Drum lessons · Cologne Südstadt & online

Learn drums
and play music
from the first lesson.

One-to-one drum lessons in Cologne and online. For every level and every style, with exactly the songs you have always wanted to play.

10,000+ lessons taught
20 years on tour & stage

Why learn the drums?

Drummer lost in the music

Clear your head

Nothing clears your head as quickly as a few minutes behind the drums. Afterwards you move through the day more relaxed.

Hands with drumsticks in motion over drum pads

Coordination & memory

Your hands and feet move independently and still add up to one groove. Few things train coordination, timing and memory like that.

Drum kit in golden stage light

It is simply fun

The moment you play all the way through your favourite song for the first time, you will not want to stop.

The lessons

Every lesson is built around you, your pace and your goals, and from the very start you play along to real music. Over the years I have developed my own concept that lets you play a whole song right away with your own means, without learning it note for note. A little theory is part of it, because it helps you remember things, work them out for yourself and become more creative. Just as well, we can learn songs without any theory at all: I play them for you, you play them back, and you take a video home to keep practising in peace. And if you want to widen your repertoire, we sometimes take on a song from start to finish as a transcription and learn it note for note. Whether you are learning your first strokes or preparing for a conservatoire audition, we walk your path together.

In person

In person in Cologne

Come to my studio in Cologne's Südstadt, just a few minutes from Chlodwigplatz. From day one you play on your own professional drum kit. A second kit stands right next to it, so I often play along with you while still leaving you the space to play on your own. Easy to reach from the Südstadt, Bayenthal, Zollstock and Sülz.

Wherever you are

Online via Zoom

Prefer to learn from home? On Zoom you see me from several camera angles and hear crystal-clear sound. All you need is a camera, a microphone and your instrument, and I am happy to help you put together a fitting setup for little money.

Studio in Cologne with two miked drum kits and a multi-camera setup

Pro setup, easy on your ears

We play on two miked drum kits with headphones, which protects your ears and sounds great. A small PA lets you feel the music and the bass drum, so every lesson feels a bit like a live show. If you like, we record your take, ready for YouTube, Instagram or TikTok.

Drum notation on an iPad, shown to the student on a monitor

No paper needed

Everything we work out I write live on the iPad, and you follow along on the monitor. Afterwards it ends up in your personal PDF, which you can open from home at any time.

Practice room with a miked acoustic drum kit

Practice room

Want to practise between lessons too? In my separate room there is a miked acoustic drum kit waiting for you, which you book by the hour online, from just €7.50.

What a typical 45-minute lesson looks like

1

Easy start

We start with a short technique workout on the practice pad so your hands and feet warm up and you settle into playing.

2

Your topic

Then we turn to the topic you want or polish the basics. Whatever you learn, we apply straight away to real songs.

3

Your favourite songs

The last 20 minutes or so belong to your music. I show you tricky grooves piece by piece and slowly, until they sit.

4

To take home

At the end I record a short clip with good picture and sound, so you can pick up exactly where we left off at home.

What you learn with me

Your favourite songs

We play the music you really want to hear, from pop and rock to hip-hop and Afrobeats. Your songs are the common thread everything else hangs on.

Technique, timing & groove

Clean hand and foot technique, steady timing and a groove that sits, that is the foundation everything builds on. We practise it step by step, at your pace.

Ready for the band

Drums are rarely played alone. It matters to me that you learn to play together, keeping the time for the band, listening to each other and being the engine everyone can rely on. That way you are ready for your first session or your own band.

  • Grooves & fills
  • Reading notation & charts
  • Transcribing by ear
  • Practising effectively
  • Recording & drum sound
  • Ableton & electronic elements
  • University / conservatoire audition
  • Time management & goal setting
  • Career planning
  • Business questions

About me

I am Johannes, a drummer from Cologne and, for many years now, a passionate teacher too.

