Help with Green Day Song? (When I come around)

brunakelly

Junior Member
Hi guys, so I've been trying to get this green day song for a couple of weeks now and no matter how hard I try I can't get anything right. I looked at this sheet music but I don't hear the same beats while playing it versus other youtubers. This is the sheet music http://realdrumcharts.epartnershub.com/When-I-Come-Around-229.aspx

Here is the song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI8SNzOX9NM

I keep trying to count how many times to hit the bass but I keep failing, can someone please let me know? I am so stressed with this and I'm supposed to be playing it on wednesday.
Thank you
 
Who are you playing it with? A band? If so, then concentrate on putting your right foot down with the bass line and making it groove. Spend some time locking in with your bass player, not with a record or backing track. Have him over your house and work on it together.

If you can't keep your foot that busy and make it groove, then drop some of the little sixteenth note flourishes out and just concentrate on the main feel. Nailing the snare's grace note is a bit more crucial to that rhythm.
 
The sheet music you posted is right...

The groove is pretty much a 2 bar phrase that follows the guitar riff.

If you're confused after watching other Youtubers playing it, chances are they're not playing it exactly the way it is on the record and are instead just doing their own thing over the top.


My advice is to concentrate on that repeating 2 bar drum beat: slowly and to a metronome.....singing the guitar riff as you're doing so. If you can sing that guitar part, you should be able to play the groove.





The first half of the first bar is the same as the second half - so even less for you to have to learn!!!
 
Who are you playing it with? A band? If so, then concentrate on putting your right foot down with the bass line and making it groove. Spend some time locking in with your bass player, not with a record or backing track. Have him over your house and work on it together.

If you can't keep your foot that busy and make it groove, then drop some of the little sixteenth note flourishes out and just concentrate on the main feel. Nailing the snare's grace note is a bit more crucial to that rhythm.

Yes, a band! And I'm actually left handed and footed but for a while I've been playing open handed so my left foot is weak now and my right is okay, so I think this song has been pretty hard for any of my feet.

I'll try!
 
The sheet music you posted is right...

The groove is pretty much a 2 bar phrase that follows the guitar riff.

If you're confused after watching other Youtubers playing it, chances are they're not playing it exactly the way it is on the record and are instead just doing their own thing over the top.


My advice is to concentrate on that repeating 2 bar drum beat: slowly and to a metronome.....singing the guitar riff as you're doing so. If you can sing that guitar part, you should be able to play the groove.





The first half of the first bar is the same as the second half - so even less for you to have to learn!!!

When I play the fourth bass note, it always seems off for some reason, and I've been doing it just like the sheet says!
 
That fourth bass drum note should land on the "e" of beat 2 (1e&a2e...) Same with beat 4 as well (3e&a4e...)

If that's what you're playing and it doesn't sound right, it could be your technique throwing off your timing - if your feet aren't quite up to it yet, then this groove can be quite tricky to play!
 
That fourth bass drum note should land on the "e" of beat 2 (1e&a2e...) Same with beat 4 as well (3e&a4e...)

If that's what you're playing and it doesn't sound right, it could be your technique throwing off your timing - if your feet aren't quite up to it yet, then this groove can be quite tricky to play!

It doesn't look like it's ending on the 2, isn't it the 5th bass that's on beat 2?
I uploaded a pic and circled what I'm talking about!
 

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You are counting the 8ths as 16ths?

Shoot, I did count them as 16ths.
My mind is scrambled from all this.

Okay it ends on the 2. But yeah it seems like I'm doing something wrong and like it doesn't belong there when I then hit the hihat and bass right after
 
Hey man, I mean no disrespect, but it sounds like you might not totally be up to this bass drum pattern. What I would do in this situation, is follow the overlying rhythm of the guitar... This is an easier pattern than following the bass closer like the original. You can probably even get away with simplifying more than that in fact.

You're much better off simplifying a bit and nailing it, than going for more and not quite getting it perfect.
 
Just played this song with my 6th grader drum student today in a concert (I was on guitar). She nailed it. Listen to the Song not the drum part. Just follow the other players and hit the accents with them. Make it groove. After that add the specifics a little at a time in the places where you wont screw up the groove for the other players. This can be accomplished in 3-4 rehearsals as a group assuming that at each rehearsal you play the song 2 or 3 times along with the rest of your set. You are doing the right thing by looking at the sheet music and trying to get it note for note but you have to put the overall band sound first over your desire to play the part perfectly. If you cant do it note for note without sacrificing the feel of the overall sound do what fits the feel and keep working on the part. One should bear in mind that Green Day doesn't tend to play their songs the exact same way every night. They change it up slightly like most rock bands do. In short you are sweating this way too much. The part isn't all that difficult but it looks daunting written out. A lot of music is like that. Once your reading chops are better you wont have as much trouble.
 
I'm not sure if this will help you or add gas to the fire. I just recorded this a few days ago for my youtube channel, but I won't have a chance to edit and post it in time to help you. I did a completely accurate transcription you can take a look at - http://redeyepercussion.com/music/WhenIComeAround_GreenDay_redeyepercussion.com.pdf

The original is not a four bar phrase that is repeated. He changes the bass drum part at what seems like random, but the feel is always the same, there are just notes missing some times. I would suggest coming up with a pattern you can repeat and not worrying about the rest. In all cases when the bass drum plays (1_&a), you can skip the middle note and just play (1__a) if you need to.

Good luck.
 
Just played this song with my 6th grader drum student today in a concert (I was on guitar). She nailed it...........

Yep. That's what he wants to hear. "Are you smarter than a 6th grader."....
 
I try to avoid watching covers of other drummers too much unless I seriously can't get something. (Like for example whole lotta love, or Black Dog, they are tricky until you see someone play it then it's like "ahhhh I get it now!).

Something like this song it is more important to get the feel down. But It would be a good exercise for you to slow this with the metronome and learn to play it at different speeds.

On an aside - I really rate Tre Cool as a drummer. Grooves like this are proof that he is underrated - lots of ignorant people just hear the same type of beats on hats and snare and think he isn't up to much good but in fact some of his work is more intricate. The fact he plays what he plays at higher speeds makes it all the imspiring for me at least.
 
As with any instrument, break it down to its basic elements, get proficient with that, then speed up and add to it. You'll have it before too long.
 
I agree that when playing the cover, you don't HAVE to hit EVERY bass beat for the performance to sound good. If, however, you really want to play it exactly as it was recorded, I suggest listening to that link you provided with the bass turned as far down as possible. I just listened to it on my crappy laptop speakers and could clearly hear the "click" of each bass hit.

Good luck!
 
Study the song first before you look at the sheet music..listen carefully..this is a very basic song..before i even had a drum set i could play this..how? By listening carefully to every hit..here the bass drum pattern...then go look at the sheet music and follow the bass drum pattern that is written..hang in there and i promise one day you will look back at this an laugh. Good luck
 
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