Learn to playBreatheas made famous by The Prodigyon drums
Breathe by The Prodigy features a gritty breakbeat with heavy kicks, snappy snares, syncopated percussion, and sparse hits driving an industrial groove.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind Breathe. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
Breathe
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Intro
Pick up in bar 4 with a fill using a 5-stroke roll. For the groove, play -& beats on the hi-hat, and play the non-backbeat snares as ghost notes. Watch for the second fill.
Verse
Hit a crash to mark the verse, and continue the groove. Finish with the 6-stroke fill, playing 2 single strokes followed by 2 double strokes.
Bridge
Crash to mark the bridge. After 8 bars of guitar and bass, come in with just the kick and snare. Finish this section with another 5-stroke roll fill.
Chorus
Return to the chorus synth riff, playing the 5-stroke roll in bar 4, and landing back in the groove.
Outro
Ride the verse groove out to the end, finishing on a fill and crash.
Combine and play
Now combine the sections to play the full arrangement.
Learn to play
Breathe
with Melodics
Behind the track
Breathe
by The Prodigy
“Breathe” by The Prodigy is built on a dark, aggressive big beat foundation with distorted synth riffs, gritty breakbeats, and heavy bass that create a tense, industrial atmosphere. The arrangement uses dynamic shifts between sparse, ominous sections and explosive, rhythm-driven drops, enhancing its menacing energy.
Vocally, Keith Flint delivers snarled, punk-influenced shouts that feel confrontational and theatrical, while Maxim’s deeper, more rhythmic lines add contrast and a hip-hop edge. The call-and-response style and layered effects make the vocals feel chaotic and intense, perfectly matching the track’s raw, rebellious sound.
Tips for learning Breathe on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of Breathe 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
- Breathe is an advanced level song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You will need advanced syncopation, dexterity, and independence skills to play Breathe.
- 130 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.