My main job is sitting behind the drums myself, live on tour and in the studio. That has taken me across Germany, Europe, the USA and the Middle East, onto big festival stages and alongside artists such as Kayef, Bahar, Anna Grey, Kuult, MoTorres, Olli Banjo, Kasimir1441, Bell, Book & Candle, Shadmehr Aghili, Aryana Sayeed and many more. I bring that experience into every lesson. Theory matters to me, but it should always serve the music and not the other way round. In the end, what counts is what counts on stage too: solid timing, a good sound and the right feel for the song. I am most at home in rock, pop, R&B, hip-hop and Afro, but I teach the fundamentals just as well in any other style.

One thing matters to me above all: lessons should be fun. I take time for every student, stay patient, enjoy a laugh with you and always have a plan that fits your goals, whether you are just starting out or want to polish your playing.

You can find more about my work as a drummer at johannesbiegl.de.

Endorsements
  • Pearl Drums
  • Sabian
  • Vision Ears
  • Daddy Paul
  • Porter & Davies
  • Musikwein
Johannes Biegl live on the drums
Live on the kit
Johannes Biegl live on stage

Whether you want to perform one day or simply play for yourself, I meet you right where you are.

What students say

5.0 35 reviews on Google (translated from German)
S Stefan Müller★★★★★

After the first lesson it was clear: THIS is MY teacher!
I have never learned so easily, so effortlessly and with so much fun in such a short time with any drum teacher.
Johannes' repertoire is huge. His joy in teaching and discovering new possibilities is even bigger.
His studio is technically perfectly equipped to teach you, to jam with you casually or even to film you like a pro.

Whether you are just starting out, want to build on already solid technique or prepare for a career as a drummer: Johannes finds the right path to success for you. And it ALWAYS goes through fun.

I can recommend him 1000%!!!

O Oscar Andrzej Ponti★★★★★

I can recommend the lessons at Drum Lessons Cologne without reservation. When I started, I only had a purely amateur background. Thanks to the perfect combination of theory and practice, however, I reached a very high level and improved my musical understanding significantly.

The lessons were excellently organised. I was particularly impressed by the technical setup in the lesson room. It allowed perfect coordination with the teacher and made it easy to understand and specifically improve even the smallest details in the music and in drumming.

I recommend Drum Lessons Cologne to anyone who wants to learn songs from scratch and develop their drumming systematically. Another big advantage is the possibility of using some of the rehearsal rooms in the building before or after the lesson. That helped me a lot to keep up good practice discipline and at the same time have lots of fun making music with friends.

B Borsalino TV★★★★★

My son has been taking lessons with Johannes for years and loves going. And he keeps getting better! The songs vary in style and are taught professionally. Johannes is a top drummer and at the same time has a good feel for his students. Highly recommended!

M Michael Thuge★★★★★

Taking lessons with Johannes was one of the best decisions. It has been almost five years now and I am still as enthusiastic as on the first day. Johannes is simply a damn good teacher and a really likeable guy. He responds to individual wishes and goals, takes a lot of time for his students and is super flexible, which is why the lessons are always so much fun.

He manages to explain things like technique and ways of playing simply and clearly, so that you can put them into practice quickly. When I started, I could not do anything. Now I feel confident in my favourite genres and can make music with other people. That was my goal, and Johannes helped me reach it. And on the way there we also had a really good time. What more could you want?! And I can still learn so incredibly much from Johannes and will definitely keep taking lessons with him for a long time.

T tanja frielingsdorf★★★★★

Absolutely recommendable! I have been a student of Johannes for over 3 years myself.

The lessons are incredibly fun and at the same time very professional. He explains everything clearly, responds individually to your level and creates a relaxed atmosphere in which you feel at ease immediately. Every lesson is varied and motivating, so you quickly notice progress. I look forward to every lesson.

Thank you very much for the great support, the lots of advice and your patience when I am once again stuck! 🍺

V Viola Maria★★★★★

I have been taking lessons with Johannes for over 8 years and still have just as much fun as at the beginning. Even as a rather semi-disciplined hobby drummer, he teaches even the supposedly "boring" technique in a structured, clear way and with a lot of patience and humour.

Mainly we work together on my favourite songs, and when nothing comes to mind, Johannes always has good suggestions ready. The teaching equipment is up to date, and through his experience as a passionate professional musician he can convey far more than just the drumming itself, and he is also a competent contact for questions about bands, rehearsals or gigs.

