride cymbal patterns—is highly recommended.
The groove used here is also known as a dance beat, and it’s one you often hear in Japanese rock band tracks.
It’s very catchy and satisfying to listen to, and once you master the sticking, you’ll find it’s surprisingly easy to play.
If you often perform Japanese rock, this is a groove you’ll use a lot, so definitely add it to your toolkit.
In this dance beat, the A and B sections use open and closed hi-hats, while the chorus features the ride cymbal cup.
At first, it may feel tricky to get crisp open/close hi-hat articulations or to make the ride cup sing cleanly, so try various approaches to your touch and technique.
In particular, the ride cymbal cup really shines at transitions and when worked into fills—perfect for those key moments—so take this opportunity to master it!
[2026] Practice Songs for Beginner Drummers: Easy and Cool Recommendations (11–20)
RPGSEKAI NO OWARI
It’s a song with a march-like vibe, and the BPM is 135—just the right, comfortable pace to play along to.
At about this tempo, even beginners should be able to keep track of the beat while they play, so it’s perfect as a practice piece.
Another great thing about this song is that you’re good to go once you master two types of beats.
The first is the beat that appears in the A section and the chorus; the second is a slightly similar beat that shows up in the B section.
In both, your right hand plays quarter notes while your right foot on the bass drum interlocks with eighth notes, so stay calm and practice repeatedly to avoid mixing them up.
Also, check out the snare phrase in the interlude that sounds like marching—it’s a pattern you may not often encounter in rock drumming.
Since it uses triplets, make sure you understand the rhythm before you take it on.
Young adultmakaroni enpitsu
It’s a song you can play using three main types of beats, so it’s a great recommendation for beginners to tackle.
The three beats are: the chorus beat, the beat for the other sections, and a beat that appears only once in the latter half of the song using the floor tom.
The chorus is a slightly arranged version of the basic 8-beat, so once you get used to it, you should be able to play it quickly.
The non-chorus parts are also variations on the basic 8-beat, but the bass drum that comes on the off-beats of 1 and 3 might feel a bit awkward at first.
However, since most of the song is built on this phrase, practice until you can play it smoothly.
The third beat is one where you keep eighth notes on the floor tom while interweaving the high tom.
Mastering this will expand your playing vocabulary, so take this opportunity to nail it!
All of the YouthFujifaburikku
Among classic Japanese rock songs, there are some that become approachable once you can play an eighth-note beat.
This track is fundamentally based on an eighth-note groove throughout, with the distinctive feature that the bass drum and snare placements shift at times.
Another notable point is the use of closed rimshots from the intro up to just before the first chorus.
All the eighth-note beats that appear in the song are simple, so if you first organize which beats are being used, it’ll be easier to remember the song’s structure.
If you’re a beginner and this is your first encounter with closed rimshots, take this opportunity to learn them.
You’ll see when you try it that, at first, you probably won’t get a clean tone like an experienced drummer.
Experiment with how you place your hand and which part of the stick you strike the rim with.
As you learn to produce a variety of sounds from the same instrument through different techniques, playing becomes even more enjoyable!
Kokoro-eroodo obu mejyaa
This is a song I’d like anyone who wants to play “punk-style tracks” or learn to handle fast tempos to try.
The BPM is 190, and you’ll encounter 8-beat grooves as well as fills that use 16th notes.
Because of that, some beginners may find their sticks getting tangled and struggle to keep up with the tempo.
That’s where I recommend practicing the up–down technique.
By alternating downstrokes and upstrokes, you’ll be able to play fast tempos more comfortably.
Once you can manage the up–down technique to some extent, start practicing from a slow tempo and gradually work your way up to the original tempo.
Within the song, you’ll find a variety of feels—from the basic 8-beat to 4-beat and half-time grooves—and techniques like cymbal chokes also appear.
Its dynamic shifts embody punk’s character and are a big part of the song’s appeal, so it’s a great first challenge if you like this kind of style!