Drum Transcriptions
I have tried to write out three versions of each song where possible, so you can choose which works best for you.
PDF 1 bar by bar
Is an accurate (as much as I can hear with my ear) transcription with no repeats. I try to capture exactly what the drummer does. I use isolated drum kit parts where possible to achieve this.
PDF 2 with repeats
Is a slightly simplified version with repeats to make it easier to read. The stems for the lead hand (the hi hat or cymbal hand) are pointing up and the kick and snare drum are pointing down.
PDF 3 with the hand stems pointing up
Is the same as version 2 but with the stems for the hands pointing up and the stems for the feet pointing down (as I know some drummers prefer to read this way).
Transcriptions
ACDC – Highway to Hell
Album: Highway to Hell (1979)
Drums: Phil Rudd
I didn’t really spend much time as a youngster listening to ACDC. I was aware of them and liked a few songs but I didn’t buy any albums or delve deeper in to their catalogue. I just had a different flavour going on.
Lots of students ask to play along to ACDC as they think or may have read it is easy. Now it may not be the most challenging drum part, but there are a few tricky parts. You need a good sense of timing, feel and to be able to count well in the space.
Phil Rudd often gets thrown in a pile of “this guy sucks” or “he doesn’t ever play fills” but his style is a lot more nuance than that. He has a great feel, he does play subtle fills, or marks each section with a subtle “fill” and all of these are often overlooked when he is discussed in the drumming community. Play for the song first and foremost not the individual part.
It’s a rock classic, most people you talk to will probably have heard this song and it’s a lot of fun to play along to.
Transcription notes
I used the album version and an isolated drum kit part that I found on YouTube to transcribe the part.
Beastie Boys – Fight For Your Right
Album: Licensed to Ill (1986)
Drums: Mike D and Rick Rubin
Mike D often played drums for Beastie boys but I think the drum kit part is a mixture of a drum machine (possibly a Roland TR-808) with Rick Rubin (the producer) overdubbing some live drum kit sounds. I’m not 100% sure on who to credit the drum kit part too, probably just Rick Rubin.
Fight for your right is a great song. Super catchy, especially the chorus, and simple in its structure. There is 1 main pattern that switches between the bell of the ride cymbal and the hi hat. The chorus is a good opportunity to try choking/catching the cymbal. This can be tricky and can lead to injury if you’re not concentrating!
Transcription notes
I used the album version to transcribe this.
Due to the way the drum kit part was constructed there are several instances that the bell of the ride, a crash cymbal and the snare drum can be heard at once which is not physically possible. I would probably hit the crashes and play the snare drum to emphasize the guitar part and structure of the song. Alternatively, you could just stay on the bell of the ride for these sections.
In versions 2 and 3 I have left out some of the crash cymbals I can hear so it can flow easier.
The fills on the snare just before the verse and chorus can be played just on the snare drum if you find it easier rather than hitting the bell of the cymbal/crash with the lead hand and snare with your other hand. Leave out the bell/crash and play the fill with 2 hands and aim for accuracy.
Blur - Parklife
Album: Parklife (1994)
Drums: Dave Rowntree
Blur’s drummer is Dave Rowntree. In conversations about Blur people always remember Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James (or sometimes the guy who makes cheese) and then ‘the drummer’. His name is Dave Rowntree. Dave Rowntree.
In my opinion, a very underrated drummer. I say this because sometimes (with all the respect) the drums can almost go unnoticed in a Blur song. This is because the drum kit part is so perfectly subtle in its composition and always does exactly what the song requires and nothing else, so nothing sticks out unnecessarily. No ego, no fast fills or any of that. Just a guy who LISTENS and plays only what is required for the song. This is why he is a top drummer in my opinion.
A special shout out to the introduction riff before the verse in ‘Charmless Man’. There is so much subtlety in those 8 bars, it’s just brilliant.
