WOO HOO! Here is Blur’s Song 2 from the Trinity Rock & Pop grade 2 syllabus.
This version of the song is very close to the original version by Blur. It’s been slowed down a little; the original speeds a long at 130bpm, this version is a bit slower at 116bpm. That doesn’t stop the fun of playing this song though, you can still rock out to it!
Other alterations include a few crashes that have omitted and the only fill being orchestrated slightly differently. We’re also missing the first 4 bars where the drummer gets to groove on their own… but other than that, it’s pretty much the same as the original. WOO HOO!
This song is built around two separate 2 bar patterns. The bass drum part on both these grooves is very similar; if you’re taking the exam make sure you concentrate on the bass drum part when moving from one groove to the other, it’s easy to make a mistake there.
The groove used in the introduction and verses uses the rim of the floor tom to provide an interesting colour to the beat. It’s not a sound you hear often in rock & pop but it is a nice alternative to the usual hi-hat or ride. It also crops up in the chorus of Maroon 5’s Harder To Breathe and the rim of the snare drum is famously used for the intro to La Grange by ZZ Top.
This is a fairly simple song to play once you have the two main grooves down. Don’t forget to add dynamics to your grooves; the verses should be a restrained Mezzo Forte while the chorus is an energetic Forte that should get your listeners wanting to jump around! WOO HOO!
The 2018 version of the Trinity Grade 2 Rock & Pop book is great to work through if you’re around 6 months to a year into your drumming career. You don’t have to take the exam to benefit from the book. The songs are great to work on & fun to play and will help to improve your drumming. In Singapore you can find the book at Robert Piano – Paragon Shopping Centre (and probably their other outlets). It’s also available from Amazon if you’re happy to pay the shipping!
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