Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #63: Increase Your Speed Around The Drums - Part 6

Welcome to the sixth and final segment of my series on increasing your speed and ease of movement around the drumset. It is based on my concepts of

You're On Your Own!

Although these six lessons should give you a good start to becoming faster and more comfortable around the drumset, we have really only scratched the surface. There are literally thousands of exercises you can use to help you improve your skills around the drumset. Now it's your turn. Use your creativity and get started. You should add at least one exercise around the drumset to your regular daily workout routine and add a different one each week. Good Luck!

For more details on my concepts of Tension Free Drumming, visit www.TensionFreeDrumming.com. For drum talk in general, check out my Drummersblog.TigerBill.com.

Feel free to email questions on this month's lesson to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Until next time: Stay loose and have fun!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Double Bass/Double Crash Power Fills

Artist: Matt Byrne
From DRUM! Magazine, April 2009

This month, we are going to work on combining powerful booming double bass with the ear-shattering cut of crash cymbals. These types of fills are both musically and visually awesome! Alternate the sticking throughout each fill, leading with your dominant hand. Right foot goes with right hand; left foot goes with left hand — totally in sync. But don't just crash on one cymbal. Move it around the kit a little bit. Use the China, splashes, hi-hat, whatever you want. And nobody’s keeping you chained to the snare — spread the love around the drums too. Start out playing each fill as an exercise, at a slow tempo, until you can play it smoothly. Once you get comfortable, increase your speed. Next, play a simple four-on-the-floor rock beat and execute the fills every couple of measures. This will allow you to play the fills in a song context. Vary the tempos and experiment with different beats.

Teacher Bio Matt Byrne bashes for the Grammy-nominated heavy metal/hardcore band Hatebreed. In his spare time, he is working on his special ed./elementary ed. teaching degree. myspace.com/mattbreed.

Gavin Harrison's Hot Licks

By Brad Schlueter Originally published in the December 2006 issue of DRUM!

Through his excellent drumming books and DVD, Gavin Harrison has made a mission of teaching drummers how to play polyrhythms, beat displacements, and metric modulations, which collectively will confuse the hell out of your bandmates even as you come down on the 1. If you’ve never heard Harrison play, you might assume from the last sentence that his drumming would be self-indulgent and busy, as he endlessly screws around with the beat. You couldn’t be more wrong. Harrison is a great groove drummer, and his playing always feels perfect. He has incredible dynamics and taste, but always enhances the arrangement with enough spice to keep things interesting – a fact proved on every song he plays with Porcupine Tree, a band that blends the introspection of Radiohead or Coldplay with heavier progressive influences of Tool or A Perfect Circle. The following excerpts come from the band’s latest release Deadwing, an excellent recording with the drums up front in the mix. Harrison gave us lots of stellar drumming moments to enjoy. Let’s dig in.

"Halo"

In this song, Harrison starts with another cool funk groove that makes great use of dynamics and hi-hat openings, and ends with a six-stroke-roll fill. At the chorus, he moves his right hand to his ride cymbal, and uses his left hand to play the open hi-hats. This disk has lots of odd-time sections, and in this song, there’s a part that alternates measures of 9/8 and 8/8, though you can just as easily think of the second measure as 4/4. The second time through the pattern Harrison plays a sparser pattern on a sloshy hi-hat, and adds some double bass ruffs to raise the difficulty level even higher.

"Shallow"

Harrison plays a simple snare pickup into his funky verse groove. This part feels great because of his perfect time, and tasteful use of buzzes, ghost notes, and hi-hat openings. “It’s basically a heavy Bonham kind of groove,” Harrison says. “I like to add in little embellishments in a subtle way just to keep it moving along.” The pre-chorus and chorus have an unusual three-measure phrase length that somehow doesn’t sound that odd. Notice how he plays the cymbal accents in the pre-chorus, and then fills the same pattern with more bass drum notes in the chorus.

"Lazarus"

The first time I heard this cool fill, I replayed it about six times. But until I slowed it down, I could have sworn each bass drum riff started with a rest, and only had three notes in it. At half speed I thought I could make out a softer first note that makes the pattern even more difficult. But after running the transcription past Harrison, we had to reverse course yet again. “It does start with a rest,” he clarified. “There are two kick drum notes and one floor tom note before the snare accents. A difficult one to notate. I think it’s quite unusual to start a fill with a thirty-second-note rest, so probably your mind just sticks one in just to keep from going crazy!”

"She's Moved On"

These two fills lead into two different churuses of this haunting song. File these under absolutely incredible!

"The Start Of Something Beautiful"

After Harrison reviewed all the transcriptions in this article, he did something no other drummer had ever done. He asked us to include one more little snippet of the song “The Start Of Something Beautiful.” Hey, we aim to please, so here’s what he had to say about it: “This song starts in 9/8 and moves into 5/8 for the chorus. I’ve always been interested in odd-time signatures when you can make them groove and have a natural flow. When it works it sounds good and you don’t always realize what the time signature is. When it doesn’t work you end up with a jerky complicated uncomfortable feeling, which I try to avoid.”

Charlie Waymire Kicks Off iGroove Play-Along series at drummagazine.com

Welcome to a new feature at drummagazine.com. Charlie Waymire of Musicians Institute, who appeared on our 2007 How to Play Drums DVD, is now offering regular play-along tracks on drummagazine.com. You'll get regular lessons from Charlie, with play-along tracks (with and without drums), tips and useful tools for aspiring drummers.

So give him a big welcome.

Installment 1: iGrooove by Charlie Waymire

Hello there readers of Drum Magazine,

Charlie Waymire here and I would like to welcome you to a new addition to DrumMagazine.com! For those of you that are not familiar with me I teach at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA and run my own studio where I do lots of recording for bands, musicians, TV, commercials as well as mixing, editing and other production stuff. (besides being a drummer I'm an Übergeek when it comes to music and technology!)

In the not so distant past I had the pleasure of working with the fine folks here at DRUM on the second release of the "How To Play Drums" magazine and DVD. It was a great experience and an excellent resource for the beginning drummer. Well, we had so much fun working together we decided to bring our efforts here to the website.

Attitude

This first iGroove track is called "Attitude." You'll find the sheet music below along with a reading guide. There are also downloadable pdfs for the music and the guide.

There are two music tracks. The first is the song demo so you can hear how I play it. The second is a groove-along track at 120 bpm (beats per minute). Have at it.

1. Song Demo: Listen to this first.

2. Here is "Attitude" in groove-along mode at 120 beats per minute.

Lesson Downloads

• Attitude iGroove Chart
• Attitude iGroove Chart Reading Guide

Free Download for DRUM! Readers

I'm happy to announce we are giving away a free download from my new play-along series, iGroove, exclusively here on DrumMagazine.com.

The free download includes one play-along from the iGroove101 Series lesson "Attitude", a chart, a reading pdf and a demo of the song with drums.

You can get more information on the iGroove Play-Along Series and Groove Lessons at my website at www.TheBasher.com

I'm really excited to be working with the amazing staff at DRUM and I look forward to connecting with all of you!

Remember, it's not what you play but how you play it. Now go forth and make some Serious Noize!

Charlie Waymire Sites

• www.thebasher.com
• iGroove Home Page
• The Basher Myspace Page
• Charlie's Youtube Page

Charlie Waymire Plays and Endorses

• Pearl Drums;
• Paiste cymbals;
• Trueline drumsticks;
• MXL microphones;
• Factory Metal percussion;
• E-Pad practice pads;

Video Lesson: Clave & Cascara

By Richie “Gajate” Garcia Originally published in the April 2009 issue of DRUM!

Here are two patterns that go great together. The patterns will change hands in the second measure of each example.

First, set up any three or four instruments, such as three congas or a set of timbales with a Jam Block and cowbell. In this case, play the right hand on the mambo bell and the left hand on the large drum. Switch the left hand to the jam block and the right hand to the small or high-pitched drum on the second bar. Repeat back and forth.

Wally Schnalle Video Lesson #1

DRUM! Music editor Wally Schnalle (be sure to check out his lesson videos on Youtube is a terrific teacher, drummer, performer and composer. In this lesson Wally starts a 3-part series on funk grooves. You'll learn how to mix it up on some basic beats, adding color and interest to your grooves and fills.

Wally Schnalle's latest album Louder Than Your TV was released in early 2009.

Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #58: Increase Your Speed Around The Drums - Part 1

There are two ways to move around the drumset when playing high-speed fills and solos - the easy way and the hard way! The easy way uses economy of motion, which gives you the utmost efficiency. The hard way not only causes you to expend much more energy than is necessary, it can cause physical injuries to your body. This series demonstrates both methods. I leave it up to you to select the method that you prefer!

Video Lesson

After studying the written exercise below, watch the video clip carefully as I demonstrate both inefficient and efficient approaches to moving around the drumset.

Training Tips

When practicing start slowly until you build the correct movements into your muscle memory. Then gradually increase the speed while remaining continually aware of any tension building up in your wrists and arms. When performed properly, you should find it as easy to move around the drumset as it is to play on a single drum and without feeling any tension at all.

Questions on this month's lesson can be sent to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Until next time: Stay loose and have fun!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #60: Increase Your Speed Around The Drums - Part 3

The ability to play at top speed on a single drum is great but that's just the beginning. Unless you plan to be a drum corps snare drummer, you'll need to develop an additional type of speed. You'll need to develop what I call "mobile" speed. This is what allows you to apply the speed you already have on a single drum or practice pad to the entire drumset without adding any additional muscle tension to your movements.

Welcome to part three in my series designed to increase your speed and ease of movement around the drumset. It is based on my concepts of Tension Free Drumming, which allow you to play at maximum speed, power, endurance, and precision while maintaining exact control over each stroke. If you missed either of the first two lessons, I suggest you work on them before moving to this one. When practiced in the correct order, you will find these exercises to be a tremendous help in developing your mobile chops.

Video Lesson

After studying the written exercise below, watch the video clip. I first demonstrate the optimum method of playing the exercise slowly around the drumset. I then play it up to speed. 200 bpm is the tempo I'm playing on the video. Think about that for a second. The tempo I'm playing equals 600 beats per minute with a single hand. That's not a bad speed if you were to play it on a single drum but develop that speed while moving around the drumset, and you will definitely have a valuable addition to your bag of tricks!

Practicing Correctly is the Key

It's much easier to play at high speeds on a single drum, while remaining Tension Free, than it is when moving around the drumset. But, with proper practice, mobile speed can be developed at nearly the same rate as your speed on a single drum. The key is to practice daily and start slowly, gradually increasing your speed over the days and weeks. It is also critical not to increase muscle tension while you're gaining speed around the drumset.

For more details on my concepts of Tension Free Drumming, visit http://www.TensionFreeDrumming.com.

Feel free to email questions on this month's lesson to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .

Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #57: Developing the Weak Hand - Part 8

Welcome to the eighth and final segment in our series designed to develop your weak hand. If you've been with us from the beginning and practicing as suggested, congratulations! You should have some crazy chops about now! If you missed any of the previous lessons, check them out at DrumMagazine.com before continuing.

Video Lesson

Study the written exercises below before accessing the video clip. The line marked S is to be played with your strong hand and the line marked W is played with your weak hand. For best results, use a metronome and maintain a log of your progress. And if you are in a hurry to develop your weak hand, daily practice is best.

In this final segment we add 4 additional exercises to our practice routine, at 3 minutes per exercise, for a total of 75 minutes! To get the maximum benefit from all 25 of the exercises in this series, you should now be practicing non-stop for a full 75 minutes each session. While that's a long time to devote to a single drill in a daily practice session, it will build your weak hand in the shortest amount of time. But if you don't have 75 minutes to devote each day, you can cut down the amount of time that you repeat each exercise. For example, instead of practicing the 25 exercises for three minutes each, practice them for one minute each. Your total practice time will now be just 25 minutes. By shortening the time you play each exercise, you can shorten the time it takes to run through the entire exercise routine while still receiving the benefits of a daily workout for your weak hand. When practicing, be sure to select a metronome tempo that allows you to play for the entire length of time without developing tension in your fingers, wrists, or arms.

End of the Road

It's been a long road if you've been following along for the entire 8-part series but, if you've been practicing as suggested, your weak hand should now be as strong as (or nearly as strong as) your strong hand. In addition to the additional practice routines I've discussed along the way, feel free to make up your own drills. Regardless of the exercises you use, your main goal should be to play without tensing your muscles and without squeezing the sticks. Playing under tension causes everything from sloppy performances where you're working too hard for too little result, to physical injuries such as tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. If you want to play drums effectively and without injury for many years to come, learn to play without the unnecessary muscle tension.

For additional information on my concepts of tension free drumming, be sure to visit TensionFreeDrumming.com.

Questions on this month's lesson can be sent to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Until next time: Have fun and stay loose!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #59: Increase Your Speed Around The Drums - Part 2

This series of exercises is designed to help you increase your speed and ease of movement around the drumset. It is based on my concepts of tension free drumming, which allow you to play at maximum speed, power, endurance, and precision while always maintaining exact control over your technique. Correctly applying my concepts, you will be able to move around the drumset with the same skill that you are capable of when playing on a single surface.

To get the most out of this series of exercises, they should be practiced in numerical order. If you missed the first part of the series, I strongly suggest that you work on that before proceeding to this exercise.

Video Lesson

After studying the written exercise below, watch the video clip as I demonstrate both inefficient and efficient approaches to moving around the drumset. Moving inefficiently slows you down and causes tension while moving efficiently allows you to play to the maximum of your current capabilities.

Training Tips

The whole idea behind these drills is to teach you to get comfortable moving around your drumset without adding any tension to your normal technique. Many drummers subconsciously grip their sticks tighter when playing on a drumset than when playing on a single drum due to a fear of dropping sticks. If this is happening to you, I suggest you attach a stick holder or two to your drumset so that you can quickly recover from a dropped stick and stop worrying about it. With the correct kind of regular practice, you will eventually be able to hold onto your sticks while moving around the kit at top speed without resorting to a death grip! For more information on my concepts of tension free drumming, please visit http://www.TensionFreeDrumming.com .

Questions on this month's lesson can be sent to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .

Until next time: Stay loose and have fun!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Tiger Bill Speed Lesson #42
Pro-Tricks of the Trade
Bass Drum Substitutions
Part 3

This month we continue with more cool bass drum substitutions. Like those in the first two parts of the series, you can perform these with or without a little added showmanship. As you view the video, watch what I do with my right hand each time I substitute the bass drum. You can substitute a stick twirl or anything else in that spot to sell the trick to your audience!

Video Lesson

As always, practice each exercise slowly at first and strive to play it as cleanly as possible before increasing the tempo. In addition to playing the exercise straight, watch the video carefully and try adding in a similar type of visual excitement. This makes a huge difference when performing this trick for an audience.

BD Substitutions & Blast Beats!

After you perfect the exercise as written using right hand bass drum substitutions, reverse the sticking and practice using left hand substitutions. This will help you become comfortable with substituting the bass drum for either hand. For additional practice, play the bass drum part with your left foot as well as your right foot and also try alternating between both feet, with double bass players using two bass drums and single bass players using a bass drum and hi-hat.

You may notice that this month's Bass Drum Substitution drills, when developed with precision and control at all tempos, will provide you with the coordination you need to execute the popular Blast Beats. So practicing BD substitutions is like killing two birds with one stone. Practice these exercises diligently and next time we'll take you to the next level.

Stay loose!

Tiger Bill's Speed Lesson #51: Developing the Weak Hand - Part 2

This month we continue with our exercises specifically designed to strengthen your weak hand. This will allow you to develop equal speed, power, endurance, and precision in both hands. If you missed last month's lesson, please go to the lesson section at DrumMagazine.com and work on Tiger Bill's Speed Lesson #50 - Developing the Weak Hand Part 1 before proceeding to this one.

