Taylor Hawkins

≈ 128 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — the punchy arena backbeat

Primary technique:

Anthemic dynamic build

Also trains:

Crash accents, Melodic fills, Backbeat consistency

Key groove:

A steady, driving groove that grows in intensity across each chorus

Signature fill:

A rising tom fill launching into the huge, open chorus

Transition:

A crash cymbal hit marks each lift from verse to chorus energy

Listen for:

How the same groove feels different in energy from verse to chorus

Training:

Building a convincing dynamic arc across a full song

Challenge:

Play the whole song with a clear, believable energy build to the final chorus

• Intro: Groove enters at moderate energy
• Verse: Controlled groove, restrained dynamics
• Chorus: Full-energy groove with crash accents
• Bridge: Brief pull-back before the final chorus
• Outro: Full energy sustained to the end

≈ 158 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — the punchy arena backbeat

Primary technique:

Full-song dynamic arc

Also trains:

Ghost notes, Fast tempo control, Crash accents

Key groove:

A driving groove that shifts from a hushed, restrained verse to a massive chorus

Signature fill:

A quick snare fill launching the transition into each chorus

Transition:

A dynamic swell rather than a big fill carries the shift into the chorus

Listen for:

How much restraint is used in the verse to make the chorus land harder

Training:

Dynamic control at a fast tempo without rushing

Challenge:

Play the full song's dynamic contrast convincingly at tempo

• Intro: Restrained, hushed groove
• Verse: Ghost notes and light dynamics
• Chorus: Full-volume driving groove
• Bridge: Dynamics pull back again
• Outro: Full energy to the final chord

≈ 168 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — the punchy arena backbeat

Primary technique:

Fast, aggressive drive with tight fills

Also trains:

Endurance, Linear fills, Accent control

Key groove:

A relentless, fast straight-eighth groove pushing the song's aggressive energy

Signature fill:

A rapid tom-and-snare fill bridging the verse into the chorus

Transition:

A quick crash and fill combo launches straight into the loud chorus

Listen for:

How the fills stay tight and clean despite the very fast tempo

Training:

Fast-tempo endurance and clean fill execution

Challenge:

Play the whole song at tempo without any fills losing precision

• Intro: Fast groove enters immediately
• Verse: Driving straight-eighth groove
• Chorus: Full-energy groove with crash accents
• Bridge: Brief breakdown before the final chorus
• Outro: Full-tempo drive to the final hit

≈ 136 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — the punchy arena backbeat

Primary technique:

Tight, radio-friendly groove control

Also trains:

Hi-hat precision, Melodic fills, Dynamic consistency

Key groove:

A clean, tightly controlled groove built for a polished, radio-ready sound

Signature fill:

A short, melodic fill that punctuates each chorus without overplaying

Transition:

A brief hi-hat lift signals the shift from verse to chorus energy

Listen for:

How disciplined the groove and fills stay despite the catchy, upbeat feel

Training:

Consistency and restraint on a tightly controlled groove

Challenge:

Play the whole song with every fill landing exactly the same way each time

• Intro: Clean groove establishes the feel
• Verse: Tight, controlled groove
• Chorus: Slightly fuller dynamics, melodic fill
• Bridge: Groove holds steady through the bridge
• Outro: Groove fades on the same tight feel

≈ 142 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — the punchy arena backbeat

Primary technique:

Syncopated hi-hat work over an anthemic build

Also trains:

Open hi-hat accents, Dynamic build, Groove consistency

Key groove:

A syncopated hi-hat groove layered over a steady, building backbeat

Signature fill:

An open hi-hat accent lifting straight into the anthemic chorus

Transition:

A dynamic swell through the pre-chorus builds directly into the release

Listen for:

How the hi-hat intricacy adds interest without distracting from the build

Training:

Syncopated hi-hat coordination combined with a dynamic build

Challenge:

Play the full song's build with the hi-hat pattern locked precisely

• Intro: Syncopated hi-hat groove establishes the feel
• Verse: Steady groove building in intensity
• Pre-chorus: Open hi-hat accents lifting the energy
• Chorus: Full-energy anthemic groove
• Outro: Energy sustained to the final chord

