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Are You An Intermediate Drummer? (How To Tell)

Drumeo | September 15, 2025



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How do you know what your skill level is? What would you tell people if they asked? You might be surprised to know that no one at Drumeo – including Jared, Dave, Brandon, and Mike Michalkow – considers themselves an advanced player.

When you’re trying to determine whether your level is beginner, intermediate, or advanced, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been playing; it’s about your skills and knowledge. Where are you now, and where do you want to go next?

Here are some ways to self-assess (and be honest with yourself) so you can figure out in which areas to invest time when it comes to your drum education.

How to tell if you’re an intermediate drummer
You can confidently improvise with other people – This can’t be taught in a classroom or a video. You can build the skills and acquire the tools to make this easier, but you have to get out there and jam with other musicians.

You can learn new top 40 songs relatively quickly – This means you’re comfortably able to listen to a relatively simple song, know the form and understand dynamic shifts from one part to the next, get a feel for what the drummer did on the recording, and play along to it with minimal effort.

You have a solid understanding of basic drum technique – If you’re comfortable with ghost notes, can play accurate and consistent rim shots, know the motions and fluidity around the drum kit, and are confident in your dynamic limb independence (a challenge even for experienced drummers), you’re well on your way.

You can play with a metronome with confidence – And have a good internal clock, too!

You serve the song and not yourself – You have a strong idea of what best complements the music.

You know that the more you know, the more you don’t know – Even though you may be experienced, you have a beginner’s mindset and use it to stay humble.

Still not sure if you’re an intermediate drummer?
Check out the Drumeo Method (our step-by-step roadmap to improving your drumming) in Drumeo Edge and give the first few levels a try.

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Written by Drumeo

Comments

This post currently has 48 comments.

  2. @TopNamaste

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    I never realized(until I watched this video) how much I needed Napolean Dynamite to teach me the drums; consider it as a Halloween themed drum lesson. Great video!

  4. @shanezielinski1096

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    I've found out that there's no rules to drumming, it was all made up and progressed on through the years and now what we call fact was once just a "dudeeee that sounds sick". There will never stop being new styles and ways of playing the drums! Can't even read the music but I can play to damn near anything🤘

  5. @JonFairhurst

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    I think four categories work better, beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert. Let’s be honest. None of the drummers at Drumeo who have been playing for decades and are teaching drums are intermediate. But you might not be top-level experts who can go into a session and knock out a track in one take either.

  6. @FwamingDwaggin

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    I think over time, and the way I enjoy listening to/analyzing drums and music in general, my internal clock is on an offset sort of metronome. I sort of subconsciously did a stank face when the offset playing started 😅

  15. @yordanmishev2764

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    Ah, yes, mister Jared! the dude that gives you drum advices, which you can totally use for pretty much any aspect of your life and improve it!! Definitely one of my favourite videos and these drummers are far more advanced than they think, respect the humbleness! Regards!

  20. @darbydrummer1972

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    My perspective on the subject; Beginner stage 1-3, Intermediate stages 3-9 Advanced stage 9-10 And so after 42 years of drumming, I'm still learning and consider myself an intermediate drummer, I play with lots of passion and feel the music to my ability, very thankful

  21. @RPSchonherr

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    I would call all of them advanced. Begginer: till learning how to keep a beat. Intermediate: can play along with a band. Advanced: knows more inprovisions and can teach others. Expert: a professional who can drum in any genre usually has a well known band.

  28. @bugoythewizard5652

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    I've been playing for 8 years (since i was 5-6) and i consider myself intermediate or slightly above. But im not too sure. I practice for 4+ hours a week and have no self-control (i need to play a fill every 4th measure). I've played multiple gigs and have played many foo fighters and rush songs.

  29. @luipars

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    I think that grouping in just beginner/intermediate/advanced is not really appropriate. 0-10 feels better, when say, 0 is someone who's literally just picked up a drumstick and 10 is someone like Danny Carey, in which case I would put myself at a 1,5, maybe 2/10 on a good day.

  30. @slopedrum1

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    What you've missed is a decent sounding and tuned kit. I played on a pro kit once……..my skill level seemed to go up 3 notches immediately. You guys play on the best gear, most of us don't. I wish….!
    Love your work, learn so much for you guys.
    Never finish learning.

  32. @simonhoy7775

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    I once had some lessons with a famous jazz drummer and ask if knew much Latin and he said basically nothing. So advanced doesn't necessarily mean you know and can easily play anything, music is about artistry and it's important to not get trapped by unrealistic ideas about one's skill level, have fun and be yourself.

  33. @michaelvmichalski8239

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    There are a couple of ONLINE instructors that really need to watch this video. Their EGOS are so BIG they think that you WANT to WASTE your time WATCINGH them take off their gloves! Listen carefully for SLOPPY execution and DON'T fall for the ones that want YOU to support them. Tell them to get a j REAL mob. You do NOT have to PAY for simple drum machine click tracks. You can just use THEIR video over & over ANYTIME! Why PAY & DOWNLOAD their crap? There are much BETTER teachers on the WEB. Don't fall for the CON men!

  35. @Nate-n8s

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    Everyone list the most advanced drummers they know of. : ) this is how you teach your subconcious mind to get better, by seeing, hearing and practicing. Than tell your subconcious mind you are that good because your subconcious mind works 24/7 to fulfill whatever programing your beliefs give it. 🙂

  41. @Area-5l

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    I’ve always thought if you rate yourself to low at something it’s not to fair for the others under your skill level cause your saying they really suck lol which can be discouraging and over whelming for them

  43. @beefascended

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    If you think these guys are humble and it bothers you, go listen to jimi hendrix talk about his skill level. You'd think he was a beginner. No one masters anything. These guys know enough to understand that there is a whole world of knowledge that they don't know yet, just in their given field.

  44. @ChristiWalkerDrums

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    Its a funny one this. I'm studying jazz drumming with a top British jazz drummer and he told me Im am advanced player.

    The thing is, I still feel like I'm bloody awful at the drums. They're a bizarre instrument but a lot of it is applying knowledge and developing muscle memory.

  46. @jpbitler

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    Damn. This is very humbling. I definitely would’ve said I’m a higher-level intermediate, but I don’t do half of the things you said intermediate drummers do, especially the coming at it like a beginner thing. How do you get rid of that mentality?

  48. @briansansone

    September 15, 2025 at 10:00 am

    Here is an extremely hard exercise for a good drummer: Mimic a beginner. Try to make it sound authentically off, bad, and sloppy. Its almost impossible. Maybe an advanced drummer could do it, or maybe its even harder for an advanced drummer. A good drummer's brain will prevent them from adding in beats that are not on the grid somewhere. Tempo changes will be deliberate…no matter what. And dynamics will be planned ahead of time, no matter how hard you try to make it all random. Every move will be planned, consciously or subconsciously. Try it.

Comments are closed.

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