Ty Segall famously said, “You’re not a real drummer until you can play Wipeout.” In this post, you’ll learn how to play Wipeout on drums. And Includes a play-along-backing track without drums and Wipeout drum sheet music pdf (scroll down.)
Ty Segall was exaggerating of course, but learning Wipeout is a huge milestone because it is played so fast. Once you develop this kind of speed, the door will open for you to play a whole variety of drum solos and challenging drum pieces. I could never have dreamed of playing this song properly until I learnt the Moeller Technique.
I will teach you the step by step process that I followed to develop the speed required for this song.
Here’s the problem: most people who try to play fast, end up tensing and constricting their muscles. Unfortunately this means that they never develop enough fluidity and control and the song always sounds stiff. Worse, they develop a repetitive stress injury! I know from experience.
The way to avoid this, and to develop smooth accented rolls is to learn the Moeller Technique.
Let me explain how to use this technique to play Wipeout.
I’ve outlined the steps for you to learn Wipeout on the Drums.
This is the drum pattern for the solo in Wipeout
Wipeout uses a simple drum pattern that is played very fast. It’s played using an accented single stroke roll, like this:
Practise the pattern with your leading hand only
The first step is to practise hands separately. The accents in Wipeout are played with your leading hand only. The pattern in your leading hand is this:
Breakdown the movements using the Moeller Technique
If we look at the accent patterns using Moeller. In the first bar, we’ll use the 2-Note Moeller four times. In the second bar, we’ll use the 3-Note Moeller two times and finally the 2-Note Moeller one more time. 
Practise this pattern slowly
Practise this pattern until it is memorized and pay careful attention to the Moeller motions.Â
Practise with a metronome and practise pad:
Don’t try to play along with the recording just yet! Use the practise pad in order to really take advantage of your sticks rebound and to pay attention to your technique. Use the metronome to make sure you practise slowly at first. Start at 80-100 bpm and then progressively speed things up until you reach the desired speed of 160 bpm.
Bring the other hand back in
The next step is to bring the other hand back in and play the complete pattern. *You can add bass drum to emphasize the accents.
-> Download Wipeout drum sheet music pdf
How to play Wipeout on the Drums with the Moeller Technique:
In order to help you master the Moeller Technique properly, I’ve put together a step-by-step online course that will teach you the technique in a systematic way.
The course includes:
- How to hold your sticks properly in the German Grip, so you can master your fundamentals.
- Over 30 comprehensive and to-the-point video lessons that will allow you to review each exercise until you get them just right.
- Detailed breakdowns of the building blocks that make up the technique, so you can build your skills 1-step-at-a-time without getting lost.
- Clear demonstrations of the important role of each finger and how to use fulcrum so that you can avoid and heal drumming injuries.
- The 3-Note, 4-Note and 2-Note Moeller exercises, which allow you to play any combination of fast accented single strokes.
- Developing hand speed so you can play impressive drum solos, smooth drum fills and rock solid grooves.
- Play fast accented 32nd notes.
- Wipeout by the Surfaris
Moeller Technique Online Course
The course is laid out over a 4 month timeline and includes a detailed practise schedule that will help you understand how much time to spend on each exercise before moving on. Once you’ve mastered the motions that are presented in this course, you’ll be able to apply them to everything you play on the drums such as rudiments, drum beats, fills, solos, etc.
Elijah is a university-educated drummer with extensive experience for both teaching and musical performance. Since completing his Bachelor of Music degree at Concordia University in 2010, he has played music across each province in Canada and in more than 20 countries around the world. For information about private lessons at his studio in Montreal or for lessons on Skype visit: Elijah Drums