I would also put Phil Selway from Radiohead in the same category of amazing drummers that probably don’t get the glory they deserve in my opinion. This is a different conversation for another time though. Parklife has a swing in the eighth notes (quavers) and Rowntree makes it swing so well, it really makes the song bounce. There isn’t a huge variety in the drum kit part, there doesn’t need to be. The fill that leads in to the chorus is exactly the fill it needs to be and it doesn’t need to vary. I love the intro fill with the addition of the broken glass (do not try this at home!), it really sets up the song nicely. Dave Rowntree.
Transcription notes
I used the album version and an isolated drum kit part that I found on YouTube to transcribe the part. The crash cymbals are sometimes hard to hear but that’s what my ear is telling me in the isolated drum kit tracks.
The Clash – Should I Stay or Should I go?
Album: Combat Rock (1981)
Drums: Topper Headon
I think I first heard this song on a Levi’s advert in the early 90’s. It wormed its way into my psyche straight away and I instantly loved it. The song has such an attitude to it, partly due to the delivery of the vocals, the lyrical content and the massively fat and catchy riff, but also the rhythm of the drum track.
Topper Headon is a magnificent drummer (and songwriter – Rock the Casbah!) and I love the simplicity of the drum track, even though the transitions to the double time section and the beat on the toms are tricky. There are hardly any fills used at all, just changes to the feel and the odd crash cymbal here and there for punctuation.
The feel of the song is great. It’s so laid back and groovy in the verses and then drives forward like a steam train in the double time sections.
Transcription notes
I used the album version to transcribe this and an isolated drum kit part on YouTube (for the subtle nuances). It was still pretty tricky to hear whether the hi hat is playing on beats 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the double time sections (bar 33 and 78) or just on beats 2 and 4. I don’t think it matters too much as long as you keep good time and drive the song at this section.
I spent a fair bit of time arguing with myself about where the verse starts. Is it the bar that the vocal starts (bar 8) or is it the bar that the riff starts on (bar 9)? In the end, I decided that it didn’t really matter too much so I put it on bar 9, where the riff starts, as it made it easier to do the repeats.
In the musical interlude, I can hear a couple of hi hat open/closes. I can’t hear them on the album version of the song, but I have included them as they are definitely there in the isolated version. No problem if you want to leave them out!
Should I Stay or Should I Go? 1
Coldplay - Yellow
Album: Parachutes (2000)
Drums: Will Champion
Released as the second single from Coldplay’s debut album Parachutes, Yellow gained huge amounts of airplay and helped Coldplay on their way to becoming one of the biggest bands in the world within a few years.
This is a good song to play if you are in your early days of your drumming journey. A slow tempo and steady groove (which subtly changes between the sections of the song). There are no fills in the song, the song doesn’t require any and if there was a thundering tom fill before the choruses it would definitely take away and not add to the overall aesthetic of the song.
Will Champion is a great drummer who doesn’t overplay. He strikes me a musician who’s first action would be to listen and serve the song as a whole and not his ego. This is a good starting point for any musician I believe.
Transcription notes
I mainly used the album version of the song with a reference or an isolated drum track I found on YouTube.
The isolated track had a few ghosted drags before the beginning of a new section (before first verse and before each 2 bar pattern in the chorus). I decided to omit these ghosted drags as I couldn’t hear them in the original song and I wasn’t 100% sure the isolated drum track was taken from the original stems. It probably was but I left them out. They do sound good and add to the groove though. Feel free to put them in if you want!
This is the link to the isolated drum kit part with the ghosted drags in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eGvQ4mDpkQ
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising
Album: Green River (1969)
Drums: Doug Clifford
I love CCR so much, they are one of my favourite bands of all time. Bad Moon Rising is a perfect example of 2’21” song, it doesn’t outstay its welcome. Iconic guitar riff, great melody in the verse and such a catchy chorus.
