Free Drum Lessons
15 Simple Beats used in Famous Songs
This printable page features simple beats used in famous pop and rock songs. Each beat is used for a significant proportion of the song, unless otherwise indicated.
La Grange - ZZ Top - Rock Shuffle - Lesson
ZZ Top drives the rock shuffle to the top of the charts with La Grange. In this lesson, we'll look at the rock shuffle, groove timing and some triplet fills used in La Grange by ZZ Top.
All Right Now - Free - Chart Topping Drum Fills
In this lesson, learn a piece from Dawn Richardson's new book, Chart-Topping Drum Fills: The 60s Through Today. Exploring the song "All Right Now" by Free, Nate Brown breaks down the drum fill techniques.
R U Mine Grooves - Arctic Monkeys
In this week's Monday lesson, Nate Brown teaches the main groove and a fill from R U Mine by Arctic Monkeys.
Happy - Pharrell Williams - Groove
This week's Monday lesson goes over the groove from the hit song Happy by Pharrell Williams.
Ain't It Fun - Paramore - Chorus Lesson
Slapping the open hi-hat on the up-beats throughout the chorus really lights this song up. Further building that fun sounding energy, this groove uses a triplet swing feel (or sixteenth-notes to broken-sixteenth-note-triplets metric modulation, for those of us drum geeks!).
How To Play Jump - Van Halen Guitar Solo On Drums
This week's lesson goes over the drum part for the guitar solo portion of Jump by Van Halen. Eddie Van Halen claimed this was his favorite guitar solo he never wrote.
How To Play Guilty All The Same - Linkin Park
This week's lesson walks through the drum part played during the outro of Guilty All The Same and some ways to use the grooves from this song with your own beats.
How To Play Behind These Hazel Eyes - Intro
This lesson explores the intro to Behind These Hazel Eyes by Kelly Clarkson and some techniques for applying the fills in a creative way to your own drumming.
How To Play Pompeii by Bastille
This lesson accompanies Nate Brown's video drum lesson teaching an excerpt from Steve Ley's full drum sheet music for Pompeii – Bastille. Learn the second pre chorus's very recognizable drum part, including some great Bo Diddley snare grooves.
How To Play Best of You - Foo Fighters - Outro
This is a high-energy song, as many Foo Fighter's songs are. The outro repeats a refrain on beats 1 and 2 throughout the entire outro and throws quick, syncopated fills on beats 3 and 4.
How To Play Uprising By Muse
A low-tom twist gives this classic 12/8 rock shuffle some meat. In this lesson, learn the groove from the bridge of Uprising along with two versatile drum fills.
