Uploaded March 2012 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Truly one of the most beautiful and awe inspiring drum parts ever created for what amounts to a 'pop song'. This Vinnie Colaiuta masterpiece is perfect for this Sting song in 5/4.
If anyone is looking for note perfect cover versions, you need to look up either Nick Molenda or drumzz84 on YouTube - my version is FAR inferior to both of them :-) I would also highly recommend Joe Crabtree's video on this for those of you that are struggling to understand the basic verse pattern. I used all three of these guys' videos to help me get to grips with this, and I stand in awe of them all.
I have actually been working on this for a couple of months, in readiness for a charity show I am doing next Saturday - I'll be playing along to some foot tapping favourites in front of an audience, and this will be one of the highlights. I never thought I would get this to the level I have got it, and figured I ought to post a video on here.
I must admit, I am not 100% happy with this recording. It never ceases to amaze me how a camcorder makes me incapable of playing things nice and relaxed - I was pretty frustrated today with trying to get a decent take. It shows - no funny faces today, eh?
I love that Sting told Vinnie that he wanted the listener to be fooled into thinking the song was in 4/4. Those quarter note hi hat accents across the 5 are wonderful, and do exactly what Sting asked. I am pretty sure Sting did not request a few accents in 3 across the 5, or accents in 8 in the second verse (the open hat every other 4), but Vinnie being Vinnie went right ahead and did it! SO COOL! And I bet Sting was high-fiving Vinnie when that outro was recorded :-)
Suffice to say, the verses are tough, the chorus's are tough, the middle 8 is tough and the outro is tough. No, that's an understatement. The whole lot is horrifically tough, right from the opening bar of the first verse, and the outro is just nuts! What has really surprised me is just how hard the chorus's are - I just cannot seem to memorise the fill progressions, and you can REALLY hear that in my video here - lots of incorrect fills in the chorus's :-)
I cannot recommend Nick Molenda's, drumzz84's or Joe Crabtree's videos on this highly enough, if any of you guys are looking to learn this part. However good you may think my video is, I assure you these guys play it PERFECTLY. There are other covers on YouTube, but the more you get into this song, the more you realise that it is only these guys who have it down right :-)
I cannot say that any oner aspect is way harder than any other. It is too easy to say 'the outro is the hardest', but it is more subtle than that. Just getting the basic verse pattern to flow and groove at tempo is hours of practise. You need a good wrist action! Then working the accents in 3 in is really hard. I found the set of 3 after 'Woe is me' really awkward to get head around. The little fill from 1st verse to 1st chorus is way more awkward then it looks. The chorus's all have so much space with fills and accents in unexpected places - this caused me lots of problems, and worst of all, I fail to be able to memorise them. The 2nd verse has the hat opening every other 4th accent - your brain explodes at this point trying to keep track of it all. Then you got to pump out 8s on the bass drum and throw in those three 16s just before big snare hits on 'Perhaps I need a drink'. The fill coming into the 1st chorus I found really hard - again - too much space! The middle 8 is beautiful, but awkward - love the cymbal work.
And then there is the outro. What can I say. Thanks to drumzz84 for his whole video just on THE LICK that ocurs in - sidestick / hat thing at 100 mile per hour. The accents in 3 leading up to that moment are hell. The ride bell thing that wanders across the bar is horrific. The machine gun blasts on toms and splashes are wild. The weird accents on bell are crazy. The shift for two bars in 4/4 is potty...............this whole thing takes A LOT OF WORK!!!!!!
It is interesting to me to watch this back and notice how often I rush a snare hit or fail to play the ride bell sufficiently in time with Vinnie. I just do not have his groove and am struggling to keep relaxed. Nick Molenda and drummz84 put me to shame on this!
I guess I will get some comments about the new drum colours :-) They are drum wraps from PimpCo, based in UK. I love 'em!
I hope you enjoy, and please forgive the inaccuracy in the chorus's. The other inaccuracies are simply my inability to play this Vinnie song properly :-)
I also wish I had turned the original music down a little more - this mix is not one of my better ones. If enough of you comment on this aspect, I will re-post with a different mix.
