Another sleepy post this week. I don’t have much to add about this tune; I just wanted to get my interpretation down on paper, since (surprisingly) there aren’t many transcriptions of this solo out there.
The first one I found is close, but the hertas are written as 16th-note sextuplets, which doesn’t feel right to me at all (unless you execute a tempo change, which isn’t written in).
This one is written in double-time for no discernible reason. I also have no idea what’s going on with that first triplet.
The best one I found is from Robert Litten over at DrumsTheWorld.com, although the tempo marking is too fast, a few subdivisions toward the end sound off, and I don’t hear any swing on the record. Also, I can’t find the sheet music on the actual website, only on Pinterest, which makes me wonder if it’s a bootleg, so to speak.
The only analysis I have to share is that if you’re familiar with John Bonham, then the two main licks in this solo should be recognizable: hertas and hand-to-foot triplets. Interestingly, the triplets sound like they’re played RLK, instead of Bonham’s usual left-hand lead (LRK).
As a bonus, I did the intro of the tune, since it still causes confusion amongst drummers to this day. I also included four bars of the groove before the solo because… why not?
The main riff is at 180, but the solo is somewhere around 125, give or take; the pulse is pretty loosey-goosey, and I prioritized the feel of how Bonham likely counted it over precise metronomic subdivisions.
The story of this track is that the whole number began as an impromptu jam. If you listen closely, you can hear the reverb on Plant’s final lyric die-off rather abruptly. My guess is that the drum solo was spliced in at some point.
