Learn to playWest End Girlsas made famous by Pet Shop Boyson drums
Master the pulse, build the two-handed hi-hat groove, then play the full Oberheim DMX pattern with its relentless chug and snare fills.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind West End Girls. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
West End Girls
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Intro
Start out with two-handed hi-hat 1/16s. Add the kick on beats 4-& and 1 of the next bar. Then bring in the snare, hitting the kick with the synth riff.
Verse
Continue the groove in the verse, with some kick variations. Hit the kick with the riff at the end of the chorus, and use two hands to play the 1/16 note snare fill.
Verse 2
Play another verse and chorus, with kick variations.
Bridge
Hit the crash to mark the start of the bridge. There's a snare fill in bar 8, and a new kick variation in bar 12 to lead to the final chorus.
Chorus
Play a double chorus to bring the song to a climax. Watch for the kick variations and two-handed snare fill here.
Outro
Ride out on the groove for the outro, finishing on beat 3.
Combine and play
Now combine the sections to play the full arrangement.
Learn to play
West End Girls
with Melodics
Behind the track
West End Girls
by Pet Shop Boys
West End Girls was first recorded in 1984, then recut and rereleased in October 1985 - that second version is the one that went to number one in both the UK and the US. Neil Tennant's lyrics drew directly from T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland, translating its themes of class anxiety and urban alienation into something you could hear in a club on a Friday night. The bassline came from an equally pointed source: Grandmaster Flash's The Message, one of hip-hop's sharpest social critiques. The song later found a whole new audience when it was featured in GTA 5, introducing it to a generation who probably didn't clock just how much weight those lyrics were carrying.
Tips for learning West End Girls on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of West End Girls 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
- West End Girls is an advanced level song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You will need command of independence while holding down a two-handed hi-hat groove.
- 113 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.