Beatles-What Goes On-Ringo

Hey drummers,

So you know the song What Goes On by The Beatles with good ol Ringo singing, right?

Seems like a simple song, but I find it quite hard to play.

I am basically a beginner, and so I'm wondering a few of things.

I'm curious if this song would be quite easy for all you non-beginners. It's a pretty fast shuffle. 97 bpm, or 194 really, depending on how you count it. Ringo does a "simple" shuffle on the hihat, but at that tempo I find it a killer to keep up...the top of my forearm starts killing. So either my technique is wrong or I need to build it up I guess. What sort of technique would you use? I think Ringo played with thumbs up and he called himself a swing drummer...what sort of technique do swing drummers generally use?

And then the kick pattern is a shuffle (boom pa boom-boom pa baboom pa boom-boom pa baboom....etc), and Ringo basically just plays the pattern solid through the whole song without really any change.

I don't think The Beatles ever played that song live, but I found a couple of live performances from Ringo in more recent times, and I noticed that when he played, he cut the hihat pattern in half and played the kick just 1 and 3 I believe. But in another performance where a different guy played drums (I forget who right now) and Ringo just sang, the drummer did the hihat pattern right, and it looked pretty darn easy for him.

Thanks for any tips!

If you count snares on 2 & 4 - as most pop/rock songs would be - then it's 194.

Fast anything requires good wrist & finger technique. No real secret, just the necessary looseness so that you're not trying to play every stroke with full arm/wrist motion.

Bermuda

bermuda said:

If you count snares on 2 & 4 - as most pop/rock songs would be - then it's 194.

Fast anything requires good wrist & finger technique. No real secret, just the necessary looseness so that you're not trying to play every stroke with full arm/wrist motion.

Bermuda

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Could you maybe point me to a video tutorial that shows that? I've seen various videos and it seems there are a few different ways to go. Moehler with your palm down, or more a french style, etc. I suppose they are variations on the same basic concept? I'd like to be sort of sure I'm getting it somewhat right as I practice.

I suppose trying to teach myself is somewhat idiotic, but apparently Ringo did that!

Thanks!

So it's the ride cymbal action that is killing you? Cause you are trying too hard. I know the Ringo song is a lot faster shuffle but I found this that might help with the general country shuffle ride action. See he isn't killing himself and could easily play a faster tempo on ride. Hope this might help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhRYXpwrGzA

At that tempo, I wouldn’t worry about playing ALL of the swung eighths of the shuffle on the high hat. Quite likely, you’ll end up sounding stiff.

Instead, at that tempo, it’ll flow better if you play some skip notes, with a swing rhythm on the hats (still with the bass/snare “boom tack” over top) the way Gregg Bissonette does on the same tune live with Ringo’s All-Star Band. (Do a quick search and check it out on YouTube). EDIT: I just re-watched the Bissonette clip and he actually is playing ALL of the eighths; still, you could certainly play the groove with a (rh) swing rhythm on the hats.

If you’re learning tunes/gigging you always need to try to be authentic to the tune or style, BUT just as importantly don’t underestimate the need to make sure what you play sounds and feels good, and that your patterns can be learned relatively quickly and executed smoothly.

T.L. said:

At that tempo, I wouldn’t worry about playing ALL of the swung eighths of the shuffle on the high hat. Quite likely, you’ll end up sounding stiff.

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I tend to agree.

The only thing that is difficult about this cymbal hand pattern is unfamiliarity and inexperience. In and of itself, the shuffle isn't hard......only the tempo due to not having built up the required muscle strength and dexterity to continue that pattern throughout the song. That's merely a conditioning issue (i.e practice) rather than anything wrong with your fundamental approach.

As T.L says, maybe try playing a basic jazz spang-a-lang pattern for a bit. Eventually your wrist and forearm muscles will build up the required speed and endurance. Until then, drop a note and play a "jazz" pattern. Add the rest as you gain strength, dexterity and endurance.

What Jules said. Practice.

Maybe practice the shuffle ride pattern and when you feel fatigued, drop it back to the jazz ride pattern. When you are rested up enough, go back to the shuffle pattern. If you REALLY want to test yourself, shuffle with your weak hand too, on the snare. And put an accent on 2 & 4 with your weak hand. Absolutely killer hand conditioner. You could shuffle the bass drum too, but only start with what you can pull off without crazy effort. Focus on the hands first.

I used to practice to the point of muscle fatigue then kept playing through the pain. Works for me, but maybe not everyone would suggest that. IMO there is good pain from working your muscles properly and bad pain from improper technique. I would take as much of the good pain as I could. Eventually I got my shuffle built up, even with my weak hand.

If you go to Youtube, there are a few versions besides the Beatles of the song showing different patterns, one is Ringo's All Starr Band, with Greg Bisonette pretty much just playing straight 4