Learn to playBorn in the U.S.A.as made famous by Bruce Springsteenon drums
Born in the U.S.A. features a strong snare backbeat, with 1/8 note kicks, and syncopated fill variations that provide energy and momentum to match Springsteen's vocals.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind Born in the U.S.A. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
Born in the U.S.A.
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Intro
Lay down the snare backbeat, adding kick fills every 2 or 4 bars. At the end of the section, play a drag fill, with 1/4 notes on the kick.
Verse (Pt. 1)
Play a 4 bar repeating pattern, starting with the crash, playing a hi-hat groove, and finishing with a fill, which varies every time.
Verse (Pt. 2)
Continue through this second part of the verse, with more fill variations. For the last 4 bars, fill once at the end of the second bar, and fill again leading into the break.
Break
Return to the snare backbeat from the intro. At the end of the section, build up once more into the outro.
Outro
Return to the verse pattern for the outro, playing 3 bars of groove and a bar of fill, and finish on the crash and kick.
Combine and play
Now combine the sections to play the full arrangement.
Learn to play
Born in the U.S.A.
with Melodics
Behind the track
Born in the U.S.A.
by Bruce Springsteen
Born in the U.S.A. is built around an anthemic synthesizer riff, with a basic two chord progression played by piano and guitars. A stadium-sized drum sound with rousing tom fills and huge crashes provide energy and momentum.
Springsteen's full voiced delivery, with blue collar lyrics and heartfelt delivery, make this a highlight of his catalogue. The improvised, bluesy trailoffs and adlibs at the end of lines add to the emotion of the song.
Tips for learning Born In The U.S.A. on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of Born In The U.S.A. 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
- Born in the U.S.A. is an intermediate difficulty song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You will need command of syncopation and dexterity around the kit.
- 121 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.