Ninjas! In this lesson we’ll be learning how to play Use Somebody by Kings Of Leon which was the second single from the bands fourth studio album, Only By The Night. The song was released in December 2008 and peaked at #2 on the US Hot 100 and #1 on the US pop songs chart. The song won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Rock Song and was also nominated for Song of the Year.

Nathan Followill always creates interesting drum parts and Use Somebody is the perfect example of this.

Verse
Verse one has no drums through the first half then there is a sixteen bar build up on the toms and bass drum. The second verse features a cool eighth-note groove with the snare landing on the ‘and’ of 2 and beat ‘4′. Nathan skips the ‘and’ of 2 on the hi-hat possibly to give the snare more room.

Chorus
The chorus groove is a two bar phrase that is played on the crash. As with the verse Nathan skips the ‘and’ of two in bar one and the ‘and’ of one in bar two. The bass drum lands on ‘one’, the ‘and’ of three and ‘four’ in the first bar then the ‘and’ of two and ‘three’ in the second.

Watch out for the big sixteenth-note fills at the end of each verse as you’ll need to get them in time to keep the momentum going.

Now Kill It! DN

Ninjas! In this lesson we’ll be learning how to play This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race by Fall Out Boy which was the lead single from the bands fourth studio album, Infinity On High. The song was released in January 2007 and peaked at #2 on the US Billboard 200, #1 In New Zealand and #2 in the UK. It is currently Fall Out Boy’s highest charting song, and also earned the band their first #1 US Billboard Hot Digital Song.

This Ain’t A Scene is a high energy track that switches between a pounding verse groove and a double-time chorus. Andy Hurley is on the skins and serves up a tasty fusion of musicality and raw emotion.

Verse
The song goes straight into the first verse in which the bass drum plays four on the floor and eighth-notes are played on the hi-hats. It is a two bar phrase and at the end of the second bar the bass drum plays the ‘a’ of 3, ‘4′, ‘and’.

Chorus
The chorus is double time with heavy eighth-notes played on the crash cymbal. There is a thirty-second note fill at the end of bar four which is quite nippy so make sure you have your singles together.

Shifting between the two feels is the biggest challenge with this track so spend some time working on the transitions. You might also want to spend some extra time with the broken sixteenth-note fills at the end of verse two and the end of the bridge.

Now Kill It! DN

Ninjas! In this lesson we’ll be learning how to play In Bloom by Nirvana which was the fourth and final single from the bands second album, Nevermind. The song was released in November 1992 and peaked at number 5 on the US mainstream Rock Chart, number 7 on the Irish Singles Chart and number 28 on the UK Singles Chart.

In Bloom features the bombastick skills of modern day drum legend Dave Grohl and a powerful drum part that is a whole lot of fun to play.

Intro
The song starts with the main guitar riff which Dave compliments with heavy crashes on the ‘one’ and the ‘and’ of two followed by a big sixteenth-note fill around the drum set. He then lays into a one handed sixteenth-note groove played on slushy hi-hats.

Verse
Dave continues with the one handed sixteenths through the verse but plays them quieter on closed hi-hats. Backbeats are on two and four with the bass drum on the ‘one’ and ‘e’ of beats one and three. As he approaches the chorus the volume gradually increases and the hi-hats open up.

Chorus
On the chorus heavy eighth-notes are played on slushy hi-hats with a syncopated bass drum pattern. There are some hits on bars five and six that follow the the guitar riff and a sixteenth-note triplet fill.

The main challenge with this track is the ’stretching’ sensation of the fills in the chorus and keeping them locked in. By singing the melody you should be able to pick this up pretty quickly. Also, try to play lighter on the verse and give it some juice on the chorus to bring some dynamics to what you’re playing.

Now Kill It! DN

Ninjas! In this lesson we’ll be learning how to play Harder To Breathe by Maroon 5 which was the lead single from the band’s debut album, Songs About Jane. The song was released in July 2002 and peaked at number six on Airplay Monitor, number 31 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Harder To Breathe features the rock-solid pocket playing of Ryan Dusick. A one handed sixteenth-note groove throughout played on various surfaces to punctuate the different sections of the tune.

Verse
Dusick sets things up with a two beat sixteenth-note fill then lays into the sixteenth-note groove played on closed hi-hats. The backbeats are on two and four while the bass drum plays a varying pattern over four bars. One thing to watch for is the unison figure between the bass drum and snare on beat four of the first and third bars. Practice this as much as necessary to line everything up correctly.

Pre-Chorus
For the pre-chorus the right hand moves over to the ride and plays the eighth-notes on the bell. This lifts the track up a notch as does the crash on beat one of each bar.

Chorus
On the chorus Ryan moves to the rim of the drum which gives those sixteenths and interesting lilt. It’s an idea that seems to work really well for this song. You can play this on the snare rim or any of the tom rims, whichever you think sounds and feels the best.

This tune really is about the pocket so make sure that everything you play lines up well. It’s one of those bread and butter grooves so even when you think you have it down, practice it a few more times to make it even better.

Now Kill It! DN

Ninjas! In this lesson we’ll be learning how to play Hysteria by Muse which was featured on the bands third studio album, Absolution. The track was released as a single on 1 December 2003 peaking at number 17 in the UK Singles Chart and also reached number 9 in the U.S. on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Dominic Howard always comes up with the goods and the grooves he developed for Hysteria are the perfect example of this. For a three piece they make a massive noise so make sure you pull your weight when you play this song.

Intro
A distorted bass line sets up the track and on bar five Dominic enters with a bombastic groove: eighth-notes peddled on the hi-hats, a bass drum, hi-tom and lo-tom on beat one then flammed backbeats on two and four.

