Durham Drum Lessons

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Can you guess what song this is, just by the drum chart?
And btw, this is how I chart a song, typically. Nothing against the but I’ve been in too many situations where the client wanted me to play EXACTLY what was on the recording, or maybe that’s just my OCD that kicks in 🤔For every gig, my desire is to do all I can beforehand to be ready for anything the client might ask. Transcribing is one of the tools I use to help me feel more prepared.
When asked to play an iconic groove or song that has been seared into all of our collective memory, I feel the best thing to do is to learn it as close as you can to the original. In performance you may deviate some, but at least you have a starting point, right?
When playing covers I feel that we could all benefit (players and listeners too) from just playing, WHAT’S ON THE PAGE (or trying to, at least). Respect the players, producers and decision makers that felt confident about the music they originally released into the world! There is so much to learn from the drummer and musicians who recorded and played on the original. By transcribing a drum part, you are somewhat unconsciously learning about song structure, learning how to compose a drum beat that builds throughout, and building curiosity about important things like: why is that cymbal on that beat or in that measure?
So, yeah. I’d rather transcribe something than rely on numbers. The transcription gives me a solid place to start when crafting the part I’m going to play. And most of the time, I’m hard pressed to improve upon the original! And as an added bonus, I always grow and learn in the process of doing it this way.
Wanna learn how to transcribe? Send me a DM or sign up for a lesson on my website: www.durhamdrumlessons.com