“Heartbreaker From Tennessee” by Dasha
A few of my favorite parts…
1. Intro Groove (0:02)
The drums don’t waste any time getting started on this one. The intro has all limbs going; quarter notes on the hi-hat keeps time while the left-hand does a steady 8th note pulse on the rack tom rim, providing the bed of sound for the floor tom accents.
2. Chorus (0:36)
The chorus groove is driving with a 4 on the floor kick pattern, and a fun albeit challenging motif between the rack tom and floor tom. Nailing those hits really helps set up the energy of the vocals throughout this chorus.
2. Outro Chorus (1:31)
As the final chorus hits we reach the peak of the song in both energy and rhythmic allowances… put simply, now’s the time to land some more interesting fills while still being musical.
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“symptom of life” by WILLOW
A few of my favorite parts…
1. Verse (0:11)
Such a unique and fun groove to play! It features a simple alternating pattern between the snare and high tom in 7/4 time.
2. Chorus (1:06)
Whereas the verse offered a more complex syncopated groove in 7, the chorus offers a sense of “normalcy” with a laid-back deep pocket pattern with 8th notes on the hi-hat and tight kick and snare accents.
2. Verse 2 (1:47)
One of my favorite parts of this drum chart. The main verse groove is the same, but Asher Bank (recording drummer) chooses to change it up only for 4 bars, with a more laid-back pattern utilizing 16th notes on the kick drum.
2. Pre-Chorus (2:08)
This interlude before chorus 2 took the longest to learn note-for-note. It’s still in 7, but the drums really start to open up here; featuring a lot of syncopation and ride bell hits that perfectly compliment the beautiful lead vocal vibrato, culminating in a powerful 16th tom fill leading us back into the closing chorus.
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“Born With A Beer In My Hand” by Morgan Wallen
Ever since I first heard this song I knew I wanted to learn the drum part. It’s certainly not your typical radio modern country groove of kick and snare, but instead is built around the the toms, hats, and snare hits on beat 4.
A few of my favorite parts…
1. Verse Groove (0:13)
This track features a cool repetitive drum groove heavily utilizing the toms, rim, and hi-hat.
2. Bridge Build + Outro (2:29)
The drums in this song are super repetitive; really the same groove throughout the verses and choruses, though the bridge offers a nice dynamic change-up and builds into the outro chorus where we finally get more of a driving groove that has been building up the entire song.
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“Tears of Joy” Tod Sucherman Drum Chart (Jerry Goodman)
Background
Back during my college years at SUNY Oneonta, a friend and I decided to stay up late one night and watch Todd Sucherman’s Methods and Mechanics DVD. Having already been turned on to Todd’s playing, I was immediately drawn to his performance of Tears of Joy, an instrumental piece originally composed by Jerry Goodman from his live album from 1987 called It’s Alive. Years later, Todd asked Jerry to record the piece for him and thus this version featuring Todd’s performance was created. For me, the piece represents the ultimate display of musical expression as well as competency on the instrument. It was that night in college that I promised myself that one day I would learn the piece, note for note, and record it professionally, just like Todd. I’m so proud and excited to finally share the video performance.
Todd’s Original video performance
Learning the Piece
In order to perform this piece and learn Todd’s parts, I needed a transcription, and luckily the digital version of Todd’s DVD included a full transcription by professional drummer and educator Brad Schlueter. In terms of the process, this was the most daunting and time-consuming piece I have ever attempted to learn. In reality, I have been working with this on and off ever since college, so over 7 years. What worked for me was breaking the piece into sections, learning the piece one measure at a time, and then adding on, until eventually, I had larger chunks of music learned and then could connect each section until I had the full piece in my hands.
Time Signature
The entire piece is in 13/8 time, making any performance of the track extremely challenging, let alone learning Todd’s complex passages and phrases. As he explains, when Jerry sent Todd the finished track, there were many bars where the bass resolution was actually placed on the anticipation: beat 13, which changes the rhythmic shape tremendously. As with any odd time meter, it’s important to internalize the different ways to subdivide by breaking down each bar into groups of 3s and 2s. For Tears of Joy, there are 3 main subdivision feels: 2-2-3-3-3 / 2-2-3-2-2-2 / 3-3-3-4.
The Setup
Any drummer can instantly recognize Todd Sucherman’s setup, as he usually features a large gong drum to the right of his kit. For this piece, he uses 5 rack toms, 2 floor toms, 1 gong drum, and an array of crash cymbals and splashes. I utilized a stripped-down version of his setup, still incorporating the gong drum alongside 2 rack toms and 2 floor toms.
