Difficulty LevelIn this Free Drum Lesson I wanted to continue on from the previous lesson, available for viewing here, where I shared with you a drum lick Gavin Harrison plays in his now famous “David Letterman” TV Drum Solo performance. You can watch this full drum solo below.

In this drum lesson I’m going to look at another part of the drum solo where Gavin plays a type of rhythmic concept/fill pattern. It involves his left hand playing a grouping of three while his right hand plays a grouping of five.

This idea occurs at almost 1:28 minutes into the video below and showcases Gavin’s ability to think in odd and unique ways. Mixing rhythmic illusions into his drum solos to make them both melodic and clever, both at the same time!

Watch the drum solo below first, check out the lick at 1:28 and then we can take a closer look at it after…

 

Gavin Harrison David Letterman Drum Solo – “The Chicken”

How To Play Gavin Harrison Drum Solo – Drum Fill/Pattern (1:28)

Gavin Harrison David Letterman Drum Solo - Drum Lick (Free Drum Lesson)

At first glance, the notation makes the pattern look very confusing but as soon as you understand what it is that Gavin is actually playing, it’s not very complicated to understand at all.

Gavin is moving his left hand in a anti-clockwise manner between his snare drum. high tom and super high tom. This three note pattern is repeated with the hand playing the three drums in the same order every time – snare, high, super high.

His right hand however is playing a group of five notes, moving clockwise up and around the drums, from his snare drum to his high tom, medium tom, low tom and super low tom. Again, the order of the drums does not change and this five note pattern is repeated moving back to the snare drum at the end each time.

Both hands start on the snare drum and play in an alternating manner – RLRL. It not only sounds pretty but looks interesting too because his right hand is moving around the drums in one direction while his left hand moves in another.

Lets take a look at the basic pattern Gavin plays below….

 

Gavin Harrison Drum Solo – Basic Pattern

Gavin Harrison Drum Solo - Basic Drum Lick (Free Drum Lesson)

This is the basic pattern in it’s entirety. As you can see, it’s 19 notes long because that’s how many notes are played before the pattern repeats itself. Both hands move back to the snare drum and the whole 19 note cycle is repeated again but starting with the left hand instead of the right.

This example clearly shows you how each hand part is broken down. The right hand part is shown at the top of the bar and the brackets show the five note pattern the right hand plays up and around the drums. The three note left hand part is shown below, indicated with the help of further brackets.

With this example you can see that the right hand plays the five note pattern twice and the left hand plays the three note pattern three times before resolving back together again on the snare drum, starting with the left hand.

So going back to the original extract taken from Gavin’s solo at the top, we can see that he plays just one cycle of 19 notes through sixteenth notes which naturally ends on the “+” of beat 1 of bar 2. The left hand then starts the next cycle of 19 notes but Gavin plays the cycle through sixteenth note triplets when the right hand moves back to the snare drum (not the first left hand which is still played as a standard sixteenth note). This has the effect of the notes being played at a faster rate as he moves from sixteenth notes to sixteenth note triplets.

The 19 note cycle is now played another four times through triplets before ending on the “+” of beat 3 of bar 4 with the left hand on the super high tom. Gavin plays out the rest of the bar with two right hand notes on the super low tom.

Gavin cleverly worked out the number of times he could play this particular cycle of notes through sixteenth notes and then triplets without losing the pulse. Switching to another subdivision on beat 2 of bar 2 and ending the triplets on the “+” of beat 3 in bar 4 is a very precise and clever way of working out the pattern using simple math.

Lets now take a look at how you might play this idea on a drum kit with fewer tom toms…

 

Taking The Drum Pattern Further…

Gavin’s drum kit has five tom toms, way more than the average drummer. My acoustic drum kit only has two toms for example! 🙂 This next idea is going to take Gavin’s concept and move it to a drum kit with just three tom toms.

