What are some fun/easy-ish songs for a new drummer to play along to?
June 7, 2022 7:43 AM Subscribe
After fortysomething years I started taking drumkit lessons and I love it. I am okay at the regular technique practice but my favorite part is when I put on headphones and play along with a song. What are some good songs that a novice/aspiring intermediate player could keep up with? All genres welcome but 80s/90s pop and alternative is my sweet spot.
So far I have tried Freedy Johnston's "Bad Reputation" (it's ideal, with a mix of regular beat and a few little fills), Weezer's "Undone (The Sweater Song)," and Pixies "Here Comes Your Man." They are all good examples of what I am hoping for.
Rock on, friends.
So far I have tried Freedy Johnston's "Bad Reputation" (it's ideal, with a mix of regular beat and a few little fills), Weezer's "Undone (The Sweater Song)," and Pixies "Here Comes Your Man." They are all good examples of what I am hoping for.
Rock on, friends.
Ramones!
posted by AJaffe at 8:06 AM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by AJaffe at 8:06 AM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
NRBQ's Ridin' in My Car was my favorite play-along song when I took my first-ever drum lessons during COVID. My teacher also liked using Queen's Another One Bites the Dust to teach new students the basics.
posted by headnsouth at 8:06 AM on June 7, 2022
posted by headnsouth at 8:06 AM on June 7, 2022
I wonder if Chain Lightning from Steely Dan’s Katy Lied might be fun. Fairly slow tempo. Deceptively simple I’m sure since it’s Jeff Porcaro but something to aspire to. (One can later aspire to mimic Bernard Purdie…). Brian Young’s work in lots of Fountains of Wayne pop songs might also be good to try.
posted by kiblinger at 8:11 AM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by kiblinger at 8:11 AM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Once in a Lifetime could be fun. Seven Nation Army is another one. Cheers!
posted by eotvos at 8:29 AM on June 7, 2022
posted by eotvos at 8:29 AM on June 7, 2022
I linked drum videos for each of these, but the songs are easy to find.
Knapsack - Heart Carved Tree Rocking emo/indie with 4 distinct drum sections. Check the end- a basic quiet tapping section and then a wild instrumental part.
RATM - Freedom the middle section is really simple but sounds cool
Old 97s - Timebomb - learn to shuffle, but into the choruses the shuffle speed changes.
Morphine - Supersex the chorus may take a while to learn, but the verse is pretty standard.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:29 AM on June 7, 2022
Knapsack - Heart Carved Tree Rocking emo/indie with 4 distinct drum sections. Check the end- a basic quiet tapping section and then a wild instrumental part.
RATM - Freedom the middle section is really simple but sounds cool
Old 97s - Timebomb - learn to shuffle, but into the choruses the shuffle speed changes.
Morphine - Supersex the chorus may take a while to learn, but the verse is pretty standard.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:29 AM on June 7, 2022
My move when I was starting learning the bass was Aerosmith songs. I'm kind-of drum-illiterate, but Aerosmith's rhythm section was tight without being obnoxious (IMHO) and that blues/pop thing fit right in with my neurons and heartbeat.
(So much so that I developed an unshakeable bad habit of playing everything like it's bluesy pop, but if that wrong maybe I don't want to be right.)
Seconding Fountains of Wayne, for sure. AND!!! Don't sleep on how the early-2010s rhythm games may have done a lot of heavy lifting for you. There may be a list somewhere (haven't found it, but you may have better google-fu) that lets you sort by the individual instruments difficulty.
posted by adekllny at 8:32 AM on June 7, 2022
(So much so that I developed an unshakeable bad habit of playing everything like it's bluesy pop, but if that wrong maybe I don't want to be right.)
Seconding Fountains of Wayne, for sure. AND!!! Don't sleep on how the early-2010s rhythm games may have done a lot of heavy lifting for you. There may be a list somewhere (haven't found it, but you may have better google-fu) that lets you sort by the individual instruments difficulty.
posted by adekllny at 8:32 AM on June 7, 2022
(Actually, now that I think about it, almost anything by the White Stripes might be a good choice on the not-too-challenging and actually-interesting axes.)
posted by eotvos at 8:34 AM on June 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by eotvos at 8:34 AM on June 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/08/25/rock-band-2-rated and sorted by drum difficulty: https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/08/25/rock-band-2-rated?page=4
posted by adekllny at 8:34 AM on June 7, 2022
posted by adekllny at 8:34 AM on June 7, 2022
" I don't care anymore" Phil Collins
posted by jtexman1 at 8:49 AM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by jtexman1 at 8:49 AM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
When I was growing up in the 80s and had a used drum kit at home in the basement I especially liked drumming along to Cars songs. Some great rock-solid beats plus really interesting changeups and good fills.
posted by sesquipedalia at 9:27 AM on June 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by sesquipedalia at 9:27 AM on June 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
That whole Weezer debut album (blue album) is a great beginners play along. Another one from that era is Radiohead's The Bends album.
posted by mannequito at 9:43 AM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mannequito at 9:43 AM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'm a drummer; YouTube has loads of excellent and fun drumless tracks:
All My Life
Fame
I'm Shipping Up to Boston
Jimmy Eat World
...and here are some other resources:
Free Drumless Tracks
Groove Essentials
Meinl
Orlando Drummer
Welcome to the fold; enjoy your journey!
posted by jmfitch at 12:06 PM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
All My Life
Fame
I'm Shipping Up to Boston
Jimmy Eat World
...and here are some other resources:
Free Drumless Tracks
Groove Essentials
Meinl
Orlando Drummer
Welcome to the fold; enjoy your journey!
posted by jmfitch at 12:06 PM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Just Like Heaven by the Cure. This was the one drum rhythm I really mastered back in the day.
posted by spamandkimchi at 2:20 PM on June 7, 2022
posted by spamandkimchi at 2:20 PM on June 7, 2022
When I was learning recently I played Amy Winehouse's You Know I'm No Good a lot - it's got a shoop to it that's really fun to master, and even as a beginner you can hear what the drums are doing just by listening to it.
posted by happyfrog at 2:22 PM on June 7, 2022
posted by happyfrog at 2:22 PM on June 7, 2022
I'm pretty impressed by the drumming on School of Rock YouTube videos. Maybe it's because I'm really bad at rhythm and keeping time, but also it's because they are damn good.
posted by SemiSalt at 6:44 PM on June 7, 2022
posted by SemiSalt at 6:44 PM on June 7, 2022
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