Hi-Hat Seasoning

Wally Schnalle
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s January 2006 Issue

DRUM! Music Editor Wally Schnalle is a drummer, composer, and teacher based in the San Francisco bay area, and has performed with Eddie Gale, Ernie Watts, and the San Jose Symphony Orchestra. itrhymes.com

The hi-hat can do much to the groove even before you start hitting it with a stick. If you’ve been playing some of my previous columns, you’ve become familiar with my reminder to keep the hi-hat going on beats 2 and 4. In most cases, this gives the drummer a strong connection to the quarter-note pulse. The four hi-hat patterns notated below will serve as a steady pulse, but they can also change the feel of the groove. The beat in Ex. 1 is just one possibility for you to try. Feel free to use your own.

DRUM! Notation Guide