Video Lesson

Study the written exercises below before accessing the video clip. Play the line marked S with your strong hand and the line marked W with your weak hand. You should be practicing these exercises daily and keeping track of your progress by writing a metronome speed in a notebook. Select a speed that allows you to play each exercise easily and without tension. Repeat each exercise for at least 3 minutes without stopping. Once you become comfortable repeating each exercise separately, practice playing all three exercises from one to the next (for a minimum of three minutes each) without stopping. These three exercises should take you 9 minutes to complete. Each day you should try to increase your metronome speed a notch or two while keeping a record of it in your notebook.

Both this and last month's exercises will be most effective in developing your weak hand if they are played one after the other in order, starting with the first exercise in lesson #50 and finishing with the third exercise in this month's lesson. Play each exercise for a minimum of three minutes before moving to the next and do not stop between exercises. Each month your new exercises should be tacked onto the end of those from the previous month's lessons. This month, your total practice time should equal 18 minutes. That's a total of 9 minutes for last month's and 9 minutes for this month's exercises.

Additional Workouts

Once you get good at playing these three exercises with your strong and weak hands as explained above, reverse the sticking and play the Strong (S) part with your weak hand and the Weak (W) part with your strong hand. You shouldn't have to devote nearly as much practice time to this but it will help you keep both of your hands balanced and equal in speed, power, endurance, and precision. For more information on drumming without tension, visit TensionFreeDrumming.com.

Questions on this month's lesson can be sent to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .

Until next time: Stay loose and have fun!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Tiger Bill's Speed Lesson #50
Developing the Weak Hand - Part 1

The next few lessons are in response to drummers who have asked me for help in developing their weak hand. By practicing the following exercises regularly, you will eventually develop the same level of endurance, speed, power, and control with either hand.

Video Lesson

Study the written exercises below before accessing the video clip. The line marked S is to be played with your strong hand and the line marked W is played with your weak hand. Practice daily and use a notebook to keep track of your progress. Write down each exercise along with a metronome tempo that you can play easily and without tension. Repeat each exercise for at least 3 minutes without stopping. Once you become comfortable playing the exercises separately, then play them one after the other without stopping. The entire three exercises should take you 9 minutes to complete. Each day you should try to increase your metronome speed a little and keep record your progress in your notebook.

Additional Workouts

Once you get good at practicing these three exercises with your strong and weak hands as explained above, reverse the sticking and play the Strong (S) line with your weak hand and the Weak (W) line with your strong hand. You should find this variation much easier than the previous exercise but this will help you keep both of your hands balanced and equal in speed, power, endurance, and control. For more information on drumming without tension, visit TensionFreeDrumming.com. For more, please refer to DrumMagazine.com.

Questions on this month's lesson can be sent to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Until next time: Stay loose and have fun!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Tiger Bill's Speed Lesson #49: Developing Equal Speed in Hands and Feet - Part 4

This month we conclude our 4-part series designed to develop equal speed in your hands and feet. If you missed any of the prior three lessons, study them before moving onto this one. The previous lessons can all be found on the drummagazine.com site.

Video Lesson

Study the written exercise below and then watch the video clip. This time we are playing single strokes with both hands and feet together. When practicing, you must be extremely critical of yourself and listen carefully to each stroke. Your initial goal should not be for speed, it should be to strike both the snare and bass drum at exactly the same moment. No flams!

Record Your Progress

The best way to develop clean strokes between your hands and feet is to record yourself. Sometimes what sounds perfect while you're playing it, sounds not so perfect upon playback! Remember to practice for cleanliness of sound first and for speed second. Each snare drum and bass drum stroke should sound like one. Speed without precision is worthless.

Until next time:

Stay loose and have fun!

For questions on this month's lesson, you can contact me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Tiger Bill Meligari

Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #52: Developing the Weak Hand - Part 3

This month we continue with our exercises specifically designed to strengthen your weak hand. This will allow you to develop equal speed, power, endurance, and precision with both hands. If you missed last month's lesson, please go to the lesson section at DrumMagazine.com and work on Lesson #51 "Developing the Weak Hand - Part 2" before proceeding to this one.

Video Lesson

Study the written exercises below before accessing the video clip. The line marked S is to be played with your strong hand and the line marked W is played with your weak hand. You should be practicing these exercises daily and keeping track of your progress in a notebook. Write down each exercise along with a metronome tempo that you can play easily without tension. Repeat each exercise for at least 3 minutes without stopping. Once you become comfortable playing the exercises separately, play them one after the other. The entire three exercises should take you 9 minutes to complete. Each day you should try to increase your metronome speed.

If you have followed my instructions in last month's lesson, you should be practicing the first two parts (6 exercises) of this series for 3 minutes per exercise for a total non-stop practice time of 18 minutes. This month we'll be adding another 3 exercises and another 3 minutes to our practice routine for a total of 27 minutes. To get the most benefit from these exercises, you should be practicing non-stop for a full 27 minutes each day.

Additional Workouts

Once you get good at practicing these three exercises as explained above, reverse the sticking and play the Strong (S) line with your weak hand and the Weak (W) line with your strong hand. You shouldn't have to devote nearly as much practice time but this variation will help keep both of your hands balanced and equal in speed, power, endurance, and precision. At this point in your study, you will be adding an additional 27 minutes to your practice time for a grand total of 54 minutes! For more information on drumming without tension, visit TensionFreeDrumming.com.

Questions on this month's lesson can be sent to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Until next time: Stay loose and have fun!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Tiger Bill Speed Lesson #46
Developing Equal Speed in Hands and Feet
Part 1

One of the most common problems drummers have is that their feet aren't as fast as their hands. This lesson begins a news series devoted to correcting that problem using my step-by-step approach.

Video Lesson

Take a look at the written exercise and then play the video lesson. It will show you exactly how to start developing feet that are capable of keeping up with your hands not only in speed but in endurance, power, precision, and control.

Lesson Sheet (click to view)

Step by Step

Always make a conscious effort to stay relaxed while practicing, especially with your feet! Practice this exercise slowly and repeat it daily to build the correct muscle memory into your hands and feet. Once you build muscle memory, simply increase the speed at regular intervals and your feet will gradually "learn" to keep up with your hands. Next time we'll take this exercise to the next step.

Until then, stay loose and have fun!

For questions on this month's lesson, you can contact me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Tiger Bill Meligari

Tiger Bill Speed Lesson #44
Pro-Tricks of the Trade
Bass Drum Substitutions
Part 5
Tony Williams Favorite

Last month we covered one of Buddy Rich's favorite bass drum substitutions. Here's one that was a favorite of Tony Williams. A modern drummer who has emulated Tony's style and also has this trick down quite well, is Cindy Blackman. Watch for it the next time you see her in action.

Video Lesson

Practice this drill very slowly and listen carefully as you play it. Even though you are playing a single stroke roll between your bass drum and snare drum, the dynamic level between the two drums must be balanced. The bass should never overpower the snare or vice versa. The key is to keep your entire body, from head to toe, loose and relaxed as you gradually increase your speed and listen to the sound of the end product. It should sound like you're playing a clean single stroke roll between your hands.With enough practice, you should be able to play Tony's cool lick cleanly and up to speed.

Heavy Metal Owes Tony!

Although Tony Williams was mainly a jazz drummer, his favorite bass drum substitution forms the basis of some of today's most popular Heavy Metal beats! Simply add your left hand (playing along with the snare drum part) to Tony's trick and you've got a legitimate Heavy Metal Blast Beat. This just goes to show that the same rhythmic patterns can apply to a multitude of musical styles. So learn to listen to all styles of music, even if the music is not your bag and even if you don't particularly like it. You might be able to learn a new rhythmic pattern that you can apply to your own musical bag of tricks.

Stay loose and have fun!

Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #47: Developing Equal Speed in Hands and Feet - Part 2

This is the second part in a 4-part series of exercises that will help you develop foot technique that is as fast and accurate as your hands. If you missed part 1, please work on Lesson #46 before proceeding to this one.

Video Lesson

Take a look at the written exercise below and then watch the video clip. The key is to start at a speed that is comfortable for you and build your speed up slowly from there. Use a metronome and mark down the metronome time in a notebook. This will allow you to keep track of your daily progress.

Download Lesson Sheet

Day by Day

Most drummers have plenty of muscle memory in their hands but lack muscle memory in their feet. Regular daily practice is the fastest way to build muscle memory and this exercise was designed to build your feet and hands equally. Even if you have only five minutes a day to practice, it is better than neglecting practice all week and working out for five hours non-stop on the weekend to make up for it! As always, you must make a conscious effort to stay relaxed each time you practice.

Until next time: Stay loose, practice regularly, and have fun!

For questions on this month's lesson, you can contact me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Tiger Bill Meligari

Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #48: Developing Equal Speed in Hands and Feet - Part 3

This month we continue with the equal development of our hands and feet. If you missed either of the first two parts, please work on them before this one. Your chops will develop faster if you practice these exercises in the correct sequence. The previous two lessons, #46 and #47, can be found on the drummagazine.com site.

Video Lesson

Study the written exercise below before accessing the video clip. This time we are playing single strokes in various patterns with the hands and then copying the same patterns with the feet. Copying or mirroring any pattern that the hands play is one of the best ways to develop equal facility in your feet. As always, don't work for speed at first. Work slowly and try to duplicate the exact same patterns between your hands and feet.

Download Lesson Sheet

Roll Your Own

Once you work on the patterns I've written here, feel free to make up your own. The more patterns you work on, the better you will become at mirroring them with your feet. Remember, whether you are playing with your hands or your feet, you should always attempt to play without tension. For more information on drumming without tension, visit TensionFreeDrumming.com. Until next time: Stay loose and have fun!

For questions on this month's lesson, you can contact me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Tiger Bill Meligari

Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #55: Developing the Weak Hand - Part 6

Welcome to part six in our series of exercises designed to develop your weak hand. If you've been with us from the beginning of the series and practicing regularly, you should be seeing quite a bit of progress in your hands about now. If you missed any of the previous lessons, check out the lesson section at DrumMagazine.com and work on those before continuing.

Video Lesson

Study the written exercises below before accessing the video clip. The line marked S is to be played with your strong hand and the line marked W is played with your weak hand. For best results, maintain a log of your progress and practice regularly.

This month we add another 3 exercises to our practice routine, at 3 minutes per exercise, for a total of 54 minutes! To get the maximum benefit, you should now practice for a full 54 minutes each session. Be sure to select a metronome tempo that allows you to play for the entire length of time without developing tension anywhere in your fingers, wrists, or arms.

When watching my "up to speed" video demonstration, you'll probably notice that my hands move around a bit differently than most other drummers. This is because I am using Rotational Perpetual Motion (RPM), which is a technique I developed to allow me to play at high speeds for extended periods of time without becoming tense. For more information, visit TensionFreeDrumming.com .

Additional Weak Hand Workouts

So far the exercises we've been working on in this series have been designed to build your weak hand by building endurance. In addition to endurance training, you should now add speed training to your work out. Here's how it works. Select one bar at a time from each of the exercises in this lesson and play that bar just once but at the fastest tempo you can play without becoming tense. The difficult part is to play the bar without becoming tense! Staying tension free can be done if you choose a tempo that approaches the limit of your current ability but doesn't go beyond it. This exercise will help develop your weak hand through short bursts of speed and is a great addition to your endurance training. Try it!

Whether working for endurance or speed you should also practice these exercises reversing hands, so that the S (strong hand) part is played with your weak hand and the W (weak hand) part is played with your strong hand.

Questions on this month's lesson can be sent to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .

Until next time: Stay loose and have fun!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #54: Developing the Weak Hand - Part 5

Welcome to the fifth installment in our series for developing your weak hand. If you missed any of the four previous lessons, go to the lesson section at DrumMagazine.com and work on those first. This is a building process and you will receive the maximum benefit by practicing all exercises in the proper order.

Video Lesson

Study the written exercises below before accessing the video clip. The line marked S is to be played with your strong hand and the line marked W is played with your weak hand. For best results, maintain a log of your progress and practice regularly.

If you have been following my instructions over the past four lessons, you should now be practicing all four lessons of the series for 3 minutes per exercise for a total non-stop practice time of 36 minutes. This month we add another 3 exercises to our practice routine, at 3 minutes per exercise, for a total of 45 minutes! To get the maximum benefit from these exercises, you should now be practicing non-stop for a full 45 minutes each practice session. Be sure to select a metronome tempo that allows you to play for the entire length of time without developing tension anywhere in your fingers, wrists, or arms.

When viewing the "up to speed" demonstrations on the video, you may notice that my hands are moving a bit differently than most other drummers. This is because I am using RPM (Rotational Perpetual Motion), which is a technique I developed that allows me to play at high speeds for extended lengths of time without becoming tense. For more information on my original techniques, visit TensionFreeDrumming.com.

Additional Workouts

Practicing all of the exercises in this series by playing them non-stop, as explained above, not only helps build your weak hand but it also helps to develop your overall endurance. For an additional workout, you should select one or two bars from each exercise and try playing them at tempos that approach the limit of your current ability. The idea is to push yourself to play the one or two bar phrase just once at top speed without adding any muscle tension. This will help build your short-burst speed. Regular practice for both speed and endurance will, eventually, provide you with the best of both worlds.

Questions on this month's lesson can be sent to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .

Until next time: Stay loose and have fun!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Tiger Bill Speed Lesson #45
Pro-Tricks of the Trade
Bass Drum Substitutions
Part 6

Welcome to the sixth and final installment of our journey into the wonderful world of bass drum substitutions. This time we're taking a favorite BD substitution of Buddy Rich and combining it with a favorite of Tony Williams, then playing it around the drumset. Check out the written notation below before watching the video. Then take it to the woodshed!

Video Lesson

As always, practice each measure slowly at first and strive to play it as cleanly as possible. Then gradually increase the tempo.

Lesson Sheet (click to view)

We've Only Scratched the Surface!

After you perfect this exercise as written, including all of the variations suggested in the Practice Key below, get creative with it. Whether you play double bass or single bass and hi-hat, you'll find these substitutions excellent for developing groove and solo chops that can be adapted to all styles of music from jazz to heavy metal.

Have fun and stay loose!

If you have questions or comments on this month's lesson, email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Tiger Bill Meligari

Tiger Bill Speed Lesson #43
Pro-Tricks of the Trade
Bass Drum Substitutions
Part 4

This was a favorite trick of Buddy Rich. If you're a fan of Buddy's, I'm sure you'll recognize it right away. If not, check out some of Buddy's extended solo videos and watch for him to play this trick. It's fun to play and once you mastered, it looks and sounds great too! Check it out.

Video Lesson

Practice this drill very slowly and listen carefully as you play it. Even though you're playing a single stroke roll between your bass drum and snare drum, the dynamic level between the two drums must be balanced. The bass should never overpower the snare or vice versa. With enough practice, you should be able to play Buddy's cool trick up to speed.

Buddy Rich... Ahead of his Time?

Although Buddy passed away before Heavy Metal style Blast Beats came into vogue, if you simply add your right hand (playing along with the bass drum part) to Buddy's trick, you'll find yourself playing what's now known as the Traditional Blast Beat. If Buddy was still around, I'm sure he would have something "interesting" to say about that!

Practice the drill slowly. Don't be in a rush to get it up to speed. The key is to keep your entire body, from head to toe, loose and relaxed as you gradually increase your speed.

Stay loose and have fun!

Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #53: Developing the Weak Hand - Part 4

How is your weak hand coming along? By now you should be noticing a great deal of progress toward your final goal of being able to play with equal speed, power, endurance, and precision with either hand. This month we'll add another 9 minutes of practice time to your workout!

