Learn to playCrazy Little Thing Called Loveas made famous by Queenon drums
The drum beat in Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen is simple yet driving, featuring steady hi-hat patterns, snappy snares, and clean bass kicks, exuding a rockabilly groove.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind Crazy Little Thing Called Love. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Verse 1
Pick up in bar 4. Lay down a shuffle groove on the hi-hat, with kicks on 1, 3, and 3-&. Play a triplet fill to lead into the stop, and play the pickup to the next verse.
Verse 2
Continue the verse groove. Play a crash in bar 10 to signal the chord change, play a smaller snare fill into the stop, and pick up into the B section.
B section
Play 7 bars of groove, then stop. Play the triplets in a call and response pattern with the guitars, then play the 1/4 note triplets together. Crash, and pick up into verse 3.
Guitar solo
Play a whole verse, stopping in bar 11. The guitar solo is over the B section, as before, stopping after 7 bars and playing the call and response triplet fills.
Outro
After a clapping only verse (shortened here for brevity), pick up with a long triplet fill, and lead back into the shuffle groove for 16 bars, stopping on beat 1.
Combine and play
Now combine the sections to play the full arrangement.
Learn to play
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
with Melodics
Behind the track
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
by Queen
The musical composition of Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen pays homage to rockabilly and early rock 'n' roll. It features a swing-like rhythm with upbeat acoustic guitar strums, a steady walking bassline, and a crisp drum pattern that drives the retro vibe. The arrangement is clean and minimalist, allowing each element to shine, complemented by Brian May's tasteful electric guitar solo.
Freddie Mercury's vocal performance is charismatic and playful, capturing the essence of 1950s rock with effortless charm. His delivery combines smooth, crooning tones and energetic, rhythmic phrasing, exuding both confidence and a lighthearted romantic flair.
Tips for learning Crazy Little Thing Called Love on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' 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
- Crazy Little Thing Called Love is an intermediate level song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You will need command of a fast shuffle beat, and control of triplets.
- 154 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.