Learn to playRockin’ in the Free Worldas made famous by Neil Youngon drums
Rockin' In The Free World features a driving and powerful groove played mostly on the open hi-hat. The four-on-the-floor kick gives the song a stomping anthemic feel.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind Rockin' In The Free World. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
Rockin’ in the Free World
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Intro
Begin with a four on the floor groove on the hi-hat, doubling up on the last snare as you head into the verse.
Verse
Change up the kick pattern for the verse. Play the crash and snare together in bar 8. Change the kick to a 2 bar pattern for the second half, and fill into the chorus.
Chorus
Return to the four on the floor pattern, this time on the ride. Watch for the crashes every 4 bars. Watch for the variations in the last 2 bars leading into the verse.
Verse 2
Return to four on the floor, and after 8 bars switch to the regular verse kick pattern. Watch for the fill variations.
Chorus 2
Repeat the chorus groove, with crashes every 4 bars.
Outro
In bar 2, play an over the barline snare fill, leading into a snare crash grouping with syncopation. Groove out on the 2 kick patterns, and build to the last crash.
Combine and play
Now combine the sections to play the full arrangement.
Learn to play
Rockin’ in the Free World
with Melodics
Behind the track
Rockin' In The Free World
by Neil Young
Rockin' In The Free World sits comfortably in the ouvre of political folk/rock songs. Based around a 3 chord minor progression in the verse, the song soars to new heights with the G major chord cueing the titular line. Distorted guitars and thrashing drums give the song its grungy urgency.
Young's vocal, slightly strained and angry, matches the lyrics and cuts through the dense arrangement. Dulcet backing vocals provide a reprieve before the anthemic, singalong chorus comes in.
Tips for learning Rockin' In The Free World on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of Rockin' In The Free World 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
- Rockin' In The Free World is an advanced difficulty song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You will need a basic driving groove, and command of advanced syncopation for some of the trickier fills.
- 132 bpm
- 4/4
- 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.