Trailing Triplets – Why Worry – Dire Straits
'Why Worry' is the mid-album ballad on Dire Straits' double-grammy winning album, Brothers in Arms (1985). A shaker/wood-block maintain and color the time through the first two-thirds of the song, before Omar Hakim launches into the dynamic drum part in the concluding instrumental section (starting 6 minutes in).
The most distinctive part of this groove is the use of sextuplets played softly on the snare, simmering beneath the strongly accented notes. This technique infuses the laid-back song with a jazzy looseness that lifts the final section.
The notation can look confusing at first glance, so let’s break down the beat into 3 steps.
Step 1: right hand and bass drum.
Tap an eighth note pulse with your right hand and strongly accent beats 2 and 4.
Step 2: add an off-beat accent with the left hand.
Add a strong accent on the ‘e of beat 3’ with your left hand.
Step 3: add trailing sextuplets with the left hand.
Add two left taps after every eighth note, played with the right hand.
A shaker emphasizing the quarter-note pulse is present throughout the song. You could substitute this for the hi-hat w/foot to mark the pulse.
There are plenty of variations in this section, but after learning the core rhythm you will be able to experiment freely with the concept. Enjoy!
Author
Steve Ley is a professional drummer, teacher, writer and Sheet Music Team Director for Online Drummer. He studied at the Australian National University, graduating with a Diploma of Music specializing in jazz performance.
