{"id":17846,"date":"2019-09-29T12:04:57","date_gmt":"2019-09-29T19:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/?p=17846"},"modified":"2023-06-27T12:44:34","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T19:44:34","slug":"a-drummers-guide-to-punk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/a-drummers-guide-to-punk\/","title":{"rendered":"A Drummer\u2019s Guide To Punk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is an excerpt from The Drummer’s Toolbox: The Ultimate Guide To Learning 101 Drumming Styles<\/a>. The book goes into even more detail about punk drumming!
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Punk: A brief introduction to the genre<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Punk music is an energetic, no-holds-barred style that has broken a lot of \u2018rules\u2019 since its inception. As rock music developed during the 1970s, punk rock and its associated rebellious subculture began to rise in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Punk is an aggressive style of rock music featuring political lyrical content, fast tempos, short song durations, and minimal instrumentation. You\u2019ll typically hear only one or two electric guitars, a bass guitar, drums, and vocals in a punk song. Because these bands often produced their own music, the production quality of punk rock is typically much lower than other styles of rock music. Take a minute to listen to one pop rock recording, and then compare it to a punk rock recording. You\u2019ll probably hear a drastic difference in production quality between the two songs. Bands like the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, Black Flag, The Clash, and NOFX are some of the most famous names in punk rock music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of punk rock drumming as similar to hard rock drumming, but played much faster. Over the years, this style has become more and more aggressive and extreme (especially when it comes to tempo) and has broken down into further subgenres such as hardcore punk, crust punk, and ska punk. Some of the most recognizable punk rock beats feature snare drum backbeats on every upbeat (or the \u2018and\u2019s), quick doubles played on the bass drum, and \u201csloshy\u201d open hi-hats. Be sure to play every snare drum backbeat as an accented stroke or a rim shot for an authentic punk rock sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"The\n

 <\/p>\n

The Sex Pistols<\/strong>
\u201cNever Mind The Bollocks\u201d<\/em> (1977)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"The\n

 <\/p>\n

The Clash<\/strong>
\u201cThe Clash\u201d<\/em> (1977)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Ramones\n

 <\/p>\n

Ramones<\/strong>
\u201cRamones\u201d<\/em> (1976)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Black\n

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Black Flag<\/strong>
\u201cDamaged\u201d<\/em> (1981)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"NOFX\n

 <\/p>\n

NOFX<\/strong>
\u201cPunk in Drublic\u201d<\/em> (1994)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Rancid\n

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Rancid<\/strong>
\u201cLet\u2019s Go\u201d<\/em> (1994)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Learn Punk Rock Drum Beats<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This groove is played by Brett Reed in the song \u201cSide Kick\u201d by Rancid. This is an iconic punk rock groove that can be heard on tons of punk rock recordings. You can hear this groove in the recording starting at 0:07. (142 BPM)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First, start by playing steady eighth notes on the hi-hats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Next, add in a snare drum backbeat on every upbeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lastly, add in the bass drum part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This famous punk rock groove incorporates sixteenth note doubles on the bass drum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This variation is played with closed hi-hats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here\u2019s an example that incorporates eighth note triplets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Topper Headon performs this groove on the 1978 song \u201cTommy Gun\u201d by The Clash. Notice how the snare drum backbeats are played on every downbeat in this groove (as opposed to being played on every upbeat). You can hear it in the recording at 0:31. (168 BPM)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This example is a variation of the previous groove. You\u2019ll be playing steady eighth notes on your ride cymbal and also adding in another group of doubles on the bass drum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With quick 16th notes on the bass drum being a defining feature of many punk beats, I would recommend checking out this lesson to help you build a faster single kick: