Hold The Line - Toto (Drum Cover Revisited)

Two days of partially blocked songs in a row! This is a hard track to nail Jeff’s incredible drum parts. I tried to get the section grooves right and lock in with one Jeff’s most classic drum parts. By the way this one was a request by my grandson, Asher! I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for watching! “Hold the Line" is a song by American rock band Toto from their 1978 eponymous debut studio album. Written by the band's keyboardist David Paich, the lead vocals on the song were performed by Bobby Kimball. "Hold the Line" was released as the band's debut single and lead single from the Toto album in September 1978, by Columbia Records. It became an international hit for the band, reaching number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100[2] and number 14 on the UK Singles Chart. Content Jeff Porcaro, the band's drummer, gave a definition for the song: "Hold the Line" was a perfect example of what people will describe as your heavy metal chord guitar licks, your great triplet A-notes on the piano, your 'Sly'-hot-fun-in-the-summertime groove, all mishmashed together with a boy from New Orleans singing... and it really crossed over a lot of lines." Keyboardist David Paich noted that the song was relatively easy to develop. He began with the piano riff, which would become the song's intro and chorus. After toying with the piano riff one night, he started singing "Hold the line, love isn't always on time", and found the lyric to be a suitable fit. The verses were subsequently finished two hours later. Jeff Porcaro on "Hold the Line", in a 1988 interview with Modern Drummer: "That was me trying to play like Sly Stone's original drummer, Greg Errico, who played drums on "Hot Fun In The Summertime." The hi-hat is doing triplets, the snare drum is playing 2 and 4 backbeats, and the bass drum is on 1 and the & of 2. That 8th note on the second beat is an 8th-note triplet feel, pushed. When we did the tune, I said, "Gee, this is going to be a heavy four-on-the-floor rocker, but we want a Sly groove." The triplet groove of the tune was David's writing. It was taking the Sly groove and meshing it with a harder rock caveman approach." The song is in the key of F# minor [4] and features a guitar solo after the second chorus which is played by guitarist Steve Lukather featuring several techniques like bendings, alternate picking, vibrato and harmonies. Several of the band members recall hearing "Hold the Line" for the first time on the radio. Steve Lukather remembered: I flipped the first time I heard myself on the radio. My mom called me up and said, "Turn on KLOS." It was the song "Hold the Line," and I started running around the house in my underwear, screaming, "I'm on the radio!" My wife was cracking up. It was just a thrill." Bobby Kimball had a similar experience when he heard Toto for the very first time on the radio. Now available Earldrum's Spring Store https://my-store-d51346.creator-spring.com/ Studio B Basic Equipment: Gretsch - 14x22 Ludwig Black Beauty - 6.5x14 Snare Drum Vintage Pearl Fiberglass Concert Toms - 5.5x6, 5.5x8, 6.5x10, 8x12, 10x14, 14x16, 16x18 FT Paiste - 14" 505 Medium Bottom/2000 SE Regular Bottom Hi Hats, 16” 2002 Crash, 18” 2002 Crash, 22" 2002 Ride, 20” 505 Crash, 20" Wuhan China w/Rivets Logic Pro X Presonus StudioLive 24.4.2 Please check me out on Instagram @earldrum Please check out my series on how to make a drum cover in this playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGfPcwZGZAaWPBcf94n4py0UWD-RyyF2o Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No Copyright Infringement Intended. All copyrighted material remains the property of the respective copyright owner(s).

Added 15 Jul 2026