 

Gavin Harrison Drum Solo – Drum Pattern (Three Tom Kit)

Gavin Harrison Drum Solo - Basic Drum Lick (Three Tom Kit)

So now our left hand is going to play snare drum, high tom and then the hi-hat. The left hand needs somewhere to move to after striking the high tom so the hi-hat has been chosen. This is really cool because, unlike Gavin’s pattern, we now have a hi-hat note which jumps out at the listener every third note creating a really cool polyrhythm within the overall pattern.

The right hand moves from snare drum, high tom, medium tom and then floor tom. The left hand is playing a cycle of three and the left hand a cycle of four. This means that the pattern now takes 24 notes to repeat but unlike Gavin’s original lick, the hands do not alternate. The right hand always starts each cycle of 24 notes in other words.

With this pattern, you can play exactly 5 beats worth of sixteenth notes (24 notes) so that the triplets then start on beat 3 of bar 2. The 24 note cycle fits exactly into four beats worth of sixteenth note triplets meaning that this pattern can end neatly on beat 3 of bar 3. It’s always easier to start and end triplet subdivisions on the downbeats of the bar in my opinion.

 

Bonus Idea…

Because the 24 notes fit precisely into four beats of sixteenth note triplets, this can be a great drum fill idea in it’s own right. You could perhaps practice playing a groove and then dropping into one whole bar of the cycle played through sixteenth note triplets. It would then resolve perfectly on beat 1 of the next bar. This is a really cool application of this particular pattern!

 

Gavin Harrison Drum Solo – Drum Pattern (Two Tom Kit)

Gavin Harrison Drum Solo - Basic Drum Lick (Two Tom Kit)

This final idea is really straying away from the complexity of Gavin’s original lick. This particular idea involves playing the idea on just a two tom drum kit. This means that it’s much easier to play and quicker to resolve but doesn’t sound as complicated and therefore, perhaps not as impressive. Still, it’s a fun idea so lets have a go anyway.

The left hand plays between the snare drum, high tom and hi-hat while the right hand plays on the snare, high and floor tom. This means that both the right and the left hand are playing a three note cycle that resolves itself every six notes. Starting with the right hand every time as well.

In this example I’ve shown the sixteenth notes moving to triplets on beat 4 of bar 1. The six note cycle fits perfectly into each beat of triplets and so could end on any beat of the bar. I chose for this example to run until the end of bar 2 just so that it ends in a nice comfortable place.

 

Bonus Idea…

You might like to try this pattern but with the left hand moving just between the snare drum and high tom, leaving out the hi-hat. This will create an uneven cycle that takes more than six notes to resolve. Try working this one out for yourself. In fact, the hi-hat note can be taken out from any of the examples above for a brand new left hand pattern.

Another fun concept to try out is to reverse the direction the left and right hands move around the drums. Try moving the left hand clockwise and the right hand anti-clockwise. This really throws your brain once you get used to the pattern the first way.

 

Check out more drum lessons featuring Gavin Harrison below…

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Heroes

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The Chain

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(Creedence Clearwater Revival)

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(Queens Of The Stone Age)

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(Stone Temple Pilots)

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(Duran Duran)

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(Red Hot Chili Peppers)

