This list is different to the classic drum songs you might imagine. It doesn’t include songs like ‘In The Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins, where the drum part is very iconic. This list is designed to get you playing along with great songs that don’t have too many variations. They are perfect to practice maintaining a steady groove at a steady tempo and to practice adding fills into your playing.
The best way to get better is simply to play. Anything that encourages you to play the drums and build competency is a good resource.
This list of beginner drum songs is especially curated to provide a gentle learning curve for new drummers.
The best way to improve is to play songs that you love. Once you start to recognise the patterns in the songs on this list, you will be apply to identify them in the music you listen to and play your favourite songs with confidence.
The titles ‘Basic Rock’ refer to the foundation drum grooves that fuel thousands of classic rock and pop anthems.
Click on the Play button to start and stop the groove playing.
Basic Rock 1
[The above groove plays by default at 70 BPM. Click the two diagonal arrows next to play button to adjust the tempo]
| Song Title | Artist | Tempo |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic in the Sky | Jack Johnson | 64 BPM |
| Do I Wanna Know? | Arctic Monkeys | 85 BPM |
| Could You Be Loved? | Bob Marley | 102 BPM |
| Snow (Hey Oh) | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 108 BPM |
| Can’t Feel My Face | The Weeknd | 108 BPM |
| Another One Bites The Dust | Queen | 110 BPM |
| I Won’t Back Down | Tom Petty | 114 BPM |
| Billie Jean | Michael Jackson | 116 BPM |
| Learning to Fly | Tom Petty | 118 BPM |
| Where Did All The Love Go? | Kasabian | 134 BPM |
| She Sells Sanctuary | The Cult | 139 BPM |
Basic Rock 2
| Song Title | Artist | Tempo |
|---|---|---|
| Can’t Get You Off Of My Mind | Lenny Kravitz | 62 BPM |
| Hotel California | The Eagles | 72 BPM |
| Clint Eastwood | The Gorillaz | 84 BPM |
| Midnight Train to Georgia | Gladys Knight | 89 BPM |
| Supersonic | Oasis | 100 BPM |
| (Sittin’ On) The Dock of The Bay | Otis Redding | 104 BPM |
Basic Rock 3
| Song Title | Artist | Tempo |
|---|---|---|
| Don’t Dream It’s Over | Crowded House | 80 BPM |
| Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? | Arctic Monkeys | 92 BPM |
| If You Ever Want To Be In Love | James Bay | 116 BPM |
| Every Breath You Take | The Police | 118 BPM |
| Take It Easy | The Eagles | 139 BPM |
Basic Rock 4
| Song Title | Artist | Tempo |
|---|---|---|
| Unstoppable | The Score | 78 BPM |
| Free Fallin’ | Tom Petty | 84 BPM |
| Fast Car | Tracy Chapman | 104 BPM |
| Stand By Me | Ben E. King | 120 BPM |
Download the above song lists in a handy, one-page PDF document:
The grooves listed are summaries and approximations of what is actually played on the recordings. The above information is designed to give the player a rough idea of the pattern to play with the music and serves as valuable practice for drummers looking to develop their skills.