If you missed any of the three previous lessons, please go to the lesson section at DrumMagazine.com and work on those first. These exercises were designed specifically to give you the maximum benefit when practiced in the correct numerical order.

Video Lesson

Study the written exercises below before accessing the video clip. The line marked S is to be played with your strong hand and the line marked W is played with your weak hand. By now you should have lots of metronome times written in your notebook and you should try to increase your metronome tempo nearly every day, even if you increase it only by one or two bpms.

If you have been following my instructions over the past three lessons, you should now be practicing all three lessons of the series (18 exercises) for 3 minutes per exercise for a total non-stop practice time of 27 minutes. This month we add another 3 exercises to our practice routine, at 3 minutes per exercise, for a total of 36 minutes! To get the most benefit from these exercises, you should now be practicing non-stop for a full 36 minutes each day.

Additional Workouts

Once you get good at practicing these three exercises with your strong and weak hands as explained above, you should reverse the sticking and play the Strong (S) line with your weak hand and the Weak (W) line with your strong hand. You won't have to devote nearly as much practice time but this variation will help keep both of your hands balanced and equal in speed, power, endurance, and precision. At this point in your study, this will add an additional 36 minutes to your practice time for a grand total of 72 minutes! If you have the time to play for 72 minutes non-stop, great! Go for it! If not, just continue to practice in 36 minute increments. Either way, you will gradually develop both endurance and speed through regular daily practice. For more information on drumming without tension, visit TensionFreeDrumming.com.

Questions on this month's lesson can be sent to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Until next time: Stay loose and have fun!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #56: Developing the Weak Hand - Part 7

Welcome to part seven in our series of exercises designed to develop your weak hand. If you missed any of the previous lessons, check them out at DrumMagazine.com/lessons before continuing.

Video Lesson

Study the written exercises below before accessing the video clip. The line marked S is to be played with your strong hand and the line marked W is played with your weak hand. For best results, use a metronome and maintain a log of your progress. Daily practice is best.

This month we add another 3 exercises to our practice routine, at 3 minutes per exercise, for a total of 63 minutes. To get the maximum benefit, you should now be practicing non-stop for a full 63 minutes each session! Be sure to select a metronome tempo that allows you to play for the entire length of time without developing tension in your fingers, wrists, or arms. Drumming with your muscles tense is the equivalent of driving a car with one foot on the gas and the other foot on the brake. The car will move but not nearly as well as when you take your foot off the brake! Throughout this series I can be seen using a system of drumming that allows me to play with maximum power and speed for extended periods of time without tensing my muscles. If you are interested in learning more about these tension free techniques, visit TensionFreeDrumming.com .

More Weak Hand Workouts

If you caught the prior lesson in this series, you learned how practicing short bursts of speed can help build your weak hand. Please continue to work on that regularly as it will greatly increase your development. If you missed that lesson, please go to the DrumMagazine.com/lessons site and practice Speed Lesson #56: Developing the Weak Hand - Part 6.

As always, you should continue to practice these exercises as written and also by reversing your hands so that you play the S (strong hand) part with your weak hand and the W (weak hand) part with your strong hand.

Questions on this month's lesson can be sent to me .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .

See you next time. Have fun and stay loose!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #71: Speedy Jazz Ride Triplet Fill-ins - Part 2

By Tiger Bill Meligari Published February 5, 2010

This time we're modifying last month's accented triplet pattern and while it actually includes fewer accents, you'll find that it makes the exercise harder to play. Let's check it out.

Video Lesson

Practice this exercise for speed on a single drum. Start slowly and gradually increase your speed each day while attempting to keep your arms, hands, wrists, and fingers as loose and relaxed as possible. Next time, we'll apply this to the entire drumset.

Reverse Hands For Additional Practice

Once you can perform the written exercise cleanly and up to speed, try practicing with the sticking reversed. If you find you're having trouble playing the accents cleanly and without getting tense, refer to my Web site at www.TensionFreeDrumming.com.

Feel free to email questions on this month's lesson to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

For free drum lessons, and expert drumming advice, visit www.TigerBill.com.

Until next time: Have fun and stay loose!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Velocities

By Peter Erskine Published in the September 2006 issue of DRUM!

Here’s some cool drum vocabulary that best exists in its own time and space frame; such rhythms shouldn’t be transcribed in measured time. Why? Because these are rhythmic expressions more of velocity and emotion rather than technique. To get started, let’s use the triplet as our foundation. Play Exs. 1–9 at varying tempos and dynamics, all the while listening to the drumming of Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes, and Art Blakey. You will recognize these motifs, and you will also recognize that these are best played freely. Change the tempo and speed throughout (start and stop frequently if you like). Vary the dynamics rapidly and often. Experiment with crescendos and diminuendos. Vary the texture: Play on different parts of the head, drum, or cymbal. In other words: make the music breathe.

Velocities Exercises

Peter Erskine has played with Weather Report, Steps Ahead, and the Stan Kenton Orchestra, and holds an honorary doctor of music degree from Berklee College Of Music. http://petererskine.com

Double Bass Basics

By Matt Byrne Published in the September 2006 issue of DRUM!

In this lesson we’re going to go over some double bass basics. First off, balance and posture are very important, so your setup is key, with the throne being your anchor point. Sitting too close or too far from the kick drums will throw your balance off, causing you to lean in and hunch over or lean back and push off your pedals. Sit at a distance that feels naturally comfortable, with your feet relatively shoulder width apart. The exercises I’ve provided are pretty straightforward but will help build stamina, endurance, and independence in your legs. Start with the standard sixteenth-note pattern in Ex. 1. Exs. 2 and 3 are slightly trickier variations, with straight eighth-notes on the hi-hat and the snare mostly on 2 and 4. Focus on playing each bass drum with equal volume and intensity. Get kicking!

Double Bass Basics Exercises

Matt Byrne bashes for the Grammy-nominated heavy metal/hardcore band Hatebreed. In his spare time he is working on his special ed./elementary ed. teaching degree. http://www.myspace.com/mattbyrnedrummer

Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #70: Speedy Jazz Ride Triplet Fill-ins - Part 1

By Tiger Bill Published January 4, 2009

This is one of my favorite accented triplet patterns. The accents themselves form the basic jazz ride cymbal time pattern while the eighth-note fill-ins add a sense of forward movement that sounds great when applied to the drumset in jazz and other styles.

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Video Lesson
Practice this exercise for speed on a single drum. Start slowly and gradually increase your speed each day while attempting to keep your arms, hands, wrists, and fingers as loose and relaxed as possible. In a future lesson we'll apply this to the entire drumset.

Reverse Hands For Additional Practice
Once you can perform the written exercise cleanly and up to speed, try practicing the same exercise with the sticking reversed. If you find you're having trouble playing the accents cleanly and without getting tense, check out my Web site at http://www.TensionFreeDrumming.com.

Feel free to email questions on this month's lesson to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

If you are having trouble playing tension free, visit my Web site at TensionFreeDrumming.com For free drum lessons, and expert drumming advice, visit www.TigerBill.com

Until next time: Have fun and stay loose!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Basics of Contemporary Beats and a Classic Bellson Solo

By Louie Bellson Published December 7, 2009

Video Clips from The Musical Drummer (DVD), by Louie Bellson

Louie Bellson is one of drumming's greatest legends. He pioneered the double bass drum set while still a teenager. In a career spanning 60 years he performed with the greatest twentieth century musicians such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and hundreds more. He appeared on hundreds of recordings and became famed as a composer, and wrote more than a dozen drum and percussion books, including http://alfred.com/Products/The-Musical-Drummer--00-32706.aspx " />The Musical Drummer.

In Video 1 he demonstrates a basic pattern with a backbeat on 2 and 4 that works in a wide range of contemporary music. Video 2 is a treat—an absolutely killer Bellson solo. Check it out. Both clips are from The Musical Drummer (DVD).

Louie Bellson clip #1

Louie Bellson, clip #2

More details available at alfred.com.

About The Author
Referred to by jazz critic Leonard Feather as "one of the most phenomenal drummers in history," the late Louie Bellson had a reputation for expressing himself on the drum from the time he was three years old. He played and/or recorded with such greats as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James and many others. As a prolific composer/arranger, his compositions and arrangements spanned a broad spectrum of music from jazz to symphonic works. He was one of the pioneer instrumental and band clinicians, giving selflessly to the music education community, and was the author of a number of books on drums and percussion.

Syncopation and Independence, and Applying the Exercises Transcription from The Master Drummer

By John Riley Published December 7, 2009

John Riley is a legendary teacher, inspiring, articulate, and talented in spades. On this DVD there are four sections covering technique, groove, creativity and musicianship. The following excerpts show John demonstrating his remarkable fluidity at the drum set (Video #1) and showing a series of exercises for improving syncopation and independence, using techniques based on the Moeller method.

The Master Drummer, clip #1.

The Master Drummer, clip #2.

More details available at alfred.com.

About The Author
John Riley began playing drums at age eight, after receiving a snare drum as a gift. Under the guidance of Tom Sicola, he played in the school band and began drum lessons. Eventually, he acquired a complete drum set and lessons expanded to include "beats of the day," coordination and reading studies for the drum set. At age twelve, John began playing in rock bands and heard his first jazz recordings. Two years later, he played his first "professional" gig, which he obtained through an audition played over the telephone. John began studying with Joe Morello in 1971, after meeting him at a drum symposium. John went on to attend the University of North Texas, where he was introduced to a larger world of music and percussion. While at UNT, he played in, toured, and recorded with the famed One O'clock Lab Band. In 1976, he moved to New York City and was soon called to join the Woody Herman Band. Following that great experience, John returned to New York and began freelancing with musicians including Stan Getz, Milt Jackson, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, John Scofield, Bob Mintzer, Gary Peacock, and many others.

Funk/R&B Lesson: How to play Chad Smith’s drum beat in “Funky Monks” (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

By Rich Lackowski Published December 5, 2009

Check out this transcription and lesson from On the Beaten Path: The Drummer’s Guide to Musical Styles and the Legends Who Defined Them, by Rich Lackowski.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the funkiest bands around, thanks to the solid grooves laid down by Flea and Chad. Chad's use of open hi-hats on the offbeats, combined with a syncopated kick pattern and his patented tight snare sound, create a rhythm that is undeniable. Take your time to work through these advanced exercises to master the tune.

Play-Along

Download "Funky Monks" mp3.

View more samples and the complete On the Beaten Path series at alfred.com.

About the Author
In addition to authoring the On the Beaten Path series of award-winning music instruction books, Rich Lackowski has written articles and features for TRAPS magazine and How to Play Drums magazine, is a member of the Vic Firth education team, and has performed in various locations around the United States since 1985.

Improve Your Groove & Polyrhythms Tutorial

By David Stanoch Published December 7, 2009

David Stanoch, who teaches percussion at McNally-Smith College in St. Paul, Minnesota, has created a comprehensive method for improving your groove and polyrhythmic skills. Work with the following exercises to gain solid control of the quarter-note pulse and expand your understanding of time. These exercises are excerpted from Mastering the Tables of Time, Volume 1: Introducing the Standard Timetable.

Segment 1: Improve Your Groove, Part 1

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Play-Along

Download example.

Segment 2: Polyrhythms Tutorial

More details available at alfred.com.

About The Author
David Stanoch has has an eclectic background of experience performing with Sheryl Crow, Richard Davis, Herb Ellis, Keb 'Mo', New Kids On The Block, Bernard Purdie, Bonnie Paitt, Don Rickles, Martin Short, Butch Vig and Mary Wilson, among others. David has studied with Max Roach, Alan Dawson, Richard Davis, Elliot Fine, Jeff Hamilton, Ignacio Berroa and Chad Wackerman. A faculty member of the McNally Smith College of Music since 1990, David is also a contributing author to Modern Drummer, Drummer (UK), and PAS/MN magazines.

Universal Rhythms Interpreted As Thirty-Second-Note Rudiments

By Dave DiCenso Published December 7, 2009

In this lesson covering thirty-second-note rudiments, all examples are taken from Universal Rhythms for Drumset, by Dave DiCenso.

Please read the following before beginning the exercises.

Example 1

Download example.

Example 2

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Example 3

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Example 4

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Example 5

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Example 6

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Example 7

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Example 8

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Example 9

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Example 10

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Example 11

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Example 12

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Example 13

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Example 14

Download example.

More details available at alfred.com.

About The Author
Among other things, like his sound, pocket, and style, Dave DiCenso is known for his ability to comfortably wear a lot of “stylistic hats.” This is evident when considering his long and diverse list of touring and recording credits, which include pop legends Duran Duran, prog-rock icon Steve Morse, Dream Theater guitar master John Petrucci, hardcore pioneers Cro-Mags, blues-rock master Johnny A, fusion guru David Fiuczynski, and contemporary-jazz virtuoso Hiromi. Dave DiCenso is also an Associate Professor of Percussion at Berklee College of Music. He is also an active clinician and has been a featured performer at major percussion industry events including the Modern Drummer Festival, Percussive Arts Society International Convention, N.A.M.M., Music Messe, Drum Daze, and the Montreal Drum Festival.

Drum Basics: Hi-Hat and Bass Drum

By Dave Black and Steve Houghton Published December 7, 2009

In this lesson, master educator Steve Houghton provides a basic drum workout from his top-selling book Drumset 101, co-authored with Dave Black. Work through the exercises to better understand basic technique for bass drum and hi-hat. Take a look at the videos to see the proper technique..

Video 1

Video 2

More details available at alfred.com.

About the authors:
Dave Black Percussionist/composer Dave Black received his Bachelor of Music in percussion performance from California State University, Northridge. He has traveled around the world, performing and recording with a wide variety of well-known entertainers and shows. A prolific composer and arranger, Mr. Black has had more than 60 of his compositions and arrangements published by most of the major music publishers, and many have been recorded. He has been the recipient of many awards and commissions, including 20 consecutive ASCAP Popular Composer Awards and two Grammy participation/nomination certificates. In addition, many of his compositions have been used as source/background music on numerous TV shows and movies, including Drumline. As one of the biggest selling percussion authors in the world, Mr. Black is the author and/or co-author of over 25 books, including Alfred's Drum Method (the world's current best-seller). He has written countless articles, book and concert reviews for most of the major music magazines and has been a featured subject in many of them.

Steve Houghton Steve Houghton is one of the most versatile percussionists in the business. Be it big band, small combo, fusion, or orchestra, Houghton has amassed an unusual amount of professional experience. After studies at North Texas State University, Houghton began his professional career with the Woody Herman Band at the age of 20. Since then, he has performed and recorded with an impressive list of players including Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Billy Childs, Scott Henderson, Jeff Berlin, Lyle Mays, and Carl Fontana. Steve is a highly sought-after clinician and enjoys a busy and exciting studio schedule in Los Angeles, recording music for TV, movies and jingles. Houghton is also on the board of directors of the Percussive Arts Society and co-chairman of the International Association of Jazz Educators. He endorses Pearl/Adams, Zildjian, Calato, Innovative Percussion, and Remo products.

Transcription from Drumset 101, by Dave Black and Steve Houghton

Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #69: Comparing Your Speed to Buddy Rich - Part 4

By Tiger Bill Published December 2, 2009

Comparing Your Speed To Buddy Rich

Welcome to the fourth and final installment of my lesson designed to develop both the speed and endurance of your single stroke roll while letting you compare your speed to that of the legendary Buddy Rich, who was capable of maintaining single strokes at speeds of up to about 950 beats per minute (bpm). If you missed any of the other three parts of this lesson, please practice them first before working on this.

