Coordination is a key element in creativity. Being able to express yourself on command is a goal for many drummers. These exercises are some that I use to practice coordination, and to build some chops. Alternate hands in the first measure, then follow the various stickings in the second measure. The left foot on the…
Category: DRUM KIT
THE SPACE BETWEEN
Obviously our goal when playing music should be to play with emotion, feel and passion, but we also can not lose sight of the consistent space between each of our notes. I have heard many players play and when the energy and excitement builds on stage, they forget about this concept and just let go…
BONHAM-ISMS
Here are a couple of fills and grooves from the John Bonham library. There’s no way to include all the classic Bonham material in this lesson, but here’s a couple I enjoy. For some really killer transcriptions of Led Zeppelin tunes, check out Drum Techniques of Led Zeppelin by Joe Bergamini. This is a must-have book for…
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 you will start to imply the modulation by playing the bass and snare along with accents. Make sure you…
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 make sure you always feel the downbeat. Try these one-measure grooves to get comfortable moving the accents. By phrasing the…
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 are the primary accents you should be comfortable with. Use a metronome and make sure you always feel a…
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 one’s feel. The most important thing is to pulsate triplets when you’re playing these grooves. Try not to straighten…
DOUBLE BASS DRUM HAND/FOOT PATTERN
This is a nice, simple, basic double-bass pattern. This pattern can lead to many things in the future (fills, grooves, etc.) and there are numerous ways to apply this pattern around the drum set. It is a very popular pattern; every body has heard it and seen it—two strokes with the hands and two strokes…
JAMES BROWN’S “COLD SWEAT”
Interesting facts about Cold Sweat. The horn line is based on Miles Davis’ “So What.” The band set up in a semicircle in the studio with one microphone and recorded live in the studio in one take. Written by Brown’s bandleader, Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis. Complete version of the song is over 7 minutes long. Murray…
BASIC ROCK BEATS
Rock has a long lineage of amazing drummers. Ringo Starr, John Bonham, Peter Criss, and Mick Fleetwood to name just a very few. Rock and roll often demands a simplistic approach to create what we might call the “back bone of the music”. Because of this it’s a great genre for inexperienced drummers to begin…
BACK TO BASICS – PART 2
The past couple of months we looked at some basic groove concepts. Now it’s time to strengthen our grasp on some basic fills. Each one is written with a four-measure groove loop that will help you to apply these ideas. For the best example of these fills I recommend listening to some Beatles’ songs with…
BACK TO BASICS – PART 1
I decided to throw a curveball out here. You can easily say “I can play these” and ignore the lesson here, or you can take the challenge and see what you can do with them. Almost every drummer has a hard time laying back. First, you have to want to lay back. I play in…
A DIFFERENT WAY TO FLOW – PART 2
After Part 1, I wanted to play some exercises to help me get comfortable grooving and comping between the snare and bass. So here are the exercises I have been doing. I also started playing the exercises in Colin Bailey’s book Bass Drum Control between the two limbs. A great challenge but well worth the time and…
A DIFFERENT WAY TO FLOW – PART 1
This is a fun concept I have been working on lately. I picked it up from watching NYC drummers like Keith Carlock and Zach Danziger play. They were able to keep time with the ride and hi-hat together and then comp between the bass and snare drum. This is a jazzy concept but in a…
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