Category Archives: BEATS

BEATS

Song List

7 Basic Building Blocks for Rock and Pop Beats – Song List

A short list of songs you can play with these beats:

  • Aretha Franklin – Chain of Fools: Beat B/A+C+B+C
  • ACDC – Back in Black: Beat A
  • ACDC – Hell’s Bells: Beat A (verse)  B (chorus)
  • ACDC – Highway To Hell: Beat A+D
  • ACDC – Thunderstruck: Beat A
  • The Beatles – If I Needed Someone: Beat A+C
  • The Beatles – The Word: Beat A+C
  • The Beatles – Nowhere Man: Beat D+A
  • The Beatles – Drive My Car: Beat A+G/D+G
  • The Beatles – Eight Days A Week: Beat A
  • The Beatles – Dizzy Miss Lizzy: Beat A
  • The Beatles – Tell Me What You See: Beat D+A
  • The Beatles – I Saw Her Standing There: Beat A
  • The Beatles – You’re Going To Lose That Girl: Beat D+A
  • The Beatles – The Night Before: Beat D+A
  • The Beatles – Here Comes the Sun: Beat D+E
  • The Black Eyed Peas – Where Is The Love: Beat D+A
  • The Black Eyed Peas – The Apl Song: Beat A
  • The Black Eyed Peas – Latin Girls: Beat A+G
  • The Black Eyed Peas – Labor Day: Beat B+G+G+G
  • Blue Swede – Hooked on a Feelin’: Beat B+E
  • Bon Jovi – It’s My Life: Beat A+B/D
  • Bon Jovi – Living On A Prayer: Beat A+D+A+A
  • Bon Jovi – We Got It Goin’ On: Beat A (add bass drum on beats 2 and 4 with snare)
  • Calvin Harris – Feels: Beat A
  • Calvin Harris – Slide: Beat A
  • The Cars – Let’s Go: Beat A+B+A+C/B+B+C+G
  • Chainsmokers – Closer: Beat A+G
  • Cold Play – Yellow: Beat A+B(intro) B(verse) Beat D+G(chorus)
  • Creedence Clearwater Revival – Have You Ever Seen The Rain: Beat D+A
  • Creedence Clearwater Revival – Fortunate Son: Beat A+B
  • Eagles – Take It Easy: Beat D+A
  • Foo Fighters – These Days: Beat B+C+G+B (open hihat on & of 4)
  • Foster The People: Don’t Stop: Beat D+A
  • Green Day – Boulevard of Broken Dreams: Beat A+B (verse)
  • Green Day – Welcome To Paradise: Beat D+D+E+E(intro) A+C+E+E+D+D+E+A(verse) A+C+E+E (chorus)
  • Green Day – Whatsername: Beat A+B+B+B
  • Green Day – Geek Stink Breath: Beat C (verse) C+E (chorus)
  • Green Day – 21 Guns: Beat A+B
  • Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine: Beat D (verse) D+G (chorus and guitar solo) A+D (bridge)
  • Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – I Love Rock N Roll: Beat B
  • Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – I Hate Myself For Loving You: Beat B
  • Joan Jett (The Runaways) – Cherry Bomb: Beat B
  • Kool & the Gang – Celebration: Beat A
  • Kool & the Gang – Jungle Boogie: Beat A (theme)
  • Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: Beat A+C
  • Martin Garrrix – There for You: Beat D+G
  • Martin Garrix – In the Name of Love: Beat D+G
  • Maggie Lindemann – Pretty Girl: Beat A
  • Michael Jackson – Billie Jean: Beat A
  • Michael Jackson – Smooth Criminal: Beat A
  • Michael Jackson – Beat It: Beat A+A+A+G
  • MC Hammer – Can’t Touch This: Beat D
  • Prince – Kiss: Beat D+H
  • John Lennon – Imagine: Beat A+B
  • Led Zeppelin – Misty Mountain Hop: Beat A+C+G+C
  • Maroon 5 – Moves Like Jagger: Beat A (add bass drum on beats 2 and 4 with snare, open hihat on &’s)
  • Maroon 5 – She Will Be Loved: Beat D+E
  • Nirvana – Come As You Are: Beat A+C+C+E
  • The Police – Every Breath You Take: Beat D+A
  • Pixies – Where Is My Mind: Beat B (theme)
  • Pixies – Velouria: Beat D+A (theme)
  • Pixies – Allison: Beat A
  • Pixies – The Happening: Beat D+D+A+C
  • Jimi Hendrix – Born Under a Bad Sign: Beat A+C (verse) B (bridge)
  • The Rolling Stones – Start Me Up: Beat A
  • The Rolling Stones – Anybody Seen My Baby?: Beat D+E
  • The Rolling Stones – Jumpin’ Jack Flash: Beat D
  • Blue Oyster Cult – Burnin’ For You: Beat A+C+G+B
  • Steppenwolf – Born To Be Wild: Beat D+D+E+A (1/4 notes on hihat)
  • Downtown Fiction – I Just Wanna Run: Beat B+G(verse) Beat A+B(chorus)
  • Muse – Time Is Running Out: Beat A(verse1) Beat C(chorus)
  • Queen – Another One Bites The Dust: Beat A (add bass drum on beats 2 and 4 with snare)
  • Queen – Don’t Stop Me Now: Beat C (verse theme) B (chorus theme)
  • Queen – We Will Rock You: Beat B
  • The Quik – Bert’s Apple Crumble: Beat C+E
  • The Ramones – I Wanna Be Sedated: Beat A+B
  • The Ramones – Blitzkrieg Bop: Beat C
  • The Ramones – Sheena Is A Punk Rocker: Beat D+B
  • Survivor – Eye Of The Tiger: Beat A (add bass drum on beats 2 and 4 with snare)
  • Selene Gomez – We Own The Night: Beat D+A
  • Talking Heads – Psycho Killer: Beat A (add bass drum on beats 2 and 4 with snare)
  • The Ventures – Hawaii Five-O: Beat D+A
  • Weezer – Troublemaker: Beat D+E

