Total Drummer

The When the Levee Breaks drum part is famous for several reasons. Firstly it's a classic Led Zeppelin track with a power that is hard to match. Secondly it has a signature drum sound from John Bonham which is hard to match. Thirdly it's an awesome drum part that is huge fun to play and not many drummers have avoided putting this record on, shutting their eyes and drumming along whilst pretending they are in Led zeppelin!

When the Levee Breaks Drum sheet music in full.

That's why we have notated the full When the Levee Breaks drum part note for note. You can download it below and start learning it.

When you get it you might look at the music and listen to the track and say, "Hey, this isn't the right When the Levee Breaks drum part!" But it is. The sheet music below is exactly what John Bonham played note for note.

The reason for the confusion and that the When the Levee Breaks drum part is so contested is an amazing combination of luck and skill when recording the drum part. Here they used the natural sound from the space in which it was recorded as well as applying some echo mechanically. The end result is the illusion of extra notes being played by Bonham on the drums.

So below is the exact When the Levee Breaks drum part full transcribed and notated as it was played.

If you want to learn more about the recording technique for this song and a cool way to play it live to replicate the recorded sound you might like to check out how to play when the levee breaks.

Otherwise download the sheet music above.