Tosh Peterson: One of Today’s Most In-Demand Drummers Shares Tips on Becoming a Pro

Tosh Peterson currently plays drums for Lady Gaga and Alkaline Trio — a combination you rarely see on a single résumé. After wrapping Gaga’s Mayhem Ball tour, Tosh stepped behind the kit for Alkaline Trio’s co-headlining run with Rise Against. Over his career, he’s also worked with Machine Gun Kelly, Bad Bunny, Filter, and Lil Nas X.

Tosh started drumming at age two and was touring professionally by sixteen. As a hired gun, his job stays constant: learn the record inside and out, then bring his own signature energy live. His key to pulling this off is relentless preparation — like the time he learned 25 Fall Out Boy songs in under two days to sub for Andy Hurley.

In his new masterclass hosted by Antoine Fadavi, Inside a Touring Drummer’s Routine: Preparation, Mindset, Warmups & Stretching, Tosh breaks down his complete workflow. He shares how he builds stamina for three-hour shows, stretches on the road, times his pre-show meals, maintains a touring practice schedule, and charts every set in his phone’s Notes app.

That range is also what his new course, Tosh Peterson Breakdowns, is built on. His gigs don’t all work the same way:

“There’s some Lady Gaga songs that I probably wouldn’t even be able to play along to the record version, because we play it so different live.”

While Gaga’s live set reinterprets the studio tracks, Alkaline Trio sticks much closer to the album arrangements. Either way, the approach is the same: know the record cold, then serve what the live show needs.

Three song breakdowns are available now — Alkaline Trio’s “Warbrain,” Lady Gaga’s “LoveDrug,” and Filter’s “Obliteration” — each with a full transcription and a playalong (with or without the original drum track). The course also includes a tour of his current live kit.

Start Tosh Peterson’s Breakdowns Course →
Warbrain Playalong →
LoveDrug Playalong →
Obliteration Playalong →
Inside a Touring Drummer’s Routine →

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