After four bars Dom lays into a heavy four-on-the-floor groove with eighth-notes played on the ride cymbal. The left hand (Dom’s right) plays all the off beats on an open hi-hat as well as the backbeats on two and four.

Verse
The verse groove features off beat open hi-hats again, backbeats on two and four and a tricky 16th-note bass drum pattern. The big challenge here is co-ordinating the four limbs to make the groove sound and feel the way it should. This may require a bit of practice.

Chorus
On the chorus Dom plays eighth-notes on the ride cymbal, backbeats on two and four and a cool hi-hat punctuation on the a of two. The bass drum plays a relatively busy sixteenth-note pattern that fills in a lot of the gaps.

The chorus groove could pose a bit of a challenge but the big sixteenth-note fill at the end of each verse may be the trickiest part of the tune. It is made up of two groups of six and a group of four so if you can perfect the individual groups first you should be able to put it all together.

Now Kill It! DN

Ninjas! In this lesson we’ll be learning how to play I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor by the Arctic Monkeys which was the bands first single, released on 17 October 2005. The track debuted at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, won Best Track at the 2006 NME Awards and was also a hit in the United States, hitting #7 on the US Modern Rock Charts.

Matt Helders wrote a dynamite drum part for I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor that’s had a lot of drummers scratching their heads since the song came out. This up-tempo indie-rock track has some tricky little passages and a whole lot of energy.

Intro
The intro of the track is probably the most challenging part with rapid sixteenths on the snare dotted between a 1/4 note groove that follows the guitar riff. There is an extra bass drum note on the second four bars of the intro so follow the chart on your first few run-through’s.

Verse
The verse groove is composed of 1/4 notes played on closed hi-hats, backbeat on two and four and the bass drum following a two bar pattern. There is a unison hit between the hi-hat, snare and bass on beat two of the second bar which you really need to line up nice and tight to make it work.

Chorus
On the chorus you’ll find the hi-hats, snare and bass drum all play quarter notes which create a really edgy and energetic feel. Avoid rushing when you play this because it’s easily done.

The big challenge with this track is the intro passage. Spend some time playing it a half-speed until you have all the notes lined up where they should be. Then you can start to slowly increase the tempo in 5-10bpm increments.

Now Kill It! DN

Happy Easter Ninjas! In this lesson we’ll be learning how to play Cochise by Audioslave which was the first single from the band’s self-titled debut release (2002). The track peaked at #69 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, # 9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks and #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks.

Cochise is a mid-tempo rock track that embodies drummer Brad Wilk’s heavy duty playing. He sets the tone right from the outset and stamps the track with his signature style and power.

Intro
The intro of the track has an almost tribal feel with a spacious tom groove that overlays the guitar effects. This creates a load of tension that is built upon with a flammed backbeat half way through.

Verse
The verse groove is a heavy 8th note ride pattern and backbeat with the bass drum landing on ‘one’, the ‘a’ of two and the ‘and’ of three. It may seem simple but you’ve got to dig in and try to fill up the room.

Chorus
On the chorus you’ll find crashes on the ‘one’ and the ‘and’ of one which accents the guitar riff. The snare lands on the ‘two’, ‘three’ and ‘four’ with a tasty syncopated bass drum pattern in between.

The tempo of the track may pose a challenge because the tendency here is to speed up. Try to put the reigns on and keep it were it should be.

Now Kill It! DN

Ninjas! In this lesson we’ll be learning how to play Mountains by Biffy Clyro which is the band’s highest charting single to date, peaking at #5 on the UK singles chart. Originally released on August 18, 2008 as a ‘non-album’ single, it was later included on the band’s fifth studio album, Only Revolutions.

Mountains is a great example of drummer, Ben Johnston’s powerful and energetic playing. He drives the track with an eighth-note rock feel and breaks up the different sections of the song by switching between the hi-hats, ride and crash.

Verse
On the verse you will notice a bar of 4/4 followed by a bar of 7/8. The first few times you hear this it can be a bit confusing but follow along with the transcription and all will become clear.

Chorus
During the chorus Ben plays a heavy eighth-note groove on the crash to give it that massive sound. The snare changes from a two and four backbeat to the three, creating a half-time feel. Try to play harder than you do on the verse to bring some dynamics to the song.

Now Kill It! DN

Ninjas, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for. It’s giveaway time again and this month it’s a beast. One lucky winner will have a months access to the awesome resource that is Mikeslessons.com

How To Enter
All you need to do is visit our facebook page here and tell us the name of the town where the Mikeslessons.com studio is located. We’ll pick one winner at random from all of the correct answers on Monday 18th April at 12pm EST. You gotta be in it to win it!

Now Kill It! DN

Ninjas! In this lesson we’ll be learning how to play Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love by Bad Company which appeared on their 1974 self-titled debut album. As a single, this song reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on Cashbox magazine’s Top 100 Singles chart.

On Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, sticksman Simon Kirke, lays down a solid rock-shuffle groove with a steady quarter note played on the hi-hats and the bass drum conveying that swing feel.

Verse
The verse groove sets the pace for the rest of the track and doesn’t vary much from start to finish. Quarter notes on the hi-hats, back beat on the snare and the bass drum plays one, let – three, let of an underlying 8th note triplet pulse.

Chorus
The chorus groove is much the same as the verse but features some nice little fills and crashes that accentuate the song. Due to the mid-tempo of the track the main challenge is timing and playing those triplets in the pocket.

Listen to the track a few times before playing it and try to sing the triplet pulse in your mind. This will help you to lock in and prevent the dreaded speed up on fills and transitions. I’ve heard this track played in so many pubs and clubs over the years and it’s one of those that can take off if you don’t control it.

Now Kill It! DN