Now You’ve Got Something to Die For is one of Lamb of God’s most well known songs. They play it at practically every show and festival they visit around the world.

A technically demanding song that many drummers struggle with, I decided to record the song through in its entirety, giving the best possible camera angles for key parts of the drum track. Chris Adler has an enormous kit but somehow never seems to neglect a single cymbal. He uses each only when appropriate of course, though I’d imagine he’s often spoilt for choice with 5 splash cymbals and around 8 crashes.

I’ve shot the majority of the song from the overhead perspective using a wide angle lens, so the entire kit is sure to be in shot and you’ll never miss a beat!

Due to copyright restrictions, I cannot dub the song over the drum track. However, you are more than welcome to watch the song on YouTube for a quick reminder on the melody. I’d also recommend checking out Chris Adler’s performance for Modern Drummer.

Be sure to check out the tutorial for a detailed breakdown of the most complicated parts of the song.

When reading drum notation, these lighter notes are shown on the stave with a small diagonal line going through them, from the bottom left to the top right. This shows that they have no time value and should be played as close to the main note as possible. They are played a lot softer than the main note, enhancing the main beat.

The flam is difficult to execute and requires a lot of practice. In a left hand flam the left hand comes down slightly after the right, whilst in a right hand flam the right hand comes down immediately after the left.

Flams are great for thickening the main beat and providing flair and variation.

Once built up to speed, the double (RR or LL) requires complete control over the bounce of the stick. Using the fingers to guide the stick’s rebound will become more important at faster tempos. The single paradiddle should be practised everyday as it lays the foundations for much more complicated rudiments you will need to learn in the future.

The pattern is very simple; right, left, right, left, right, left. I would advise you to practise the single stroke roll to a metronome and bump the bpm up 2 beats or so when you are quite confident with the speed you are playing at.

The single stroke roll is excellent for improving balance, stamina, strength and speed. The most important aspect to focus on is stick technique. Holding the sticks wrong or using only the arm could become a dangerous habit. The single stroke roll requires the wrist and fingers to do most the work. This way, drummers will build up their speed and endurance.