The feel on this song is absolutely incredible. Take a bow, Doug Clifford. There are no fills in the song (except possibly the penultimate bar) – just a super groovy pattern all the way though.
The drum kit part is so effective and pretty simple in its construction. Kick, snare and hi-hats all the way through with a crash on the last beat of the song. The kick drum variations are so subtle – I love it so much. Again, a brilliant example of less is more. Play what the song requires and nothing more.
Get in to the zone and groove along to the legendary CCR! I can understand why Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski was so peeved when his car was stolen.
Transcription notes
I used the album version to transcribe this and an isolated drum kit part on YouTube (for the subtle
nuances).
Versions 2 and 3 have a Coda sign (follow the instructions on the drum key).
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Proud Mary
Album: Bayou Country (1969)
Drums: Doug Clifford
This is probably my favourite tune by CCR. I remember hearing this as a young lad and instantly liking it and singing Rollin’ for the next few hours.
Doug Clifford certainly knows how to make a song groove. Subtle hits on the cymbal and kick drum to accentuate the riff, great fills and the feel is (again) so beautiful and groovy. Great work Doug.
The drum kit part is strangely tricky if you want to nail it correctly (version 1). There are so many subtle nuances in the kick and snare pattern. There are rarely repeated bars, he’s just grooving along with the song.
Get in to the zone and groove along to the legendary CCR! I can understand why Jeffrey“The Dude” Lebowski was so perturbed when his car was stolen.
Transcription notes
I used the album version to transcribe this and an isolated drum kit part on YouTube (for the subtle nuances). It was really useful to hear the isolated drum kit part as when listening to the full mix it’s almost impossible to hear all of what he is doing.
It was really difficult to create the 2nd and 3rd version of this as there a few repeated bars. I have made a creative decision and simplified the ghost notes to allow for repeats in the verse. I have also omitted some of the kick drums in the fills (4 e+) for ease of flow. It’s fine if you put them in or leave them out, just make sure your timing and feel are on point.
To allow a repeat of verse 1, pre-chorus 1 and chorus 1, I have included an extra bar in version 2 that occurs after the end of the song. It’s from the 2nd pre-chorus (marked as bar 16). See notes in the transcription.
Metallica – Enter Sandman
Album: Metallica (Black album) (1991)
Drums: Lars Ulrich
I don’t think I’ve read more abuse online about a drummer than Lars Ulrich. I think he is the best drummer for Metallica and to play along to James Hetfield’s riffs. He’s had a career in the music industry for over 40 years. The metal genre is full of so many incredible drummers now, Lars probably isn’t amongst the greats technicians of the genre, but he is in the biggest metal band in history so give the man some respect.
I loved the Black album as a kid, it was my in for Metallica. I definitely dug them for a number of years. As I got older, my music tastes changed and Metallica didn’t come along, but in my formative years Metallica and Lars Ulrich were super important to me. The drum track for Enter Sandman is great. I love the tom theme at the beginning, the way he increases the crashes and build up in to the classic riff we all know, boom! The drum track does what the song needs, great pushes on the crash, a half time section that builds up the tension before the chorus, bang, it rocks hard!
The end section is a little random in its performance but again does what the song requires as it winds down.
Transcription notes
I used the album version to transcribe this and an isolated drum kit part on YouTube.
When the pushes occur, it’s hard to hear whether he starts the hi hat on beat 2 or the ‘and’ of beat 1, he may vary it but I’ve put it on the ‘and’ of beat 1 every time.
Lars has a big kit when he plays, at least four toms. I have transcribed this part for a regular kit with a high tom, mid tom and floor tom. By doing this I’m not sure the choice of tom is always 100% accurate, especially in the outro. I think it works pretty well with 3 toms though.
Nirvana – Frances Farmer will have her revenge on Seattle
Album: In Utero (1993)
Drums: Dave Grohl
Nirvana are my favourite band of all time, the end. Listening to Dave Grohl play the drum kit started me off on my drumming journey as an early teen. I cannot underestimate the importance of this band and drummer to me.