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100 Mile High City (Ocean Colour Scene), 20th Century Boy (T.Rex), 21 Guns (Green Day), 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover (Paul Simon), 6 Underground (Sneaker Pimps), 74-75 (The Connells), Ace Of Spades (Motorhead), Adams Song (Blink 182), A Day In The Life (The Beatles), Addicted To Love (Robert Plant), Aeroplane (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Africa (Toto), Alive And Kicking (Simple Minds), All Day And All Of The Night (The Kinks), A Message To You, Rudy (The Specials), And She Was (Talking Heads), Ain't No Sunshine (Bill Withers), All Apologies (Nirvana), All I Want For Christmas (Mariah Carey), All My Life (The Foo Fighters), All Night Long (Rainbow), All Right Now (Free), All These Things That I've Done (The Killers), All The Small Things (Blink 182), All The Young Dudes (Mott The Hoople), All You Ever Wanted (Rag'n'Bone Man), Alternative Ulster (Stiff Little Fingers), Always (Blink 182), Always (Bon Jovi), Always On My Mind (Elvis Presley), American Idiot (Green Day), Anarchy In The UK (Sex Pistols), Angel Of Harlem (U2), Angie (The Rolling Stones), Animal (Def Leppard), Another One Bites The Dust (Queen), Anna Molly (Incubus), Aneurysm (Nirvana), Apocalypse Please (Muse), Are You Gonna Be My Girl (Jet), Are You Gonna Go My Way (Lenny Kravitz), Around The World (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Ashes To Ashes (David Bowie), Assassin (Muse), Atomic (Blondie), Awake (Godsmack), Back In Black (AC/DC), Back In Time (Huey Lewis & The News), Back In The U.S.S.R. 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1979 (Smashing Pumpkins), 2000 Miles (Pretenders), 6:00 (Dream Theater), 99 Red Balloons (Nena), Aces High (Iron Maiden), Achilles Last Stand (Led Zeppelin), A Day In The Life (The Beatles), Aenema (Tool), Ain't Nobody (Rufus & Chaka Khan), Aja (Steely Dan), A Little Less Conversation (Elvis Presley), Alive (Pearl Jam), All Too Well (Taylor Swift), Amen Brother (The Winstons), Angels Of Death (Slayer), Another Brick In The Wall (Pink Floyd), Alright (Supergrass), Apocalypse Please (Muse), Around The Fur (Deftones), Avon (Queens Of The Stone Age), Baba O'Riley (The Who), Babylon Sisters (Steely Dan), Back In The USSR (The Beatles), Bad (Michael Jackson), Ball Room Blitz (The Sweet), Bandoliers (Them Crooked Vultures), Bang Bang (Green Day), Bargain (The Who), Barracuda (Heart), Bat Country (Avenged Sevenfold), Beat It (Michael Jackson), Been Caught Stealing (Jane's Addiction), Behind Blue Eyes (The Who), Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away) (Deftones), Best Of You (Foo Fighters), Bet You Look 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Don't Stand So Close To Me (The Police), Don't You Forget About Me (Simple Minds), Down (Blink 182), Do You Want To Rock (Danko Jones), Dr Feelgood (Motley Crue), Drive In Drive Out (The Dave Matthews Band), Drop Dead Legs (Van Halen), Drum Also Waltzes, The (Max Roach), Drumming Song (Florence And The Machine), Duality (Slipknot), Elephant (Tame Impala), Elephant (Them Crooked Vultures), Elephant Stone (The Stone Roses), Emit Remmus (Red Hot Chili Peppers) Englishman In New York (Sting), Eulogy (Tool), Every Breath You Take (The Police), Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (The Police), Execute (Slipknot), Exit Music For A Film (Radiohead), Fat Bottom Girls (Queen), Fear Of A Blank Planet (Porcupine Tree), Fear Of The Dark (Iron Maiden), Feeling This (Blink 182), Fell In Love With A Girl (The White Stripes), Fergus Sings The Blues (Deacon Blue), Fields Of Gold (Sting), Figure It Out (Royal Blood), Fire (Jimi Hendrix), Fire (Kasabian), Fireball (Deep Purple), First Date (Blink 182), 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Morissette), Iron Man (Black Sabbath), It's The End Of The World (REM), It's The Same Old Song (The Four Tops), I Want To Break Free (Queen), I Want It All (Queen), Jack & Diane (John Mellencamp), Jamie's Cryin' (Van Halen), Jamming (Bob Marley) Jesus Christ Pose (Soundgarden), Jesus Of Suburbia (Green Day), Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry)...

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For the most popular bands, artists and drummers in the world, we feature all of the greatest hits…and some of the more obscure hidden gems as well. Covering all genres of music from Rock, Metal, Jazz and pop – there is a song for all tastes and styles!

