Learn to playNo Surprisesas made famous by Radioheadon drums
Start by finding the pulse, then lock in with Ed O'Brien's acoustic guitar. Build to Selway's full part, where every fill lands exactly when it's needed.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind No Surprises. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
No Surprises
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Intro
After the guitar intro, come in with the groove, watching for the 1/16 note snare on beat 4-&. Finish with a fill leading into the next verse.
Verse
Start with a crash and move to the ride for the verse. Watch for the fill across the toms in bar 8, and use alternating hands to play the 1/16 note snares at the end.
Chorus
Play a bar of groove, then a bar of fill 3 times for the chorus. Watch for the fill variations, and end with a crash.
Chorus 2
There's a break before this second chorus. Pick up on crash and play the ride groove, and watch for the fills. Use double strokes to play the fast snare fills.
Bridge
Listen for the chord change in the bridge, and watch for the kick variations in this section.
Outro
Play one last chorus to see the song out, once again playing a bar of groove and a bar of fill 3 times, and finish with a crash.
Combine and play
Now combine the sections to play the full arrangement.
Learn to play
No Surprises
with Melodics
Behind the track
No Surprises
by Radiohead
Thom Yorke first sketched "No Surprises" on tour with R.E.M. in 1995, months before Radiohead entered the studio for OK Computer. When they finally did, it was the first song they recorded - and the take on the album is literally take one. Every attempt after that just circled back to the same one. That effortless, underwater quality the song has? Producer Nigel Godrich engineered it: he had the band record the whole track faster than the final tempo, then slowed the tape down so Yorke could sing over it. The drums float because they were built to.
Tips for learning No Surprises on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of No Surprises 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
- No Surprises is an intermediate level song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You will need intermediate level syncopation, and basic dexterity around the kit
- 76 bpm
- 4/4
- F 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.