How To Play Sing, Sing, Sing On Drums
Learn how to play a classic Gene Krupa drum groove
This Is The Sing Sing Sing Drum Beat
Here we will learn how to play Sing, Sing, Sing on drums. This is the drum beat played by Gene Krupa on Benny Goodman’s famous version of the track which was recorded in 1937.
This is a classic of the 1930s big band swing era and is a song loved by drummers because it’s so heavily focussed on the drum groove.
The drums are based on a swung single stroke roll played on the low tom. It creates a brooding, powerful groove that thunders away whilst the hi-hats keep time with the classic 2 and 4 with the foot pedal. We are also feathering the bass drum on the quarter notes so this becomes a four limb independence challenge.
And to add to the challenge, Gene Krupa brought this groove to life with accents on the floor tom to create a syncopated phrasing.
But once you get all the limbs coordinated you will love playing this drum beat. It flows so beautifully and can be a great launch pad to go off into a drum solo.
Watch the video below and then scroll down to grab the sheet music for free.
Click to access the sheet music
Faster Hands in 7 Days FREE Challenge
By clicking below you can gain access to a FREE ‘7 days to faster hands’ drum course that will guarantee to raise your speed by the end or your money back (yes it is free so not the best guarantee ever!). But seriously, it will make a difference in a really short space of time.
But more than trying to create unrealistic miracles in a short space of time, it will also set up long term habits that will help you find your full potential as a drummer long into the future. And that is way more important.
It will show you:
- The fundamental techniques to play at your best level
- How to properly grip the sticks
- How to prepare yourself properly to drum
- How to make the stick do the work so you don’t have to
- How to set your drums up for optimum speed
- How to apply this around the kit
- Exercises to develop control as well as speed
- How to take this on into the future to become awesome!
And more than that you will also get a ton of other great free drum resources to make you a better drummer such as playalong tracks, articles, exclusive video lessons and more. And it’s all free!
Watch the video to get a feel for what the seven day course entails and then scroll down to get the course immediately.
Start today and build your hand speed up
So let’s start the course today. Do it now and begin your 7 day process to get faster hands. This time next week you’ll be enjoying the results and thinking about how you can take it to the next stage (by the way, the course helps with that too as we’ll be checking speed progress over the next 12 months).
If at any time you’re not digging the content, simply unsubscribe. There’s nothing to lose and your details won’t be shared with anyone, nor will you be bombarded with sales type emails. Just great free drum content that I hope provides real value for you.
I would’ve mentioned the song’s original drummer Paul Ferrara and composer Louis Prima and given them credit for this nice mix of New Orleans-style and big band swing. Gene Krupa didn’t actually come up with anything new in Benny Goodman’s cover of this song.
Hey CT, thanks for the feedback. Of course, you are very welcome to do exactly that if you want to write a historical backdrop to this song. This is a lesson showing people the breakdown of the Gene Krupa version which is so well known and loved. I hope you enjoyed it.