Easy Drum Set Solos

[icemanjs4]

Hi All,

 

I was wondering if anyone could post up sheet music (or tabs I guess) for some relatively simple drum set solos. I do a lot of practicing rudiments, Stick Control, etc, and can do some basic rock beats/play alongs on the kit. But without music along, a 4/4 rock beat sounds boring to any listeners nearby (friends, gf, etc).

 

Does anyone have any interesting sounding solos for the kit that I could get started with that have good instrumentation, that wouldn't be too hard for a relative beginner?

 

Thanks

[race81]

make up your own............be original.................more than likely the only "solo" you will ever get asked to do is."wipeout" and with time and age you will despise those who ask as much as you despise yourself for doing it!:poke:

[cdawg]

good question, ice. hope someone steps in.

 

i've been playing for years and i can't solo for {censored}e. never really cared. but, i know what you mean, having people wanting you to play something, but not really having anything "flashy" to throw down. well, i've developed other aspects of playing, but i've never been a big drum fill kinda guy. probably a good thing to mess around with so ya don't look like a goob (like me!!)

[turdadactyl]

Try "The End" by the Beatles. You shouldn't need sheet music, but if you do, I've seen it out there.

[HIV]

 

 

This was kinda cool

[Eyehearya]

I dig MJ vids!

[spacecommando]

inna gadda divida long version

[faileddrummer]

The first song I learned on drums was "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath. Really easy.

[slap happy drums]

 

The first song I learned on drums was "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath. Really easy.

 

 

Not to be an ass , but I'm pretty sure there is no drum solo in that song.

[Stark]

[turdadactyl]

 

The first song I learned on drums was "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath. Really easy.

 

 

I love lamp!

[icemanjs4]

Yeah, I'm not really worried about learning songs guys (and gals)...

 

I just want to learn some fun drum beats, grooves, and or solos to have some fun with. My problem with MJ's videos is that he's heavily bass-drum intensive. Until I can get my feet up to speed, much of what he does is out of my realm.

 

For instance, I've tried the BassDrum/tom rolls where you do 1e on tom, then &a on the bass drum, then 2e on the next tom and &a on the bass and so on around the kit. I can do it smoothly with a metronome, but it has to be a VERY slow tempo.

 

Anyway I hear all kinds of cool stuff with toms doing triplet (or sixtuplet patterns) over a quarter note Bass drum ostenato that sounds pretty cool. But I'm not sure how to play any of them.

[boxofrocks]

 

good question, ice. hope someone steps in. i've been playing for years and i can't solo for {censored}e. never really cared. but, i know what you mean, having people wanting you to play something, but not really having anything "flashy" to throw down. well, i've developed other aspects of playing, but i've never been a big drum fill kinda guy. probably a good thing to mess around with so ya don't look like a goob (like me!!)

 

I hear ya man, can play music with a band all day, can't play solos for nothin, if theres no music, I just aint got nothin. If asked though, I'd do something short and stupid.. Steady 1234 on the kick, some snare stuff with accents, doodle on the toms a bit, finish up with Bonham triplets or something, nothing impressive or complicated, but enough to catch non musicians attention.

[slap happy drums]

If I hack apart your last post you seem to supply your own answers

 

 

Until I can get my feet up to speed, much of what he does is out of my realm. I can do it smoothly with a metronome, but it has to be a VERY slow tempo. Anyway I hear all kinds of cool stuff with toms doing triplet (or sixtuplet patterns) over a quarter note Bass drum ostenato that sounds pretty cool. But I'm not sure how to play any of them.

 

 

I think you do know how to solo , just not quickly.

 

Go ahead and try a 1/4 note BD ostinato then add the trips or 1/16 note trip that you mentioned (or both), go slow and count , try it on one drum , when it's working get faster w/ practice and metro work , start moving the voicing (sound source) around , get faster.....done.

Take your time and count things out , work em w/ the metro , and in time they'll be as fast as you are willing to make them be.

 

I've got a few things I've been working on bit by bit since jr.high that are finally coming close to proper tempo for flashy useless fun , and a few that are actually useful.

 

Anything can be solo fodder if played quickly enough , but a drum solo worth playing or listening too is a tricky bird to pluck. (I like lots of space and broken triplets)

If you just want to make the drunks scream : BD 4 on the floor , HH 2 n 4 w/ foot , hands doing 16th's , accents and dynamics applied liberally w/ plenty of voicing on the toms , SD , and cymbals....