This text will be replaced

Video Lesson
Last month I had you practicing each hand separately. This time we'll put both hands together and you should find it relatively easy to maintain a clean, accented single stroke roll, which was one of the trademarks of the great Buddy Rich. First practice each exercise as written and shown in the video demonstration and then reverse the sticking and practice starting with the left hand.

Clean Equal Speed is What We Need!
If you practiced last month's lesson properly, both of your hands should be just about equal in speed. This will allow you to play a clean, effortless accented single stroke roll when you put both hands together. Regardless of how much you improve, continue to keep a daily log and continue to raise the bar on your speed and endurance. Your ultimate goal should be to be able to play any pattern, not just a single stroke roll, at top speed with maximum power and precision and as much endurance as you want. When you aren't limited by your chops you'll find your creativity will greatly increase.

Keep Comparing Your Speed to Buddy
If you regularly use the formula I gave you in the second installment to compare your speed to Buddy's, it will serve as inspiration to continue improving your chops. Here's a quick refresher: Multiply your selected metronome tempo, let's use 167 for example, by the number of strokes you will be playing between each metronome click, let's use 6 for example, and that equals your total beats per minute. In this case 167 X 6 = 1002 bpm. Even if you eventually reach and surpass Buddy's speed, you shouldn't stop there! I truly believe that there is no end to the speed, power, precision, and endurance you can generate with regular practice and the use of Tension Free Drumming concepts.

Feel free to email questions on this month's lesson to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

If you are having trouble playing tension free, visit my Web site at TensionFreeDrumming.com For free drum lessons, and expert drumming advice, visit www.TigerBill.com

Until next time: Have fun and stay loose!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Classic Album Editions from Rush and Zeppelin

By Radim McCue Published December 2, 2009

As holidays approach, and a new year, it's a good time to make resolutions and get a fresh start on things. Like improving your chops and knowledge. With that in mind we take a quick look at some of the recent books and DVDs from earlier in the year.

Rush: 2112 is the complete drum transcriptions from one of their earliest hit albums. The piece, 2112 was a seven-movement suite that famously revolves around life in a technological future. If you're a Rush fan, this is the book that will help you create nearly everything Neil played on the recording. Getting the nuances and feel right is up to you. $14.95.

As long as we're at it, Alfred has two other noteworthy offerings in their Classic Albums editions. Rush's Moving Pictures and Led Zeppelin: Mothership Drum Transcriptions. The latter includes All My Love, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, Black Dog, Communication Breakdown, Dazed and Confused, D'yer Mak'er, Good Times Bad Times, Heartbreaker, Houses of the Holy, Immigrant Song, In the Evening, Kashmir, No Quarter, Nobody's Fault but Mine, Over the Hills and Far Away, Ramble On, Rock and Roll, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway to Heaven, The Song Remains the Same, Trampled Under Foot, When the Levee Breaks, and Whole Lotta Love.

Brushin' Up For Christmas

By Radim McCue Published November 30, 2009

The drumming literature is filled with a few classics on brushes, such as Ed Thigpen's The Sound of Brushes. and Jon Hazilla's Mastering The Art Of Brushes. Now there's also a great DVD called from Jon called Brush Control . [Note: The DVD was released in 2008.] In it, Jon presents brush-playing fundamentals, many of which are in his book. Many drummers desperately need help with their brush technique because they can be difficult to learn but open up a wide world of new sound options once you've got some confidence in your abilities. Jon presents a useful suite of exercises that take you through basic to advanced techniques. He also performs on the disc, playing in a trio with the terrifically talented Consuela Candelaria on piano and fellow Berkelee prof Ron Mahdi on bass, and shows you how to apply brush grooves to various styles of music from jazz to hip-hop to country. Finally, the there are extended disc performances and interviews with Jon that provide additional insight and help motivate you to work on all the material on the disc.If you don't have Jon's book, then you may want to add his DVD to your plans for the coming year and 'brush up' on your skills.

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The Drumming Of Mitch Mitchell Part VII

By Phil Hood Published November 26, 2009

When the needle dropped on Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced life changed for millions of young drummers. The audacity of Hendrix's approach to amplification and Mitch Mitchell's fusion of jazz and rock opened up new doors for pop music and for musicians. It's a sound that is as fresh today as it was then.

In this series DRUM! Editor Andy Doerschuk reflects on the impact of Mitchell and demonstrates how to capture his moves on the drum set. This week: "Spanish Castle Magic."

Barrry Kerch: “The Crow And The Butterfly”

By Dave Constantin Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s September 2009 Issue

Yes, The Sound Of Madness has been out for a year now. But fear not, the beat in this song is evergreen. And by learning it, you’ll be in possession of that relatively rare gem in the drummer’s bag o’ tricks: a killer 6/4 groove, the versatility of which you’re sure to enjoy no matter what kind of music you play. And this one’s universal enough that its possibilities are just about limitless.

That’s because complexity is not the issue here. The 6/4 is purely a feel thing. And for Barry Kerch, the feeling he had that day in the studio when he laid this beat down was nothing short of ecstasy. “That was one of those times when you’re sitting in the studio and the studio disappears and you’re just playing for the song, and you’re just having fun,” Kerch says, sounding a tad fatigued after a two-day whirlwind tour through Houston, New York City, Charlotte, and finally Johnson City, Tennessee. But talking about this song seem to perk him up.

“I think we did a few takes and the second take is the one you actually hear on there,” he says of “The Crow And The Butterfly.” The success of that second run-through was summed up in the reaction of producer Rob Cavallo (that’s right, him again). “I remember Rob, he got all excited and he got giddy, which he does sometimes, and he comes down and gave me a big hug and he said, ‘That’s how you play that song! That’s how you play that song!’”

No doubt, Kerch was anxious to hear some good news considering that at the time of recording, the “band” was in tatters, held together by just two people, him and singer Brent Smith. “It’s a long, sordid rock and roll story,” Kerch says of that tumultuous time, explaining vaguely how internal tensions finally erupted in the departure of two longtime members, bassist Brad Stewart and guitarist Jasin Todd, followed by recently added lead guitarist Nick Perri. “It was a rough time,” Kerch says, which is why the recording took about 19 months. “Basically because we kind of had to rebuild ourselves. You know, the band was in a very unhealthy place — the singer had to recover from his addictions. We lost a guitar player and a bass player. So really we had to do a big overhaul and fall in love with music all over again. And we did, we really did, and it’s stronger now than it’s every been.”

In the studio, Kerch and Smith were joined by a string of studio players, including session guitarist Tim Pierce and former Janes Addiction bassist Chris Chaney, whose stellar performances on the album are as seamless and professional as if they’d been playing in the band for years, and offered a much-needed bridge until those positions could be filled permanently. Eventually, the aptly named Eric Bass joined up on (you guessed it) bass, while guitarist Zach Meyers took over both lead and rhythm duties.

But in the run-up to the studio sessions, most of the creative responsibilities fell to Smith and Kerch, with the lead singer funneling ideas to the drummer, often remotely via file-transfers and CD swapping. “We also, during that time, did some demo work out of Atlanta with Rick Biatto,” Kerch says. “We went up there and actually did live drums and full demos there.” When they had about 40 or 50 tunes, they brought them to Cavallo, who helped them whittle that number down to 20 songs, which is what they brought into Capital Studios in September of ’07.

“We’d go in and try to knock out two to three [songs] a day,” Kerch says. “Maybe if we could, get to four. We’d do the drums for the tune, and then we’d record the bass afterwards while it was still fresh.” They started out with the album’s single, “Devour,” “of all tracks,” Kerch laughs. “The fastest, hardest one on the album. And I think ‘The Crow And The Butterfly’ was actually one of the last tracks, and probably the most fun for me.

“A lot of it had to do with that bridge section and the fills in the bridge section that now are incorporated to almost follow with the guitar solo, but initially they were more just kind of lead lines for the bass, and it just really fell together that day. I think that those are some of my proudest fills of this song.”

That’s because, while those fills may not stretch your technical capabilities, they are all about space and precision, and about keeping the tempo from running away on you. Kerch’s advice is to concentrate on breathing. “Really giving it that space there and just breath and lean back on it and try not to rush those fills,” he says.

We should also point out that there are a few things you hear in this song that you won’t necessarily need to play it at home: 1) A brass tambourine, which creates that faint jingle you hear on the snare hits. Kerch laid it on the snare in the studio, but he’s left it out of the live show. 2) A shaker, which was mixed in after the fact. “We did it in threes,” Kerch says. “You know, just ‘cha cha cha,’ and then we added a delay on it to give it the six feeling.” Live, he still has the shaker sample, but creates the staccato delay with his hi-hat. 3) A 21-piece orchestra, because, generally, these are hard to come by. “When we had the 21-piece orchestra play along with that, and hearing that come back and following the lines throughout the bridge and stuff like that was just — it gives me chills today to talk about,” Kerch says.

But samples and orchestras and monster guitar solos were just icing on the cake, and mostly the result of pushing boundaries in the studio. At its core, this song and this beat are about simplicity. “I like laying back in the groove,” Kerch says. “Blasting out is fun and it’s intense. You get to throw down and hit as hard as you can and put on a rock show, but when you get to lay back, those moments, those are nice.”

Band Shinedown
Song “The Crow And The Butterfly”
Album The Sound Of Madness

Brazilian Basics

By Peter Erskine Published in the June 2006 issue of DRUM!

The best way to learn any style of music is by attentive listening. It’s also possible to get hints from patterns and stickings. Here are some ways to interpret Brazilian-music subdivisions. It’s best to think of Brazilian beats in two counts, with the underlying accent on the second beat. Ex. 1 uses a RLRL sticking, but this gives no feeling to the rhythm without some effort. However, Ex. 2 begins to suggest a samba right away. Play Exs. 2–7 on a closed hi-hat as written, and then play Exs. 2, 7, and 8 with the bass drum doubling the right hand in unison (keep the feel in the right foot the same as in the right hand). Experiment with the subdivisions, and compare your results with recordings of great Brazilian drummers.

Brazilian Basics Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Peter Erskine has played with Weather Report, Steps Ahead, and The Stan Kenton Orchestra, and holds an honorary doctor of music degree from Berklee College Of Music. http://petererskine.com

Odd Foot Ostinatos

By Wally Schnalle Published in the June 2006 issue of DRUM!

This little bit of rhythmic mayhem involves playing odd-numbered groupings on the bass drum in 4/4. Ex. 1 illustrates playing every third sixteenth-note, which takes three measures to cycle completely. Ex. 2 presents a grouping of five sixteenth-notes (two plus three) that cycles in five measures. And, of course, the grouping of seven sixteenth-notes (two plus two plus three) in Ex. 3 cycles completely in seven measures. Your first exploration of these exercises should be with the ostinatos (repeated patterns) in Ex. 4. Simply play the ostinato, and add the different bass-drum patterns from Exs. 1–3. Repeat as many times as it takes to really feel comfortable playing each pattern. Look out for advanced permutations in future lessons.




Odd Foot Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

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 ABCs Of Agbadza

By Jim Donovan Published in the June 2006 issue of DRUM!

Agbadza music comes from the Ewe people in the Volta region of Ghana. It’s thought to be one of the oldest-known types of music in West Africa. The piece was traditionally performed as a war dance, but now agbadza can be heard at funerals, festivals, and other social events. Learn the single hand-drum rhythms first (Exs. 1–3) as a way to get familiar with this unique 6/8 feel, and then dig into the kit variations (Exs. 4–7). Remember: Start very slowly, use a metronome, and eventually re-voice the rhythms around the different instruments on your kit to create your own inspired music.

Agbadza Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Jim Donovan is a current and founding member of the multiplatinum band Rusted Root. He has released several solo CDs as well as four instructional drumming CDs. http://www.jimdonovanmusic.com

Gregg Bissonette Talks Tuning Tips

By Gregg Bissonette Published November 20, 2009

In this exclusive, Gregg Bissonette shares his tuning technique and dials in a great snare sound.

Click here for the video

View previous Drumchannel exclusives: Peart, Perry And Bozzio Give Props.
Peter Erskine explains why "Jazz Is a Music of Possibilities."
Efrain Toro and Alex Acuña demonstrate the metaphysical nature of "groove."

The Drumming Of Mitch Mitchell Part VI

By Phil Hood Published November 19, 2009

When the needle dropped on Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced life changed for millions of young drummers. The audacity of Hendrix's approach to amplification and Mitch Mitchell's fusion of jazz and rock opened up new doors for pop music and for musicians. It's a sound that is as fresh today as it was then.

In this series DRUM! Editor Andy Doerschuk reflects on the impact of Mitchell and demonstrates how to capture his moves on the drum set. This week: "I Don't Live Today."

Jason Bittner Breaks It Down

Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s January 2007 Issue

Double-bass technique requires a great deal of stamina, power, and dexterity, and the following exercises will demonstrate how you can develop these skills for your own double-kick playing. We’ll start with basic endurance exercises and gradually increase into more complex patterns. Please remember the two most important things when doing these exercises – start off slowly and use a metronome.

Basic Sixteenth-Note Patterns
When I first started playing two bass drums I was initially inspired by guys like Neil Peart and Ginger Baker, who were known for having two kicks but didn’t necessarily play them in a constant sixteenth-note rolling pattern. Later on, I became immersed in Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer, and wanted to have a barrage of constant kick drums at my disposal. Mind you – this was the early ’80s and I was just coming out of my John Bonham, Clive Burr, and Nicko McBrain phase. My right foot was pretty solid so my main challenge was to develop my left, which was far from solid. The following exercises got me started.

Ex. 1. Let’s start with a straight sixteenth-note double kick pattern without integrating your hand, just to get the feel of using both feet. We will play this two ways: RLRL RLRL RLRL RLRL and LRLR LRLR LRLR.

Ex. 2. Now we’ll incorporate basic hand patterns. Start with a RLRL pattern on kicks, the snare on 2 and 4, and the ride (or closed hat) on 1&2&3&4&. Play the bass drum pattern using right and left foot lead. Left foot lead might be a little awkward at first – well at least it was for me (and still is). If you take these patterns and practice them over and over for extended time periods with a metronome, your endurance and stamina will improve greatly.

Ex. 3-13. After you become comfortable with Ex. 1 and 2, we’ll add another level of difficulty with 11 other ride patterns, ranging from straight quarter-notes to straight sixteenth-notes. Once you are able to play these comfortably and want to further challenge yourself, try Ex. 3-13 exercises with these footings.

RRLL RRLL RRLL RRLL
LLRR LLRR LLRR LLRR

Basic Triplet Patterns

Now let’s look at eighth- and sixteenth-note triplet patterns. The main thing to point out here is to clearly separate the triplet pattern 1-2-3, 2-2-3, etc. or trip-a-let, trip-a-let from the previous straight sixteenth-note patterns (1e&ah, 2e&ah)

Ex. 14. Play the snare on the 2 and 4, ride on the 1, 2, 3, 4
Ex. 15. Move the snare to 1 and 3.
Ex. 16. Move snare to 3 only.
Ex. 17. Play the straight triplet ride pattern over the hand/foot patterns of Ex.14-16.

Sixteenth-Note Triplets
Ex. 18. Here we have an eighth-note ride pattern, 2 and 4 on the snare, and sixteenth-note triplets with the feet.
Ex. 19. Play eighth-note triplets with the hands, and sixteenth-note triplets with the feet. Sixteenth-Note Patterns.

Now that you’ve mastered continuous sixteenth-note patterns, let’s start breaking them up. We’ll approach these in three different ways: right foot lead playing a constant eighth-note pattern while the left foot fills in the appropriate e or &ah; left foot lead filling in e’s and &ah’s with the right foot, and alternating footing.

