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Gregg Bissonette Hears A Drumless Song Once And Plays It Perfectly

Drumeo | September 9, 2025



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If someone throws a new song at you, how quickly can you learn it?

If you want to be a recording or touring session drummer – especially if you don’t have a superhuman memory – being able to read and chart songs could be the difference between getting the gig or being told ‘no thanks’.

In this video, Gregg Bissonette shows us the power of sight reading and transcribing with a song that was chosen for him to learn off the cuff. He’s able to identify sections and get the gist of the track before adding detailed notes.

First, Gregg listens to the song and roughly transcribes a form chart of the structure and identifies key accents and sections (you can write it on paper instead of your floor tom). He listens again and maps out the number and length of the bars. Then Gregg was given the actual chart as a reference, where he added phrase markings.

As a session drummer, it’s important to be able to read and transcribe music so you can learn songs quickly and accurately. In fact, that’s how Gregg landed a gig with David Lee Roth. He has the skills to feel phrase length and repetitions, identify figures and solos, articulate longs and shorts, and identify roadmap signs (like a dal segno or coda). You can develop these skills too!

If you enjoyed this challenge, watch Rashid Williams also learn a song after hearing it just once.

Follow Gregg:
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►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greggdrums/…

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#greggbissonette #drumeo #Learnsongs

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Written by Drumeo

Comments

This post currently has 48 comments.

  2. Anonymous

    September 9, 2025 at 1:29 pm

    This is so true, not a drummer, but being able to quickly transcribe songs to be learned have saved my life several times; once i had to play live replacing another pianist, and was notified like 6 hours before the show, instead of going to the piano right away, I just transcribed the 16 songs I had to play that night, and then sightread it during the show, all amazed of me learning all songs with that short notice… It's a very useful tool. This is actually a very good video will share with some of my friends, no matter what instrument they play

  15. @gcorriveau6864

    September 9, 2025 at 1:29 pm

    Thanks for sharing "the process." When I was a 16 yo highschool weekend gig, cover band drummer, I could just memorize songs from the albums. Now that I'm a 'somewhat' older drummer, playing a wider variety of music with 3 different groups I am learning how to build a Quick Ref. Formchart for songs (i.e. Greg's floor tom chart level here). – I'm kind of surprised that (lo these many years later) there us no "Industry standard" drummer quick form charts (akin to chord charts commonly available for the rest of the band). So, I'm using this excellent demo (and some others) to invent my own. Thanks, Greg/Drumeo, for this help.

  20. @jerrdog5568

    September 9, 2025 at 1:29 pm

    I love watching these masters at work. Greg is clearly legend status. He seems like a guy you'd want to hang with. Him and chad smith need to do a drumeo together. Please!!!

  21. @stevenpurdy2235

    September 9, 2025 at 1:29 pm

    I've been doing this so long, that I can learn a lot of tunes on the fly while listening to them 🥁 and then listening to them again during a self practice session and tweak in my mind to get my drum part as close to the original as possible.

  23. @stone5against1

    September 9, 2025 at 1:29 pm

    Here after watching today's (september 6th 2024) video because apparently this is the very first of the series of "drummer plays to a drum-less track and does what the fuck ever they want)

  40. @paulhookey9074

    September 9, 2025 at 1:29 pm

    Winnie the Pooh on drums!!! amazing drummer, Chad Smith was walking in circles with some of the beats he can play.. The master class with Greg, Chad Smith and Nandi is insane.

  41. @jmvm31

    September 9, 2025 at 1:29 pm

    He surely nailed the groove instantly. It's overall superb. The only thing I'd say is that I feel he gets too busy at times for what of some of the sections need, mainly the solos. Or maybe the ride sound sounds a little too slpashy.

Comments are closed.

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