Learn to playLonely Boyas made famous by The Black Keyson drums
Start with the snare shuffle, add the kick and double backbeat, then drive the full groove with relentless eighth notes. The feel is the real challenge.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind Lonely Boy. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
Lonely Boy
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Intro
After the guitar intro, come in with 1/8 notes on the low tom, and the double backbeat pattern on the snare.
Verse
Move to the snare for the verse, playing the double backbeat pattern and filling in the other 1/8 notes with your other hand.
Chorus
Move to the crash for the chorus, continuing the double backbeat groove.
Outro
Hit the crash to start the guitar break. Then come in on the snare on 4, before returning to the low tom groove, and ending on the crash groove.
Combine and play
Now combine the sections to play the full arrangement.
Learn to play
Lonely Boy
with Melodics
Behind the track
Lonely Boy
by The Black Keys
Auerbach and Carney tracked El Camino with drums and guitar live in the same room, mics bleeding into each other the way old records used to sound. They'd spent years absorbing rock and roll from the 50s through the 80s, and 'Lonely Boy' came out of that in one session - the riff, the groove, written on the spot because the feel told them where to go. The video has its own story. The original shoot had over 40 cast members, a script, a director - and the band hated all of it. Then someone spotted a security guard named Derrick T. Tuggle who'd been freestyle dancing on the side of the set. They cleared the room, pointed the camera at him, and rolled one unbroken take. That's the whole video.
Tips for learning Lonely Boy on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of Lonely Boy 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
- Lonely Boy is an intermediate level song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You will need command of a snare shuffle.
- 168 bpm
- 4/4
- E 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.