• CAN I GET DOUBLE CHEESE WITH THAT?

    CAN I GET DOUBLE CHEESE WITH THAT?

    Hello, drum world! I hope all is well. This lesson is based around one of my favorite hybrid rudiments, “the cheese”. I just think it’s one of the coolest sounding rudiments around.  I suggest starting this…

  • ULTIMATE DOUBLE BASS

    ULTIMATE DOUBLE BASS

    Here is another page from my double bass book, Ultimate Double Bass. These exercises I have been shedding lately and are really improving my control, speed, and power. Here we use various foot patterns shifting from 1/8…

  • HI-HAT ACCENT DISPLACEMENT PART 3

    HI-HAT ACCENT DISPLACEMENT PART 3

    This exercise is a fun one. You can use the displacements of accents to imply a modulated time. You will start out by accenting the downbeat. Then you will start to accent every third hi-hat. Eventually…

  • HI-HAT ACCENT DISPLACEMENT PART 2

    HI-HAT ACCENT DISPLACEMENT PART 2

    When you are comfortable playing all the accents of part one, you can combine them to make phrases in your grooves. Try to use the accents to emphasize a rhythm or melody. Use a metronome and…

  • HI-HAT ACCENT DISPLACEMENT PART 1

    HI-HAT ACCENT DISPLACEMENT PART 1

    This series deals with the ability to move the accents around in a 1/16 note hi-hat groove. Being able to move accents can be a great way to alter feels or imply modulation. These four examples…

  • WARMING UP AND THE 90 DEGREE BOUNCE

    WARMING UP AND THE 90 DEGREE BOUNCE

    The importance of warming up cannot be overstressed. I always warm up at the start of my practice ritual. Without dedicating several minutes to warming up, your hands and arms will be tightening up in no…

  • MOZAMBIQUE

    MOZAMBIQUE

    The Mozambique drum set groove is perfect for drummers of all skill levels. Entry-level drummers should take this opportunity to work on independence and feel, while more advanced players can start to add variations to the bass…

  • BACK TO BASICS – PART 3

    BACK TO BASICS – PART 3

    In this visit back to basics, I took the grooves from Part 1 and now play them as a shuffle. Personally I feel shuffles aren’t understood enough by younger generations and are very important in developing…

  • GOOD TIMES ON THE BASS DRUM

    GOOD TIMES ON THE BASS DRUM

    This lesson is inspired by Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times.” John Bonham’s right foot on this song always blows me away every time. He plays a 1/16 note triplet lick as in example A. John…

  • DOUBLE BASS FILL IDEAS – PART 2

    DOUBLE BASS FILL IDEAS – PART 2

    This is the second installment of Double Bass Fill Ideas. If you haven’t gone through Part 1 of this series, visit this link > Double Bass Fill Ideas Part 1. Remember to take one basic pattern…

  • DOUBLE BASS BUILDING BLOCKS – PART 2

    DOUBLE BASS BUILDING BLOCKS – PART 2

    I hope everyone’s legs are feeling good after Part 1 of this lesson Double Bass Building Blocks – Part 1. If you are practicing this stuff you should be noticing some great results by now. Here…

  • DOUBLE BASS BUILDING BLOCKS – PART 1

    DOUBLE BASS BUILDING BLOCKS – PART 1

    Here is an exercise I have been shedding a lot lately. This is designed to help build speed, control and endurance. Start by playing each line twice. Then progress to playing each line 4 and 8…

  • POLY-RUDIMENTS

    POLY-RUDIMENTS

    This lesson is actually a warm up I do before a show, but it can also be a very effective practice routine during those days where you know you won’t get a ton of time to…

  • BASIC BRUSHES

    BASIC BRUSHES

    Brushes are fun to play and it’s a good idea to learn how to play them. You never know when you’ll need to dredge ‘em out of your stick bag. They’re fun to play and give…

  • MAMBO

    MAMBO

    The Mambo is a very complex rhythm of Afro Cuban decent. We will try to comp four different percussionists parts; the Bass drum is our Surdo, the Hi-hat foot is our Shaker, the bell of the…

  • CHACARERA OVER HI-HAT

    CHACARERA OVER HI-HAT

    The Chacarera is a groove from northeast Argentina, especially Santiago del Estero. It was originally played with an instrument called the Bombo leguero that is made of wood and leather and is between 13 to 18…

  • BEMBE

    BEMBE

    The Bembe is an Afro-Cuban groove with a 6/8 feel that can also be interpreted in 4/4 with triplets. The style originates from the word “Bembes” which is an African term for religious gatherings that involved…

  • DEVELOPING THE DOUBLE STROKE ROLL WITH YOUR FEET PART 3

    DEVELOPING THE DOUBLE STROKE ROLL WITH YOUR FEET PART 3

    “Repetition is the mother of learning” therefore yet again,  I still don’t think we, as drummers, take practicing our feet as seriously as we should.  I hope you’ve had enough time to practice all the exercises…

  • ACCENT TO PARADIDDLE

    ACCENT TO PARADIDDLE

    This exercise is focusing on accent to taps to accented paradiddles. It’s a simple 1/8– 1/16 note piece, but we are using odd groupings of 5,7, and 9 and then filling in the gaps with single paradiddles…

  • 8TH NOTES MAKE THE GROOVE GO ROUND

    8TH NOTES MAKE THE GROOVE GO ROUND

    If this exercise appears to be something you’d learn in your first drum lesson, that’s because it is. It’s a simple three-bar exercise that is repeated. The main point I want to get across is, as…