Ex. 20. Here’s the constant 1 &a pattern (right foot lead)
Ex. 21. The same pattern with a left foot lead.
Ex. 22. Now let’s try alternating footing RLR, LRL, RLR, LRL.
Ex. 23. This is the constant 1 e& pattern with a right foot lead.
Ex. 24. Here’s the same pattern as Ex. 23 with a left foot lead.
Ex. 25. Now let’s try alternating footing
Ex. 26. This is an exercise that Steve Smith showed me, which can help you get the feel of alternate footing with the e& groove.
Ex. 27. If you want to challenge yourself further, try playing your feet on the e& pattern, while the right hand plays the &ah pattern, with the snare on 2 and 4.
Ex. 28. Another tricky one where the feet play &ah’s, as the right hand plays e&’s and the snare plays the &’s.

Triplet Shuffles
Since we have the full triplet down, let’s take out a few notes and work with a double bass shuffle beat. The main thing to remember here is to keep the triplet feel. Think 1-2-3, 2-2-3 just like we did for the initial triplet patterns, except this time don’t play the 2’s.

Ex. 29. Here’s the basic pattern just to get the feel of the kicks.
Ex. 30. Now ride on quarter-notes with the snare on 2 and 4.
EX. 31. Here the ride matches the kick pattern.
Ex. 27. This is essentially the same as Ex. 30, except that the shuffle is played RR, LL, RR, LL.

Sixteenth-Note Combination Patterns
Ex. 33-36. These are combination patterns that are meant to be played four different ways: Right foot lead and fill &ah’s and e&’s with left foot; left foot lead and fill with right foot; RLR LRL RLR LRL; and LRL RLR LRL RLR. We will use 2 and 4 on the snare, and eighths on the ride, but feel free to experiment with the hand patterns. Listen to guys like Raymond Herrera from Fear Factory and Matt McDonough from Mudvayne to hear great examples of these types of combination patterns.

Adding Thirty-Second Notes

Ex. 37-40. Play these as written.
Mirrored Triplet Patterns
Let’s use the shuffle again for the following “mirrored” patterns.
Ex. 41. A four-bar phrase that is essentially two two-bar phrases put together. Notice that the initial pattern starts over at the third bar, only with the opposite foot.
Ex. 42. Here is a two-bar pattern that reverses at the second bar - think Vinnie Paul on Pantera’s song “Psycho Holiday.”
Ex. 43. Now we have a two-handed ride pattern placed over the constant triplet feel. If you don’t have two rides just use your hi-hat.
Ex. 44. Finally, let’s go back to shuffle in Ex. 31 and throw in some ghost strokes on the snare drum to spice things up a bit.

Advanced Ideas

“Shifting Gears” is a term I use for having the ability to maneuver between eighths, sixteenths, thirty-seconds, and triplets with ease and comfort. Listen to Mike Portnoy, who has the ability to do this at varying tempos with the utmost of ease.
Ex. 45. Thirty-seconds, eighths, and sixteenths.
EX. 46. Sixteenth note triplets and sixteenths.
EX. 47. Eighth and sixteenth note triplets.
EX. 48-49. Non-stop thirty-seconds and sixteenths.
To challenge yourself even more, go back and play the last four examples while substituting double-strokes for any alternating sixteenth-note patterns.

Four-Stroke Ruffs

These can be challenging at first but once you get them down, they can really add another color to your playing. Charlie Benante from Anthrax is a master at these.
Ex. 50-51. Play as written.

Gallop Endurance Exercis

Here’s a four-bar exercise that can help build your speed and endurance with constant sixteenths. Start by playing a “gallop” beat and ease into the steady sixteenths. This is very effective at fast tempos (a la Benante). Ex. 52. Play as written.

The Blast Beat In closing we’ll touch upon a style of double-kick drumming that is predominant in the death/black metal genres. These beats are generally played at extreme tempos (180-240 bpm) and require a great amount of speed, skill, and endurance. If you want to check out the masters of this genre, I suggest listening to Nick Barker, Pete Sandoval, Gene Hoglan, Derek Roddy, and Flo Mounier.

Ex. 53. Sixteenth-note “grind” beat – both hands play the same thing.
Ex. 54-55. Blast beats with alternating hands.
Ex. 56 Sixteenth-note triplet blast.

Well, that finally concludes our double-kick drum tutorial. A few things to keep in mind – most of these exercises were written using a basic straight eighth ride and 2 and 4 on the snare. I could have written other hand patterns out as well, but we simply don’t have enough space. It’s up to you to try different snare/ride combinations and come up with your own interesting beats. Double bass is something that takes practice and patience, so start out slowly and make every note count.

Jason Bittner is the Grammy-nominated drummer for the band Shadows Fall. They are currently finishing up work on their new album Threads Of Life, which is due out in March 2007 on Atlantic Records.

The Drumming Of Mitch Mitchell Part V

By Phil Hood Published November 5, 2009

When the needle dropped on Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced life changed for millions of young drummers. The audacity of Hendrix's approach to amplification and Mitch Mitchell's fusion of jazz and rock opened up new doors for pop music and for musicians. It's a sound that is as fresh today as it was then.

In this series DRUM! Editor Andy Doerschuk reflects on the impact of Mitchell and demonstrates how to capture his moves on the drum set. This week: "Manic Depression."

Metaphysical Groovin': Efrain Toro and Alex Acuña

By Josh Moscov Published November 11, 2009

In this performance clip, Efrain Toro and Alex Acuña and band lead you through an awesome tune. In a brief break Efrain expounds on the essence of groove, the upbeat and downbeat. Check it out.

Click here for the video

View previous Drumchannel exclusives: Peart, Perry And Bozzio Give Props.
Peter Erskine explains why "Jazz Is a Music of Possibilities."

The Drumming Of Mitch Mitchell Part IV

By Phil Hood Published November 5, 2009

When the needle dropped on Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced life changed for millions of young drummers. The audacity of Hendrix's approach to amplification and Mitch Mitchell's fusion of jazz and rock opened up new doors for pop music and for musicians. It's a sound that is as fresh today as it was then.

In this series DRUM! Editor Andy Doerschuk reflects on the impact of Mitchell and demonstrates how to capture his moves on the drum set. This week: "Little Wing."

The Drumming Of Mitch Mitchell Part III

By Phil Hood Published October 29, 2009

When the needle dropped on Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced life changed for millions of young drummers. The audacity of Hendrix's approach to amplification and Mitch Mitchell's fusion of jazz and rock opened up new doors for pop music and for musicians. It's a sound that is as fresh today as it was then.

In this series DRUM! Editor Andy Doerschuk reflects on the impact of Mitchell and demonstrates how to capture his moves on the drum set. This week: "Fire."

The Drumming Of Mitch Mitchell Part II

By Phil Hood Published October 22, 2009

When the needle dropped on Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced life changed for millions of young drummers. The audacity of Hendrix's approach to amplification and Mitch Mitchell's fusion of jazz and rock opened up new doors for pop music and for musicians. It's a sound that is as fresh today as it was then.

In this series DRUM! Editor Andy Doerschuk reflects on the impact of Mitchell and demonstrates how to capture his moves on the drum set. This week: "Foxy Lady."

More Bounce For The Ounce

By Jeffrey Clemens Originally published in 2004

Hello drum lads and lassies. Nothing good comes easy. As I read once somewhere, “There is no elevator to the top, you gotta take the stairs the whole way.” With that in mind, I enlisted the great Stanton Moore to help me write this lesson.

Bounce beats are one flavor of urban hip-hop and modern R&B. They involve intricate subdivisions with thirty-second notes. These patterns are often programmed on computers, making it difficult to mimic on a drum kit.

In Ex. 1 you have a sixteenth-note pickup on the and-ah of 4 before 1. Then you play a mostly linear pattern between the hats, snare, and kick. You can play the hats with either left or right hand. In Ex. 2 and 3 you will play with a similar feel, but there are thirty-second-notes, which will give the illusion of playing twice as fast because of the extra subdivision. This is hard to articulate in words, but it is worth it to get help if you don't understand how to read or play this. Don’t be afraid of the unknown, okay? Good luck.

Jeffrey Clemens is the drummer for G Love & Special Sauce.

Paradiddle Tap Orchestrations

By Wally Schnalle Published in the February 2008 issue of DRUM!

In my continued exploration of “odd-adiddles,” I’ve often put the paradiddle tap in a jazz context (shown in its raw form in Ex. 1). In this column, I’ve taken that five-note wonder and orchestrated it around the kit. This vocabulary can be used for soloing or for tension-filled fills. Ex. 2 shows the orchestration I’m using for this right lead pattern. The right hand plays the floor tom; the left hand plays the snare; and the double right is replaced with a double stroke on the bass drum. Exs. 3 and 4 put the odd-adiddle in an eighth-note-triplet context, while Exs. 5 and 6 show them played as sixteenths. Each of the rhythmic environments has a one- and two-measure example, as the five-note pattern does not resolve itself for five measures. These examples will help you to feel the odd-adiddles in shorter, more usable phrases. Also, be sure to keep time with the hi-hat as shown so you’re actually feeling the tension and resolution of the phrase.

Paradiddle Tap Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

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

Independence Exercises

By Richie “Gajate” Garcia Published in the February 2008 issue of DRUM!

One thing that I like to do to help me with my independence is to do exercises that I normally wouldn’t necessarily use as such, but would help me in playing other patterns. This particular exercise will help you get started. Do the feet first, the hands separate, and then try putting them together. Once you’re comfortable with the whole exercise, play the accents on different surfaces.

Independence Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Richie “Gajate” Garcia has played with Phil Collins, Diana Ross, Hiroshima, and John Denver, recorded movie soundtracks, taught at Musician’s Institute for more than ten years, and performs clinics worldwide.

Hat Trips

By Peter Erskine Published in the February 2008 issue of DRUM!

Here are some triplet-based exercises focusing on the hi-hat. Some of these examples play easily, while others are a little trickier. You’ll get the most out of these exercises by varying the tempo. I recommend students maintain a practice journal, keeping track of tempos played and how well or how poorly a particular tempo feels. Do this both with and without a metronome. Meanwhile, you should vary the dynamics of the different voices — this brings the notes to life and turns an exercise into music. That said, I’m not certain you’ll have the opportunity to incorporate most of these examples into your day-to-day playing. For more musical approach to these, you can turn to John Riley’s Beyond Bop Drumming. However, the following exercises should prepare you for any triplet-based independence involving the feet. Ex. 7–10 explore the swoosh sound of the hi-hat cymbals when they’re brought together and then splashed apart like a pair of concert cymbals. Don’t forget to let them ring! Experiment with this and practice slowly. Once you’re comfortable with this technique, try the triplet exercises. If you’re not seated well, you’ll experience balance problems. Remember, the drum throne is the center and your four limbs should be able to move freely, at your command. Feel free to work on any exercise minus the ride cymbal. Ultimately, though, the point is to be able to play the ride along with all of this other stuff and make it swing.

Hat Trips Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Peter Erskine has played with Weather Report, Steps Ahead, and the Stan Kenton Orchestra, and holds an honorary doctor of music degree from Berklee College Of Music. http://petererskine.com

Inverted Beats

By Matt Byrne Published in the February 2008 issue of DRUM!

Let’s mess around with some inverted beats between the kick, snare, and hi-hats, as well as with some beats that incorporate left-foot patterns on the hi-hat. The first set of beats is of straight sixteenth-notes where the double hits alternate between the ghost-note hits on the snare and the double hits on the hi-hat. The groove and overall feel of these beats comes from the execution of the ghost notes. The next set of beats also features straight sixteenth-notes, however, I’ve replaced the snare hits with the kick drum, and vice versa. The last set of beats features variations of the first set, but here I’ve added the left-foot hi-hat. These hits, combined with the kick drum, are accented.

Inverted Beats Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Matt Byrne bashes for the Grammy-nominated heavy metal/hardcore band Hatebreed. In his spare time he is working on his special ed./elementary ed. teaching degree. http://www.myspace.com/mattbyrnedrummer

Cindy Blackman: Playing The Breaks

By Wally Schnallle Originally Published in DRUM! Magazine’s December ’99 Issue

Talk with Cindy Blackman, and the name Tony pops up almost immediately. “Sometimes people say, ‘You talk about Tony an awful lot,’” she admits. “I can’t help it. He’s done so much for music and the drums. Tony is my hero.”

Tony who? Are you kidding? Tony Williams, of course. The man who in his teens began changing the face of jazz drumming while playing with Miles Davis. Williams’ influence touches all drummers, whether they know it or not. However, those aware of his musical history need only hear a snippet of Blackman’s jazz drumming to hear more than the usual trickling down of influence.

“I was about 16 years old, living in West Hartford, Connecticut, and Tony played a drum clinic in the basement at Creative Music — Bob Gatzen’s old shop — where they had a little playing area,” Blackman remembers. “I saw that and it just tripped me out. Tony was incredible. His technique was blistering. The sound of his drums was amazing. His musicality with all that technique was mind boggling, and his intelligence on top of that was incredible. I had heard him on record and was extremely impressed and excited by what I had heard. That’s why I went to hear him.”

At this point some of you may wonder: “Jazz? Isn’t Cindy Blackman the drummer in the Lenny Kravitz videos?” Well, yes she is. But that’s only one side of this busy multi-faceted musician. Blackman also leads her own jazz band and has put out at least eight albums as a leader over the past decade. Drumming with Kravitz does keep her busy, though. Especially when they tour.

“When we did our last tour we toured for about a year and a half,” she says. “We only had a week off here and there, so I wasn’t home very much. I remember at one point we were gone so long I came home and I’d forgotten which key opened my door. I had to remember how to get into my own apartment. I love it though. I love being busy. I love being on the road. I love playing. I love travelling. It gets tiresome but I love it.”

And when she’s off the road with Kravitz? What else? “My band has already recorded another CD, and I actually go in this weekend to mix it. We’ve had a nice period recently. When we got done playing in San Francisco we got a call to play a private party for President Clinton, and I go to Europe in a couple of weeks doing an electric project.”

Her most recent album, Works on Canvas, is strong evidence of her aggressive Williams-influenced jazz drumming style as well as her skills as a bandleader, composer and arranger. The CD features 12 tunes, six of which are Blackman originals, with the rest arranged by the entire band.

Blackman learned firsthand the importance of letting your bandmates contribute to the music. “I have been fortunate enough to see a few leaders up close that I thought were incredible leaders, like Art Blakey,” Blackman says. “He was a wonderful bandleader. Miles Davis, although I didn’t see him in the ’60s, was another great leader. All the great bandleaders were great in my opinion because they’re strong enough to lead but smart enough to know that for the music to grow people have to have a certain amount of freedom.

“In my situation I like to give some direction but I also like to leave the playing field open for other people to direct me or just give their own input because that’s how it grows. I like people to come to the table with whatever they’ve got and then we shape that and deal with it in a musical sense.”

And as for Art Blakey, she did more than just observe him as a bandleader. His influence was a little more personal. “I had a really close relationship with Art Blakey, like a father and daughter. I never had formal lessons with him but he taught me a lot.” Hardcore jazz fans might also be surprised to learn how many ingredients she has brought to her own music from her work with Kravitz. “At this point I add more of the elements that I get from his group into my own group because I’m not so shy to do it now. Because I’m playing that music a lot, I hear things that way too. There are elements in there that I like. If you’re playing honestly, that happens. Things become a part of you. And I do play honestly.”

One of Cindy’s arrangements on the CD, the lovely ballad “My Ship,” is a wonderful example of how she is able to use her own distinctive voice as a drummer and bandleader, while giving the members of her band the room to have their input. “I just used a piece of that tune because that’s a tune that’s so well known, or should be because it’s so beautiful, that you don’t really need to play the whole tune to get the gist of it,” she explains. “I just took a piece of the tune and changed the harmonies. I told the guys what I was looking for and just let it go at that. We developed things together. Structurally it’s unconventional. Harmonically it’s unconventional and the feeling is unconventional. I like to think of ways I haven’t heard things played before and approach them from that direction.”