His lessons are relaxed, motivating and at the same time well structured. Johannes is also very reliable, the contract terms are fair and, if needed, practice rooms can even be arranged in the same building.

An unreserved recommendation!

My students on the kit

Listen for yourself: these are songs my students worked out and recorded with me, from pop and rock to Cologne dialect songs. Just tap a video.

Prices

Subscription fixed slot
  • 45 minutes / week≈ €45 per slot, about 36 lessons a year €136per month
  • 30 minutes / week≈ €33 per slot, about 36 lessons a year €99per month

Your fixed slot, week after week. School holidays and public holidays are off, and your monthly fee stays the same. The notice period is three months. For a subscription you get a contract from me, just write to me.

Ask about a subscription
Lesson packs
  • 2 × 45 minutes€60 per slot€120
  • 3 × 45 minutes€59 per slot€177
  • 5 × 45 minutes€55 per slot€275

Full flexibility: you book when it suits you, and your card is valid for a whole year. You can cancel lessons free of charge up to 5 days in advance, after that the slot is charged.

Ask about a pack
Practice room with a miked acoustic drum kit
Practice room Add-on

For practising between lessons, a miked acoustic drum kit is waiting for you in my separate room, which you secure monthly with a subscription.

  • 4 hrs €30
  • 8 hrs €40
  • 12 hrs €50

Per month, as a subscription with a contract. Prefer to be spontaneous? Pay cash, €15 per hour, straight into the till in the room.

Ask about the practice room →
Gift voucher for drum lessons at Drum Lessons Cologne
Gift voucher to give away

Give the gift of drums. Whether a single lesson, a pack or an amount of your choice, I am happy to issue a personal voucher.

  • By post to your home
  • Digitally as a PDF
  • Pick-up in person

Flexible to redeem and valid for one year. The trial lesson is excluded.

Order a voucher →
Trial lesson: 45 minutes to get to know each other. Afterwards you decide in peace how to continue, with a fixed slot on a subscription or with flexible lesson packs. The trial lesson is paid in cash on site. Each person can take it only once, and it cannot be given as a voucher.
€30
Book a trial lesson

Many more short clips from the lessons and from my students. Tap and have a look.

Frequently asked questions

What can I learn with you?

Pretty much everything around the drums. We play your favourite songs, work out songs by ear together and arrange them, read notation and charts, work on grooves and fills, on your hand and foot technique, on timing, sound and on how you practise at home. And if you want to aim higher, I will also prepare you for an audition at a music university.

Which method do you teach?

No off-the-shelf method. Everyone learns differently and brings different goals. That is exactly why I build each student's lessons individually, sometimes with notation and exercise books, sometimes entirely by ear.

Do I need any previous experience?

Not at all. Whether you have never held a stick or already play every day, together we find the plan that works best for you.

How often should I practise?

My recommendation: three times a week for 20 to 30 minutes. Short, regular sessions get you further than rare long ones.

I have no sense of rhythm. Can I still learn?

Yes, definitely. Anyone who really wants to can learn the drums. "No sense of rhythm" is almost always just a lack of practice, and that is exactly what we make up for together.

Can I practise outside of lessons?

Yes, gladly. My separate practice room has a miked acoustic drum kit ready. On a subscription you practise from €7.50 per hour, or spontaneously you pay €15 per hour in cash straight into the till in the room. You will find all the details above under prices. Perfect if you have no way to practise at home.

Do I need my own equipment? And can I record?

I am happy to help you put your equipment together. For online lessons I have put together an affordable setup for students that works really well. And if you like, we record your performance in good picture and sound quality, for example for your social media channels.

How do I pay?

Simply by bank transfer, PayPal or cash, always in advance before your lesson.

Contact & trial lesson

Just tell me what you have in mind, whether a trial lesson, a subscription or single lessons, in person or online. I will get back to you quickly. For a subscription place I will send you your contract afterwards. I look forward to meeting you!

Johannes Biegl at the drum kit