“Blurry” by Puddle of Mudd
Important Rhythms:
1. Main Groove (Verse) 0:24
I consider this pattern to be deceptively tricky. Let’s break it down limb by limb:
Hi-hat is straight 16th notes, however, you really want to accent every other stroke, or the “1s” and “&s.” Luckily, this is all in the technique, and if you do it right, this accent pattern will actually come out naturally. Remember, it’s all in the wrist! Check out Todd Sucherman’s “push-pull” video where he breaks down how to achieve this.
Snare is standard 2 & 4.
On the kick drum we have a fairly syncopated rhythm that utilizes the “ah” of the beats. Notice bars one and two are nearly identical, with the 2nd bar of the phrase adding only one extra note on the “e” of four.
Transcription: Dan Ainspan
2. Common Fill 0:46
The entire drum chart really only uses one main fill and it’s pretty simple. Disregard the 1st three beats of the measure and focus on beat four or the last four 16th notes. Snare – hi tom – floor tom – kick. So, just going down the kit melodically. From a technical perspective, there is no reason not to just alternate these hits as RLRK. However, for a bit of showmanship and to avoid a slight crossover, I like to play the toms all on the right hand, so LRRK.
Transcription: Dan Ainspan
Favorite Fill? 3:12
This fill is actually very similar to the fill we discussed above. Instead of 16th notes on the hi-hat, we’re playing open 8th notes. Beats one-three are virtually identical, and on the last beat is where we have some fun…Again, we’re utilizing this high note to low note tom phrase, but this time squeezing in 32nd notes between the middle rack tom and floor tom. Try it out!
Transcription: Dan Ainspan
What makes this cover challenging?
Blurry by Puddle of Mudd is a very simple rock song. However, when playing this song on the drums it’s important to keep up the heavy rock energy and not to let any of the sections drag. While the tom fills are simple in nature, you have a narrow window within the bars to execute. So, practice this song with a metronome and be sure the stickings make sense for you. Have fun!
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