9 Best Bongo Drum Lessons Online

Carson

Published: October 12, 2023

Learning to play the bongo drums is a great way to improve your sense of rhythm and coordination. Plus, it’s a lot of fun! 

Are you looking to get started with the bongo drums?

Do you wish to play the bongos like a professional?

Confused where to begin?

We are here to help you kickstart your journey!

We have found some of the best online bongo drum lessons for you!

The easiest way to start playing the bongos is through online courses for beginners.

Bongo drumming is said to be instrumental in introducing students to the world of drumming, music, and rhythm. It is said to alleviate stress and uplift your mood. 

You can easily learn to play the bongo from the comfort of your home through the various online bongo drum classes. 

In this article, we have listed the top 9 online bongo drum lessons for you.

Let’s get started.

List of the Best 9 Online Bongo Drum Lessons

1. Full Bongo Course – learn your first 100 beats & rhythms – Udemy – Best for Beginners
2. Bongo Lessons with Murray P. – Takelessons – Beginner Level – Best Rated
3. How to Play Bongos: A Basic Guide to Bongo Drums- Masterclass – Beginner Level  – Most Versatile
4. How to Play Bongo Drums: Basic Martillo for Beginners! – Dancepapi – Beginner Level – Shortest Course
5. Bongo Drums: Martillo Variations! – Dancepapi – Intermediate Level – Most Affordable
6. Learn Bongo Online – FSMBuddy – Beginner Level – Most Interactive
7. Bongos 101 Course: Step-by-Step Bongo Lessons For Beginners – Congachop – Beginner Level  – Easiest to Follow
8. Bongo Fundamentals Course: Essential Concepts on How to Play Bongos – Congachop – Beginner + Intermediate Level – Most Informative
9. Practical Bongo Course: 250 Rhythms – Udemy – Best for Composers

Are you short on time but want to shortlist courses? We recommend course numbers 1 and 8 to you. Before you start off with online bongo drum lessons, we recommend you try Music theory courses and music composition courses so you can learn more about music. 

1. Full Bongo Course – Udemy

Are you a beginner who is new to the world of bongos? 

This online bongos course will teach you the basics of bongo, along with 100 rhythms to help you understand the percussion elements. By the end of this course, you will be able to play your favorite tunes on the bongos!

This course is suitable for the beginner level. It will take you 2 hours and 19 minutes to complete the course.

The course is being taught by Carles Planells, who is a freelance percussion instructor. His experience will help you play the bongos like a pro!

This is one of the best online bongo drum lessons that are available and it is priced at only USD 13.99.

This course has a rating of 4.7 out of 5.0 on Udemy. Although it has only 11 students enrolled, the course content will help you learn the fundamentals very quickly.

Students love this course. This is what a few of them had to say about the course:

“It is really good and amazing!”

We rate this course 9.0/9.0.

Make sure to try it out!

Eligibility Criteria

• Have a bongo to practice on
• Perfect choice for beginners

2. Bongo Lessons with Murray P. – Takelessons

Are you intrigued by the bongo drums? Are you willing to get your hands on this Cuban instrument?

This online bongo drums course will teach you the rhythms and techniques of bongo drumming. Moreover, you will learn music theory and how to play different styles of music on the bongo drum.

This lesson is perfect for beginners. This self-paced course can vary in duration from three months to six months. In very little time, you will play the bongo drums like a pro!

This online course is being taught by an instrumentalist, Murray P. His 22 years of teaching experience can prove to be helpful to beginners.

The course is priced at USD 55 for a 60-minute session. This is slightly expensive but keep an eye out for student discounts and special offers.

This course is top-rated amongst the other available options, with 4.9 out of 5.0 stars. Although we could not find the exact number of enrolled students, we believe the instructor’s experience will teach you a lot!

Student reviews for this course are positive too. Here is what some of them had to say about the course:

“Really excellent instructor! He is patient and starts with whatever I can do, then encourages me to build on it little by little. He is also able to customize the lesson on the fly to adapt it to my interests and ability. I highly recommend Murray.”

Our rating for the course is 8.5/9.0.

Try it out!

