Drum Lesson: How To Play Jimi Hendrix's "Manic Depression" On Drums

Get Your Free DRUM! Mag Pack ► pro.drummagazi... DRUM! Founding Editor Andy Doerschuk shows how to play the late great Mitch Mitchell's "Manic Depression" from the album "Are You Experienced" (Jimi Hendrix).

[@jnlhansonian]

"manic experience" from the album "are you depression?"

[@jonasmareco2649]

JAKAJAJAJAJAJJAJA

[@FawleyJude]

Mitch said that he got this beat from a tune called "African Waltz" by Johnny Dankworth. The drummer was Ronny Stephenson. There's a beat similar to this only in 4/4, played by Clive Bunker on Jethro Tull's "Nothing's Easy". During Hendrix's solo, Mitch keeps the same rhythm going but instead of two beats on the snare and two on the high tom, he plays one on the snare, one on the high tom, and two on the floor tom.

[@frankrichards3089]

Cool!!

[@itz_Max_yall]

Hey, Mitch Mitchell didn't have any difficulty playing that groove. Mitch Mitchell was a god and a legend.

[@teetomthomas]

Spot on. Three giants. And Mitch one of the most original players of his generation.

[@asagraphics247]

Mitch Mitchell was a great drummer! Talk about innovation, here you have it. What a perfect name Mitch Mitchell had or was that his stage name. I'd like to know! A music teacher I had showed me a trick for stage names at a gig. It was hilarious. He asked what was your first pet's name and then what was your mother's maiden name. We went in a circle. Smokey Bones, Sherry Sherret, Peppi Genus (as a drummer that was perfect for me). One guy remained silent as his face turned red. He reluctantly answered Fluffy Florentine. We all laughed historically, even he did!

[@lieutenant_dan27lt.d45]

Normies: NIEL PEART Me: Laughs in Mitch Mitchell.

[@thomasslinger287]

I am 65 & bought my 1st set in 1969 using a $7/week paper route = $640 set of Rodgers ghost foot pedal. Fire I got nailed down and about 60% of Manic so TY SO MUCH. I still have a double bass Ludwig set with every bell and whistle.

[@lovemakin42]

MM is playing a shuffle on the ride alternating between its different tones. He drops the last beat of the shuffle when he plays a the double stroke on the tom.

[@brazenbeat]

My older brother saw the Jimi Hendrix Experience Live during their first tours because he worked at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco and other venues in New York during the mid 1960s into the 70s, and he told me Mitch Mitchell played this drum part (The one that you are showing on a Single Bass drum)actually on 2 Bass Drums like Ginger Baker-.I personally asked Mitch Mitchell when he played with Randy Hansen in 1985 about it also, and he confirmed that yes it is 2 Bass Drums on the song.

[@edwhite7475]

Even in the studio? How much difference does it make? I know that sounds like a stupid question...but im a beginner on this stuff- Im gonna go listen to Mitches inspiration for the song now. I love 3/4 time, and Mitch is a hero of mine for 50 Years.

[@monkface]

Can you imagine Hendrix coming and saying hey, here's a song I came up, and then hearing Mitch play this?! Fantastic.

[@michyrodriguez9433]

Love the drums on this song

[@BxCortez2050]

This is my al time favorite groove i practice it all the time

[@zdresser]

The whole shuffle-like feel of this song is hammered home on the ride cymbal, you're totally missing it

[@richp4449]

Nice job. Good demo.

[@jgfunk]

Mitch f'ing Mitchell on this song...what a groove.

[@kennopalus]

In the words of Robbie Krieger , people don't understand what that song meant at that time , the drum beat and guitar so was out of this world . That single song pushed to blues to it's limits , it was the spring board for metal and hard rock .

[@cnftnf]

Amazing

[@AL19030]

nice sounding drum set

[@peterbarns9438]

When I listen I still get chills up and down my spine. Like Cream's live rendition of Spoonful at the Fillmore West. Mitch was one of the few who held his sticks in the traditional way. Up From The Skies is another of my favorites. Beautiful brush work and cymbals.

[@richardgification]

Good Explanation and playing.

