“Only you can ensure that you learn to drum better. But with a little help from the community, you can grow even faster!”
All beats in chapter 1 will give you all the flexibility to play and vary within a solid 8th note beat. Every beat is being played in 4/4 time.
For beginners I recommend to study 8.1 and 8.2 before starting in this chapter.
In chapter 2 you can work on all variations in 12/8 time which is generally named as blues or blues rock.
This is based on the so called 8th note triplet feel in 4/4 time.
Every beat can be played in both even feel and triplet feel. This chapter teaches you the first steps in these two different feels.
Suppose we don’t change the kick & snare, but only the hihat pattern. What will change to the sound?
Those changes in chapter 4 went well? Then it is time to become better at 16th notes on the hihat.
To get even better in even feel and triplet feel, we go into depth!
Chapter 3 was our introduction, the real deal is here in chapter 6.)
It is time to get better in one of the most played hihat variations…
And you should not miss this in your toolbox, especially for the fast rock-songs. Or try to play these in an 8th note triplet feel.
Even important as all the others! Another hihat variation…
This chapter provides more creativity, control & independence, but also trains your sense of pulse. After all, we are the time keepers of the band.
Not only the variations in rhythm are important on the hihat, also the volume difference can give your beat a good drive.
But omitting strokes can have an even stronger effect. These upbeat rhythms provide an energetic effect. Think about reggae, but also about dance & disco.
Instead of omitting, you can also make volume difference for the same effect as played in chapter 12.
Finally time for the real thing. Can your bass drum rhythms be played in a different time signature than your sticks? Or what about your hihat going wild on top of a rock solid kick & snare groove?
Sometimes a beat can be made nicer by putting on the hi-hat every now and then.
We know pop music as a main-stream style of music. But beneath it is a rich base of Latin American rhythms. Every drummer has to know something about this to understand how the beats in all those pop songs are built.