When people learn that I’m a drummer, one of the most common questions I’m asked is how I practice to keep my chops up.  Although I don’t have as much free time to practice as I used to, I’ve kept a similar regimen.  I start with 15 minutes of anything: jamming, playing random beats, moving around the set, and getting everything out of my head that I’ve been thinking of.  Once I’m all warmed up, I get to the basic stuff and work on the rudiments, things like snare cadences and syncopation, movement between limbs, and different note patterns.  Once I’m all good with that, I move onto my drum list.

My drum list is a huge compilation playlist that I’ve been building since I’ve started learning the drums.  It’s basically every song that I’ve ever had to learn or perform live, and totals over 100 songs.  Some people may think that it’s easy to get sick of playing the same songs over and over, but repetition is the only way to really perfect a song.  What’s the saying about mastery and 10,000 hours?  Imagine reaching that mindset 4 minutes at a time.

So what I do is that I just toss on the headphones, press random, and see what happens.  Of course, I have some favourites and certain songs that I select to play each time, because those songs are some of the toughest to nail and have some of the coolest beats I know.  Below are some of my favourite songs to practice to.

Since I’ve Been Loving You – Led Zeppelin

During my time in The Crunge, I was able to learn so much from playing to John Bonham.  The guy is a beast and it’s no wonder why he’s always near the top of drummer’s lists everywhere.  Although there are some classic Zep tunes with some amazing drum parts, this song has always been one of my favourites.  It has this wonderful 6/8 time signature that gives it a great feel, and even though the song starts soft, the dynamics throughout the song are off the charts.  This is definitely a song that allows me to practice the feel and emotional changes in a song, and come on, have you heard that guitar solo?  Nasty.

Adam’s Song – Blink 182

Another one of my favourite drummers, Travis Barker, just makes an amazing beat that fits this song so well.  He’s moving around, hitting toms, cymbals, bells, rims, just everything on the set, and produces this amazing pattern that compliments the song so well.  Where another drummer might just be using the usual hi-hat/snare/bass combo to make a beat for the verses, Travis has the creativity and chops to make this one of my favourite drum beats ever.  I could never, ever be able to play at Travis’ level, but I’ve been trying to perfect this one for years.

Song for the Dead – Queens of the Stone Age

Dave Grohl on the drums for QOTSA?  What a combo.  As much as I love my Foo Fighters with Dave up front on the guitar, he’s just something else behind a kit.  Just a hard hitting dude that grooves and knows when to put in a sick fill or crazy pattern into a song.  This song is no different.  Dave starts off the song with a cool drum intro, and right away you know you’re in for a treat.  The songs grooves and has some cool drum parts throughout the song, but the real money maker is the awesome outro.  As they’re speeding through the end, Dave just throws in this crazy triplet pattern between the snare, toms, and bass drum.  When I first heard it, I could have sworn it was a double bass drum.  But watching the live video, you can see it’s all Dave with one bass drum.  Just an animal.  Look at the reaction of the singer at the 6:00 mark of the video, and it says it all.

Geek USA – The Smashing Pumpkins

To be honest, I’ve tried to learn this song so many times and was so discouraged by it.  I would listen to it, try and decipher the drum tab, and just give up on it.  It’s a crazy drum song, with so many great parts, and drum hits that have to be so precise and exact to match up with the other instruments.  But a few months ago, McSon decided to give the song another go, and I sat down to watch videos, listen countless times, and practice sections over and over.  Nowadays, I have to say it’s one of the most fun songs on my list.  Jimmy Chamberlin is an amazingly good drummer, just so technical and plays the perfect part of the song.  As one of the more recent entries into my list, it’s definitely one that I play every time I’m behind the kit.

Everlong – Foo Fighters

Easy pick, it’s my favourite song, it’s got Dave on the drums, and the parts are just so fun.  I’ve played this song hundreds, if not thousands, of times and I still love it.  And the music video is tops!