Truly one of the most beautiful and awe inspiring drum parts ever created for what amounts to a 'pop song'. This Vinnie Colaiuta masterpiece is perfect for this Sting song in 5/4.
If anyone is looking for note perfect cover versions, you need to look up either Nick Molenda or drumzz84 on YouTube - my version is FAR inferior to both of them :-) I would also highly recommend Joe Crabtree's video on this for those of you that are struggling to understand the basic verse pattern. I used all three of these guys' videos to help me get to grips with this, and I stand in awe of them all.
I have actually been working on this for a couple of months, in readiness for a charity show I am doing next Saturday - I'll be playing along to some foot tapping favourites in front of an audience, and this will be one of the highlights. I never thought I would get this to the level I have got it, and figured I ought to post a video on here.
I must admit, I am not 100% happy with this recording. It never ceases to amaze me how a camcorder makes me incapable of playing things nice and relaxed - I was pretty frustrated today with trying to get a decent take. It shows - no funny faces today, eh?
I love that Sting told Vinnie that he wanted the listener to be fooled into thinking the song was in 4/4. Those quarter note hi hat accents across the 5 are wonderful, and do exactly what Sting asked. I am pretty sure Sting did not request a few accents in 3 across the 5, or accents in 8 in the second verse (the open hat every other 4), but Vinnie being Vinnie went right ahead and did it! SO COOL! And I bet Sting was high-fiving Vinnie when that outro was recorded :-)
Suffice to say, the verses are tough, the chorus's are tough, the middle 8 is tough and the outro is tough. No, that's an understatement. The whole lot is horrifically tough, right from the opening bar of the first verse, and the outro is just nuts! What has really surprised me is just how hard the chorus's are - I just cannot seem to memorise the fill progressions, and you can REALLY hear that in my video here - lots of incorrect fills in the chorus's :-)
I cannot recommend Nick Molenda's, drumzz84's or Joe Crabtree's videos on this highly enough, if any of you guys are looking to learn this part. However good you may think my video is, I assure you these guys play it PERFECTLY. There are other covers on YouTube, but the more you get into this song, the more you realise that it is only these guys who have it down right :-)
I cannot say that any oner aspect is way harder than any other. It is too easy to say 'the outro is the hardest', but it is more subtle than that. Just getting the basic verse pattern to flow and groove at tempo is hours of practise. You need a good wrist action! Then working the accents in 3 in is really hard. I found the set of 3 after 'Woe is me' really awkward to get head around. The little fill from 1st verse to 1st chorus is way more awkward then it looks. The chorus's all have so much space with fills and accents in unexpected places - this caused me lots of problems, and worst of all, I fail to be able to memorise them. The 2nd verse has the hat opening every other 4th accent - your brain explodes at this point trying to keep track of it all. Then you got to pump out 8s on the bass drum and throw in those three 16s just before big snare hits on 'Perhaps I need a drink'. The fill coming into the 1st chorus I found really hard - again - too much space! The middle 8 is beautiful, but awkward - love the cymbal work.
And then there is the outro. What can I say. Thanks to drumzz84 for his whole video just on THE LICK that ocurs in - sidestick / hat thing at 100 mile per hour. The accents in 3 leading up to that moment are hell. The ride bell thing that wanders across the bar is horrific. The machine gun blasts on toms and splashes are wild. The weird accents on bell are crazy. The shift for two bars in 4/4 is potty...............this whole thing takes A LOT OF WORK!!!!!!
It is interesting to me to watch this back and notice how often I rush a snare hit or fail to play the ride bell sufficiently in time with Vinnie. I just do not have his groove and am struggling to keep relaxed. Nick Molenda and drummz84 put me to shame on this!
I guess I will get some comments about the new drum colours :-) They are drum wraps from PimpCo, based in UK. I love 'em!
I hope you enjoy, and please forgive the inaccuracy in the chorus's. The other inaccuracies are simply my inability to play this Vinnie song properly :-)
I also wish I had turned the original music down a little more - this mix is not one of my better ones. If enough of you comment on this aspect, I will re-post with a different mix.
