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Lesson time: (11min 12sec)
Stu Roberts analyses the drum part for Stevie Wonder's 'Superstition', from the count-in and pickup to its famous syncopated groove, for Rockschool Drums Grade 6.
This lesson is part of the course Rockschool Drums Grade 6
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Hi, welcome to our lesson on superstition for Grade 6 drums.
The fact is, Grade 6 drums helps us very much with this introduction because we have six beats at the start from the click track before we come in with the pickup.
If you look at that first bar, you can see that it's notated as being 4/4, but actually only has two beats in it. That's because it's a pickup.
So at the start, we're going to have:
1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, ba, ba, ba, ba.
Important: When you're performing this, if you're doing the Rock School exam, make sure you don't come in after four beats with a click because there's no verbal count.
When we get into the groove, we'll focus on swung 16th notes.
Instead of playing one E, a two E and a three and a four, play:
one E and a two E and a three E and a four E.
This gives a swung feeling throughout. It's a little bit loosey goosey, funky, and not overly strict.
When you're going for this type of feel:
There's lots of scope for expression on the chart.
This is a nice chart to look at as a drummer because:
This basically means groove along to the music and have fun!
Keep your ears wide open all the time. When I tracked this, I just played it while looking at the chart, exactly as I would on a gig.
As a drummer, you're often an instrument that accompanies other musicians. Your goal is to:
When improvising, remember:
While some players on Instagram or YouTube might show off with fast, complex drumming, remember:
Key Point: Melody is king! Everything we do as drummers should support the song and its melody.
This arrangement is a bit more rocky than the original Stevie Wonder version.
What you'll notice by isolating the hi-hat is that what you're hearing is a quarter note, but:
What I'm actually playing includes an eighth note underneath, which helps solidify the groove.
In the second bar of rehearsal letter D, there's a recurring ensemble figure: 2/8 notes followed by a quarter note over beats 3 and 4.
As it says in the chart:
I kept playing the groove and used the crash cymbals to highlight that rhythm with the bass drum underneath.
Often, especially in a bigger ensemble, the more simple the drumming is, the more effective and powerful it sounds when recorded.
At the fourth bar of Rehearsal Letter E, there's a 6-sixteenth note fill. This includes a snare drum going up to Tom 1, Tom 2, and then the floor tom.
Play it with strength:
1, 2, Shankadinkadinkading.
Ensure that it's played with intention:
If you look at bars three and four of Rehearsal Letter F, you'll see a two-bar drum fill. My approach:
You can add variations, such as toms or a choke cymbal, to create interest while staying connected to the rhythm of the song.
Around Bar 41, the bass player played a cool ad lib. I added a crash cymbal on beat two to punctuate the moment:
Remember, 95% of the music is not on the page. It's what you hear and the decisions you make based on that.
As grades increase, these drum parts act more as guides than transcriptions.
In the real world:
Considerations:
From Bar 57 onwards, your role is to provide nice time to support the horns.
Even though it says "develop," don't go overboard. It means develop the groove within your context.
When looking at the third bar of rehearsal letter J, you'll encounter a two-bar repeat.
In the final bar, with two diagonal slash marks and the word fill written above, play a fill that fits stylistically.
As you play through this piece, always:
These are my top tips for playing Superstition for Rock School Grade 6.
If it stops being fun, rethink your approach.
Remember: Playing drums is great! Enjoy!
Thanks for watching.