Britt’s List:

  • Lady Gaga – Poker Face: Beat A
  • Lady Gaga – Just Dance: Beat A
  • Lady Gaga – Bad Romance: B+A
  • Florida – Low: D+G
  • Rihanna – Disturbia – Beat A
  • Katy Perry – Hot N Cold: Beat A
  • Taylor Swift – Begin Again: Beat A+G
  • Taylor Swift – We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: Beat A
  • One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful: Beat B+A+C+H
  • One Direction – One Thing: Beat C+H
  • Fun – We Are Young: Beat D+G
  • Maroon 5 – Moves Like Jagger: Beat B+A
  • Maroon 5 – She Will Be Loved: Beat D+E
  • Train – Drive By: Beat A
  • Tegan And Sara: Closer – Beat A+B
  • The Clash – Should I Stay Or Should I Go: Beat D+A (verse)
  • The Clash – Train In Vain: Beat A+B
  • The Velvet Underground – Sweet Jane: Beat D+E
  • David Bowie – Let’s Dance: Beat D+A
  • David Bowie – Changes: Beat B+C
  • Weezer – Island In The Sun: Beat A+A+A+B
  • Weezer – Say It Ain’t So: Beat D+G
  • Weezer – Buddy Holly: Beat A
  • Weezer – Undone (The Sweater Song): Beat A
  • Weezer – Beverly Hills: Beat B
  • Weezer – Pork And Beans: Beat A
  • Weezer – Perfect Situation: Beat B
  • Wilco – You And I: Beat D+E
  • Wilco – You Never Know: Beat A+C

Cole’s List:

  • The Beatles – Hey Jude: Beat A
  • Bob Dylan – Like A Rolling Stone: Beat D+A
  • Bob Dylan – Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door: Beat A
  • Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb: Beat A
  • Pink Floyd – Another Brick In The Wall: Beat A
  • Michael Jackson – Beat It: Beat A
  • Michael Jackson – Thriller: Beat A
  • Led Zeppelin – Kashmir: Beat A
  • Guns n’ Roses – November Rain: Beat A+B
  • The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter: Beat A+B
  • The Doors – Light My Fire: Beat A
  • R.E.M. – Losing My Religion: Beat D+A
  • U2 – One: Beat B
  • Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama: Beat B

Notes:
These beats represent the framework of the original drum parts. They are not meant to be exact and complete transcriptions. They are designed to give beginning drummers a starting point for playing along with the songs or playing with a band.

Where “H” is listed as a component of the beat, omit all bass drum hits.

Many of the pop/dance songs listed as Beat A have the bass drum added to the snare drum hits and/or variations in the hihat pattern.

BEATS

Paradiddle Beat – Step Five (The Complete Beat)

Video

20 Beats Per Minute

40 Beats Per Minute

60 Beats Per Minute

80 Beats Per Minute

100 Beats Per Minute

120 Beats Per Minute

 

This is the last in a five lesson series applying the Paradiddle as a beat. This is a concentrated coordination exercise that will enable you to recognize and play more advanced rock and pop beats.

This is a standard application of The Single Paradiddle. The Single Paradiddle is a drum rudiment with the sticking RLRR LRLL (R=right, L=left).  In this lesson the bass drum plays the right hand part while the snare drum plays the left. The hihat maintains eighth notes throughout.

BEATS

Paradiddle Beat – Step Four

Video

20 Beats Per Minute

40 Beats Per Minute

60 Beats Per Minute

80 Beats Per Minute

100 Beats Per Minute

120 Beats Per Minute

 

This is the fourth in a five lesson series applying the Paradiddle as a beat. This is a concentrated coordination exercise that will enable you to recognize and play more advanced rock and pop beats.

This is a standard application of The Single Paradiddle. The Single Paradiddle is a drum rudiment with the sticking RLRR LRLL (R=right, L=left).  This series gradually builds up to the bass drum playing the right hand part while the snare drum plays the left. The hihat maintains eighth notes throughout.

BEATS

Paradiddle Beat – Step Three

Video

20 Beats Per Minute

40 Beats Per Minute

60 Beats Per Minute

80 Beats Per Minute

100 Beats Per Minute

120 Beats Per Minute

 

This is the third in a five lesson series applying the Paradiddle as a beat. This is a concentrated coordination exercise that will enable you to recognize and play more advanced rock and pop beats.

This is a standard application of The Single Paradiddle. The Single Paradiddle is a drum rudiment with the sticking RLRR LRLL (R=right, L=left).  This series gradually builds up to the bass drum playing the right hand part while the snare drum plays the left. The hihat maintains eighth notes throughout.

BEATS

Paradiddle Beat – Step Two

Video

20 Beats Per Minute

40 Beats Per Minute

60 Beats Per Minute

80 Beats Per Minute

100 Beats Per Minute

120 Beats Per Minute

 

This is the second in a five lesson series applying the Paradiddle as a beat. This is a concentrated coordination exercise that will enable you to recognize and play more advanced rock and pop beats.

This is a standard application of The Single Paradiddle. The Single Paradiddle is a drum rudiment with the sticking RLRR LRLL (R=right, L=left).  This series gradually builds up to the bass drum playing the right hand part while the snare drum plays the left. The hihat maintains eighth notes throughout.