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Alex Van Halen's Drum Intro on Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher"

(This page was/is referenced as a supplement to the August 2nd Howard Stern Show on HowardStern.com. We received over 5,000 hits in one day from this link.)

Dan Britt Presenting at The New Jersey Music Educators State Conference, 2004

Alex's drum intro in "Hot for Teacher" (on their album 1984) by Van Halen has entertained drummers and non-drummers for years, and has had people intrigued for 2 decades. Not intended to be a comprehensive study on it (esp. since executed on pads), here is the basic structure and breakdown of it. This allows you to dissect and slowly break down the pattern away from the kit first.

(1A) Alex Van Halen - "Hot for Teacher"

Part I - The famous blazing speed intro in the Van Halen song! It's at a Metronome Marking of over 250 Beats Per Minute!

Hear the audio lesson

See the Drum Notation (PDF File)

(1B) Alex Van Halen - "Hot for Teacher"

Part II - The Double Bass Drum Shuffle enters, then a 3-beat phrase tom-tom pattern is repeated 6 times with the left hand. By the way, if you want to check out other double bass drum shuffles, Billy Cobham played one on Quadrant 4 in 1973 on the album Spectrum. Also, Simon Phillips played one on Space Boogie with Jeff Beck in 1980 on the album There and Back. Simon is not only playing a double bass shuffle at 256 beats per minute, but playing it in 7 - and with ghost notes!

Hear the audio lesson

(1C) Alex Van Halen - "Hot for Teacher"

Part III - The final 9 bars of the intro have a more spread out tom pattern

Hear the audio lesson

(2) Alex Van Halen - "Drop Dead Legs" & "I'll Wait" Fills

Some of the fills in these songs.

See the Drum Transcription (PDF File)