Learn to playStarbursteras made famous by Fontaines D.C.on drums
Starburster by Fontaines D.C. drives with a frantic, pounding beat, tight snare snaps, and racing kick patterns that fuel the song’s urgent, explosive momentum.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind Starburster. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
Starburster
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Verse
Drop the hi-hat when you play the snare for the verse groove. Use the left hand to play the extra 1/16 note hi-hat every second bar, swapping for snare every 4 repeats.
Chorus
Crash, and play a straight ahead groove for the chorus.
Verse 2
Return to the verse groove, and watch for the rest in bars 7 and 8.
Outro
For this truncated outro, play stops on kick and hi-hat in bar 4, and fill back into the groove after the string section, riding out on the chorus groove.
Combine and play
Now combine the sections to play the full arrangement, watching for the longer section in the outro.
Learn to play
Starburster
with Melodics
Behind the track
Starburster
by Fontaines D.C.
The musical composition of Starburster by Fontaines D.C. is tense and propulsive, built on jagged guitar lines, a restless rhythm section, and sharp dynamic shifts that keep the track feeling unstable and electric. The arrangement leans into controlled chaos, layering noise, repetition, and sudden bursts of energy to heighten the sense of urgency.
The vocal performance is raw and confrontational, switching between spoken, shouted, and sung phrases. It carries a manic edge, with phrasing that feels jittery and breathless, matching the song’s anxious drive and giving the whole track a volatile, unpredictable character.
Tips for learning Starburster on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of Starburster 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
- Instant feedback on your performance and tracking of your progress
- The fun and effective way to stick to your drum kit
Other popular songs available in Melodics
Easy - Commodores
Lay back with this breezy swung groove from Lionel and the gang.
Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
Get those toms galloping up that hill with this viral cult classic hit.
Chop Suey - System of a Down
Move between half, regular and double time in this heavy rock hit.
FAQs
- Starburster is an advanced level song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You need command of intermediate syncopation, and good dexterity between kick and snare.
- 98 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.