Eligibility Criteria

• Have a bongo to practice on
• Perfect choice for beginners

3. How to Play Bongos – Masterclass

Are you looking for an easy way to start bongo drumming? 

Get started with this course!

This online bongo drumming lesson teaches you the principles of percussion, followed by techniques for solos and fills on the bongo drums. Practice with the instructor and find your groove!

This course is suitable for beginners. The course duration is 2 hours and 15 minutes, and it is based on 15 video tutorials. 

The course instructor is the GRAMMY-nominated drummer Sheila E, known as the Queen of Percussion. We are sure you will find your rhythm with her!

This lesson is available on MasterClass for a monthly membership of USD 15.

We were unable to find student ratings, comments, or the number of students enrolled. However, we believe that her expertise will give you the push that’s needed.

Our rating for the course is a solid 8.0/9.0.

Eligibility Criteria

• Have a bongo to practice on
• Perfect choice for beginners

4. How to Play Bongo Drums – Dancepapi

Do you want to get started on the bongo drums immediately?

This online bongo drum tutorial will give you a headstart into the world of hand-drumming. You will learn multiple percussion strategies, the basic Martillo rhythm, and other beginner grooves on the bongo drums.

This video tutorial is suitable for beginners and gives you a rundown of the fundamentals in less than 24 minutes.

This tutorial is taught by the Latin percussion instructor, Edgardo Cambonbongo. His lesson is a well-known video tutorial at Dance Papi, and will surely help you grasp the basics!

What more? The video tutorial is freely accessible to everyone. Watch it!

We were unable to find any ratings, but over 8000 people found the video tutorial helpful, making it a popular online bongo lesson.

The viewers love the course. Here is what they have to say about it:

“I have been watching a ton of beginner Bongo videos and this is the best one that I’ve seen. Extremely well explained. Thank you!!!”

We rate this video tutorial 8.0/9.0.

Eligibility Criteria

• Perfect for complete beginners
• Have a bongo drum to practice on

5. Bongo Drums – Dancepapi

If you know the basics of bongo drumming but want to step up your game, this video tutorial is for you! 

This online video tutorial is a level up to your beginner bongo drumming skills. This lesson will teach you the Martillo groove or “hammer”. You will learn the different licks and variations and how to incorporate them while maintaining the melody.

This lesson is suitable for intermediate-level students. The video lesson will teach you new skills in only 17 minutes.

This online bongo drums tutorial is led by the Latin percussion instructor, Edgardo Cambon, who is famous for his Cuban son, salsa, and Afro-Cuban jazz.

Of all the available courses for intermediate-level students, this video lesson is absolutely free! Do not hesitate to give it a try.

We were unable to find the number of students who have taken this video lesson. However, 2500 students found this bongo video lesson to be useful!

Students had positive feedback for this course. This is what some of them had to say:

“This guy makes it really easy to understand and covers all my questions that other videos have not. Love this guy.”

We rate this course 8.0/9.0.

Eligibility Criteria

• Knowledge about the basics of bongo drumming
• Have a bongo drum to practice on

6. Learn Bongo Online – FSMBuddy

Do you want to wow your friends with bongo drumming skills?

Get started with this course today!

This online bongo drumming course will teach you the way with this classical instrument. Besides the fundamentals of bongo drumming, you will learn to voice music through sheet reading.

This is a beginner-level course that will be tailored according to your needs. The class duration is 45 minutes, with the course duration varying from 1, 3, 6, or 12 months.

The course is accessible at USD 17, making it competitive amongst other options out there. Moreover, an instructor from the famous Furtados School of Music in India will lead the course.

We could not find course ratings and student comments for this online bongo lesson. However, we assure you that by the end of this course, you will be skilled at this.

Our rating for this course is 8.0/9.0.

Eligibility Criteria

• Have a bongo to practice on
• Perfect choice for beginners

7. Bongos 101 Course – Congachop

Next up, we have an online course for beginners who have never picked up a bongo!

This course offers an insight into the anatomy of the drums, and tips on how to tune bongos. You will learn the proper posture and hand positioning required to play this instrument. Moreover, you will familiarize yourself with some must-know rhythms for every bongo player. A “Language-Based Phrase” is a bonus to developing your musical vocabulary!

