If I Knew

This is such a fantastic example of a slow 12/8 groove, and one that I use as an introduction to this often misunderstood time signature. If you haven't played in 12/8 before.... START HERE! From the album Unorthodox Dukebox by Bruno Mars this is a nod to the classic R&B ballads of Smokey Robinson.

You could say this #chartsccription is pretty much a full transcription as I've written out all but two of the fills. I love the simplicity of the drumming. It's perfect for beginner drummers to see how to frame the "hits" in the bridge. Notice the unusual short form of this song, I struggled to know whether to call the middle section a chorus or a bridge, but because it's not repeated and the main melody of the song comes from the verse I decided to label the form verse, verse, bridge, verse. “Tacet" is Latin for "it is silent”, so don't play for the third verse.

Bars 13 and 14 add a swung 16th note to the groove, very common for this type of song. And listen to how the drummer essentially moves the hi-hat part to the low tom in bar 15. A lovely building effect. 

See if you can work out what the drummer plays in bar 6 the first and second time. It's a good starting point to get transcribing yourself and shouldn't be too difficult.

Until next time, enjoy!