Bucket Drumming Basics for Kids

A 5-gallon bucket or large sturdy container (hardware store buckets work best)

2 drumsticks or wooden spoons

Phone or speaker for playing songs to drum along to

Flip a five-gallon bucket upside down on the floor or a flat surface. This is your drum kit.

Sit behind it with two drumsticks, wooden spoons, or sturdy dowels in hand.

Strike the center of the bucket with one stick — that deep sound is your bass drum. Practice 4 steady, even hits.

Strike the rim of the bucket — hear how it's brighter and sharper? That's your snare. Practice 4 rim hits.

Combine them into a basic pattern: center-center-rim-center (boom-boom-TAP-boom). Repeat until it's steady.

Add a steady toe tap on the floor or gentle kick to the side of the bucket for a hi-hat-like pulse.

Put on a favorite rock or pop song and play your bucket drum pattern along with the beat. You're a street drummer now.

Five-gallon buckets from hardware stores give the best sound — deep and resonant. Paint buckets after they're cleaned out work great.

Different zones on the bucket produce different sounds: center = deep, rim = bright, side = muted. Explore them all.

Start SLOW. The number one mistake in drumming is starting too fast. Find a comfortable tempo and lock in before speeding up.

Bucket drumming is a real art form — street performers worldwide make a living doing this. Look up bucket drumming videos for inspiration.

If you have multiple buckets of different sizes, line them up for a full drum kit. Each size gives a different pitch.