For this free video drum lessons I wanted to talk about a drum beat that I've had a lot of requests for. The Intro drum beat from the song I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor by The Arctic Monkeys.
Matt Helders plays a groove that you wouldn't believe someone of his limited years behind the kit could actually play. It's also a very imaginative groove with lots of points of interest.
In this video drum lesson I'm going to teach how to play this groove as well as show you a simplified version. The simplified version can be played instead of the actual groove if you're finding what Matt plays too difficult...and who wouldn't?!
** FREE PDF DOWNLOAD: You can download all the sheet music for this lesson as a pdf document. Simply click the "Attachment" link at the bottom of this page **
"Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" - Free Video Drum Lesson
"Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor" - Intro Drum Beat
This is the Intro Drum Beat that Matt plays right at the beginning of the song. As you can see, it's four bars long and each line consists of a bar and a bar repeat. This means that there are actually only two bars to learn here.
The bar on the second line is actually just a busier version of the bar on the first line, so master the line 1 bar first before adding the extra bass drum notes with line 2.
Next, lets look at the simplified version of this drum beat...
"Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor" - Simplified Version
The simplified version above is exactly the same as the actual drum beat except that the fast 32nd snare drum notes have been taken out and replaced with 16th notes instead. In fact, this would be a great drum beat to learn first anyway as it can only help you to master the actual drum beat even more.
As always, email me if you have any questions and please join me on my Facebook Page for the latest news about the free drum lessons I have to offer
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The drum groove played on the Knights Of Cydonia is one of most driving and fun grooves Dominic Howard has ever played in the band Muse.
It's upbeat hi-hat part and offbeat bass drum makes it relatively hard to play correctly but well worth any effort and practice. Like always, I've also suggested some easier ways to play the groove. I've given you three levels of complexity, starting at level 1, which most beginners should be able to play (with a bit of practice of course). You can then go up the levels as and when you like.
This free video drum lesson also includes a variation of the verse drum beat that occurs later in the song.
** FREE PDF DOWNLOAD: You can download all the sheet music for this lesson as a pdf document. Simply click the "Attachment" link at the bottom of this page **
This is is the actual drum beat Dom plays on the recording and you can see the driving bas drum notes and the upbeat hi-hats. If this is too hard for you to play initially then we can move onto Level 1 below...
"Knights Of Cydonia" - Main Drum Beat (Level 1)
This is the drum beat in it's simplest form. We still have the upbeat hi-hat notes but the bass drum part has been simplified to it's minimum. Mastering this drum beat will allow you to move onto the other levels, such as Level 2 below...
"Knights Of Cydonia" - Main Drum Beat (Level 2)
In this version, the bass drum has been added on beats 2 and 4 so that the bass drum is now playing on all four beats of the bar. This gives the groove more of a driving and dance feel. Once you're comfortable with this we can move onto Level 3...
"Knights Of Cydonia" - Main Drum Beat (Level 3)
For Level 3 we finally add the offbeat bass drum notes on the 'a' of beats 1 and 4. This is really starting to sound live the actual drum beat now.
** IMPORTANT NOTE: I actually use the wrong drum notation for level 3 in this free video drum lesson. The above notation is correct but the on screen notation in the video is incorrect. I do play Level 3 in the video correctly though, it's just the notation and explanation in the video is wrong. Sorry about that! **
Let's finally take a look at a variation of the drum beat that Dom plays first at 1:24 into the song...
"Knights Of Cydonia" - Drum Beat Variation (Occurs 1:24)
This variation differs with the main drum beat on only one note. The floor tom is played on the 'a' of beat 2 instead of the bass drum. This subtle difference really adds emphasis and power to beat 3 and fits the song well. It also adds a moment of interest to the drum part...which is cool
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This Free Beginner Video Drum Lesson continues on from the previous lesson, here. In that lesson I showed you how to play some of the simplest and most common drum beats that every drummer should know.
In this free beginner drum lesson we're going to play around with the snare drum
For most drum beats, the snare drum is only played on beats 2 and 4 of the bar. This is known as the snare drum "Backbeat". But to give a drum groove 'feel' and 'movement' drummers can also play extra snare drum notes in the bar.
By placing extra snare drum notes in and around the backbeat the drum beat can be pushed and pulled and made more interesting musically.
In the free video beginner drum lesson below I show you some of the most common and popular snare drum patterns. These patterns will help to make your drum beats more interesting and will give them movement.
