This week I had to break down this track for one of my students, and on hearing it I figured it’d be good for this weeks track of the week! It’s got 2 handed 16ths running pretty much the whole way through which makes it tough to play in itself, but couple that together with the speed at which it’s played and for a lot of people it becomes a matter of endurance!
Here’s there breakdown.
Section Bars
Intro 12
1st Verse 16
Break 2 (just hats+ lil fill)
Chorus 16
Bridge 8
2nd Verse 16
Break 2 (just hats+ lil fill)
Chorus 16
Inst 16 (bass drums on “3 + +” with bass guitar and snare’s on the “2” only)
Solo 16 (snares back to “2” and “4” and bass back to the “1”)
Mid Section 16 (8ths on h/h and snare on ¼’s)
Break 2 (just hats + lil fill)
Chorus 16
Chorus 16 (8ths on h/h and snare on ¼’s)
Outro 12 to fade…. (8ths on h/h and snare on ¼’s)
Notes: Groove is 2handed 16ths, “2” and “4” on snare and the “1” on the bass. There are sporadic fills which are pretty much just “4e+a” or “3e+a4e+a” (basically just move the hands off the h/h and onto the kit somewhere and keep them going and you’ll be fine!). The bass drum does change but it’s not overly tricky. There is also a lift on the h/h in most bars, it does change in some parts of the track so listen and see if you can pick it out.
This weeks “Track of the week” is Walk Away by Christina Aguilera, it’s a super slow, real gentle yet powerful track. It’s in triplets (or 12/8 depending on how you want to look at it!). It’s a pretty tough track to nail because of the stops and the bars of 2/4 (6/8).
Really try to exaggerate the peaks and troughs (highs and lows) in this track to add extra effect and feel free to experiment a little with fills and what not. Chorus’ and the Mid Section are peaks and all else are troughs. When “stabbing” or “breaking” do try to make it sound sharp for the best sound.
Section no. of Bars
Intro 4
1st Verse 8 (stop on “3” of 8th bar and build from the “4”)
Chorus 4.5 (four bars of 4/4 and a bar of 2/4) (stop on the “3” of the 4th bar and count)
Bridge 4 (Stop on the “3” of the 4th bar)
2nd Verse 8 (build from the “3” of the 8th bar)
Chorus 8.5 (eight bars of 4/4 and a bar of 2/4) (stop on the “3” of the 4th bar and count)
Bridge 2
Mid Section 6 (“stabs” or “breaks” on the “3” and “4” of the 2nd, 4th and 6th bars)
3rd Verse 4 (build from the “3” of the 4th bar)
Chorus 12.5 (twelve bars of 4/4 and….. well, you get the idea!) (stop on the “3” of the 4th bar and count)
This weeks “Track of the week” is “Excuse me Mr. by No Doubt. It’s a real tough cookie to crack! Also, I saw that so far I haven’t broken down a track that begins with an “E” so saw the perfect opportunity! This track is super quick (I’m talking 250+) and is therefore not for the beginners or even most intermediates out there. It’s simple in terms of WHAT I played, but as it is so fast it’s real hard to keep it smooth, constant and most importantly, in time! Keep it ¼’s on the hi hat, “2” and “4” on the snare and pretty much just “1” and “3” on the bass to start with. Leave out fills and any fancy stuff until you’re real confident with it. Good luck!
Section No. of Bars
Intro 8 (no drum bars 1-4. bars 5-8 build up with ¼’s on snare.)
1st Verse 16
Bridge 20
Chorus 16
Inst 4 (build up with ¼’s on snare)
2nd Verse 16
Bridge 20
Chorus 16
Mid section 32 (8ths on snare with a slight accent on the “2” and “4”)
Breakdown 16 (bars 1-12 either leave or ad-lib toms and crashes. Then bars 13-16 build with 8ths on snare)
Chorus 16
Chorus 16
Chorus 16 (8th note snare fill on 15th and 16th bar with a crash to stop on “1” of 17th) then flourish finish is you wish!
This weeks “Track of the week” is The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson, this is a fantastic track to play to for those of you in an intermediate- advanced bracket. It uses triplets on the hi hat that can either be played single handed or split between the two if necessary. It has a lot of stops too so is good for your counting and following of the track. There are a good few opportunities to play some fills too however concentrating on the groove is the most important thing to start with.
