Learn to playBanquetas made famous by Bloc Partyon drums
Start with quarter notes on low tom and hi-hat, then build into linear grooves and full-kit fills. Master Tong's bubbly toms and shifting gears until you drive.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind Banquet. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
Banquet
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Intro
Start out on the low tom. Use the left hand to fill in the 1/16 notes, watching for the variation the second time.
Verse
Switch between a linear and 1/8 note groove on the hi-hat, with snare fills. Finish with a 1 bar fill, following the sticking closely.
Chorus
Play a 2 bar linear pattern for the chorus, and fill in bar 8. Repeat this pattern twice for the chorus.
Verse 2
Play the straight 1/8 groove through verse 2, filling in bars 8 and 16. Then return to the same chorus pattern, finishing with a fill variation into the bridge.
Bridge
Keep the 1/4 note kick going, and play a fill every second bar. Move to the open hi-hat for the second half, and watch for the tricky fills every 4 bars.
Outro
Play the 1/8 note groove for 8 bars, then move into a 2 handed linear hi-hat groove. Finish out with a long fill around the kit.
Combine and play
Now combine the sections to play the full arrangement.
Learn to play
Banquet
with Melodics
Behind the track
Banquet
by Bloc Party
Before Silent Alarm landed in 2005, Parlophone came knocking and Bloc Party turned them down, signing to a small East London indie called Wichita instead so nobody could tell them what the record should sound like. Their theory was that rock could only survive by colliding styles that weren't supposed to meet - R&B, electro, pop and indie, all on the same record. Producer Paul Epworth took that same obsessive approach to the drums: he tuned and retuned every component of the kit chasing one specific sound, then mic'd it with ribbon and condenser mics at equal distances and pushed the bass forward. The goal was to make it hit the way music hits you in a club - guitar lines sitting on top of boosted drums and bass. That kit was built to be felt as much as heard.
Tips for learning Banquet on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of Banquet 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
- Instant feedback on your performance and tracking of your progress
- The fun and effective way to stick to your drum kit
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Chop Suey - System of a Down
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FAQs
- Banquet is an advanced level song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You will need command of fast linear grooves and transitioning between grooves and fills.
- 150 bpm
- 4/4
- Bb minor
- 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.