How to Use Song Structure as a Drummer

Generally there are 2 to 3 basic melodies of a song: verse, chorus and bridge. Song structure is the way a song is broken down into melodies. Some songs are structured as verse-chorus, verse-chorus. Other songs have a bridge or no chorus. Song structure is important to drummers because if you understand the structure, style and tempo of the song, you can play any song.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Recognize the verses. Verses are played on the snare, hi-hat and bass drum. In the verses, the drummer holds the tempo to keep the song at the same pace. All melodies and tempos of the verses are usually the same. Some drummers add a crash cymbal at the end of a verse if the song is fast-paced.

2. Play the transition from verse to chorus. During a transition the drummer moves from the snare to the toms and from the hi-hat to the ride cymbal. This transition allows a short lead into a chorus.

3. Identify the chorus. Choruses are played on snare, toms, ride and crash cymbals. The tempo of the chorus may vary slightly from the verse.

4. Understand that a bridge is a vocal break in a song. Usually the bridge is after a chorus and leads into another chorus. However, some songs have multiple verses without choruses and a short bridge between 2 verses.