Learn to playDrum Showas made famous by Twenty One Pilotson drums
Drum Show rides on punchy kick accents and crisp snare cracks, with steady hi hats driving momentum while fills tumble across toms, building tension and release.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind Drum Show. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
Drum Show
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Intro
Start out on the hi-hat, before heading to a hi-hat groove. Finish with a fill around the kit to lead into the verse.
Verse
Play 1/8 notes with one hand on the hi-hat through the verse, and right before the chorus, hit the crash on beats 1, and 1-& and 2-& in the next bar.
Chorus
Play the chorus on the crash. Watch for the fills in bars 4 and 8. In the second half, alternate between crash and hi-hat, and finish with low tom and snare.
Break
After 16 bars of break, come in with a quarter-time groove on the crash, playing snare on beat 1 every 2 bars. Finish with a big fill, observing the sticking closely.
Chorus 2
Return to a variation on the chorus groove, using your snare hand to play the syncopated hi toms.
Outro
Keep grooving on the crash. Watch for the triplet fill in bar 10 - use alternating hands to move from snare to the toms.
Combine and play
Combine the sections to play the full arrangement.
Learn to play
Drum Show
with Melodics
Behind the track
Drum Show
by Twenty One Pilots
Drum Show by Twenty One Pilots is built around a stripped-back, rhythm-forward arrangement that keeps the percussion at the center of the mix. The production leans into punchy drums, tight low end, and negative space, allowing dynamic shifts to feel immediate and physical rather than overly layered.
The composition favors groove and atmosphere over dense harmony, using repetition and subtle textural changes to build tension. Synth accents and bass tones act as support, framing the rhythmic backbone without overcrowding it.
Vocally, Tyler Joseph delivers a performance that moves between conversational phrasing and urgent melodic lines. His tone feels intimate but edged with intensity, using rhythmic delivery to lock into the drums. The result is a track that feels raw, kinetic, and deliberately minimal, spotlighting rhythm as both the emotional and structural core.
Tips for learning Drum Show on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of Drum Show 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
- Drum Show is an advanced level song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You will need advanced syncopation and dexterity.
- 164 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.