How Famous Drum Beats Come To Be

If you love music but aren't a drummer (and even if you are a drummer) you might find this fascinating - click on the links for a full lesson :)

I've always been fascinated with drum beats that are instantly recognizable, and how they were developed, such as Steve Gadd's 50 ways to leave your lover. Something so difficut that most drummers work for many hours to try and learn it - yet it sounds so easy - and is so recognizable.

Jeff Porcaro was one of the greatest drummer that ever lived - was THE session played to hire with Steve Gadd. Among the hundreds of albums he played on were Boz Scaggs' "Silk Degrees" (for which he wrote "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle"), Dire Straits" "On Every Street", Michael Jackson's "Thriller", Elton John's "Jump Up", Don Henley's "End Of The Innocence", Warren Zevon's "Excitable Boy", Rickie Lee Jones' debut, and Bruce Springsteen's "Human Touch".

He formed the band TOTO with his brothers. Many don't know that "Rosanna" is considered a difficult and unique drum groove. Here's how it came about:

Babylon Sisters + Fool In The Rain + Bo Diddley = Rossana.

Berndard Purdie is master of the shuffle - Babylon Sisters and many more - and if you don't know about him or the "Purdie Shuffle" check THIS OUT and you will think he is the coolest man alive. He will "splain to you" what's going on.

Now - maybe you've heard of a shuffle song called "Fool In The Rain" and drummer named John Bonham?

Well what if you put those two together into a whole new beat that is pretty damn complex? You end up with Rosanna. Here is the late, great, Jeff Porcaro 'splaining it. It's a great example of how drummers borrow from the past, tweak things here and there, and end up with a famous beat.