Transcription: Alkaline Trio – “Sadie”

Here is how this works. I often find myself learning drum parts to songs that other people have written. This can be for my own amusement or out of obligation. Either way, I can get pretty obsessive about learning all the intricate subtleties of a song, as my drum teacher can attest. I rarely find myself satisfied with just learning the basic beat and improvising the rest (not that there is anything wrong with this). So, to help satisfy my compulsions, I’ll sit down in the living room with my laptop and a pair of headphones and watch reruns of Mythbusters while I transcribe the song. The process of writing out each note tends to make me notice things that I would have otherwise missed.

This leaves me with a nice transcription and a better understanding of the song. Sweet. But wouldn’t it be nice if other people could get something out of the time I spent transcribing? I think so too. So here you go.

Without futher ado, I present my first transcription. I’ve gone with Alkaline Trio’s “Sadie.” This is appropriate for a few reasons. First, it’s a great song with some incredible drum parts. Second, it was the first song I learned under the instruction of a drum teacher. In hindsight, this song required WAY more skill than I had at the time. Oh well, it pushed me that much harder. I encourage you to give this song a listen and a try on the drums.

Download Transcription PDF

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