Frances Farmer is one of my favourite Nirvana songs. It does the quiet/loud thing perfectly. The chorus is so catchy and the middle 8/interlude is superb (shout out for the tambourine which drives it along!).
The sound of the drum kit is incredible, how a drum kit should sound in my opinion (RIP Steve Albini).
The drum kit part is very clever and inventive (as with all of Grohl’s drum kit parts). Super subtle changes in the fills between the loud and quiet of the verse. It does exactly what it needs to do and nothing more, which drives the song along and why it rocks so much.
Transcription notes
I used the album version and an isolated drum kit part that I found on YouTube to transcribe the part.
The most accurate transcription is number 1 (bar to bar, no repeats) by far. There are a lot of subtle changes, in particular in the verse, the transitions between quiet and loud (bars 11, 16 + 21 in verse one and the same bars in subsequent verses). I had to make an editorial decision of which bar to use to make it easier to read the repeats. At one point I tried to have each transitional bar in there, with the repeats included, and it just looked too clunky on a page so I just stuck with one bar as a transition. The bar that is most missed is bar 102 where he smacks both toms before the loud section of the verse (this rocks hard!). Try to add that in if you’re reading the transcriptions with the repeats. There are also minor omissions/additions to the kick drum throughout.
During the interlude I think he is crashing his ride cymbal (from watching numerous live performances of the song) whilst hitting the crashes on the emphasized hits. I have notated the whole section on the crash cymbal (to make the point you need to lay in to it) but try to use a different crash cymbal (if you have one) for the hits.
It’s very hard to for me hear the kick drum in the mix (and with my 30+ years of abuse my ears have taken playing the drum kit!). I have opted for what I hear in the isolated drum kit part, some of the kick drums aren’t quite as audible as others in the actual version of the song.
I would definitely use version 1 of the transcriptions to play along to this.
Ultimately, I would try to internalise the part and move away from the music and just enjoy playing along to one of the greatest Nirvana songs!
Frances Farmer will have her revenge on Seattle 1
Nirvana – Very Ape
Album: In Utero (1993)
Drums: Dave Grohl
Nirvana are my favourite band of all time, the end. Listening to Dave Grohl play the drum kit started me off on my drumming journey as an early teen. I cannot underestimate the importance of this band and drummer to me.
Very Ape is in and out in under 2 minutes, a blitz of a song. Kurt Cobain is an incredible songwriter, he really knew how to write an ear worm (even if it’s presented with distorted guitars, thrashy drums and shouty vocals). The sound of the drum kit is incredible, how a drum kit should sound in my opinion (RIP Steve Albini).
The fills in to both choruses are such signature Dave Grohl drum fills. The rock so hard and explode in to the chorus. Thundering rolls with the kick drum playing every other note, sharing similarities to the fill in to the chorus of Smells like Teen Spirit.
When I first heard this song as an early teen I assumed the guitar started on beat 1 and the timing used to confuse me until everything kicked in. Remember the riff starts on the ‘and’ on beat 4, try to feel where beat 1 is as soon as you can before the drum fill comes in.
Transcription notes
I used the album version and 2 isolated drum kit parts that I found on YouTube to transcribe the song.
I’ve watched several live videos from 1993. During the chorus, Grohl seems to play the hi hat in quarter note (crochets) alongside the hits on cymbals. On the album version in the first bar of the chorus (bar 33), the hi hat part sounds like there an extra note on the ‘and’ beat of 3. I used 2 separate isolated drum tracks and I can hear it both versions. I’m guessing Grohl just did this on the recording of the album. I would play the chorus like the way Grohl played it live. This is a very small note but I thought I’d point it out.
