Learn to playWhen The Levee Breaksas made famous by Led Zeppelinon drums
Start with the heavy blues-rock groove. Add Bonham’s stomping fills, then lock it all together. By the end, you’re not playing a beat - you’re moving a building.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind When The Levee Breaks. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
When The Levee Breaks
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Verse
Play 2 bars of drums for the intro. Keep the groove steady, and play a 1/16 note groove variation to lead into the chorus.
Chorus
Alter the groove slightly, and play hits every 2 bars. Rest for 2 bars, then hit with the guitar riff, and watch for the kick variations and fill in this section.
Verse 2
Now combine a verse and chorus, with subtle variations.
Bridge
Watch for the fills every 2 bars in this bridge section.
Outro
Return to the main groove, and watch for the fills in the outro. Finish on beat 2.
Combine and play
Now combine the sections to play the full arrangement.
Learn to play
When The Levee Breaks
with Melodics
Behind the track
When The Levee Breaks
by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin recorded 'When the Levee Breaks' at Headley Grange in Hampshire in late 1970, using a Rolling Stones mobile recording unit parked outside. Bonham's kit sat at the foot of the stairs while two ambient mics captured the whole room from the top floor - no direct drum mics at all. The track is a reworking of a 1929 Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy blues about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. For all its iconic status, Zeppelin almost never played it live - the song only made the setlist a handful of times, all on their 1975 North American tour. Bonham could recreate a lot of things on the road, but not a three-story stairwell.
Tips for learning When The Levee Breaks on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of When The Levee Breaks 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
- When The Levee Breaks is an advanced level song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You will need a strong sense of groove, and command over 1/16 and 1/16 triplet notes on the kick, as well as a solid single stroke roll.
- 70 bpm
- Check above for answer
- 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.