Speaking of unconventionality, while Blackman’s CD is primarily an acoustic jazz date, she does employ some electronic keys. This may cause jazz traditionalists to turn up their noses, but that’s how she hears it and it integrates into the recording very well. “I love textures and having different layers of sound and things happening,” she says. “My favorite period of music is the ’60s because there was just so much incredible and innovative music that happened in that period that hasn’t really been surpassed at this point. But I do think that some great things happened later as well. And I do think that the use of electronics can mesh and not detract from the beauty of acoustic music if done in a certain way.”

The transcriptions are from a tune entitled “My Isha” off of Works on Canvas, which was penned by her piano player Carlton Holmes. “That tune has no melody,” Blackman says. “We just start playing, and we’re playing over a certain form, and the last four bars of the form are always mine. Sometimes I walk through it. Sometimes I play solo drums through it, doing fills. It’s fun. I remember that one of the engineers said, ‘I don’t know about that tune. There’s no melody. Why are you going to do a tune with no melody?’ I think it’s hip enough and it’s cool enough, and if you listen to what the guys are playing they’re playing melodically enough when they’re trading that to me you don’t need a melody. So it worked out fine.”

As the tune’s 24 bars cycle around, each pass alternates between piano and sax solos. Whenever it’s her turn to solo, Blackman listens closely to her bandmates. “I draw ideas from what the last person soloing is playing as well as trying to mix in my own ideas,” she says. “If you do that it’s got a musical continuum because you are playing off of each other. You’re listening to everything. You have to be aware of things that are happening.”

These transcriptions are of Blackman’s four-bar musical statements in the order they appear in the song.

Most importantly, Blackman likes to push the envelope further whenever she plays. “As Art Blakey said, ‘If you don’t make a mistake you’re not trying.’ No matter how great you play, if you’re just playing and coasting and everything is perfect, how hard are you really trying? Are you really trying to push yourself as far as you can go? I don’t think so. I think you’re coasting.”

Tim Yeung's Divine Warmup Exercise

By Radim McCue Published October 8, 2009

Last week you got a chance to see Tim's Facebreaker workout. Here's a new Century Media video in which Tim demonstrates some of his warmup exercises for speed and endurance. Check out the band at Divine Heresy..

Click here for the video

Sextuplet Chops

By Wally Schnalle Published in the May 2006 issue of DRUM!

Sextuplets are six-note groupings that fit in the space normally occupied by four notes. The patterns presented here help your hands develop fluidity between single and double strokes in a sextuplet context. Ex. 1 is only singles. Use it to get used to the pattern. It’s one I learned years ago in drum corp. Ex. 2 uses one double stroke per sextuplet creating a double-paradiddle pattern. Exs. 3 and 4 use two double strokes each. Note the paradiddle-diddles in Ex. 3. The last example is all doubles but should sound as clean as the singles. Be sure to play them right- and left-hand lead as the sticking indicates.

Sextuplet Chops Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

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

Maraca Madness

By Richie “Gajate” Garcia Published in the May 2006 issue of DRUM!

Let’s have a shake at three popular maraca patterns used in Latin music. Ex. 1 is a salsa pattern that is played at a medium-to-fast tempo. Make sure you hit the accents clearly. Ex. 2 is a son montuno pattern that is played at a slow-to-medium tempo. The dots over the sixteenth-notes indicate a slightly rushed feeling. Ex. 3 is a 6/8 pattern that is played at a medium-to-fast tempo in the styles of a Peruvian waltz and a Venezuelan joropo. Keep in mind that there are many variations to each pattern, so feel free to explore.

Maraca Madness Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Richie “Gajate” Garcia has played with Phil Collins, Diana Ross, Hiroshima, and John Denver, recorded movie soundtracks, taught at Musician’s Institute for more than ten years, and performs clinics worldwide.

Going Gota

By Jim Donovan Published in the May 2006 issue of DRUM!

Originally a war dance but now performed mainly for entertainment at community gatherings, gota hails from the ancient kingdom of Dahomey in West Africa. I find this piece to be a nice introduction for those interested in learning more about the richness of African drumming. Exs. 1–5 illustrate the main patterns for gota. Learn each phrase and then try playing one phrase on your right hand and another phrase on your left. Eventually get your feet involved and try moving the patterns around your kit. Hours of fun to be had here!

Going Gota Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Jim Donovan is a current and founding member of the multiplatinum band Rusted Root. He has released several solo CDs as well as four instructional drumming CDs. http://www.jimdonovanmusic.com

Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #67: Comparing Your Speed to Buddy Rich - Part 2

By Eric Kamm Published October 3, 2009

Welcome to the second segment of my lesson designed to develop both the speed and endurance of your single stroke roll while letting you compare your speed to that of the legendary Buddy Rich, who was capable of maintaining single strokes at speeds of up to about 950 beats per minute (bpm). If you missed part 1 of this lesson, please check that out first before working on this.

Video Lesson

Lst month I had you practice each hand separately, which will make it much easier for you to put both hands together this month. Practice each exercise as shown in the written notation by starting with your right hand first. Then reverse the sticking and play each exercise starting with your left hand. Begin at a comfortable tempo and increase your speed only after you can play each exercise for at least one full minute without stopping and without developing tension in your fingers, wrists, or arms. A good starting point for your metronome tempo when playing both hands would be the top speed that were able to attain when playing last month's lesson with a single hand.

Both Hands Should be Capable of the Same Level of Speed and Endurance

Keep a daily log of your top speed and notate whether or not you can hold the exercise for a full 60 seconds. Once you perfect the first exercise, move on to the second using the same metronome tempo. If you have trouble playing the continuous triplets of exercise 2 at the same tempo, lower the metronome tempo and find one that allows you to play for a full 60-seconds. Practice starting your single stroke roll both with the right hand and with the left hand. If you are not able to play these exercises at the same tempos with either hand, practice more on your weaker side. I also suggest that you access my free lessons on Developing Your Weak Hand, which can be found here on drummagazine.com. Ultimately, your hands should both be equal in terms of speed, power, precision, and endurance.

Formula for Comparing Your Speed to Buddy Rich

Set a metronome tempo of half-note equal 158 and try to play exercise #2 at that speed. If you can play it smoothly and cleanly without getting tense, then congratulations! Your single stroke roll speed is equal to that of Buddy's! If you can't, don't feel bad. There's a reason that Buddy was considered one of the world's greatest drummers! With the proper kind of practice, you should eventually be successful. If you have no problem keeping up with Buddy's single stroke speed, then kick your metronome up to 167 and play exercise #2. If you can make that, double congratulations! You are capable of playing at speeds of over 1,000 bpm - actually 1002 to be exact! Here's how to figure out the simple formula using Buddy's top speed as an example: Multiply the metronome tempo of 158 by 6 (which is the number of strokes you will be playing between each metronome click) and that equals the total beats per minute that you are playing. In this case 158 X 6 = 948 bpm, which happens to be Buddy's top speed. Have fun with it but remember, if you find yourself becoming tense when playing at a particular tempo, slow down the metronome and work on it regularly. Eventually, you will be able to increase your speed while playing with no tension. If you are having trouble with tension, visit my Web site at http://www.TensionFreeDrumming.com.

Next month we'll practice adding accents to your single stroke roll, something that Buddy Rich had mastered!

For free drum lessons, and expert drumming advice, visit http://www.TigerBill.com. Feel free to email questions on this month's lesson to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Until next time: Have fun and stay loose!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Off-Beat Triplets

By Peter Erskine Published in the April 2006 issue of DRUM!

The triplet is a fundamental subdivision in jazz. It’s normally thought to provide the essential swing feel (even though the straight-eighth feel predominates at faster tempos). The most common example in drumming is the ride-cymbal beat (Ex. 1). Most comping vocabulary in jazz relates to the easy, natural flow of Ex. 2. The off-beat triplet provides a terrific means to inject rhythmic tension because it goes against the 4/4 grain. Play Ex. 3 using two hands, and then play the off-beats with just the left hand (Ex. 4), combined with the ride and hi-hat from Ex. 1. Also try separately practicing the bass drum (Ex. 5) and hi-hat (Ex. 6) while playing the ride pattern. Off-beat triplets can begin and end anywhere in the bar, although the final triplet of beat 4 often works best (for starting and stopping à la Philly Joe Jones). Use in your music as desired.

Off-Beat Triplet Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Peter Erskine has played with Weather Report, Steps Ahead, and the Stan Kenton Orchestra, and holds an honorary doctor of music degree from Berklee College Of Music. http://petererskine.com

Kakilambe Unmasked

By Jim Donovan Published in the April 2006 issue of DRUM!

Kakilambe is a masked dance from the Baga people, who live in the lower Guinea region of West Africa. The brief story behind this rhythm is that the Kakilambe serves as an oracle that provides information about the well-being of the village and forest to its inhabitants. These patterns, adapted for drum set, sound interesting when you mix and match the rhythms in Exs. 1–3. Starting very slowly, play the grooves with a metronome. Notice how different the patterns feel at various tempos.

Kakilambe Unmasked Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Jim Donovan is a current and founding member of the multiplatinum band Rusted Root. He has released three solo CDs as well as four instructional drumming CDs. http://www.jimdonovanmusic.com

Tim Yeung of Divine Heresy Breaks Down His "Facebreaker" Beat

By Radim McCue Published September 30, 2009

Divine Heresy's pummeling new offering Bringer of Plagues has got extreme, aggressive drumming that goes on for miles. And, DRUM! has got drummer Tim Yeung to break down his part on "Facebreaker" the opening cut on the record that is also featured in a superb video at http://www.youtube.com/divineheresy. Listen in as Tim takes you through the piece step by step. Here's part one, we'll have part two up for you in a couple of days.

For Divine Heresy tour info, check out the myspace page.

Click here for the video

Polyrhythmic Practice

By Matt Byrne Published in the April 2006 issue of DRUM!

In this lesson we’ll be working on the concept of playing polyrhythms between the kick and snare, as well as around the rest of the drum set. By broad definition, a polyrhythm is two different patterns played simultaneously against one another. However, to achieve the real feel and sound of a true polyrhythm, these patterns should be clearly heard as completely separate rhythms being played together. Are you confused yet? No worries! Exs. 1 and 2 are two of the more popular polyrhythms — 3 against 2, and 4 against 3. Ex. 3 uses a polyrhythm to create a beat. Check it out.

Polyrhythmic Practice Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Matt Byrne bashes for the Grammy-nominated heavy metal/hardcore band Hatebreed. In his spare time he is working on his special ed./elementary ed. teaching degree. http://www.myspace.com/mattbyrnedrummer

The Drumming Of Mitch Mitchell Part I

By Phil Hood Published September 26, 2009

When the needle dropped on Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced life changed for millions of young drummers. The audacity of Hendrix's approach to amplification and Mitch Mitchell's fusion of jazz and rock opened up new doors for pop music and for musicians. It's a sound that is as fresh today as it was then.

In this series DRUM! Editor Andy Doerschuk reflects on the impact of Mitchell and demonstrates how to capture his moves on the drum set. First up: "Purple Haze."

10 Ways To Sound Like Stewart Copeland

By John Natelli Published September 14, 2009

The time and place that saw Stewart Copeland’s emergence was in the midst of an artistic cleansing. Punk had its grip on London and was attempting to exorcise rock and roll of an increasing tendency toward artistic self-indulgence. Ever more complex musical forms and extended soloing were beginning to distance much of rock’s original demographic from the music, and audiences were finding it harder and harder to relate to the often-excessive lifestyles and eccentric behavior of its practitioners.

Copeland had recently parted ways with the progressive outfit Curved Air and began to see promise in the burgeoning punk scene. By early 1977 he was rehearsing with his newly formed group, The Police, who were about to quickly outgrow the stylistic constraints of the very scene that had just given birth to them.

It’s fair to say that by the end of that decade Copeland had developed a sound so fiercely distinct that his playing had become as recognizable as John Bonham’s had been ten years earlier. Of course, the music industry was a much different place then; the possibility of an artistic innovator being a contributing member of the undisputedly biggest band in the world still existed. Yet, it seems that Copeland’s impact would have been just as strong and immediate regardless of the era in which he’d emerged.

1. FIND YOUR INSTRUMENT AND STICK WITH IT

To some extent, every great player’s ability to develop and maintain his or her own sound depends partly on a meticulous choice of gear. While some choose to keep a large arsenal of items in rotation, others develop one highly specialized setup that works to emphasize their natural abilities. Copeland, claiming to have used the same exact snare drum on all five of the Police’s studio albums, is an example of the latter. That legendary drum, “of unknown provenance” as Copeland has claimed, having been exactly reproduced by the metallurgists at Tama as a 14" x 5" chrome-over-brass with a 1.5mm-thick shell, accompanied more or less the same Tama Imperialstar and Paiste outfit for the better part of the drummer’s recorded legacy. Copeland, Tama’s longest-standing endorser, evidently found exactly what he was looking for in the company’s product early on in his career: extreme durability and just the right tone for his musical voice. So while the production techniques may differ from one Police record to the next – from Zenyatta Mondatta’s dry, close-miked sound, to the ultra-crisp punchiness of Synchronicity – the gear remains largely the same.

2. ABSORB YOUR SURROUNDINGS

Not everybody is lucky enough to have grown up in places like Egypt and Lebanon with the exotic rhythms of the Middle East slowly making an irreversible imprint on their subconscious. Copeland’s musical instincts, partially as a result of having spent his formative years in Beirut, were culled from a variety of sources as disparate as American pop, traditional Lebanese music, and big band. But it was reggae more than anything else that, for Copeland, united rock and roll with the drop rhythms and missing beats of the Arabic grooves he had heard as a child. By the time punk exploded in London in 1977, Copeland happened to be in the right place at the right time, and immediately found an outlet for his fierce intensity as a player.

3. BLAZE YOUR OWN TRAILS

Far and away, Copeland has been one of the most successful pop musicians at internalizing his influences and tastefully reflecting them in his own work. It’s clear to all fans of The Police that reggae and its related styles, as well as jazz, had a profound impact on his approach to the instrument. The uniqueness of his story is that, while much of what Copeland plays may be informed in some way or another by these styles, it rarely sounds as if he’s actually playing either. He manages to come away from his influences with specific technical and musical aspects that appeal to him, while leaving some of the more identifiable characteristics of those styles behind. As a result, this method of picking and choosing has only worked to strengthen Copeland’s own personal style into something completely original and inimitable. What we wind up with is a body of work that constantly challenges our notions of what rock music could be by having absolutely no regard for boundaries whatsoever. The Police’s music of embodies this sense of fearlessness right from the very beginning with the band’s earliest hit, “Roxanne” – rock’s first tango.

4. EMBRACE THE SMALLER THINGS

At a time when record engineers were trying their hardest to make drums sound as huge as possible and people were attempting to use 14" and 16" floor toms as their rack toms, Copeland was headed in the exact opposite direction. Instead, he looked to achieve volume and projection with smaller, tightly tensioned drums and higher-pitched, quicker-speaking cymbals. Among other things, he was able to do this with his 13" hi-hats and the help of Tama’s innovative 1978 creation: Octobans, a set of eight (octo) 6"-diameter, single-headed drums distinguished by long, tube-like shells of varying lengths, which determined the pitch of each drum. Copeland made profuse use of, and did much to popularize, these and other similarly new products debuting at the time, such as the splash cymbal. Inspired by a mini toy cymbal he had acquired, Copeland even helped encourage Paiste to develop its first version of a modern splash (one that could withstand the abuse he was known to inflict upon his unlucky gear). Zenyatta Mondatta’s “Driven To Tears” features prominent use of both splash and Octoban.

