Free
Virtual Drums
These free virtual drums put a 12-piece drum kit (drum set) in your browser, played from recordings of real drums and cymbals. Hit the online drums with a click, a tap, your computer keyboard or a MIDI controller, and strike several pads at once on a touchscreen. Play drums online from the drummer's seat or on a grid of pads, then record a groove and hear it back. No download, no account.
- 12pads
- 44recorded hits
- Computer keyboard or MIDI
- Free, no signup
Play Drums Online
Tap a pad, or press V for the kick and S for the snare. Every pad shows its key.
Tap a pad or press a key to play
Computer keys on
Drum Simulator
What makes it respond like a drum kit rather than a board of sound effects.
One kit, two ways to see it
The kit view arranges drums and cymbals as a drummer sees them from the seat; the grid view lays the same 12 sounds out as even pads for an upright phone. The sounds never change.
Play the drums-
Recorded, not synthesised
Every pad plays a recording of an actual drum or cymbal, not a tone generated in the browser.
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Strokes that vary
The snare, closed hi-hat and toms alternate between separately recorded strokes, so a fast roll never repeats one identical hit.
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Accent for louder hits
Clicks, taps and keys play at normal strength. Switch on Accent, or hold Shift, when a hit should stand out.
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Three hi-hat sounds
Closed, open and pedal hi-hat are separate pads, and closing the hat cuts off a ringing open hat, as the foot pedal does.
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Several fingers at once
On a touchscreen, strike the kick, snare and hi-hat together instead of one pad at a time.
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Record your groove
Record a take and play it back straight away to hear whether your timing held.
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MIDI and electronic drum kits
A MIDI controller or e-drum kit triggers the matching pads, and how hard you strike sets the volume.
Play the Drums on Your Computer Keyboard
Computer keyboard to drum kit map
All twelve keys sit on the left of the keyboard in three rows: cymbals on top, hi-hat, snare and toms in the middle, the rest below. Space is a second kick; Shift adds an accent.
- Crash
- Q
- Open hi-hat
- W
- Ride bell
- E
- Ride
- R
- Closed hi-hat
- A
- Snare
- S
- High tom
- D
- Low tom
- F
- Pedal hi-hat
- Z
- Cross-stick
- X
- Cowbell
- C
- Kick
- V · Space
How to Play the Drums
A first rock beat in three steps, counting one and two and three and four and.
- Keep time on the hi-hat. Press A, the closed hi-hat, on every number and every "and": eight even hits.
- Add the kick on one and three. Press V or Space together with the hi-hat on one and three.
- Put the snare on two and four. Press S with the hi-hat on two and four. That is the basic rock beat; record it and listen back.
Drum Kit Sounds and Voices
Where each sound comes from, and what happens after you hit a pad.
Acoustic kit
Real drums and cymbals, each recorded on its own and combined into one kit with three hi-hat sounds, two toms, crash, ride, ride bell and cowbell.
- Sounds
- 12
- Samples
- 44
- Velocity layers
- 3
Recorded drums, assembled into a kit
The sounds come from the Versilian Community Sample Library (VCSL), a free CC0 orchestral sample library: a modern snare drum, a bass drum, two toms, a hi-hat, clash and suspended cymbals and a cowbell. Each was recorded separately; this page combines them into one kit.
General MIDI note for each pad
- Kick
- 36
- Cross-stick
- 37
- Snare
- 38
- Closed hi-hat
- 42
- Pedal hi-hat
- 44
- Low tom
- 45
- Open hi-hat
- 46
- High tom
- 48
- Crash
- 49
- Ride
- 51
- Ride bell
- 53
- Cowbell
- 56
How the sound engine works
Each hit starts its recording through the Web Audio API, scheduled on the audio clock. Drums and cymbals ring to the end of the recording even after you let go; only a closed or pedal hi-hat stops an open hi-hat early. The cymbals have no choke.
Free Online Drum Set — No Download, No Sign-Up
- Sounds play on your device The recordings load into your browser once, and every hit is mixed there. No plug-in.
- Nothing leaves this tab Your hits and recorded takes stay on the page and are never sent to our servers.
- No sign-up No account, email address or trial stands between you and the first snare hit.
Virtual Drums FAQ
Are these virtual drums free?
Yes. The whole kit, recording and MIDI input included, is free: no account, no trial, no time limit. Ads on the page pay for it.
Can I play the drums with my computer keyboard?
Yes. Each of the twelve pads shows its key: V or Space kick, S snare, X cross-stick, A closed hi-hat, W open hi-hat, Z pedal hi-hat, D high tom, F low tom, Q crash, R ride, E ride bell, C cowbell.
Can I connect an electronic drum kit or MIDI controller?
Yes, in browsers with Web MIDI, such as Chrome and Edge. General MIDI drum notes trigger the matching pads (36 kick, 38 snare, 42 closed hi-hat and so on), and velocity sets the volume of each hit.
Why does every hit sound equally loud?
A mouse, touchscreen or key cannot tell the page how hard you struck, so each hit plays at normal strength. Turn on Accent or hold Shift for a louder hit, or play a velocity-sensitive MIDI controller.
Is it a real drum kit?
It is built from real drums, not synthesised sounds. Each drum and cymbal was recorded on its own for an orchestral sample library, then combined here into one 12-piece kit.
Is a drum kit the same as a drum set?
Yes. Both name the drums and cymbals one drummer plays with hands and feet; "drum set" is more common in American English, "drum kit" in British English.
What are the parts of a drum set?
A standard kit has a bass drum with a pedal, a snare, toms, a hi-hat with its own pedal, and crash and ride cymbals. This one adds a cowbell, a cross-stick and a ride bell.
Can I choose a different drum kit?
No. There is one acoustic kit of recorded drums and cymbals: no electronic, jazz or rock kits to switch to, and no way to load your own samples.
Can I record what I play?
Yes. Press record, play, stop, then play the take back to check your timing. It plays inside the page; there is no download or audio export.
Does it work on a phone, or do I need an app?
No app is needed: the drums run in any modern browser on a computer, tablet or phone. Phones open the pad grid, and you can switch to the kit view.