Queens Of The Stoneage - Go With The Flow
Album: Songs for the Deaf (2002)
Drums: Gene Trautmann
I love this song so much, probably my favourite QOTSA song. People often assume it’s Dave Grohl playing kit on this track as he plays on the majority of Songs for the Deaf, but it’s actually Gene Trautmann. Gene played drums on 2 tracks on Songs for the Deaf as well as some songs from Rated R and he’s contributed to other project Josh Homme has been part of.
The drum kit part is the track is superb. Relentless from start to finish which drives the song forwards and makes it rock so hard.
I really love the 4-bar pattern that features in the verse. It’s divided in to two 2-bar patterns (kick and flammed snares and then hi hat, kick and snare) and I especially like the transitions every 2 bars between the patterns (beat ‘and’ of 4 into beat 1). The first an open hi hat and snare to a crash and kick and the second an open hi hat and kick to a snare and crash.
It’s such a subtle thing but I really dig that, it makes the overall part so clean in the way in moves to each part of the groove, amazing work Gene!
A similar thing happens in the chorus, a class 4 bar phrase that seems to hold up the tempo and then drive it forwards all within 4 bars (with a similar transition between the 2 bar patterns).
What a track, I can listen to this song on repeat. Great music video too if you haven’t seen that before.
Transcription notes
I mainly used the album version of the song with a reference or 2 to an isolated drum kit part that I found on YouTube.
It’s difficult to hear if the crash cymbal at the start and in the choruses, are played as eight notes
(quavers) or quarter notes (crotchets). I have opted for eighth notes but it would be fine to play quarter notes due to the nature of the attack and decay of the crash cymbal.
At beat 1 of the chorus, there is a flam on the snare as well as a crash cymbal. I listened to it many time and I can hear both at the same time (not possible with 2 hands!). From what I have read about the production/recording of the album, the cymbals were recorded separately. It sounds to me like the flam would have been played and a cymbal added to the beginning of the chorus to mark the new section of the song.
On the versions with the repeats (number 2 and 3), I have omitted a couple of things to help with the repeats. I have left out the flam on the ‘and’ of beat 4 in bar 8. I have also kept the same pattern in bar 45. The kick drum pattern varies slightly in the outro but I have decided to keep it the same to allow the repeats.
Rage Against the Machine - Bulls on Parade
Album: Evil Empire (1996)
Drums: Brad Wilk
One of my favourite tracks by Rage against the Machine. I bought the album on the day it came out and had the CD single.
The drums are so powerful in their delivery. Brad Wilk is a superb drummer, a big inspiration to me. He has a fantastic groove and really lays the part down.
The drum kit part is very well written, the intro follows the main riff with crash cymbals and powerful rolls to emphasize. The verse locks in really well with the bass and the choruses are simple in the pattern, but doing exactly as the song requires with powerful pushes towards the end of the chorus.
There is such a laid back, but powerful feel, to this song.
I transcribed this song using an isolated drum track on YouTube as well as the original song. A few ghosted kick drums which are hard to pick out on the original but sound like they’re there on the isolated track. Makes it feel super groovy.
A lot of fun to play along too!
Tom Petty – Free Fallin’
Album: Full Moon Fever (1989)
Drums: Phil Jones
It’s difficult to travel through the USA and not hear this song, or another song by Tom Petty, on the radio. It does all the right things with a super catchy chorus.
Phil Jones drumming stands out in this song for not being over complicated. It does as the song requires (as so many of the great drummers do) and nothing more. The drum kit part is vital to the song and can go unnoticed unless you are actively listening out for it.
He plays the same groove for the entire song. He marks the structure with simple, effective fills and crash cymbals leaving space for the melody to carry the song along.
Transcription notes
I mainly used the album version of the song with a reference or 2 to an isolated drum kit part that I found on YouTube. It’s quite hard to hear which toms are being used for the fills. I have gone for a high rack tom and a floor tom, you could use the high and mid toms as long as you execute the fill precisely, no one will notice!
