Black Sabbath · 1971 · drums by Bill Ward
Children of the Grave
From Master of Reality. Advanced · Straight · metal
Tempo
152BPM
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Feel
- Straight
- Tempo band
- 150+
- Difficulty
- Advanced
"Work up to it" opens the tempo trainer at 122 and climbs to 152 in steps of four every eight bars. Members get the climb; everyone gets the click.
What the drums do
A galloping tom pattern under the riff — the drums play a rolling figure on the floor tom and snare rather than a backbeat, and it has to lock with the guitar's gallop. One of the proto-thrash beats.
Advanced: Fast, odd, or both; the part is the reason the song is famous.
Bill Ward
- Read the Bill Ward feature →Who they are, how they play, and what to listen to next.
- Bill Ward's drum rig in the Rig Vault →The kit, snare, cymbals and hardware, era by era — look for the 1971 setup.
- Log the sessionNote the BPM you got it clean at, and next time starts from there.
More Bill Ward songs
Songs at about 152 BPM
Practise these together: one click, several songs.