Learn to playJust A Friendas made famous by Biz Markieon drums
The drum beat for "Just A Friend" by Biz Markie is simple and laid-back, featuring a steady 4/4 rhythm with a prominent snare on the 2 and 4, light hi-hat taps, and a groovy bass drum pattern
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind Just A Friend. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
Just A Friend
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Learn the basic groove
Start with a basic, laid back groove, with an 1/8 note kick on beat 3-&.
Add the 1/16 kicks
Add 1/16 note kicks on beats 2-a and 4-a.
Play the groove
Now play the groove for 16 bars.
Learn to play
Just A Friend
with Melodics
Behind the track
Just A Friend
by Biz Markie
"Just a Friend" by Biz Markie features a simple yet catchy musical composition built around a piano loop and a steady hip hop beat. The instrumentation is minimalistic, allowing the piano melody and the drum beat to drive the song. The use of sampling is notable, incorporating elements from Freddie Scott's "You Got What I Need."
Biz Markie's vocal performance is distinctive and memorable for its raw and unpolished quality. His rapping style is straightforward and conversational, with humorous and relatable storytelling. The chorus, where Biz Markie sings off-key and with a heartfelt, almost pleading tone, adds a unique charm and authenticity to the song. This combination of honest, emotive singing and laid-back rapping contributes to the enduring appeal of "Just a Friend."
Tips for learning Just A Friend on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of 'Just A Friend' 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
- "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie features a relatively simple drum beat that consists of a steady rhythm with a basic kick-snare pattern. For a drummer with some experience, the beat itself might not be too challenging to learn. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- The drum beat in "Just a Friend" is relatively straightforward but requires solid timing and groove. Practice keeping a steady beat with the kick, snare, and hi-hat.
- "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie has a tempo of around 84 beats per minute
- 4/4
- F# minor
- 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.