This song is a bombastic, up-tempo shuffle, so get ready to rock! Transcription is from the version on the 1996 Greatest Hits album, and is slightly different from the original, which appears on the 1976 album, Destroyer. It’s quite slow and has easy-to-play 8th note patterns, but will still challenge you with the all the transitions and variations. This modern pop-punk ballad is another great candidate for one of the first songs you learn. Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams Beginner. Not to mention the fills, transitions, and flams… so many flams! In fact this is a perfect example of what I call “drum set flams,” meaning that they are played with the grace note quite separate from the main note, and both notes involved are about the same volume: Loud! I love that each section of the song has a totally different groove.

This is the opening track from the 1989 album, The Real Thing by Faith No More. This hard rock tune from 1983 has a very active drum part with lots of fun off-beat syncopations, and features a sweet cowbell groove in the pre-chorus! Have fun with this one.įaith No More - From out of Nowhere Advanced. I challenge you to not nod your head while listening to this track!ĭef Leppard - Photograph Intermediate. Super groovy tune from the swamp rock group Creedence Clearwater Revival, AKA Creedence, AKA CCR. Then, for the 2nd part of the chorus, the drums boost the intensity by adding crashes, and 8th-note rhythms with the kick.Ĭreedence Clearwater Revival - Down on the Corner Intermediate, because of the syncopated fills. An excellent choice for one of your first drum songs! The beat is a simple quarter-note pattern at 85 BPM. The Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know Beginner. One of the many songs in the AC/DC catalog that are an excellent starting point for new drummers!

A basic, yet hard-hitting beat, but requires the drummer to stay focused to catch all the changes and fills.ĪC/DC - Highway to Hell Beginner.

A great choice as one of your first songs to learn. The song transcriptions may have been modified to fit a standard 5-piece drum set configuration.ĪC/DC - Back In Black Beginner. Transcriptions of drum parts from well-known recordings, for educational purposes. The note positions on the staff for a 5-piece drum set is now largely standardized, but for clarity, and to aid students who may be new to reading sheet music for drums, this is the notation system I like to use:

Drums transcriptions pdf