In the versions with repeats, I have opted not to put a coda as I thought it would complicate with the other repeats. This meansthere are a lot of repeat the previous 2 bars signs and 4 bar repeated sections.
The Presidents of the United States of America – Lump
Album: The Presidents of the United States of America (1995)
Drums: Jason Finn
I first heard this song on the music television channel ‘the box’ in 1995. It made me sit up and pay attention straight away. 2 minutes and 14 seconds later, and a whole lot of bizarre but amazingly catchy alternative rock I was hooked. I bought the CD single and album shortly after and had discovered my latest music obsession.
The drums on this track, played by Jason Finn, are a true masterclass on how to construct a drum kit part using, primarily, the kick, snare and hi hat (with occasional splash cymbal and floor tom). He uses a sparse kit on the whole album, a few different tones of woodblock and a few more percussion items and away he goes. I love the trimmed down from kit, it really makes you consider what to play.
The feel has such a bounce to it, allowing the song to skip along. The interlude is super groovy, amazing hi hat chokes (practice choking the hi hat as it’s a wonderful tool!). Fantastic dynamic in the snare drum (ghosted strokes and full strokes) and the way he sets up and plays the hits in the interlude is sublime and pretty intricate. Add in a tempo of 143 BPM and you’ve got a tricky drum kit part on your hands.
I watched a bunch of live videos of this song. Jason Finn plays a right handed kit open handed (left hand on hi hat and right on snare). It just shows you that even if you don’t learn the kit in ‘a conventional way’, you adapt, and it becomes normal and you can do anything with practice. There are definitely a lot of benefits to playing the kit in this way.
Transcription notes
I used the album version of the song with heavy reference to 2 isolated drum kit part that I found on YouTube.
I spent a considerable amount of time flitting between the album version and the YouTube isolated drum track (2 separate videos) to really hear the nuance to the drum kit part. Sometimes it’s really hard to hear some of the notes in the album version (kick drum in particular). There is a part around bar 27-28 where the kick drums on the album aren’t as audible as the isolated track. I’ve opted for what I heard on the isolated track. A very minor detail but I do try to make the transcriptions as accurate as possible.
I opted to only have 2 versions of the transcription, kick and snare stems down and hand stems up. I didn’t bother with the repeats as there aren’t many bars that have an exact repeat so I didn’t want to complicate reading this part more.
The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
Album: Elephant (2003)
Drums: Meg White
I have seen publications/online forums before that call Meg White a terrible drummer or the worst drummer in rock history. I couldn’t disagree more. Yes, she may be quite minimalist in her approach, there aren’t complex beats and fills but does that make her a bad drummer? No absolutely not. She plays to her strengths which is a simplistic/primal approach to the instrument. She is the perfect accompaniment to Jack White’s guitar parts and vocals. Because she approaches the kit like this, it makes the White Stripes rock hard. If you were to have a super technical drummer hear this drum less track for the first time and put some ‘chops’ on there, the song would be nowhere near as good and would not be the same global anthem that everyone knows.
It’s not always about the number of notes you play. It’s about listening to the other musicians/instruments and selecting a suitable rhythmical accompaniment to fit that particular song. She does it perfectly in this song and this is why the riff rocks so hard.
Adding the backbeat snare (beats 2 and 4) in the verse helps move the song along. There’s a great build-up to the chorus and bang, the chorus hits with the main riff/groove with the additional tension of her following the guitar part on the third bar of the chorus with the kick, snare and crash cymbal. Perfect! The song DOES NOT need anything else. Well done Meg, super song writing! This song is lots of fun to play. Make sure you play it with feeling!
Transcription notes
I used the album version to transcribe this.
Versions 2 and 3 have 2 Coda signs (follow the instructions on the drum key).
It’s almost impossible to hear the hi hat foot. It’s there in the verse but really hard to hear it in the chorus. I’ve left it out but put it back in on the quarter note pulse if you feel like it!
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