Rock Perspectives A John Bonham Foot Pattern Creative Ideas Based on the “Four Sticks” Ostinato by Powell Randolph Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham is considered by many to be rock’s greatest drummer of all time. He’s definitely one of my favorites, and in this article we’ll focus on a foot pattern that Bonham used often. It’s essentially an alternating pattern between the feet, starting with the left foot on the hi-hat pedal. Start by getting comfortable with the foot pattern by itself. Make sure the hi-hat is played with the same force as the bass drum. Now add some flams on the snare and flat flams on the toms. This next one is a little tricky; it’s like rubbing your belly and tapping your head at the same time. Play alternating 8th notes with your hands (RLRL) over the LRLR foot pattern. Once you have that down, add accents and move […]

June 2015 Issue