5. DISCOVER YOUR VOICE AND BUILD A VOCABULARY

In many Police recordings the hi-hat seems to be the main percussive voice through which Copeland is able to sing his rhythms – perhaps even the centerpiece of his kit. A number of his most popular performances were anchored by hi-hat parts that have so much character they seem to be a member of the group. What’s more, the 13" hi-hats Copeland chose to record with were a particularly special ingredient in the music, speaking in a clear, high voice with lots of attack, and always cutting right through the mix. Not only did they have their own unique sound, but they also allowed him to articulate certain figures in a way in which other hi-hats might not have been as well suited (another example of Copeland’s excellent choice in gear that works to emphasize his playing style and natural abilities). As in speech, when people tend to favor certain words and phrases over others, these figures can be thought of as rhythmic words in Copeland’s musical vocabulary. More than any other “word,” Copeland really likes to say the one in Ex. 1 (notated along with its inversion). It can also be seen in the second full bar of Ex. 2b, and famously introduces the hit “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.” Much of his legendary hi-hat work relies heavily upon this figure and its various displacements.

6. ACQUIRE AN ACCENT

It’s no secret that Copeland has a certain fondness for decorating a groove in all manner of accents. Sometimes they contribute to a very specific pattern, or “part,” as in the case of the chorus groove in “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” where the ride bell provides a paradiddle-inspired hook (Ex. 2a). In many other instances, though, these accents are distributed throughout phrases rather spontaneously, adding to the often impulsive, off-the-cuff feeling that a Copeland performance can create. This tends to have the added effect of blurring the lines between groove and fill. Take a look at the passage that opens “Demolition Man,” where Copeland intersperses tricky hi-hat work with random accents on the bell of a crash (Ex. 2b). Also notice the sheer variety of ideas happening in the span of those four bars; at first glance each measure seems as if it could belong to its own song. When others attempt this type of playing on a pop recording, they run the risk of coming off as too busy, even distracting. In Copeland’s case, though, this type of unrestrained musical expressiveness sounds as natural and honest as a simple backbeat.

7. GET OVER ONE

This could be the single most defining element of Copeland’s rhythmic sensibilities: The man never fails to take the listener off guard with his unforgiving treatment of beat 1 of the first measure of any given phrase. While the rest of us, in all likelihood, are choosing to end every phrase with the same tired fill followed by a bass/crash on the first beat of the next, Copeland instead goes right into beat 1 with a tasty hi-hat flourish, or perhaps an accented hi-tom, or perhaps he plays right up to the edge of beat 1 with something more intense, and then leaves us suspended with a big, gaping hole where we would expect that huge downbeat accent we’re so used to hearing. Oftentimes, he chooses to shift the dynamic climax of a fill to the & of 4, leaving 1 blank before he kicks back in with the groove. Once you become comfortable with this concept, you will find that you have discovered one of the major keys to Copeland’s approach to rhythm in general. In fact, his playing is so colored with this technique that you could arguably find an example of it in almost every recorded Police song. Ex. 3a, 3b, and 3c illustrate some very memorable instances of this.

8. IMPLY OTHER METERS

The good thing about the existence of time signatures is that they provide endless opportunities to color outside the lines. In other words, like rules, it seems the only real purpose they serve is to be broken. Copeland favors what are known as “three-over-two” and “three-over-four” polyrhythms. The three-over-two – sometimes referred to as a “hemiola” – works by taking a passage with a 6/8 two-feel and superimposing a three-feel on top of it by implying 3/4 (or vice versa). The groove that introduces the superb “Murder By Numbers” does exactly that (Ex. 4a), albeit in 12/8 (so we would need to cut the measures in half before attempting to examine it). In the span of half of one of those 12/8 bars, the right hand and bass drum play a strong two-feel, or dotted quarter pulse, yet the rim-click pattern in the left hand clearly outlines triple meter with a quarter-note pulse. Brilliantly arranged, these roles are shuffled around in the chorus, where the bass drum picks up the three-feel against the two-feel now in the hands. Ex. 4b shows two measures of this rearrangement plus another example of the three-over-two polyrhythm, this time in the context of a fill as opposed to a groove. The three-over-four polyrhythm on the other hand creates a whole different effect by accenting every third eighth-note in a 4/4 passage. This technique is most effectively used when extended over the span of a couple of bars, as in Ex. 4c, where Copeland does this with a crash cymbal at the end of a phrase. He purposefully puts the first crash/accent on the & of 1, knowing that two bars later he’ll be able to conveniently end the polyrhythm on the downbeat of 1 of the new phrase.

9. LIBERATE YOUR RIGHT FOOT

Of all his drummerly attributes, Copeland’s right foot may be the least discussed. While his bass drum playing does not necessarily define his sound, there are, as expected, some definite Copelandisms to consider. Ex. 5, from the chorus of “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” reveals a couple of interesting things. To begin with, Copeland’s right foot tends to assert strong independence from his right hand, especially during groove material. Notice how the ride cymbal accents sit right up in counterpoint against the bass/snare pattern. Explore this passage more in depth by slowing down the tempo and isolating the ride part. Then do the same thing with the bass/snare pattern (paying close attention to the bass drum’s accents and ghost notes). You’ll discover that the two parts share little in common but create a nice obstinate effect when put back together. Another characteristic here – and this may or may not be conscious for Copeland – is that he frequently plays his right foot at three distinct dynamic levels within any given phrase: soft, normal, and loud (notated as ghost, standard, and accented notes). While this isn’t the most glamorous point of analysis, with a little focus it has the ability to enhance the sophistication of anyone’s feel in a much more subtle way than, say, adding more notes.

10. TAKE CLICHÉS AND TURN THEM ON THEIR HEAD

Sometimes musicians will inadvertently reveal a sense of humor through their playing. One can sense that, when seated behind a drum set, Copeland’s famously dry wit is never too far away. Among his more clever pastimes is to take some of the staples of rock drumming – the basic backbeat, the descending tom fill, and so on – and play them all wrong. What else could be the motivation behind the inside-out grooving of “Reggatta De Blanc” (Ex. 6a), where Copeland plays a typical half-time feel no less than a full beat behind the rest of the band? I’m sure we all remember hearing “Reggatta De Blanc” for the first time and scratching our heads at this simple rhythmic illusion, not to mention the thoroughly disorienting rim-click fiasco that opens the track (even with Copeland counting us off). Other tomfoolery can be seen in places like the transition out of every chorus in “Wrapped Around Your Finger” (Ex. 6b). As if in reverse, this fill begins at the lowest point in the kit and ends at the very top with a splash and moves into beat 1 with a hissing open hi-hat.

DRUM! Notation Guide

Slicing Up Triplets

By Wally Schnalle Published in the March 2006 issue of DRUM!

The exercises here use the triplet-based jazz ride pattern on the ride cymbal accompanied by triplet patterns between the bass drum and snare drum. The triplets in Ex. 1 are sliced into two-note patterns with the bass drum playing every other note. Ex. 2 is the obvious choice of splitting triplets into three-note patterns. Ex. 3 has the bass drum playing every fourth note. When you’ve mastered these exercises, try reversing the bass drum and snare.

Slicing Up Triplets Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

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. http://www.itrhymes.com

Making Mozambique

By Richie “Gajate” Garcia Published in the March 2006 issue of DRUM!

The Mozambique pattern originated in Cuba and is a lot of fun to play. Let’s start with a basic Mozambique (Ex. 1) called the “New York style.” In Ex. 2, the left hand gets busy by playing a bombo part that comes from the Cuban comparsa. In Ex. 3, the left hand plays a Mozambique bass-drum pattern. To play these rhythms properly, make sure to move from the mouth to the neck of the bell as indicated. Also try playing these exercises on both cha-cha and mambo bells.

Making Mozambique Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Richie “Gajate” Garcia has played with Phil Collins, Diana Ross, Hiroshima, and John Denver, recorded movie soundtracks, taught at Musician’s Institute for more than ten years, and performs clinics worldwide.

More Fun With Fanga

By Jim Donovan Published in the March 2006 issue of DRUM!

This is a continuation of my last lesson that will bring us a bit deeper into a drum-set adaptation for the popular West African piece known as fanga. Learn each measure of Exs. 1–4 one at a time, and then begin combining the measures with each other. Try creating two-bar, four-bar, and eventually eight-bar phrases. You may finds it helps to learn the patterns without the accents first. Once you’re comfortable with each pattern, add the accents. Train your muscles at slow speeds to gain maximum dexterity. Good luck.

More Fun With Fanga Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Jim Donovan is a current and founding member of the multiplatinum band Rusted Root. He has released three solo CDs as well as four instructional drumming CDs. http://www.jimdonovanmusic.com

Triple Shot Of Triplets

By Matt Byrne Published in the March 2006 issue of DRUM!

Time to tackle the concept of triplets. The first set of exercises (Ex. 1) concentrates on improving the speed of your hands. Begin the roll with alternate sticking but then double up on one hand for the second half of each measure. This improves the strength and endurance of your weak hand. Don’t let your feet trip you up in the last two measures. The next set of exercises (Ex. 2) consists of basic triplet combinations around the kit. Any Led Zeppelin fans out there? This is Bonham’s trademark stuff! Work on a clean, continuous flow and remember to start slowly until comfortable, gradually working up to speed. Finally we turn triplets into simple beats between hi-hat, snare, and bass drum (Ex. 3). Remember that equal spacing and steady tempo are far more important than speed. If you practice these beats regularly and with good spacing, the speed will seem to develop without effort. Right- and left-hand notes are indicated. If you’re a righty, try starting with your left hand and vice versa.

Triple Shot Of Triplets Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Matt Byrne bashes for the Grammy-nominated heavy metal/hardcore band Hatebreed. In his spare time he is working on his special ed./elementary education degree.

It's Normal Half The Time

Groove Workout #3

By Charlie Waymire Posted on September 7, 2009

In our previous lesson we talked about the relationship between the half-time groove and a normal time groove and practiced moving between the two feels. In this lesson weʼll focus on how to use these two feels in a song form and work on arranging our drum parts to lead the band through the chart.

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First off letʼs take a look at our two main grooves.

Half-time groove: Keep the hi-hats closed with a nice rimshot on beat 3.

Normal time groove: Open the hi-hats a little bit to get a nice sloshy sound. This will give the groove a slightly heavier feel and help bring the energy up for our B section..

If you are unfamiliar with the half-time feel please take a moment to check out the previous lesson at drummagazine.com titled “Half Time - Normal Time”. It will give you a better understanding of what we are playing in this chart.

Intro/Re-Intro: Make sure you leave space here and let the guitar carry the section. This helps to set up the dynamics of the entire song. Play a SIMPLE fill where indicated on the chart. You are going to the verse (A section) not the chorus (B section) so donʼt play a big fill! Weʼre building our parts over the entire song so you have to leave yourself some headroom.

A Section: This is our verse. You should keep the groove relaxed and even. Resist the urge to play fills at the end of each 4 bar phrase. Doing this will diminish the affect of our fill leading into the B section (chorus). On the last measure of A play a one bar fill that helps “propel” the song into the B section. Listen to the track without playing and you will hear the instrumentation start to build here as well. Itʼs important that our fill builds as well and helps to lead the song to the new and bigger section.

B Section: This is our Chorus. This section should be a little louder and have more energy than the A section. We achieve this two ways: 1)By switching from a half-time groove to a normal time groove and 2) by playing slightly open sloshy hi-hats. The normal time groove will give the song a complete energy boost and the open hats will help bring the dynamics of the drum part up even more to match the song. Again take a moment to listen to the song without playing. Notice there is an 8th note chunky guitar part and some power chords, maker sure you match them with your intensity.

Finally the fill leading back to the “Re-Intro” shouldnʼt be a big fill. It should feel like youʼre falling or sliding back to a lower dynamic. The fill that leads into the B section wouldnʼt be appropriate here.

Also notice that on the last 8 bars of the coda the groove switches to the ride. This helps to add a new dynamic and compliment what is being played by the guitar. Be sure to listen to the other instruments!

Play-Along

Demo audio file

Play-Along

Play-along audio file. NO CLICK TRACK.

Play-Along

Play-along audio file. WITH CLICK TRACK.

Copyright © 2009 Charlie Waymire. All Rights Reserved. Created for DrumMagazine.com. Basher Beatz Music ASCAP

Itʼs very very important that we, as drummers, listen to the other instruments in the song. We have to get beyond just hearing drums and focus on the music as a whole. This takes a lot of practice in listening and requires you to be very unselfish.

There is a time and a place for everything, we just need to learn to know how and when. That comes with experience. The song will tell you what to play, you just have to listen. More lessons available at http://www.DrumMagazine.com

Downloads

Download a PDF of this lesson.
Download an MP3 file of the demo.
Download an MP3 file of the play-along without click track.
Download an MP3 file play-along with click track.

Charlie studied music at the McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, MN and Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA where he graduated with “Rock Drummer of The Year” honors. Following graduation, he was signed to Universal Records with the hard rock act, Speak No Evil and toured extensively throughout the United States. He has since toured Europe with his band JKB and has achieved critical acclaim through his work with his Rock-Fusion trio, EGH, with the CD releases Live at MI and Itʼs About Time. Charlieʼs also stays busy writing, producing and mixing for his production company Abrasive Productions and various TV shows including Malcolm in the Middle (Fox Television) at his studio in Hollywood, CA. For PIT, Charlie teaches private lessons, Live Playing Workshops, Rock Drums & Rhythm Section Workshop. For more lessons and information about Charlie check out www.charliewaymire.com! More Lessons available at http://www.drummagazine.com

© 2009 Charlie Waymire. All Rights Reserved. Basher Beatz Music (ASCAP) http://www.CharlieWaymire.com

Speed Lesson #66: Compare Yourself To Buddy Rich

By Tiger Bill Published September 3, 2009

Comparing Your Speed To Buddy Rich

These exercises are based on a lesson that I originally developed for a drum clinic and it has become one of my most popular clinics over the years. Drummers always have lots of fun comparing their chops to that of the legendary Buddy Rich, who was capable of maintaining his single stroke roll at speeds of up to about 950 beats per minute (bpm).

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Video Lesson
Over the years I have found that it is more efficient to develop a fast and clean single stroke roll, like Buddy's, by practicing each hand separately before attempting to put them together. So that's what I want you to do this month. In the written exercise below, play only the circled notes with a single hand as you'll see me demonstrate on the video. Practice using your right hand and then your left. Start at a slow tempo, such as half note equals 100 on the metronome, and increase the speed only after you can play each of the exercises for at least one full minute without stopping and without developing tension anywhere in your fingers, wrists, or arms. This will help build your speed and endurance at the same time.

Start Slow and Aim for Perfection!
Get a notebook to keep a daily log of your top speed and notate whether or not you can hold the exercise for a full 60 seconds. Once you perfect the first exercise, move on to the second using the same metronome tempo. If you have trouble playing the continuous triplets of exercise 2 at the same tempo, simply lower the metronome tempo and find one that allows you to play for a full 60-seconds. Mark it down in your notebook. Take your time when moving up the metronome tempo and don't increase your speed until you can play each exercise cleanly for at least 60-seconds non-stop. If you find yourself becoming tense when playing at a particular speed, slow down the tempo a bit and keep practicing. If you are feeling that you are getting tense as you gain speed, visit my Web site at www.TensionFreeDrumming.com.

Next month we'll practice putting both hands together to execute a complete single stroke roll. I'll also give you the formula table that will let you measure exactly where you stand with the speed of your single stroke roll as compared to that of the late, great Buddy Rich!

