Learn to playBrass In Pocketas made famous by The Pretenderson drums
Learn Chambers' groove: four-on-the-floor time, breathing hi-hat and ride patterns, tom accents, and sharp 1/16th fills that punctuate rather than show off.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind Brass In Pocket. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
Brass In Pocket
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Verse
Hit the low tom on beat 4 and head into the groove. Play hi tom on beat 4 with the snare. Move to the ride for 2 bars at the end of each 8 bar phrase.
Pre-chorus
Move the hi tom to beats 2 and 4, and watch for the fill to lead into the chorus.
Chorus
Play on the ride for the chorus. Watch for the fills in bars 4 and 8.
Verse 2
Now combine a verse, pre-chorus, and chorus, with slight variations in the groove and fills.
Outro
Play one last chorus section on the hi-hat, then continue on the verse progression, finishing the song with hits on beats 1 and 2-&.
Combine and play
Combine the sections to play the full arrangement.
Learn to play
Brass In Pocket
with Melodics
Behind the track
Brass In Pocket
by The Pretenders
Martin Chambers joined The Pretenders in 1978, and his playing on 'Brass In Pocket' is widely considered one of his finest performances on record. Guitarist Adam Seymour has spoken about the push-pull dynamic between Hynde, who naturally leans into the front of the beat, and Chambers, who likes to sit behind it - a tension that gives the band a feel nobody else could quite replicate. Hynde has said she knew Chambers was the right drummer the moment they laughed together at that first rehearsal, and that chemistry is all over this track.
Tips for learning Brass In Pocket on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of Brass In Pocket 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.
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FAQs
- Brass In Pocket is an intermediate level song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You will need a steady groove, ability to switch between ride and hi-hat, and command of basic 1/16 note fills
- 98 bpm
- 4/4
- A major
- 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.