Drum Lessons NYC

Our goal is to ensure that you have an absolutely stellar experience learning the drums. That begins with figuring out which instructor would be the best match for you. In some cases, the best match might be Matt, and in some cases, it might be one of our other expert instructors.

Like all of our instructors, Matt has specific areas of teaching that are his specialty. In particular, Matt tends to work with advanced students on refining their pedal technique and other nuances of their playing. That may or may not be what is most needed in your current phase of drumming.

In any case, you can’t go wrong. EVERY instructor with Matt Ritter Drum Lessons is fantastic. Out of the dozens of people who have applied to teach for us, we have only accepted a select few. You can read about them on our Team page!

We recommend that you start your drum lessons with us by signing up for the New Student Starter Package. This includes an initial Zoom consultation with Matt. He will speak with you and personally help you to determine the best instructor for you.

We have 2 different midtown studios where we teach our drum lessons in NYC:

1) FUNKADELIC STUDIOS at 209 W. 40th Street (bet. 7th and 8th Avenues). This is where most of our lessons take place. Funkadelic and Matt Ritter Drum Lessons have a long-standing relationship. Many years ago, shortly after Funkadelic first opened, Matt became one of their regulars. He taught there so frequently that they gave him his own dedicated room! These days, Funkadelic has a new staff and even a new address, but we still smile when we remember our shared history.

2) THE MUSIC BUILDING at 584 8th Ave. (bet. 38th and 39th Streets). This location is a historic part of the New York rock scene. As surreal as it may sound, this is where people like Madonna, Blondie, and Billy Idol did their rehearsals before becoming famous. If we do our lessons here, you will have a genuine rock ‘n’ roll experience that only a place like this can provide.

We’ll choose one of these 2 studios based on availability and preference. Either way, we can’t go wrong. Both studios work extremely well for drum lessons in NYC.

Absolutely!

Owning a drumset is not a requirement for taking drum lessons in NYC. In fact, the vast majority of our students do NOT own drums. Instead, they look forward to their lesson time as a weekly opportunity to play on a real drumset.

But what about practicing?

There are at least 3 very effective options for practicing:

1) You can go to a rehearsal studio and rent time in a room with a drumset. New York has several studios in town that offer this service. You can ask us about this, and we will let you know all of the best options. The prices are usually between $15 and $35 per hour, depending on the time of day that you go.

2) You can simply practice at home with a pair of drumsticks and a rubber practice pad. For many decades, it has actually been a tradition for drummers to practice in this manner. A pair of sticks and a pad are very inexpensive, and they allow a drummer to practice many of the fundamental techniques of drumming. If you’re wondering which brand of sticks and pad to purchase, we can wholeheartedly recommend Vic Firth. In fact, Matt has long been an official Vic Firth endorser.

3) You can eventually purchase an electronic drumset. Many of our students have gone this route, and it allows them to practice on a full setup in their apartment while making minimal noise. Please note that we said, “minimal noise” and not “zero noise.” Students who buy electronic drums generally find that they still need to be conscientious about practicing at times when the neighbors won’t get annoyed by the tap-tap-tap sounds.

These 3 practice options make it entirely possible to take drum lessons in NYC without owning drums. In fact, if you don’t own a set of drums, it just means that you’re in the same boat as virtually EVERYONE who is taking drum lessons in NYC!

Most people who offer drum lessons in NYC have not gone through any sort of audition or screening process. They have simply decided for themselves that they are qualified, and then they’ve placed an ad online.

With Matt Ritter Drum Lessons, the situation is entirely different. Every one of our instructors has gone through a rigorous series of auditions, interviews, and teacher training sessions. All of this has been conducted by our founder, Matt Ritter, who has been an internationally-recognized figure in drumming education for over 2 decades.

Ultimately, we accept only a tiny percentage of the people who apply to teach for Matt Ritter Drum Lessons. This is part of the reason that our track record is so outstanding…and we intend to keep it that way!

No.

What’s expensive is paying for drum lessons in NYC and not receiving the quality of instruction that you had hoped for. This can easily happen if you choose an instructor who has limited expertise or no proven track record of effectiveness. Even if that kind of instructor charges an incredibly small fee, it is still expensive because your time and money end up being wasted!

As one of our students, you never need to worry about that. All of our instructors have been carefully selected, and our track record of effectiveness is virtually unparalleled. In short, you can rest assured that you are getting drum lessons in NYC that are of the highest possible quality!

Yes! As crazy as it sounds, that really is true!

Many years ago, our founder, Matt Ritter, wrote an article for Modern Drummer magazine about his innovative bass drum techniques. The article sparked interest from drummers around the world, and Matt received countless emails about it.

One of those emails came from a drummer who was already a superstar in the music community. He had played on numerous hit songs, and was familiar to audiences everywhere due to his frequent appearances on television.

After a brief back-and-forth over email, the famous drummer came to us for a couple of drum lessons in NYC. 

Out of respect for his privacy, we resist the temptation to publicly share his name, but he is arguably one of the greatest drummers ever. He was once voted in Modern Drummer magazine as the #1 Rock Drummer of the Year.