Not only that, we have multiple song lessons for the biggest bands/artists as well. Dive into the back catalogue of your favourite groups…

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Red Hot Chili Peppers

14 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Kings Of Leon

7 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Queens Of The Stone Age

14 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

The Beatles

16 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Blink 182

16 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Tom Petty

4 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Led Zeppelin

22 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Radiohead

8 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Iron Maiden

10 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Faith No More

5 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Oasis

10 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Blondie

10 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

The Killers

8 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

The Kinks

4 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Guns N' Roses

10 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Bon Jovi

4 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Aerosmith

7 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

The Pixies

4 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

The Who

7 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Metallica

7 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

U2

14 Video Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Duran Duran

4 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Nirvana

19 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

The Police

8 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Deftones

8 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Smashing Pumpkins

6 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Queen

10 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Pink Floyd

4 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Arctic Monkeys

15 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

The Clash

4 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Muse

26 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Madness

6 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

The Rolling Stones

7 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Fleetwood Mac

8 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Simple Minds

5 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Alice In Chains

4 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Bruce Springsteen

3 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Thin Lizzy

3 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Dire Straits

6 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Audioslave

4 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

ZZ Top

3 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Rage Against The Machine

5 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Green Day

20 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Rush

6 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Incubus

3 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Deep Purple

2 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Paramore

4 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

The Cure

3 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Michael Jackson

4 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Soundgarden

6 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Tool

4 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Foo Fighters

22 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

Linkin Park

4 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

AC/DC

5 Drum Lessons & PDF Charts.

100s of Songs, Beats, Fills & Solos

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"Love Is A Long Road" - (Tom Petty & Jim Keltner) Full Song Video Drum Lesson Notation Chart Transcription Sheet Music
Drum Sheet Music Preview
"Now And Then" - (The Beatles & Ringo Starr) Full Song Video Drum Lesson Notation Chart Transcription Sheet Music
"Top 14 Essential Chad Smith Drum Beats" - Video Drum Lesson Notation Chart Transcription Sheet Music
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Yes! You’ll be able to start playing along to over 100+ easy songs for beginners right away. And these are just the full song video drum lessons, there is also a ton of other material aimed specifically for new drummers. All lessons are categorised by level of difficulty, so you can always find the right song for you.

Am I too old to learn the drums?

Absolutely not. You are never too old to learn the drums. DrumsTheWord has a community of drummers of all ages, and from all over the world. And with lessons covering classic songs starting from the 50s, there is something for all ages and musical tastes.

Does DrumsTheWord have anything for advanced drummers?

For the more skilled tub-thumpers, DrumsTheWord shows you how to play songs from some of the most skilled and technically talented drummers on the planet. What better way to continue to improve your drumming than learning from the best. You’ll never be short of inspiration or practice ideas ever again.

Who is Robert Litten?

Rob has been drumming for over 30 years and teaching for over 20. He also studied drumming at degree level at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, England. Through the years he has taught 100s of pupils one-to-one as well running drum courses at local music academies. For the last 15 years, Rob has focused purely on creating content for DrumsTheWord. With a wealth of experience playing live with multiple bands, teaching and working online, Rob will be able to help you reach your drumming goals.

Do I need to read music?

No. Even though all full song video drum lessons come with a fully transcribed PDF drum chart, there is no need to be able to read it. In fact, this is what makes DrumsTheWord so unique – the video lessons SHOW you how to play the drum parts, both slowly and up to speed. As a bonus, you might even learn how to read music along the way thanks to the fact you get both mediums together.

DrumsTheWord 30 Day Money Back Guarantee

Happy drumming guarantee.

Start learning your favourite songs for 30 days. Zero risk.

We know that there are many online lessons out there to choose from. Maybe you’re wondering if the song lessons will work, if you’ll use them enough – or if you’ll even enjoy the experience. So to help put your mind at ease, if within the first 30 days of purchase you are not completely satisfied with the content and service, then you can ask for a full 100% refund, no questions asked.

You even get to keep the free bonus material, so you really have nothing to lose!

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