Learn to playDown With The Sicknessas made famous by Disturbedon drums
The drum beat for Down With The Sickness by Disturbed features aggressive double kick patterns, driving hi-hats, punchy snares, and syncopated rhythms, creating raw intensity.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind Down With The Sickness. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
Down With The Sickness
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Intro (pt. 1)
Play the iconic tom groove to start, maintaining 1/8 notes on the low tom.
Intro (pt. 2)
Now move to the double kick groove on the ride, locking in with the guitar riff. Play snare fills in bars 4 and 8, leading into the verse.
Verse
Move to 1/16 notes on the hi-hat, played with one hand. Move to 1/8 notes after 8 bars.
Chorus
Return to the ride, playing a syncopated kick and snare pattern. Play 2 bars of the tom groove to lead into the second verse.
Verse 2
Return to the verse groove, paying attention to the fill variation using the double kick in bar 12.
Chorus 2
Play the chorus groove on the ride for the last 8 bars of the arrangement.
Combine and play
Now combine the sections to play the full arrangement.
Learn to play
Down With The Sickness
with Melodics
Behind the track
Down With The Sickness
by Disturbed
The musical composition of Down With The Sickness by Disturbed is built on a foundation of aggressive, downtuned guitar riffs, driving basslines, and powerful drum patterns. It features dynamic shifts between ominous, slow-building verses and explosive, high-energy choruses, creating a visceral and intense atmosphere. The song’s breakdown incorporates raw, primal elements that amplify its emotional intensity.
The vocal performance by David Draiman is iconic, marked by guttural growls, melodic singing, and rhythmic chants. His signature staccato "monkey noises" and raw, emotional screams add a unique and rebellious edge, perfectly complementing the heavy, unrelenting instrumental backdrop.
Tips for learning Down With The Sickness on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of 'Down With The Sickness' 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
- Down With The Sickness is an advanced difficulty song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You will need to have command of the double kick pedal, as well as fast one handed 1/16 notes and command of syncopation.
- 90 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.