≈ 152 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — the punchy arena backbeat

Primary technique:

Explosive, driving energy

Also trains:

Linear fills, Four-limb independence, Dynamic contrast

Key groove:

A hard-driving groove alternating between a tense, stripped-back verse and huge chorus

Signature fill:

A dense, explosive fill launching from the quiet verse into the loud chorus

Transition:

A sudden dynamic jolt from near-silence into a wall-of-sound chorus

Listen for:

How abrupt and effective the dynamic jump between sections feels

Training:

Explosive dynamic control and fast recovery between extremes

Challenge:

Play the full song's dynamic jolts without ever losing the tempo

• Intro: Tense, sparse groove
• Verse: Stripped-back groove building tension
• Chorus: Explosive, full-volume groove
• Bridge: Dynamics drop again before the final chorus
• Outro: Full energy to the final hit

≈ 138 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — the punchy arena backbeat

Primary technique:

Huge dynamic arc across a full song

Also trains:

Melodic fills, Crash accents, Restraint

Key groove:

A restrained, patient groove that builds steadily into a massive final chorus

Signature fill:

A melodic tom fill leading into the song's climactic final chorus

Transition:

A long dynamic build through the bridge sets up the massive final release

Listen for:

How much is held back early on to make the ending feel enormous

Training:

Shaping a believable dynamic arc across an entire song

Challenge:

Play the full song's arc from restrained verse to the massive final chorus

• Intro: Restrained groove, patient energy
• Verse: Controlled dynamics building slowly
• Chorus: Fuller groove with melodic fills
• Bridge: Long build toward the climax
• Outro: Massive full-energy final chorus

≈ 150 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — the punchy arena backbeat

Primary technique:

Fast, punchy driving groove

Also trains:

Accent control, Fill placement, Endurance

Key groove:

A fast, punchy straight-eighth groove with a hard-hitting backbeat

Signature fill:

A punchy snare-and-crash fill launching into each chorus

Transition:

A quick crash accent bridges the verse directly into the chorus

Listen for:

How the groove stays punchy and consistent despite the fast tempo

Training:

Maintaining punch and consistency at a fast tempo

Challenge:

Play the whole song keeping every backbeat hit equally powerful

• Intro: Fast groove enters at full energy
• Verse: Punchy, driving groove
• Chorus: Full-energy groove with crash fill
• Bridge: Brief dynamic dip
• Outro: Full energy to the final hit

≈ 120 (building) · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — the punchy arena backbeat

Primary technique:

Slow-building dynamic arc across a long song

Also trains:

Melodic fills, Ghost notes, Patience

Key groove:

A patient, slowly building groove that grows in intensity across a long song form

Signature fill:

A melodic tom-and-cymbal fill marking the song's climactic instrumental section

Transition:

A long, gradual crescendo bridges the quiet opening into the heavier climax

Listen for:

How gradually the energy builds without ever feeling rushed

Training:

Long-form dynamic patience and pacing

Challenge:

Play the full song's build without over-committing to intensity too early

• Intro: Quiet, textured groove
• Verse: Gentle groove building slowly
• Build: Dynamics rising steadily
• Climax: Full-energy groove with melodic fills
• Outro: Energy sustained to the final fade

≈ 178 (double-time chorus feel) · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — the punchy arena backbeat

Primary technique:

Double-time chorus drive with sustained energy

Also trains:

Endurance, Linear fills, Dynamic contrast

Key groove:

A tense half-time verse groove exploding into a driving double-time chorus feel

Signature fill:

A rapid linear fill launching the shift from half-time verse to double-time chorus

Transition:

A sudden tempo-feel doubling propels the song into its huge chorus

Listen for:

How convincingly the feel shifts from half-time to double-time without rushing

Training:

Sustained energy and endurance across contrasting groove feels

Challenge:

Play the whole song's feel shifts cleanly at full tempo without fatigue

• Intro: Tense half-time groove
• Verse: Restrained half-time feel building tension
• Chorus: Explosive double-time driving groove
• Bridge: Return to half-time tension
• Outro: Full double-time energy to the final chord