Difficulty Level For this free video drum lesson lets take a look at three drum fills that really stand out from the song “Achilles Last Stand” by Led Zeppelin.

John Bonham‘s drumming is up to it’s usual exceptional standard and somehow he manages to bust drum fills at blistering speeds AND still make them groove!

The three drum fills I’ve chosen really showcase Bonham’s diversity and imagination when it comes to drum parts. Three very different fills, all interesting and different in their own right.

You can watch the free video drum lesson teaching you how to play these fills below. The notation for each drum fill can also be found under the video.

** Apologies for the poor sound on this video. My clip MIC was running out of battery and I only noticed after. **

“Achilles Last Stand” – Free Video Drum Lesson

View the video on YouTube HERE – Learn How To Play Drums Achilles Last Stand Video Drum Lesson (Led Zeppelin & John Bonham)

“Achilles Last Stand” – Drum Fill (0:28 Album Version)

This drum fill demonstrates Bonham subtlety and touch despite the fact that not every drummer might notice it.

Bonham plays a line of accent notes, starting on beat 3, for this two beat drum fill, being careful to ghost the notes in between on the ‘+’ of beat 3 and beat 4 itself. These two ghost notes can be left out if you find it easier but definitely sound better when left in, just make sure you play them quietly!

“Achilles Last Stand” – Drum Fill (1:17 Album Version)

The speed that Bonham plays this bar of sixteenth note triplets is amazing. I really found it hard to play them like Bonham did for the video drum lesson above because they have to remain smooth and not be played too loudly…tricky when you’re trying to play as FAST as possible! 😀

Bonham moves up and around the drums starting on the snare drum, moving to the high tom on beat 3 and then down to the floor tom on beat 4.

“Achilles Last Stand” – Drum Fill (5:27 Album Version)

This drum fill starts at 5:27 and involves a simple pattern, but again played very fast. The bass drum and crash cymbals are played with alternating hands on the downbeats and the ‘a’ of each beat, whilst the snare drum is played on the ‘e’ and ‘+’ of each beat.

Look out for the way Bonham starts the fill on the hi-hat on beat 1. This obviously isn’t essential for the fill but relevant if trying to learn the song note for note though.

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“Achilles Last Stand” Great Drum Fills Video Lesson (Led Zeppelin & John Bonham)