This step-by-step course is based on 12 video lessons. It is available at a monthly subscription of USD 20, making it relatively affordable. 

We could not find any information on the course instructor. Yet, we believe that step-by-step instructions will give you a grasp of this course.

There were no student ratings for this course either. Though we found positive student reviews for this course and instructor. Here is what we found:

“I’m super impressed with how accurate all of the rhythms and exercises are explained and executed, especially when pertaining to the clave. I’ve also been very motivated to practice by the wide variety of Loops that are available on the site. Highly recommended for Beginners and Professionals alike!”

We rate this course 8.0/9.0.

Eligibility Criteria

Have a bongo to practice on

Perfect choice for beginners

8. Bongo Fundamentals Course – Congachop

In search of a bongo drumming lesson that fits both levels, beginner, and intermediate? If you are looking to start from scratch or simply wish to hone your skills, this online bongo lesson will be a perfect fit for you. 

This intermediate-level course teaches you to build on your basic knowledge of bongos. With this course, you will learn to pick the perfect set of bongos, bongo bell, and beater. It will develop your analytical listening skills, and transcription, and offer you added language-based phrases.

If this wasn’t convincing enough, you will learn the classic bongo riffs and how to play bongos through an entire arrangement in an Old School and Modern Salsa context.

The course is self-paced and it is based on 15 video lessons, along with PDFs and bongo notation legends. 

All this, and so much more is being offered for a monthly subscription of USD 20, with discount offers on yearly memberships. We are sure this will be a worthwhile investment in your arsenal of music!

We could not find much information about the course instructors, but we believe the community of Latin percussionists will help you master your bongo drumming!

We were unable to find student ratings for the course. However, we looked through student reviews. This is what a few had to say about the course and the instructors:

“I had a couple of great teachers show me the basic tones and some common rhythms, but with me moving out of state and their busy schedules, it was hard to get lessons consistently. At first, I felt a bit lost without a teacher, but when I found CongaChops, Paulo gave me even more foundational skills to work with, and helped me build a solid routine to create a deeper understanding of the instrument and work on my chops!”

We rate this course 9.0/9.0.

Eligibility Criteria

• Have a bongo to practice on
• Previous knowledge of bongo drumming

9. Practical Bongo Course – Udemy

Up next is a Udemy course that teaches you the fundamentals of bongo drumming and percussion. 

This beginner-level course covers the basics of bongo drumming with 250 rhythms that you can combine to play jazz, pop, or hip-hop. 

It is a medium-length course with a duration of 7 hours and 25 minutes. 

The online course is priced at USD 19.99. This will give you lifetime access to it. 

This course is being taught by a percussionist, Carles Planells. His teaching style will surely help you find your own rhythm. 

Students have rated this course 3.3 out of 5.0 stars. We found mixed student reviews for the course. Here is what a few had to say:

“The instructor is too quick to explain the patterns with not enough time to learn the rhythm.”

Our rating for this course is 7.0/9.0. 

Eligibility Criteria

• Have a bongo drum to practice on

Overview of Top Online Bongo Drum Lessons

Our Evaluation Criteria for Choosing Bongo Drum Lessons

These top courses have been reviewed based on several metrics. We wanted to ensure as much transparency as possible. 

Our evaluation of the course is based on who the course is suitable for (Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced). We will also explore what you will gain from the course along with the pricing and course duration. Lastly, we will cover student reviews, ratings, and the total number of enrollments. This is set to give you a holistic view of all the courses. 

Conclusion 

Learning to play the bongo drum will make you quite popular among your friends as you can show off your amazing skills. Bongo drumming is also known to positively affect your mental health. What more? You can even be a part of some of your favorite bands if you have the ideal skills. 

The best way to fulfill your dreams is by becoming proficient through the best online bongo drum lessons which add to your skills related to percussion instruments. 

We found two of the best courses for you!

Courses number 1 and 8 are great for learning how to like a pro. They are not only informative but are very popular among fellow learners. You can benefit from them too!

Now that you have all the information needed to make an informed decision, which course will you opt for first?

If you enjoyed these courses, we recommend you try the online classical guitar courses and ukulele lessons so you can explore other instruments too.