[@MrHartApart]

For a drummer who, stupidly I know, has only done 4/4.. and now my band wants to cover this with me having tonight and after the work day tomorrow to learn it.. this is hard to force my limbs not to revert to straight 4/4.. thank you for the breakdown..

[@snakefinger]

Manic Experience ?.....the remix. ✨✨✨👌🏼 this really reminded me how great Mitch is. Great Stuff, Dude ! 🔊✨✨✨😌

[@davidsholem]

loosen up man, you're very tight!

[@ptofview]

0:28, "Manic Experience"? WTF?

[@quentongilliam5803]

That's amazing!

[@mikesivo3924]

awesome thanks ... Great riffs

[@FasterToTheEnd]

The ride pattern is off. You're leaving out a lot of notes that make this drum piece even more complex.

[@nickknirk]

Nice sounding drums

[@adzug]

great job !

[@leocomerford]

Mitchell himself acknowledged that this groove was taken from John Dankworth's version of "African Waltz", with Ronnie Stephenson on drums: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXjZmHt7jcxkfdk .

[@vaughanhemara3648]

20 years on and the lesson is still sound ...cheers

[@Exhume2Consume]

finally videos! thanks guys! you should advertise your youtube on you website so you can get alot of traffic on here.

[@jazzfusionsoul]

I am an impatient person and best way for you to get me intrested on your video is to just play it ...and then explain it with the whole breakdown,otherwise I'd be cliking on to the next one ( BTW Great Drumming)

[@josephmilia9533]

Fantastic video. Great teacher how ever on pulses 2 3 5 and 6 the bell is hit. At least from what i see in most transcriptions. other than good video keep at it

[@itsjjp]

Also, I don't think Mitch held back in the verses. Again, I think there's a bit more going on with the ride & crashes than Andy perceives. Also, I think Mitch fully intended to play it a little more subdued and build it up. I agree 100% that Mitch rarely if ever played a song the same way twice and all musicians should embrace improv. The more you do, the better you'll be. I also really liked how Andy described the tension created at the end by essentially abandoning the waltz.

[@IMSWM]

Completely agree! This vaguely surrounds the basic ride, but misses some key elements, IMHO. Very disappointing an editor of a drum mag would get this so wrong.

[@maxwelld1961]

I just think it's cool you can get an outline here.Ther'es some great covers of this,and some not so.But everything you can take something away from and make it your own,.....well that's really what it's about.

[@GustavoMVillar]

Hey, great drum lesson love this channel and this lessons are your cymbals Armand Zildjian? thanks and great work

[@stevenjazz6959]

nothing unusual about Mitch's time on this tune. Its a straight up Jazz Swing in 3 pattern.

[@TonyDeanDrums]

for "rock"

[@homoerectussemenallyretent6638]

I was getting a rush waiting for the intro.

[@dalyplanet70]

thanks as much for the excellent interpretation of the song as well as for inspiring the second guessing dorks to go into a note for note tailspin haha

[@tophatjohnny]

Just an obsevation, your right foot freezes when you were going into the fills at the end. Mitch kept the right foot working while the hands were busy. Again, just an observation, and not a cut as you stated, you are not doing Mitch lick for lick, as he seldom did either. That was the problem with the drum induced scene of the day. Thanks for posting the main basic beat for the song. I like to double up on the kick and really add excitement this grove whenever I play it. Peace

[@LONEEAGLE_space_rock]

Jimi Hendrix Experience

[@bobdudeface570]

I thought the right hand was swinging while the left was playing a waltz.

[@buzonperiodista]

@mapexmanadam Which part?

[@bedaziochannel]

Mitch was influenced by Elvin Jones (John Coltrane's classic quartet)

[@itsjjp]

@stevefty - Right-on man. Andy is a solid drummer and offers some good insight into Mitch and the tune, but fell short in a few ways. He really missed the beautiful randomness and to some degree complexity of the ride playing. It's absolutely not all 1/4 notes. There's one-a-two-threes and one-a-two-a-threes -plus lots of crash hits -really gets a nice wall of cymbal sound much like Keith Moon and you don't get that off one cymbal (sure you can to some extent by striking it every which way).

[@neilmoneymaker4875]

This guy can pull off an open sticking of the buzz roll and some other shit. But, he's all fucked up on Mitch Mitchell's drum part on this particular song.