** FREE PDF DOWNLOAD: You can download all the sheet music for this lesson as a pdf document. Simply click the "Attachment" link at the bottom of this page **
"Snare Drum Patterns" - Beginner Video Drum Lesson (Part 1)
The bass drum sound that Dave Grohl has on the recording of the song Scumbag Blues is simply amazing! It's one of my favourite drum tracks on the whole album by Them Crooked Vultures and definitely has one of the coolest sounding drum tracks.
In this free drum lesson I'm going to show you how to play the main verse drum beat and then two more variations that occur later in the song.
It's Dave Grohl's bass drum foot that does the majority of the fancy work while his snare drum supplies the pulse. Lets take a look at the main verse drum beat now.
** FREE PDF DOWNLOAD: You can download all the sheet music for this lesson as a pdf document. Simply click the "Attachment" link at the bottom of this page **
As you can see, Dave supplies a steady pulse on the snare drum for both bars, the only variation occurs on beat 3 of bar two where he plays a flam on the snare with both hands. The hi-hat is playing steady eighth notes throughout both bars.
There's a crash on beat 1 of the bar at the same time as the snare drum and, when the bar is looped, this is where the hi-hat closes also.
Beat 4 of bar 1 is where Grohl's bass drum foot starts to become a bit syncopated. He plays the bass drum notes on the 'e' and 'a' of beat 4 in between the steady hi-hat notes. A hi-hat is then opened on beat 1 of bar 2 for just a single sixteenth note. It closes again on the 'e' of beat 1 of bar two, in between the the right hand hi-hat notes.
A bass drum is played just before the snare drum flam in bar 2 and then the hi-hat is struck open on the '+' of beat 3 and beat 4 (at the same time as the snare drum for beat 4). The hi-hat remains open and is left to ring out until beat 1 of the following bar.
Lets now take a look at the next variation to occur at around 0:22 into the song...
Dave changes the pattern slightly at this point in the song by not playing a crash cymbal on beat 1 of the bar but an open hi-hat note instead. This closes on the 'e' of beat 1, in between the right hand hi-hat eighth notes.
The only other difference is that there is now no open hi-hat played on beat 1 of bar 2. The hi-hat remains closed instead.
The final variation I'm going to look at now in this free drum lesson occurs right after the variation above, at 0:26 into the song...
The first bar is played the same as the first bar in Variation 1 but bar 2 involves slightly more bass drum notes. Two bass drums are played, starting on the + of beat 2, pushing into the snare drum on beat 3. Note that this snare drum is not a flam but is played at the same time as the hi-hat instead. The hi-hat actually plays steady eighth notes all the way through in fact.
Two more bass drum notes are played on the 'e' and 'a' of beat 3, in between the hi-hats, and a final bass drum on the + of beat 4. With Daves great sounding bass drum this variation drum beat really is a beauty to play.
As always, let me know what you think of the lesson and thanks for reading!
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So here it is. Finally, after searching all over the web and finding....nothing(?!), here is the actual drum notation/music for Ringo Starr's ONLY recorded drum solo. It's taken from the song The End on the album Abbey Road by the Beatles of course.
Ringo famously said that he always hated drum solo's but thankfully this didn't stop him producing one of the most replicated drum solo's of all time. It's beauty comes from it's seeming simplicity. No double bass drum, no Hertas or pitch bending drums; just Ringo and a pair of drum sticks.
The drum solo doesn't officially start until 0:21 but there is a little sequence and drum fill that occurs at 0:09 that I wanted to just take a look at first. It helps to set up the drum solo nicely and besides, this drum fill is just too cool to skip over. Lets take a look at the Intro first.
** FREE PDF DOWNLOAD: You can download all the sheet music for this lesson as a pdf document. Simply click the "Attachment" link at the bottom of this page **
"The End" - Drum Solo Notation (Intro From 0:09 - 0:20)
Ringo comes into this section with a two bar drum fill starting on the '+' of beat 1. The sticking remains the same throughout the first section as LR. You can of course use whichever sticking you like, it's up to you.
Throughout the recording, Ringo's snare drum rattles on occasional tom hits giving the impression that a snare drum might be struck but the whole fill (including the first four notes) are played on the toms.
Ringo leaves this fill section with a drum groove based on the tom toms. His right hand is on the floor tom and left on the high tom in between striking the snare drum on beats 4 and 1 of the bar.
The section ends with 1/4 notes on the crash/ride cymbal and a basic snare drum backbeat on beats 2 and 4.
