Note-for-note transcription of Roger Taylor’s drum part on Another One Bites the Dust from Queen’s The Game (1980).
Around 110 BPM, 4/4. The groove is a hypnotic, funk-influenced machine built around a locked kick pattern, sparse snare hits, and a hi-hat that never gets in the way. One of the most recognizable drum parts in rock history, and one of the most deceptive to actually nail.
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The Another One Bites the Dust drum transcription is a reminder that the most dangerous grooves are the ones that sound simple.
Roger Taylor built this part around a kick pattern that most drummers can read in ten seconds flat, and then spent the rest of the song making sure every hit felt inevitable.
The kick lands on 1, the “and” of 2, and 3, a syncopated pulse that locks in so tightly with John Deacon’s bass line that the two parts feel like one instrument.
The snare sits back on 2 and 4 with real weight, and the hi-hat stays mostly out of the way, which is exactly the right call.
That’s the lesson this track teaches more than any other: leaving space is a creative decision, not an absence of ideas.
A lot of drummers try to fill in the gaps here, a ghost note here, an extra hi-hat accent there and every one of those additions makes the groove feel smaller. The power is in what isn’t there.
The actual challenge isn’t reading the chart. It’s internalizing that kick pattern deeply enough that it stays locked and relaxed even as the song builds in intensity around it. Any tension in the wrist or grip shows up immediately in the pocket.
This is the kind of groove where a metronome isn’t optional, if you haven’t spent time with one and this track, our free online drum metronome has the exact BPM loaded and ready to go. And if you’re still getting your bearings reading the notation itself, our drum notation guide will clear that up quickly before you sit down with the chart.
For more of that sparse, confidence-first approach to rock drumming, the Come Together drum transcription is the natural companion. Ringo Starr and Roger Taylor come from completely different worlds, but they share the same instinct: play less than you think you need to, and trust the groove to do the work.
If the syncopated kick pattern is giving you trouble, the Back in Black drum transcription is worth working through first, Phil Rudd’s part is a slightly simpler way to build that same kick discipline before you bring in the funk element.
This chart lives in our free drum transcriptions library alongside 160+ others.
Difficulty: Beginner — Easy/Intermediate
Tempo: ~110 BPM
Time Signature: 4/4
Key Technique: Syncopated kick pattern, pocket groove, hi-hat restraint, bass-drum and bass guitar lock
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Sultans of Swing Drum Transcription Dire Straits Note-for-note transcription of Pick Withers’ drum part on Sultans of Swing from Dire Straits’ debut album Dire Straits (1978). Around 148 BPM, 4/4. A rolling, pub-rock groove that breathes and swings underneath one of the most recognizable guitar parts in classic rock. The hi-hat drives the energy forward
Another one Bites the Dust Drum Transcription Queen Note-for-note transcription of Roger Taylor’s drum part on Another One Bites the Dust from Queen’s The Game (1980). Around 110 BPM, 4/4. The groove is a hypnotic, funk-influenced machine built around a locked kick pattern, sparse snare hits, and a hi-hat that never gets in the way.
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