Don't Fear the Reaper, Drums, Help!

[MrNazraq]

I started the drums solo career on easy, and now I'm up to hard. Each song is a challenge for me at this point, but I can usually pass it after failing the first time, then practicing for about 20 minutes and trying again.

One song that gets me, though, is "Don't Fear the Reaper." I can get through all the way until around 91-92%, then the... stuff... hits the fan. I've practiced it on a slower speed and can do it just fine.

It's just that when it hits full speed, I can't get my foot to hit the bass that regularly, and that snare in between the 1/8th bass beats gets me every time.

I've tried just skipping that snare and just doing the rest of them, which I can do pretty well, but I still end up failing the song. So, basically, I think I need to learn how to hit that snare and still hit that double bass line.

Does anyone have any advice as to how I should sit? Hold the sticks? Step on the foot pedal? Thanks in advance.

[Dabog666]

Well as regards bass pedal, don't bring the pedal the whole way back to resting position between hits. You only need to lift at a very small amount between hits.

The only other advice I can give is to not do any freeform fill sections until just before this part of the song, so you'll have full star power to pull you through.

Good luck:D

[shoombabi]

You have a few options.

1) Save the overdrive and use it to get through the section
2) Save the overdrive and use the fills to get through the section (don't complete the fills, it'll block out every 2nd or 3rd grouping)
3) Learn the rhythm:

Number 3 is the hardest, and I still have some trouble with it, but I've finally been able to internalize it recently. The trick is, it's pretty much exactly the same as the section you just did (Bl+Bs, Bl+Bs, G+R, Bl) except we're replacing that last Bl with a R in between the Bl+Bs/Bl+Bs and resting where the blue used to be.

Set it up in practice mode, you'll see what I mean.

[MrNazraq]

You have a few options.

1) Save the overdrive and use it to get through the section
2) Save the overdrive and use the fills to get through the section (don't complete the fills, it'll block out every 2nd or 3rd grouping)
3) Learn the rhythm:

Number 3 is the hardest, and I still have some trouble with it, but I've finally been able to internalize it recently. The trick is, it's pretty much exactly the same as the section you just did (Bl+Bs, Bl+Bs, G+R, Bl) except we're replacing that last Bl with a R in between the Bl+Bs/Bl+Bs and resting where the blue used to be.

Set it up in practice mode, you'll see what I mean.

Yeah, I know it would be best if I could just learn the rhythm. Are there any other songs on expert level that do the same thing? I'll try to save the overdrive so I can get to the next tier, then practice the hell out of it later...

[shoombabi]

The first time I passed it was with overdrive fills - now I can pass it fairly consistently, but when I get off track, it's insta-fail for me. It's a shame too, because it's one of my favorite songs otherwise.

As far as other songs later on that have the same pattern, I can't come up with any off the top of my head. Suffice it to say, the techniques you learn later on (and the ones you start to use more and more) will help out with the awkward sections in earlier songs. Then you can go back and get a real score on it.

[Everman]

Man do I remember that part as well. I think that song is why my wrist is still hurting from last weekend.

I had two other people, and I must have failed them out 10 or 11 times. They didn't yell at me tho.

The problem I had was trying to use overdrive for that section. The issue is that there is a guitar solo right before it, so you have this huge empty section, then when the hard part comes, there is no drum fill to engage overdrive. And if you start it before your empty part, it is used up before you get to play.

Very difficult in my opinion. But we eventually made it, and I was soaked with sweat!

[MrNazraq]

Thanks, everyone, for your help! I finally made it through the song (with only 3 stars though), and now I can work on other songs. I had to use my overdrive in the beginning of that really hard part that was like:

.........B....

R..........G

-------B---
R
-------B---

Almost failed out... twice! But was so relieved when I saw that Big Rock Ending!!

[SuperDull]

That third part baffles me to no end...where i just sit there and drool.