Here's the actual drum solo itself and as I'm sure you will agree, it's a glorious sight!
Ringo plays 1/8th notes on the bass drum throughout, laying his alternating hands over the top. Again, there are some notes that sound very much like a snare drum but not quite. This is definitely all played on the tom toms despite the snare rattling quietly in the background on certain notes.
Notice how Ringo alternates his sticking when going round the drums; from LR when moving down the drums, to RL when moving up the drums. You can use whichever sticking works best for you of course.
The same figure is used throughout the majority of the solo. Ringo plays this three note motif where two sixteenths are played and one is rested. This has the effect of the figure moving across the beats of the bar and against the straight bass drum. A very cool and simple idea!
Ringo ends the solo with his right hand on the floor tom where the notes increase in volume before exiting to the next section of the song.
Well there it is. I hope you enjoyed this lesson and please do let me know what you thought of it. You can comment on my Facebook Page or click the "like" button above if you...err, like
Until next time, happy drumming to you!
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With one of the greatest intro drum fills ever, Aaron Comess blasts his way into the classic song Two Princes by The Spin Doctors. Aaron Comess is now a successful record producer and session drummer and you can see why when you listen to his super tight snare and bass drum technique.
With ghost notes, double strokes, accents and syncopated bass drum patterns, this really is an adventure in drumming!
Lets take a look at the Intro Drum Fill first.
** FREE PDF DOWNLOAD: You can download all the sheet music for this lesson as a pdf document. Simply click the "Attachment" link at the bottom of this page **
** You can also Download all the music for this lesson as .PDF file by clicking the Attachment link at the bottom of this lesson **
Aaron comes in on the '+' of beat 4, of the previous bar, with a thirty second note five stroke roll, played RRLLR. The last single Right hand stroke is actually beat 1 of the next bar.
Aaron then plays a series of accents (loud notes indicated with little arrows above each note) and ghost notes (quiet notes indicated with brackets).
The bass drum follows the majority of the accents notes and Aaron Comess throws in another five stroke roll starting on beat 2.
Note that nothing is played on beat 3 and the hands come back in with the Left hand. The fill ends with the hands going around the drums, snare, high tom and two floor tom notes on beat 4.
Lets now look at the main drum groove...
"Two Princes" - Verse Drum Beat
The main drum beat for Two Princes is surely one of the greatest grooves of all time, I mean just look at it! Behind the complicated notation is actually a smooth and dreamy groove that effortlessly flows though the song.
The snare drum notes on beats 2 and 4 of each bar are played loudly, whilst all other snare drum notes are played quietly as ghost notes.
There is no bass drum note on the '+' of beat 2 in the second bar, this is the only difference in bass drum between the two bars. Look out for the open hi-hat on beat 1 of bar 1. It closes again on the '+' of beat 1.
This is probably a bit too advanced for the majority of drummers out there so lets now take a look at a simplified version of this drum beat.
"Two Princes" - Simplified Verse Drum Beat 1
So in this first simplified version I decided to take out all of the snare drum ghost notes. The bass drum and open hi-hat part remains the same and still sounds very much like the original drum beat.
If the bass drum part is still too hard then we can simply it even further like this...
"Two Princes" - Simplified Verse Drum Beat 2
In this version, only the minimum number of bass drum are played and the open hi-hat part has been taken out. Note that all bass drum notes now fall with the hi-hat.
So please let me know what you thought about this lesson here on my forum or on my Facebook Page, I'd love to hear what you think. I hope this has been useful for you and have fun!
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In this free drum lessons I'm going to show you how to play the Intro Drum Stabs and the main Verse Drum Beat from the song Cherub Rock by The Smashing Pumpkins.
Drummer Jimmy Chamberlin is often overlooked when compiling lists of top rock drummers, which is a tragedy as he's one of the best. His style is so unique, laid back and greasy. Strangely for a rock drummer. he has always had a passion for Jazz and this shows in his playing, with lots of cymbal work, subtle ghost notes and hi-hat foot independence. Jimmy wouldn't be seen playing a drum groove without his hi-hat foot tapping away.
In the song Cherub rock, Jimmy Chamberlin treats us to an interesting snare and bass drum intro stab section and then moves on to a really cool laid back drum groove with lots of pushes and pulls. Lets take a look at them now.
