Learn to play Duality by Slipknot on Drums
Featuring your favorite songs, Melodics creates bite-sized lessons that level up your skills on the drums.
Follow our step by step breakdown of Duality to listen to every part and learn how to play it yourself. Want to take your skills even further? Download the Melodics app where you can access hundreds of lessons, track every hit and measure your improvement.

Artist Biography
Known for their intense and aggressive metal sound, Slipknot's "Duality" showcases their drummer's incredible speed, precision, and power. As a member of a band famous for wearing masks, the drummer's distinctive playing style is a crucial component of Slipknot's heavy and chaotic sound.
Intro to Slipknot's Groove
Enter with the kick in bar 8 of the intro. Move to the toms, and build up for the last 4 bars, before playing 1/16 notes on the snare using alternating hands. Move into the main groove, following the guitar riff with the kick. Play the 3 bar repeating pattern four times here, finishing with a snare flam.
Loop and repeat on practice mode!
Dive into the Verse of Duality
Pick up from the crash where you left off, heading into a 4 bar repeating pattern on the open hi-hat for the verse. Use the sticking L - R - L to play the 1/16 note snare rhythm in bar 4. After four repeats, use alternating hands to play the snare fill, and watch for the kicks.
Break down Slipknot's iconic Chorus
Follow the guitar riff with the kick while riding on the crash for the first 2 bars of the chorus. Play the toms, then a snare flam to lead into the main groove. Play 1/4 notes on the open hi-hat, and watch for the anticipated crashes. Finish with a fill on the snare using alternating hands.
Wrap up the heavy-hitting Duality rhythm.
Return to the 3 bar repeating riff from the intro, and play it twice here to finish the song.
Combine and play Slipknot's powerful sound
Now combine the sections to play the full arrangement. Remember to use Practice Mode to slow down and isolate any parts you are having trouble with.
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FAQs
- Slipknot's Duality is a great song for intermediate and advanced drummers to play. Download Melodics to break down the song and play other lessons and songs for all skill levels.
- Speed and endurance for the aggressive and fast-paced sections, precise and powerful use of double bass drumming and blast beats, ability to switch between different time signatures and maintain intensity throughout the song.
- 144 bpm
- 4/4
- E minor
You can navigate to where Songs are in Melodics via the [Explore] >[Songs] section of the app.
Anyone with Melodics and a MIDI drums, keys or pads instrument can browse and audio preview any song in the catalog for free. Currently, you must have a subscription for a Melodics Songs plan in order to access the learning and playing component of Songs lesson content.
- Melodics subscribers prior to our September 1st 2022 launch have a free upgrade to the Songs tier from your Standard plan (thanks for believing in us!). Missed the memo? Get in touch.
- For Standard Tier subscribers (post September 1st 2022) and Melodics free users: Check out Melodics’ plans to upgrade to Songs, visit melodics.com/plans
The high caliber to which our music team produce our renditions for each song and try to capture the original sound and spirit behind the music and artists is unparalleled in the world of music-learning apps.
It’s really important when you’re learning popular music that you get a proper chance to focus without distraction — that means no bad renditions, dinky instruments or shoddy vocal attempts allowed!
With Melodics, we want your experience of playing your favorite songs to feel authentic — like you’re sitting in with the band itself
Melodics launched Songs on September 1st, 2022 with 59 songs in the catalog. Across keys, pads and drums instruments, with multiple levels of difficulty for each song, that’s over 200 distinct lessons for songs to play, plus 1500+ lessons, exercises, courses and a Guided Path to get your skills up to speed!
We always have more Songs in production, and we’ll be doing more Song bundle drops regularly so the catalog grows and stays fresh.
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Songs are only available to Premium plan subscribers. As a free user you can preview songs and hear how they sound by hitting the lesson audio preview. If you’d like an idea of how learning songs with Melodics can benefit your broader musical journey, check out our article on navigating your learning journey.