This free drum lesson is the next step in learning how to play punk rock. Dave Atkinson teaches five fun and challenging punk rock drum beats that incorporate tom-tom rhythms, double bass, and even some intricate hi-hat work. Each punk rock drum beat is played at a slow tempo – enabling you to see exactly what’s being played – and with play-along loops – so you can check how they sound when used in context.
These punk rock drum lessons build off of each other. Even if you’re not a beginner drummer, chances are you’ll still learn something new from the free drum lesson “Beginner Punk Rock Drum Beats”, or at least get some inspiration from the drum beats you’ll find within. You can also use that lesson to learn about punk rock bands and drummers that have had a huge influence on this style of music. If you’re still a beginner drummer, we encourage you to check the free drum lesson “Beginner Punk Rock Drum Beats” before you give this one a go. There, you’ll learn about essential concepts and techniques that will enable you to go through this intermediate free drum lesson a lot quicker, once you’ve mastered them.
Exercise #1 is an 8th note single stroke roll played between the floor tom and the bass drum, that’s accompanied by snare shots on counts 2 and 4. The coolest thing about this punk rock drum beat is that you can actually use it as an exercise for developing a single stroke roll between your bass drum foot and your hands. This is a very useful concept to master since it will start you on the right track for playing hand-to-feet combinations and linear drum beats.
Exercise #2 is a 16th tom-tom drum beat. The biggest problem you’ll find here is getting your bass drum pedal to play in unison with some of the tom strokes. Starting out slowly and learning the stroke sequence first will enable you to get around that issue. You can clean up the pattern with a metronome later on. Make sure everything lines up perfectly with the click when you do so.
Exercise #3 is a very cool sounding one. If you take the 16th note triplets out of the equation for a moment, you’ll notice you have a fairly basic punk rock drum beat on your hands. Start by learning that pattern. Once you have it down, you can move your attention to the 16th note triplet hi-hat pattern on count 2.
The 16th note triplet pattern is actually the single stroke four, one of the 40 essential drum rudiments. This punk rock drum beat is a very good excuse for you to start practicing the single stroke four right away. In the video, Dave Atkinson plays a left hand lead single stroke four, so he can keep playing the hi-hat with his right hand after the hi-hat is hit on count 3 while open. You can use whatever hand you’d like to start off this rudiment. Practice the single stroke four on the hi-hat while using your leg to operate the opening and closing of the hi-hat. Start out slowly, since you may not be used to playing the single stroke four while opening the hi-hat. Once you get comfortable, play the whole punk rock drum beat as notated on the sheet music below.
Exercise #4 seems quite simple, but it’s actually a challenging punk rock drum beat to master. The hi-hat is played on all the 8th notes while the snare drum is stricken on the “and” of each count. The bass drum’s rhythmic pattern is very syncopated. The majority of strokes are to be played on the “e’s” and “ahs”. Make sure everything lines up perfectly once you increase the speed at what you’re playing this bad boy.
Exercise #5 is a two-bar pattern. The hi-hat is played on all the 8th notes and the snare drum on the “and” of every count. The 16th note bass drum double strokes on counts 2 and 4 from the first bar are challenging to play at faster tempos. You’ll have to learn how to play the heel-toe technique or how to play the slide technique to do so.
The second bar encompasses a double bass 16th note single stroke roll. This is the most common pattern played with the double bass drum pedal. Still, you have to be careful with it, since you’ll be playing the snare drum over it on an odd place. This can throw you off a bit. Take your time with this punk rock drum beat and be extra careful while transitioning from the first bar to the second one. You’ll want to create a very smooth transition from the syncopated bass drum patter played with a single pedal, to a ruthless 16th note single stroke roll played with a double bass drum pedal. Start out slowly and work your way up as you master each tempo mark. Remember, speed comes with control.
Once you’ve mastered these punk rock drum beats, test your new skills with the MP3 loops provided with this free drum lesson and the MP3 jam tracks on the free drum lesson “Punk Rock Play-Along“. Playing along to your favorite punk rock songs will help you develop the chops and feel needed to become a good and competent punk rock drummer as well. You can use those songs to learn how to play new punk rock drum beats and drum fills totally by ear. Learning how to play songs by ear is a great way of training your brain to recognize patterns instantly. The more you do so the better you’ll become at it. There is no secret formula, keep practicing and things will start to come.
Once you’ve mastered these five punk rock drum beats, we encourage you to check the free drum lesson “Double Bass Drum Beats“. Double bass drumming is common in the world of punk drumming. So this is a great free drum lesson for you to get acquainted with new double bass patterns that you can use with punk rock hand patterns.