Dave Grohl could’ve gone crazy on this one. He didn’t. Come As You Are sits right in that pocket where less does more, mid-tempo, steady, the kind of groove that makes the whole song breathe.
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Note-for-note transcription of Dave Grohl’s drum part on Come As You Are from Nirvana’s Nevermind (1991).
Around 120 BPM, 4/4. The verse groove is clean, 8th-note hi-hats, snare on 2 and 4, kick on 1 and the “and” of 3. Nothing exotic.
What makes it interesting is how Grohl pushes and pulls the energy between sections. The verse is restrained. The chorus opens up. He earns the crash cymbals when they land.
The fills are short and musical, mostly snare-based with a quick tom resolution. Nothing that’ll break your wrists, but they need to sit right in the pocket or they’ll stick out like a sore thumb. Timing is everything here.
If you’re still getting your head around the notation, the drum notation guide will sort you out before you start. And if come As You Are is clicking but you want more Grohl, go check out In Bloom, same album, completely different energy.
For context on how punk and grunge drumming overlap in approach, the punk drums lesson is worth a read. Same attitude, different tempo. Once you’re through this one, Smells Like Teen Spirit is the logical next step — it’s the same drummer, same album, but he opens the throttle a lot more.
Both charts live in the full transcriptions library alongside 160+ others.
Difficulty: Beginner — Easy/Intermediate
Tempo: ~120 BPM
Time Signature: 4/4
Key Technique: Dynamic control between sections, pocket playing, crash placement
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