Section No of Bars
Fill 1
Intro 16
1st Verse 16 (stop on the “1” of the 16th bar then pick up with snare on “4”)
Chorus 8
2nd Verse 16 (stop on the “1” of the 16th bar then pick up with snare on “4”)
This week I’ve chosen Maria by Blondie as I have to play it tonight so I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone! It’s pretty straight forward but it is kinda fast. Other than that it’s pretty easy.
This weeks “Track of the week” is Fallin’ by Alicia Keys. I thought recently that I didn’t have enough tracks that use triplets so I thought I’d write up Fallin’ by Alicia Keys this week as it’s in 12/8. If you haven’t played in 12/8 yet but would like to give it a try then the count is “1 trip let 2 trip let 3 trip let 4 trip let” (this is a “play what you say” idea for the hi hat or ride.) Keep the snare on the “2” and the “4” and the bass on the “1” and the “3” for simplicity purposes and give it a crack. For those of you who have already played in 12/8 it’s a rather straight forward track as far as the playing goes, but do listen out for the little stops and try to match them. This is great counting practice! I recommend listening to the track while following the write up 1st before you try it.
Section No. of Bars
1st Verse (layered):
Vocal free flow
Piano in 4 (bring in hi hats on 3rd bar playing triplets)
Everything else in 4 (hi hat and cross stick)
Chorus 4 (ride and snare) (stop on “3” of 4th bar)
2nd Verse 8 (hi hat and cross stick)
Chorus 4 (ride and snare)
Bridge 4 (hi hat and snare)
Mid Section 4 (stop on the “1” of the 4th bar…. Build up starting on the “3”)
Chorus 4 (ride and snare + lots of crashes)
Chorus 4 (ride and snare + lots of crashes)
Chorus 4 (ride and snare + lots of crashes) (stop on “3” of 4th bar)
The attached file shows 2 grooves, the 1st groove is the groove that’s played in the second verse specifically, however I picked it as it’s the most complex, so if you can play this you can play the others! I also picked this groove to give you as it’s the most difficult to identify - so try the others for yourselves.
If chosen Bring me to Life by Evanescence this week as it’s a great track to rock out to and I’m in a rockin’ out mood! It’s good for working on your counting as there a few breaks, as well as working on your trashy hi hat and half time (if you’ve covered it).
This kinda track can be played by beginners but can also be challenging for guys who have been playing a long time if they play it properly.
I’ll write you up some grooves next time but for now here’ the breakdown.
Section No. of bars
Intro 4 (no drums)
1st Verse 8 (no drums)
2nd verse 8 (drums in)
Break 0.5 (DON’T PLAY….it’s a bar of 2/4 so count “1 + 2 + then you’re into the next bit)
Chorus 8
Break 1 (DON’T PLAY)
3rd Verse 8
Break 1 (DON’T PLAY)
Chorus 8
Bridge 8
Middle 8 (half time) 8 (8 bars of normal time or 4 bars of half time. STOP on the “1” of the 8th bar (or “3” of the 4th) with a flam)
Here is the break for the intro and the 1 bar break in the middle of the track. It is a mixed subdivision break and is therefore pretty tricky to get right, so make sure you count correctly! Failing that just have a good guess!
I have also added the stabs to be made with the band at the end of the chorus’
This week I’ve chosen Smooth by Santana feat. Rob Thomas because it’s one of my all time favourite tracks and I can’t believe I haven’t put it on here sooner!
It’s a pretty straight forward track with plenty of opportunities to try out lifts, added notes and fills. The only slightly tricky bit if the intro and the break as it involves triplets. Most people will be able to do it by ear if they listen to it enough, however I recommend (obviously) that you count it to make sure it’s exactly right!
I’ll give you the breakdown today and I’ll write out the stabs and breaks for you next time.
Section No. of Bars
Intro (break) 1
Inst 8
1st Verse 8
2nd Verse 8
Bridge 10
Chorus 8 (stop on the “1” of 7th bar and play stabs with band)
Inst 4
3rd Verse 8
4th Verse 8 (stop on the “1” of the 1st bar for two bars then kick back in)
Bridge 10
Chorus 8 (stop on the “1” of 7th bar and play stabs with band)
Break 1
Inst 18
Chorus 8 (stop on the “1” of 7th bar and play stabs with band)