** FREE PDF DOWNLOAD: You can download all the sheet music for this lesson as a pdf document. Simply click the "Attachment" link at the bottom of this page **
"Cherub Rock" - Intro Drum Stabs
Jimmy plays the snare drum and ride cymbal together at the same time and either moves to a crash cymbal towards the end or just increases the power he uses to strike the ride cymbal. Either way, the cymbal part gets louder as the section repeats.
Notice the bass drum on the end of the bar which then loops round to the bass drum at the beginning of the bar. These two bass drum notes are played together when the bar is looped.
Lets now take a look at the verse drum beat Jimmy moves into for the fist verse.
"Cherub Rock" - Verse Drum Beat (Occurs 0:25)
You can see that Jimmy's hi-hat foot is stomping out eighth notes all the way through this groove and that Jimmy is up on the ride cymbal with his right hand.
Jimmy pushes the groove forward with the bass drum notes before each snare drum backbeat, on the 'a' of beats 1 and 3. Jimmy then plays with the listeners ears and places a bass drum note just after the snare drum on beat 4, on the 'e' of beat 4. This has the effect of dragging the groove back again. This push and pull effect continues throughout the song.
The snare drum drag on the 'a' of beat 4 is played very quietly and it involves playing a quick double with the left hand just before beat 1 of the next bar.
For those drummers finding this a bit tricky I've also written out a simplified version of the drum beat just below that can be played without loosing too much of the original feel.
"Cherub Rock" - Simplified Verse Drum Beat
So in this version of the simplified drum beat I've taken out Jimmy's hi-hat foot and some of the double strokes on the bass drum. I think in order to keep the original feel that the bass drum notes on the 'a' of beat 1 and 3 need to be kept in to add forward momentum to the drum beat.
As you get more confident with this beat, feel free to add and take away notes from the actual drum beat as you see fit.
Please let me know what you think of this lesson on my Facebook page and happy drumming to you!
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We all know that Dave Grohl is a legend amongst drummers, but it's occasionally worth reminding ourselves of just why this is. The song Elephant by Them Crooked Vultures gives us a great example of Dave's skill behind the drums. The song has some really cool grooves and fills and even moves from double time to half time throughout.
This free video drum lesson is going to take a look at the "dirty" half time tom-tom based groove that Grohl bursts out with at 1:05 into the song.
I'm also going to show you how to play one of my favourite drum fills from the song...the cool 32nd note lick that Grohl plays at 1:21.
So lets get stuck in...
FREE PDF DOWNLOAD: You can download the music as a .PDF document by clicking the link titled "them-crooked-vultures-elephant-beat--fills.pdf" found at the bottom of this page.
This latest free drum lesson teaches a rather cool little section of Dave Grohl's performance on the song Bandoliers by Them Crooked Vultures. The section occurs for the first time at 3:11.
The section revolves around a cool drum lick that consists of two groups of three being played though sixteenth notes. Played between the snare and bass drum, this three note pattern gets played twice whilst the hi-hat plays straight eighth notes over the top.
What makes this idea so tricky is the tempo! Dave's bass drum foot is flying though this lick at 200mph so if your bass drum foot technique is weak then you will struggle with this I'm afraid. Shouldn't stop you having a go though...besides, the song is awesome and great fun to play along too whether you can play the actual beats or not.
I've also written out two suggestions below as to how a drummer might play this section if their bass drum foot isn't as strong as Dave's. These two variations aren't what Dave plays but will more than work for you to get through this section, whilst maintaining a feel for the original drum part. They can also be treated as fun alternatives to try out!
More videos to come soon so happy drumming until then!
In this free video drum lesson I'm going to teach you how to play the main verse drum groove from the song "Days Are Forgotten" by the band Kasabian. The drummer is the curly haired Ian Matthews!
Not all drum beats have to be over the top lick-fests in order to be fun or cool. Sometimes all that's needed in a song is something a bit more refined. The drum beat from this song really clearly demonstrates this concept.
Ian shows amazing restraint in order to play this drum beat over and over without feeling the need to improvise or add anything to it. It's a lovely simple groove that works in the song precisely because he doesn't mess around with it.
Saying that though, it still requires a little control and skill in order to get the dynamics right so don't go thinking it's just for beginners...even though it's perfect for drummers just starting out
Lets take a look now. Enjoy and please let me know what you think!
In this free video drum lesson I'm going to teach you how to play the main verse drum groove from the song "Days Are Forgotten" by the band Kasabian. The drummer is the curly haired Ian Matthews!
