“Purple Rain” was one of Prince’s biggest hits, often bringing audiences to tears when the artist performed it in concert. Not only was it one of the finest power ballads to emerge from the ’80s—an era rife with the song format—but it was also the final song Prince ever performed. With Bobby Z. behind the kit, the synthetic drum and percussion parts combine to make the music feel larger than life. Learn the story of the song and how to play its signature groove.
Birth of a Revolution
While Bobby Z. (born Robert B. Rivkin) wasn’t Prince’s first drummer, he was arguably one of the most important. He met Prince through working with Owen Husney, who discovered the wildly talented artist.
Eventually, Prince was adamant about having a white drummer in his backing band, pushing for racial diversity in his shows. This led to Bobby Z. joining The Revolution and recording two studio albums with the group as a backing band for the iconic singer. Fast forward a decade, and Bobby Z.’s drum sound became integral to Prince’s music.
Hybrid Pioneer
Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Prince leaned heavily into electronic sounds within his music, and the drum parts reflected this direction. As a result, Bobby Z. began to morph his drumming style to incorporate one-shots and samples. This stylistic transition made him one of the first drummers to push the concept of hybrid drumming, an approach that is de rigueur in the current drumming climate. One of the elements of Bobby Z.’s playing that differentiated him from his peers was his ability to translate the force and power of acoustic drums into the music.
During his tenure with The Revolution, Bobby Z. tracked drums for Controversy and 1999, two landmark Prince albums. He also performed at the landmark 1983 benefit concert that included three tracks which landed in the film Purple Rain. Culled from the movie’s soundtrack album, “Purple Rain” was an immensely successful song for Prince. The ballad reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and became both an ’80s touchstone and a breakthrough moment for the purple powerhouse.
"The ballad reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and became both an ’80s touchstone and a breakthrough moment for the purple powerhouse."
Simple But Effective
The intro drum part to “Purple Rain” is a powerfully precise piece of percussive magic—simple yet immensely effective. Bobby Z. played a single snare drum note on beat two of the bar before coming in with a solid groove. That snare drum sets the scene for the entire song, as we hear the same synthetic snare sound on beats two and four of every single measure.
To truly capture the effect, play the fill boldly and confidently before bringing it down for the groove. If you’ve ever watched later live videos of “Purple Rain,” you’ll often notice the drummers playing busier versions of this fill. However, nothing compares to the original snare shot in the recording.
"The biggest challenge of 'Purple Rain' is playing the main groove while maintaining a consistent backbeat between the snare drum and bass drum."
Gargantuan Groove
The biggest challenge of “Purple Rain” is playing the main groove while maintaining a consistent backbeat between the snare drum and bass drum. For most of the song, bass drum notes occur on beats one and three, and snare drum notes occur on beats two and four. You’ll then play hi-hat rhythms on top of that to tighten things up a bit.
The hi-hat part is where we add a few changes. During some measures, Bobby Z. plays a full range of sixteenth notes. In others, he switches between eighth and sixteenth notes. The final piece of the puzzle is to play an open hi-hat on the “a” count of beat four. That pattern repeats often throughout the tune, leading into the next bar really nicely.
Two Extra Beats
The part just before the chorus kicks in could easily confuse a drummer while learning “Purple Rain.” Prince fits in a 6/4 bar just before shifting to the chorus, an intriguing compositional choice. In that 6/4 bar, play the identical backbeat pattern as before. You’re simply going to add another bass drum on beat five and a snare drum on beat six. You’ll also play a group of three hi-hat notes on top of that final snare drum.
That gets followed by another 4/4 bar that includes a drum fill. The bar starts with a crash cymbal and kick drum played together. You then leave a space until playing the snare drum on the “and” count of beat three. Finally, there’s a short phrase played around the drums to lead into the chorus on a high note. That phrase goes from snare drum to rack tom to floor tom. Listen carefully, and you’ll hear Bobby Z. playing a hi-hat with his foot between the rack tom and floor tom.
"Listen carefully, and you’ll hear Bobby Z. playing a hi-hat with his foot between the rack tom and floor tom."
The Solo and the Sound
The final unique drum part comes in with the guitar solo. You’ll play similar patterns to the verse and chorus grooves, but your hand should move smoothly from the hi-hat to the ride cymbal. In addition, press your hi-hat pedal down on beats two and four of every bar. This will keep time while adding vigor to the overall sound.
As mentioned earlier, the snare drum is the main thing that you hear throughout this tune. To achieve the same sound as Bobby Z., it’s important to play the hi-hat very lightly.
While the drum part has mostly sixteenth notes written out, it’s critical to execute them so listeners hear them more as eighth notes, especially in the later parts of the song. Be careful not to rush. “Purple Rain” is a powerhouse song with an intense musical build to the end, but you need to keep it locked so that the ferocious climb remains as steady as possible.
How to Play "Purple Rain"
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"Lunar Piper" Kit for TD-17 and TD-27
Iconic songwriter, producer, and performer Prince was backed by drummer Bobby Z. on the album Purple Rain from 1984. The powerful hybrid sound of the title track—recorded live on stage with a combination of electronic and acoustic drums—is faithfully recreated with this kit.