[@lieutenant_dan27lt.d45]

Manic Experience.....a flub yet also accurate

[@medikate8277]

sounds like a bunch of Racket to me but still cool. cool video

[@mapexmanadam]

the ride pattern is wrong dude !!

[@ryanwest8058]

It supposed to have the middle bell part

[@fsakework]

this is not right .. the ride pattern does not copy the bas drum...

[@buzonperiodista]

iT IS, BELIEVE THE GUY

[@jacksdrums1]

the ride is correct in 3/4

[@overdriven56]

I agree there is less bass drum on the original; just one on beat 1.

[@fsakework]

The ride pattern follows the guitar pattern.. also.. I will not beleive this guy I will believe my ears thanks

[@JoeDrumma]

+D .Foote I just gave it a refresher listen. While there are some occasional shuffle feels on the ride, it's a very strong quarter note feel. it sounds like he's pretty much hitting the bell for quarter notes through most of it.

[@Cjzdrums]

sounds good dude, thanks !! way to many mean spirit's.... i keep forgetting everyone is a exact professional. sheeeesh unreal 🙄

[@jeffdowler9130]

do not stop the groove. the flash has to keep with the quarter note on the bass drum. When the bass drum stops the beat during the flash you've lost the groove. If its on the record or not. Even Mitch is not perfect. And if he miss it I'm sure he was aware of it.

[@ambroulard]

YOu're simply wrong--- in fact he always used a lot of double strokes and diddle combinations ---- the idea that he used "fast singles" to achieve his effects is preposterous and just underscores the fact that you 1. are a beginner or 2. and much worse, have BAD ears.

[@raymondkitchen6137]

I stopped watching the second he called it "Manic Experience". If you want to see someone actually NAIL IT, watch JacobDrummer1970. He's about 19 and plays it spot on; doesn't miss a note.

[@jimpettit7869]

Jacob drummer 1970

[@kevinsloan5570]

The ONLY one who plays it the REAL WAY is Chris Layton , formerly of SRV's Double Trouble . Its on reverb , check it out for yourself . Mitch showed him how to play it and NO ONE is even close !!!

[@raymondkitchen6137]

No, he's not. You can hear he's not. Listen to Hendrix', then listen to him in that video and he's not playing it the "REAL WAY".

[@raymondkitchen6137]

Also, Layton ISN'T playing it the real way. Mitchell only used ONE rack tom from '66 up through late '68. It wasn't til around the beginning of '69 that he began using two rack toms; two years after Manic Depression was recorded. Plus, one only has to listen to the original to hear that he plays the main groove with only one rack tom and the snare. So, no; Layton does not play it the "REAL WAY".

[@andreworozco4479]

Shocking , he is a human being and not a robot that makes mistakes.

[@ambroulard]

Manic Experience??

[@rhettco52]

less talk more rock

[@RangerMoose7]

Who in the world decided to put that white splatter in the intro?

[@tariksba]

next time : if 6 was 9 .

[@theonlyantony]

Hmm. The groove wasn't challenging for Mitch, because he wrote the groove

[@danicrazyfingers]

I don't know if it was challenging for him, but that's clearly no reason to conclude that.

[@donaldadams4826]

theonlyantony ..is correct! Everyone's grove is not the same. What comes easy for you may not be for other drummers..unless you one of tic tok mechanical drummers who usually take the feel right the fuck out of the song. Play by feel not tic fucking tok!!! Eventually your muscle memory will take over and you will feel the groove comfortably. OHHH you mean was it challenging for Mitch? Oh course it was fuck wit danicrazyfingers!!!.

[@GoldStandardIsALie]

ADD and youtube, 4srsly. Take a soma and just watch the video, y'all.

[@croninluke7708]

@RangerMoose7 hahaha

[@misterbracks]

cant hear you dude, distracting traffic noise, choose a better location for your vid

[@lieutenant_dan27lt.d45]

Ride Cymbal? Nah Bruh, RUDE cymbal.

[@666olivierhell]

lol cool im the 666th viewer :)

[@MM-tt3np]

drumlesson or just a show off?

[@roberthanjian9044]

It’s a lesson you knob