Learn to playSunshine Of Your Loveas made famous by Creamon drums
Capture the iconic groove of 'Sunshine Of Your Love' by Cream. Learn the steady, hypnotic beat with its distinctive tom accents and powerful bass drum rhythm.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind Sunshine Of Your Love. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
Sunshine Of Your Love
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Intro
Begin with hits on the snare and low tom, interspersed with 1/16 note fills across the rest of the toms - use the sticking R - L - R to navigate through these. Land on the main groove, playing hi tom on beats 1 and 3, with kick on beats 2, 2-&, 4, and 4-&.
Verse
Continue the main groove on into the verse. Starting in bar 8, there are three fills, all using the R - L - R sticking, moving across the toms. Make use of Practice Mode to isolate and loop these if you are having trouble.
Chorus
Break up the groove in the chorus, and navigate through these fills - remember to use Practice Mode to slow down and loop any tricky bits. In bar 5, use alternating hands starting on the left to play the skippy rhythm, playing two strokes on each drum. Finish this section with 1/16 notes moving around the kit using alternating hands.
Solo
Play a variation on the main groove for the solo, playing the crash and snare together on beats 1 and 3. Watch for the fills in bars 12 and 16 and observe the sticking carefully.
Outro
This section is full of unique fills, so take the time to use Practice Mode to nail them all. In bar 5, use fast, alternating strokes to play the 1/16 note triplets moving around the kit. Bars 7 and 9 make use of flams around the kit; notice how the 1/8 note kicks turn to 1/8 note triplets in the latter bar.
Combine and play
Now combine the sections to play the full arrangement.
Learn to play
Sunshine Of Your Love
with Melodics
Behind the track
Sunshine Of Your Love
by Cream
"Sunshine Of Your Love" by Cream features a powerful and iconic musical composition that blends blues rock with psychedelic elements. The song is built around a memorable and heavy guitar riff, played by Eric Clapton, which uses a distinctive descending pattern that gives the track its unique and recognizable sound. The rhythm section, featuring Jack Bruce on bass and Ginger Baker on drums, provides a solid and driving foundation, with a steady, hypnotic groove that complements the guitar work. The interplay between the instruments creates a rich and textured sound that was innovative for its time.
Jack Bruce's vocal performance is soulful and gritty, delivering the lyrics with a raw intensity that matches the song's bluesy feel. His voice has a warm, resonant quality that cuts through the instrumental backdrop, conveying both passion and a laid-back coolness. The vocal harmonies in the chorus add depth and richness, enhancing the overall impact of the song. The combination of the powerful riff, tight rhythm section, and compelling vocals makes "Sunshine Of Your Love" a timeless classic in the rock genre.
Tips for learning Sunshine Of Your Love on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of 'Sunshine Of Your Love' 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
- Sunshine Of Your Love is an intermediate to advanced level song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- Sunshine Of Your Love involves an unconventional tom groove, requiring intermediate independence, and tricky fills requiring fast single stroke rolls and command of note values.
- Sunshine Of Your Love is 114 bpm.
- Sunshine Of Your Love is in 4/4 time.
- 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.