Gear-wise, I am using my Pearl Session Studio Select which features a hybrid Birch and African Mahogany shell. I’m using a custom Pearl Drums 14″ x 6.5″ Walnut Music City Custom Snare drum made proudly in Nashville, TN. Cymbals are all Zildjian K-Sweet series. I’m also using the new R2 Air Tom Suspension system from Pearl.
A few of my favorite parts…
1. Verse Groove (1:16 – 1:47)
I love how this 2nd verse really compliments the beautiful melody, while adding some intricate accents and ghost notes.
2. Tom Groove (2:24 – 2:50)
This took me a good bit of time to learn the coordination between the toms and the open accent on the hat.
3. Interlude (3:29 – 4:00)
Absolutely one of my favorite sections of the entire piece! This quieter breakdown is just beautiful and really highlights the intricacies of the snare, hat, and left foot. This was recorded without a click, so this section definitely took a while to get the feel down – balancing both a laid-back feel and a rhythmically accurate performance.
4. Solo Fills (4:40 – 5:02)
Which fill is your favorite? Another brilliant section here from Todd. Each fill is totally different and has its own challenges. I’d say they get progressively more complex from Fill #1 to Fill #3. The first fill is the most open and simplest to play, and really just needs to be practiced to nail down the timing. Fill #2 features an awesome triplet-based pattern of 24:13, while Fill #3 is just pedal to the metal, featuring an insane 30:13 pattern of 16th notes felt in 5 and cascading down the toms all the way to the gong drum and kick drum. This is actually harder to play with only 1 kick drum!
5. Outro Fill (6:20 – 6:24)
Just when you thought you had the piece under your belt, Todd throws in 1 more mind-boggling fill to close out the piece. It’s comprised of 16th-note patterns connected with accents and tricky combinations between the hands and feet. When you slow it down it’s not too bad, but the speed here is definitely the biggest hurdle to tackle.
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Heat Stroke, for solo drum set + tape by Ivan Trevino
About the Piece:
From the Composer: Heat Stroke was composed for Aaron Staebell’s call for drum set solos. Aaron felt a need for drum set solos that could be programmed on a “classical” recital and received over 40 pieces for his call for scores. Heat Stroke is my contribution to the project. It is a groove oriented solo loosely inspired by composer John Psathas.
To order, visit https://ivandrums.com/solos/heat-stroke-drum-set-solo-tape/
From the Performer: Like many reps for classical percussion, I really enjoyed learning this piece as much as I did performing and recording it. When you break down all of the stickings you’ll find some common rudiments, like the paradiddle, just applied throughout the kit and in different variations. I really like how the toms, by themselves, really do create a melody that continually transforms throughout the piece. Props to Ivan for writing such a fun and challenging drum solo in a more classical context, yet still grooves and has power.
Main Tom Melody 0:35
The main melodic pattern is introduced between the floor tom and rack tom. Trevino doesn’t write out any of the stickings, so it’s up to you to figure this out! Go slowly and a few bars at a time. Pay close attention to accented notes and dynamics.
Don’t Miss the Hits! 2:12
Probably my favorite section of the piece! Practice these in chunks and not all at once, then you can string them together. Pay close attention to which notes are accented and which are not, and use that metronome!
Solo Buildup in Three! 2:42
This is the only part of the composition that utilizes more standard drum set groove notation. But, don’t be deceived. Slow this down and really lock in all of the limbs, as this can be quite tricky. Add some dynamics near the end for an exaggerated build-up into the freeform improv solo.
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Eagle Rockabye, for solo drum set by Chad Floyd
About the Piece:
From the Composer: “Eagle Rockabye is the third of three works for drum set that I composed during my sabbatical in the fall of 2019 at Campbellsville University. Commissioned by Ben Cantrell, Director of Percussion at Winthrop University, the title pays homage to the “Eagles” of Winthrop University in “Rock” Hill, South Carolina.”
To order, visit http://www.chadfloyd.com/eagle-rockabye
From the Performer: I’ve always found the drum set to be such an inquisitively musical instrument, capable of not only loud, thunderous downbeats but also melodic lines and phrases normally associated with more mainstream instruments like the piano or guitar. I really enjoyed learning Eagle Rockabye as it explores the melodic nature of the drums and some unique rhythmic patterns and grooves that will really test your independence on the kit.
Main Groove 1:19
The main groove is introduced at letter A, but one of my favorite sections is letter C, which features the same melodic groove on the toms, but with the hi-hat striking on every quarter note. This really helps push the groove forward and is also a ton of fun to play! It’s super important to keep your feet and hands locked in.
Controlled Chaos! 3:55
The entire piece is really one long build-up and at letter O it’s finally time to let loose! This section took a few days to get down tight. The Right hand is basically playing the same motion the whole time from the ride cymbal to the floor tom. The key is not to lose any momentum to the big crashes and outro at letter P.
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