This is a very common question. As a matter of fact, if you didn’t know it, it’s one of the most ask question on the internet about the drums.
I’ll try to answer truthfully.
How long does it take? No time. Learning a rock beat, a fill. That’s covered in maybe one lesson, at least that’s usually what I do with first time comers.
But, what I try to do, is make it fun. Fun is in the music, it’s encased in every note, every sound, like a peanut in shell, like a pearl in an oyster. Students who want to learn do discover something else they hoped existed in studying music: the fun.
It is fun to sweat on a challenging exercise. It is fun to solve the puzzle of a weird drum part you heard in a song. It is fun to feel the speed and power growing on the instrument as you practice regularly. It is fun to discover new styles, explore the work of new artists, new influences to dive into. Music is all that, and more. It is fun to record yourself for the first time. It is fun to play with a guitarist or a pianist. It is fun to show your loved ones what you’ve accomplished. It is fun to express a feeling into a few notes, a few rhythms. It is fun to take lessons and be excited about the journey you are on, the progress you’re making.
So, to the question “How long does it take to learn the drum?” I will answer: “Why? If you’re having fun, why would you want to have a deadline? Keep it going!”
Take a chance. Try it. And have the goal of learning and having fun. That should do it.