Learn to playListen To The Musicas made famous by The Doobie Brotherson drums
Start with the eighth-note kick pattern - the groove is already there. Add open hi-hat and bass, then sixteenths and swung tom fills for that spontaneous feel.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind Listen To The Music. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
Listen To The Music
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Verse
Come in with a fill in bar 4 after the guitar intro. Play the groove, and watch for the variations throughout. Play 2 fills in a row to lead into the chorus.
Chorus
Move to the ride for the chorus, and vary the groove to lock in with the bass. Play a fill in bar 9, and return to the verse groove for the post chorus.
Verse 2
Now play another verse section followed by a chorus, with groove and fill variations. Fill at the end to lead into the bridge.
Bridge
Hit the crash and play hi-hat on 2 and 4 in the bridge. Play a 2 bar fill to lead back into the chorus groove.
Outro
Loop the chorus groove and watch for the tricky fills through this outro section, finishing on a crash.
Combine and play
Now combine the sections to play the full arrangement.
Learn to play
Listen To The Music
with Melodics
Behind the track
Listen To The Music
by The Doobie Brothers
"Listen to the Music" was the song that turned the Doobie Brothers from a regional act into a national one, released in 1972 off their second album Toulouse Street. Tom Johnston wrote it, called producer Ted Templeman at three in the morning to play it down the phone, and walked into the studio without changing a thing. Toulouse Street was also the first record to feature Michael Hossack as the band's second drummer - but Johnston has said the drums on this track are all his, making it a statement from the original rhythm section right at the moment everything changed.
Tips for learning Listen To The Music on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of Listen To The Music 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
- Listen To The Music is an advanced level song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You will need the ability to play syncopated 1/16 note grooves, and swung fills.
- 106 bpm
- 4/4
- E major
- 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.