Recently, there was a TV program featuring guitar riffs.
With drums, even if you don’t quite call them riffs, there are distinctive drum phrases.
So this time I’ve picked five as “memorable drum phrases.”
If there’s one you like, try copying it.
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5 best Western songs with unforgettable intro drum phrases!
Walk this way | Aerosmith
Even people who don’t usually listen to Western music have probably heard this song.
It’s been used for many years as the ending theme of a certain variety show.
“Walk This Way” is included on Aerosmith’s 1975 album “Toys in the Attic,” and the band is said to have sold over 150 million records in total.
Reappraised thanks to hip-hop group RUN-DMC’s 1986 cover, which reached No. 4 on the U.S. charts, it also became the catalyst for Aerosmith’s second golden era during a time when the band was in a slump.
The beat that transcends the boundaries between rock and dance music is so distinctive that once you hear it, you can’t forget it.
Rock and Roll | Led Zeppelin
Included on the fourth album by Led Zeppelin, a rock band said to have total sales of 300 million records.
This album is also Led Zeppelin’s best-selling release, and one of their signature songs, “Rock and Roll,” is a track where you can fully savor Bonzo’s rolling, surging drumming.
Even the intro is distinctive, and the way it initially sounds like an odd time signature makes it all the more badass, don’t you think?
We’re the American band | Grand Funk Railroad
One more song—I’d like to introduce “We’re an American Band” by Grand Funk Railroad from classic rock.
At the 2000 Modern Drummer Festival, the drum performance of “We’re an American Band” by Grand Funk Railroad’s drummer Don Brewer—with his commentary—can only be described as downright cool, don’t you think?
That's a drum intro for the history books.
Among younger musicians these days, I get the feeling that not many people know Grand Funk Railroad.
Would you like to give it a listen?
Rock with you | Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, as you know.
It's unfortunate that he passed away so young, but this 'Rock with You' is included on the 'Off the Wall' album, produced by Quincy Jones.
And the drummer on this track is the legendary session drummer, John Robinson.
The drum pickup phrase in the intro seems to be one of the most memorable in John Robinson’s career, and I’ve heard he even has the notation for this phrase printed on the back of his business card.
Personally, it’s my dream to exchange business cards with them (lol).
To those concerned, if you're watching, thank you in advance (lol).
Squib Cakes | Tower of Power
I’ll deliberately make the final song Tower of Power’s “Squib Cakes.”
Many younger people might not know about it.
Tower of Power made a name for themselves as a West Coast funk band active in the 1970s, and their drummer David Garibaldi is a pioneer of technical yet funky drumming that expanded the possibilities of the drum set.
He’s famous as one of the drummers who had a strong influence on Akira Jimbo, and for a snare technique that makes it sound as if there are two hi-hats.
One song that really showcases Garibaldi’s cool playing, “Squib Cakes,” features a drum intro that sounds simple but is actually complex, with a deliberately placed open hi-hat on the downbeat.
If you’d like, please give it a try once.
In conclusion
So, how were those five songs?
Songs that are loved by everyone have an appealing beat, don't they?
Complex techniques are cool too, but the very best drummers might be the ones who can move people’s hearts in the first bar.