Learn to playAll The Small Thingsas made famous by Blink-182on drums
The drum beat for All The Small Things comprises straight forward, driving grooves, with technical and hooky fills, and a rudimental snare based bridge section.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind All The Small Things. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
All The Small Things
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Intro
Pick up on beat 3-& on the low tom and snare. To play the fast triplet fill, use alternate hands to move around the kit and end on the kick.
Verse
Move to the hi-hat for the verse. Watch for the fill in bar 8.
Chorus
Start the chorus on the low tom, and use alternating hands to play the fills at the end of each bar. Return to the crash for the rest of the chorus, and again use alternating hands for the final fill.
Bridge
Move to the snare for the bridge. Play 1/4 notes on the pedal hi-hat. Watch for the fast single stroke 4s. For the last 4 bars, switch to 1/16 notes with alternating hands.
Outro
Return to the chorus groove for 8 bars, then play the intro pattern, and repeat the fill 4 times in a row to end.
Combine and play
Now combine the sections to play the full arrangement.
Learn to play
All The Small Things
with Melodics
Behind the track
All The Small Things
by Blink-182
All The Small Things is the textbook definition of a great Pop Punk hit. Based around a three chord, 1/8 note power chord chugging rhythm, broken up only in the pre-chorus and bridge section, the arrangement compliments the nursery rhyme-like melody. Shimmering layers of guitar effects in the bridge, and flashy, hooky drum fills put the song in a class of its own in terms of performance and production.
Vocalist Tom DeLonge delivers the lyrics with a sneering sweetness, with backing vocals joining him to deliver the simple, catchy chorus.
Tips for learning All The Small Things on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of All The Small Things individually for precision mastery. With Melodics, you can slow the pace of the song and work up to full speed.
Tip 2: Review your performance
Identify growth areas: Listen to playback of your performance to learn where you need to develop your timing, technique & rhythm. Melodics provides instant feedback on your performance.
Tip 3: Practice makes perfect
Stay consistent: With regular, focused practice you'll see rapid progress when learning the song. Even a short session each day will make a huge difference.
- Get access to 100s of interactive lessons and popular songs
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FAQs
- All The Small Things is an advanced level song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You will need command of basic grooves, and ability to play fast 1/16 note fills, and have good hand and foot independence.
- 148 bpm
- 4/4
- New songs are released every week on Melodics! And we love to take requests - the best place for this is within our Discord community where you can also connect with other music learners around the world. Check out https://melodics.com/info/community.