 

step two : rests

[D Carroll]

 

I love lamp!

 

 

Yeah, brick killed a guy.

[danrothmusic]

 

I think you do know how to solo , just not quickly. Go ahead and try a 1/4 note BD ostinato then add the trips or 1/16 note trip that you mentioned (or both), go slow and count , try it on one drum , when it's working get faster w/ practice and metro work , start moving the voicing (sound source) around , get faster.....done. Take your time and count things out , work em w/ the metro , and in time they'll be as fast as you are willing to make them be. I've got a few things I've been working on bit by bit since jr.high that are finally coming close to proper tempo for flashy useless fun , and a few that are actually useful. Anything can be solo fodder if played quickly enough , but a drum solo worth playing or listening too is a tricky bird to pluck. (I like lots of space and broken triplets) If you just want to make the drunks scream : BD 4 on the floor , HH 2 n 4 w/ foot , hands doing 16th's , accents and dynamics applied liberally w/ plenty of voicing on the toms , SD , and cymbals.... step two : rests

 

 

That's the one!

 

Even if you do get sheet music, this same method is what you'd use to learn it

[irnbru83]

I agree with Slap. Easiest way to solo by far.

 

Start off with a pattern purely on snare, with some neat accents. Then stay on snare, but accent on the toms with same pattern. Then stay on snare, but accent off the cymbals+kick. Gives a nice progression and people watching will think this relatively simple exercise is killer.

[faileddrummer]

Not to be an ass , but I'm pretty sure there is no drum solo in that song.

 

For some reason I read this thread as "I need an easy fill."

 

It's been a long week or two.

[icemanjs4]

Slap Happy,

 

Thanks for the great advice. I think I'll play around with that a little bit - obviously practice is the key here for anything. On the flip side, you and others recommend picking a nice simple beat, maybe on the snare, and and playing around with the accents. Can you or anyone recommend a good snare pattern with accents included that I can play around with? Maybe something with 16ths, or some nice triples with accents inserted into fun places. I think that's what I'm missing from the recipe.

 

For instance, I like to play around with 12 hits on the high tom, broken down into 4 sets of 3 triplets. But I naturally place an accent on the 1st beat of each triplet, which gets me a nice hand alternating accent pattern. However it's a little boring sounding. Looking for something else to mix in.

 

Thanks

 

 

 

If I hack apart your last post you seem to supply your own answers I think you do know how to solo , just not quickly. Go ahead and try a 1/4 note BD ostinato then add the trips or 1/16 note trip that you mentioned (or both), go slow and count , try it on one drum , when it's working get faster w/ practice and metro work , start moving the voicing (sound source) around , get faster.....done. Take your time and count things out , work em w/ the metro , and in time they'll be as fast as you are willing to make them be ... If you just want to make the drunks scream : BD 4 on the floor , HH 2 n 4 w/ foot , hands doing 16th's , accents and dynamics applied liberally w/ plenty of voicing on the toms , SD , and cymbals.... step two : rests

 

[Wellhungarian]

A good learning process would be to write out each rhythm, 16th's and triplets.

 

1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a then put a accent on whatever note that you want and try it out. Like the Bo Diddley rhythm. Accent the 1, a, +, + 4. Try keeping the unaccented note's stick height low to the head. Same for triplets. By the way, a good book for this is Ted Reed's Syncopation.

[irnbru83]

I do dig that rhythm, wellhungarian.

[Wellhungarian]

Regarding triplets. Here's something that sounds pretty cool that I ripped off of Gavin Harrison's book Rhythmic Illusions. Play paradiddles as triplets.

 

1 ta ta 2 ta ta 3 ta ta 4 ta ta. R l r r L r l l R l r r

 

Accent the first note of each paradiddle.

Play two measures for it to come around to the beginning.

Play it on the snare then move it around the kit.

Play four on the floor underneath it.

[Stark]

You want rhythm? Play sixteenth notes in groups of three (tap accents, for the deductive): R l r L r l R l r L r l R l r l... repeat.

 

THEN, instead of threes, play paradiddles IN THE SAME SPACE. It's impossible to tab it out evenly, I'd need a notation program that I don't feel like downloading right now. But you get the idea, right? It sounds sick across toms.