For free drum lessons, and expert drumming advice, visit www.TigerBill.com.

Feel free to email questions on this month's lesson to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Until next time: Have fun and stay loose!

Tiger Bill Meligari

The Birth Of Punk Rock

By Brad Schlueter Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s August 2008 Issue

DRUM! Notation Guide

If you’re familiar only with today’s brand of prefab pop punk, you owe it to yourself to check out the gritty bands that spawned the music, fashions, and attitude that went on to influence several generations of punk rockers. The songs could be political and blunt with lyrics that ranged from confrontational to apathetic or just plain sarcastic. The drumming style was often primal, direct, and without frills. Here are a handful that made it happen.

“Anarchy In The U.K.”
by Sex Pistolsm

The first single from Sex Pistols has everything a punk rock anthem needs: angry lyrics, pounding drums, and a great guitar hook. Johnny Rotten’s lyrics and nasal monotone delivery ooze punk’s discontent and nihilism. His opening lyric, “I am an Antichrist,” was shocking in its day, and the band seemed to go out of its way to live up to that image. Drummer Paul Cook anchors the intro of this classic song by playing what has become an essential punk rock groove. He plays a variation on a “twist” beat, riding his floor tom and playing his snare on 2 & and 4, and adding a little sixteenth-note tom embellishment at the end of each bar.

“Train In Vain (Stand By Me)”
by The Clash

Pop punk didn’t begin with Green Day. The Clash was known for blending political lyrics with catchy melodies that had stylistic influences ranging from reggae to rockabilly. “Train In Vain” is a love song and is one of their biggest hits. This song, a last-minute addition to their hugely successful London Calling album, still gets radio play. It was almost left off the album because the band felt it was too commercial. Topper Headon provided the perfect tasty groove for the song.

“I Wanna Be Sedated”
by The Ramones

The Ramones were one of the hardest working punk bands around, playing thousands of shows during their 22 years of gigging. Often cited as the first punk rock band, the Ramones inspired The Clash, The Damned, and Sex Pistols to perform after they toured the U.K. in 1976. This song was written about how much life on the road stinks, and features Marky Ramone (Mark Bell) on drums.

“I’m Bored”
by Iggy Pop

Often called the “Godfather Of Punk,” Iggy Pop’s visceral stage persona is unforgettable, and he is credited with inventing stage diving. From the opening lyric, “I’m bored. I’m the chairman of the bored,” Pop’s attitude is all punk. Klaus Kruger plays the aggressive drum fills that set the stage for this great song.

“Ready Steady Go”
by Generation

This was Billy Idol’s band before he became known as the solo artist with a perfect sneer. Gen X’s first successful song, “Ready Steady Go,” is an up-tempo rocker that features drummer Mark Laff behind the kit. His slamming flam-and-kick drum intro launches the song off the starting blocks.

“Pay To Cum”
by Bad Brains

This Washington DC punk band began playing fusion and reggae but later went punk. All three influences are still present in their music today. This minute-and-a-half song was their first single and was the song that launched the insanely fast, hardcore style of punk that’s still popular today. The audio quality makes it difficult to make out exactly what drummer Earl Hudson plays on this recording, but it’s impossible to miss his unusual but memorable cowbell part in the verses.

“Neat Neat Neat”
by The Damned

Although The Damned never broke big in the States, they were among the U.K.’s early crop of punk bands. And while you might not recognize the birth name of The Damned’s drummer (Christopher Miller), his stage name, Rat Scabies, will always be one of the great ones.

“Gloria”
by Patti Smith

Patti Smith is referred to as the “Godmother Of Punk”(wonder if she ever compared notes with Iggy Pop?) and her version of this rock staple proves she deserves the title. Her arrangement varies greatly from Van Morrison’s original version. Jay Dee Daugherty’s drum part begins with a bass drum and hi-hat pattern with a light triplet groove. He builds his part into a shuffle, giving it a quasi-country feel. He changes his hi-hat pattern to a straight quarter-note pattern, giving the song a more rock vibe, but maintains the triplet feel with his bass drum. Finally, he switches to a straight-eighth-note rock feel in the fourth line of the transcription. The tune picks up speed leading into the chorus and Daugherty introduces the funky two-handed hi-hat groove seen in the last line.

“Group Sex”
by Circle Jerks

The debut album by Circle Jerks features 14 songs that average just over a minute each. For the title track from the record, drummer Lucky Lehrer plays a cool tribal drum groove. Lehrer moves his right hand from his crash to his tom-tom to create the beat for this ridiculously fast song.

“Holiday In Cambodia”
by Dead Kennedys

Dead Kennedys’ anti-war song is just as pertinent today as it was in 1980. The transcription begins when drummer Bruce “Ted” Slesinger breaks into two-handed sixteenth-notes played on the hi-hat over quarter-notes on the bass drum. He gradually opens his hi-hat, setting up his fast snare roll that leads into the next section. Here he plays a disco beat with quarters on the bass drum and open hi-hats on the &’s.

Sweep Strokes

By Peter Erskine Published in the February 2006 issue of DRUM!

Brushes are essential in jazz, but they work beautifully in any number of styles or settings. Whether you’re self-taught or steeped in a brush-playing tradition, you might want to free yourself from habit and open up the world of legato and textural rhythms by literally exploring new directions: straight sweeps. Follow the arrow diagrams carefully. Play each series of strokes with and without an accent (or starting “point”). These sweeps should cross from one side of the drum to the other. (From The Erskine Method, courtesy of Alfred Publishing, Inc.)

Sweep Strokes Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Peter Erskine has played with Weather Report, Steps Ahead, and the Stan Kenton Orchestra, and holds an honorary doctor of music degree from Berklee College Of Music. http://petererskine.com.

Fun With Fanga

By Jim Donovan Published in the February 2006 issue of DRUM!

Fanga, a Liberian welcoming song, is one of the best-known pieces of drum music from West Africa. I continue to find that many of the concepts used in African drum ensemble music have not only helped my hand drumming and drum-set playing immeasurably but have also greatly affected my overall approach to playing and the depth of my musical enjoyment, especially with learning how to hear patterns and parts as a cohesive whole. Sometimes we can get so caught up in what we're doing as drummers that we forget we are just one part of a much bigger musical picture. Remember to start slowly and to practice with a metronome or loop. Breathe through each phrase, and relax as you play.

Fun With Fanga Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Jim Donovan is a current and founding member of the multiplatinum band Rusted Root. He has released three solo CDs as well as four instructional drumming CDs. http://www.jimdonovanmusic.com

Soloing With Seven

By Wally Schnalle Published in the February 2006 issue of DRUM!

Here’s a way to open up new rhythmic and melodic possibilities with the use of an odd-numbered sticking pattern. One way to do that is to explore the double paradiddle tap (RLRLRRL or LRLRLLR) and play it using an eighth-note-triplet subdivision. You can see in Exs. 1–3 that the pattern fits three times in two measures, leaving three notes at the end that are played RLR. Flip over to left lead to start the pattern over again and vice versa. Exs. 2 and 3 are starter orchestrations, but don’t stop there. Try coming up with your own patterns by using other note values.

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

Odd Grooves

By Matt Byrne Published in the February 2006 issue of DRUM!

In this lesson we’ll be taking a loot at rock beats played in 5/4. Exs. 1–4 are examples of 5/4 beats that switch between eighth-notes and sixteenth-notes on the hi-hat. When played smoothly and steadily, these grooves really don’t sound that off-kilter after a while. Add some fills here and there once you’re comfortable and you’ve got everything grooving nicely.

Odd Grooves Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

Matt Byrne bashes for the Grammy-nominated heavy metal/hardcore band Hatebreed. In his spare time he is working on his special ed./elementary ed. teaching degree. http://www.myspace.com/mattbyrnedrummer

DRUM! Online Notation Guide

By Brad Schlueter

Measures & Bar Lines

Music is written on a music staff, which features five parallel horizontal lines. The first thing you’ll see written on the staff is the clef, which drum/percussion clef looks like a vertical rectangle and is used with non-pitched percussion instruments. With non-pitched percussion instruments like a drum set, notes written on different spaces and lines indicate that drum, bass drum, or cymbal. The staff is separated into individual measures (or bars) of music with thin vertical lines called bar lines. The number of beats in each measure is determined by the time signature.

Triplets

As we go from larger notes down the list to the smaller notes, the notes and rests are halved in length. If you want to divide a note into thirds, you’ll need to use a triplet. A quarter-note naturally divides into two eighths, but if you want to divide it into thirds, you need to use an eighth-note triplet. An eighth-note triplet is played 50 percent faster than normal eighth notes and would be equivalent to a twelfth-note (although there is no such note). An eighth-note triplet is written as three eighth-notes beamed together with a number three above them. Any of the three notes can be replaced with an eighth rest or two sixteenths, or any other division of an eighth-note allowing for more notational flexibility. Triplets are usually counted “1 & ah 2 & ah 3 & ah 4 & ah.” You can also divide a note into fifths (quintuplet), sixths (sextuplet), sevenths (septuplet), and so on.

Time Signatures

Time signatures are written like fractions. The top number tells you how many beats are in each measure. The bottom number indicates the size of the note that represents the duration of one beat. For example, in the time signature of 5/4, there are five beats in each measure and the quarter-note lasts for one beat. The time signature is written at the beginning of the piece of music and wherever there is a meter change. Since most music is in 4/4, the time signature is often abbreviated with a large letter “C,” indicating “common” time.

Dotted Notes & Rests

Sometimes you’ll see a note or a rest with a small dot written next to it. This indicates that the note will last 50 percent longer, or 1 1/2 times its normal length.

Note & Rest Values

Notes and rests come in different lengths, which are written as fractions. For every size note, there is an equivalent size rest. The note and rest values include whole (1/1), half (1/2), quarter (1/4), eighth (1/8), sixteenth (1/16), and thirty-second (1/32). These fractions represent the sizes of the notes and rests. For example, two eighths fit in the space (or time) of one quarter, so eighth-notes are twice as fast as quarter-notes. These relationships define the lengths (and speeds) of the notes. Rhythms are written by using combinations of notes and rests, so it is important to memorize them to quickly identify and play rhythms. There are several different parts of a note: the notehead stem and flags or beams. Recognizing them will help you learn to identify notes.

Repeats & Counting Rhythms

The simplest way to figure out rhythms is to count them with the smallest note value you have to play. For most drum music, that means counting sixteenth-notes. In 4/4, sixteenth-notes are counted “1 e & ah 2 e & ah 3 e & ah 4 e & ah.” Since you are counting sixteenths, a sixteenth-note or rest will last for one count, an eighth-note/rest will last for two counts, a quarter-note/rest will last for four counts, a half-note/rest will last for eight, and a whole-note/rest will last for sixteen. Repeat signs are used to abbreviate a piece of music and minimize page turns. A few different types of repeat signs are shown in the example above.

Jazz Four-Note Patterns

By Wally Schnalle Originally published in the September 2009 issue of DRUM!

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You may already know that the jazz-swing feel is based mainly around the eighth-note triplet. That of course gives you three subdivisions per beat to play with. This column, however, contains some basic four-note patterns played in that triplet environment. These four-note groupings fit nicely in the measure when played as swung eighth-notes, but the fun really begins when you play them as either eighth- or quarter-note triplets. Here they are played against the standard jazz ride pattern with hi-hat on beats 2 and 4.

Jazz Four-Note Exercises

Six Handy Notes

By Wally Schnalle Originally published in the August, 2008 issue of DRUM!

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This column explores the six-stroke roll sticking. I say “sticking” because rhythmically it can be interpreted in different ways. The pattern is RLLRRL (or the opposite, LRRLLR). The first example shows the accepted rhythmic content for a six-stroke roll. Ex. 2 shows another version as sixteenth-note triplets with all the note values being equal. Whichever way you phrase them, these are handy patterns to use around the kit. Exs. 3–6 are some orchestrations around the kit that I like to use. Try these and then come up with your own. And don’t forget to try them with both of the different phrasings.

Six Handy Notes Exercises

DRUM! Notation Guide

The Melody Puzzle

By Allison Miller Originally published in DRUM! issue 97.

Aspiring jazz drummers often forget to learn the melody and form of songs. Learning the melody of a tune will inevitably improve your time, phrasing, soloing and most importantly, listening skills. The following exercises are guaranteed to help you learn tunes while improving drumming skills as well. Any tune will do fine, but for now let’s check out Thelonious Monk’s composition, “Bemsha Swing,” from the classic 1956 recording Brilliant Corners. [You can listen to it here. Monk compositions are great for the “Melody Puzzle” because his melodies are very rhythmic and catchy.

Let’s start by playing jazz time (see Ex. 1) with the metronome at 60 bpm, clicking on 2 and 4. Once you feel relaxed and comfortable move on to the “Melody Puzzle” below. (You will continue playing time throughout.) Don’t move on until you feel comfortable with each example. Have fun and take your time!

1. Sing the melody (Ex. 2) while playing time. Sing out loud! Don’t be shy!

2. Play the melody with your left hand on the snare drum.

3. Play the melody with your right foot on the bass drum. Are you still singing?

4. Play the melody with your left foot on the hi-hat.

5. Play quarter-notes on the bass drum and eighth-notes on the snare drum … you know, continue singing!

6. Make up your own combinations. The possibilities are endless. Use your imagination and have fun!

7. Try playing time for four measures. Then solo for four measures. Continue trading 4s and remember to sing, especially on the soloing!

Allison Miller is a Manhattan-based freelance drummer who has toured and recorded with Natalie Merchant, Ani DiFranco, Mary Ehrlich, Dr. Lonnie Liston Smith Rachel Z and others. Check out her web site at http://www.allisonmiller.com,

Tiger Bill #65: A Buddy Rich Fave - Part 2

By Tiger Bill Meligari Published August 1, 2009

This one is based on one of Buddy Rich's favorite sticking patterns. If you've yet to work on the first part of this lesson, check out lesson #64 now. If you already have Buddy's triplet pattern up to speed, let's apply it to the drumset!

Click here for the video

Video Lesson

Study the written exercise below and then watch the video clip. It makes no difference whether you play this sticking pattern on the pad or drumset, you should always play without developing tension anywhere in your arms, wrists, or fingers.

The Key is Experimentation!

Reverse the sticking to give your hands an equal opportunity workout. Also practice moving the pattern around the kit in different ways. Get creative with it. For more details on my concepts of Tension Free Drumming, visit www.TensionFreeDrumming.com. For a vast drum and percussion resource with lots of free drum lessons, check out www.TigerBill.com.

Feel free to email questions on this month's lesson to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Until next time: Have fun and stay loose!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Cut-Time Shuffle Seasoning

By Wally Schnalle Originally published in DRUM! July 2009

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When I see cut-time as a time signature I immediately think one backbeat per measure. Next I want to know the feel for the particular piece of music. There are of course many possibilities, but this column deals with a classic cut-time feel: the shuffle. A regular shuffle has two backbeats per measure, landing on beats 2 and 4, but the cut-time shuffle has only one backbeat per measure — smack dab in the middle of the measure on beat 3. Exs. 1–4 are hand patterns I use often when playing these sorts of grooves. They are all shuffles in the right hand except Ex. 4, which uses a jazz ride pattern. The amount of ghost notes used on the snare can season the groove appropriately for the environment in which you’re playing. Create a solid triplet feel and keep the ghost notes low for a solid groove. The bass drum patterns in Exs. 5–8 are commonly used in this type of groove. These are, of course, but a few of the many possibilities. They will give you a good starting vocabulary, though. Combine all the bass and hand patterns and you’ve already got sixteen grooves to use.

Cut-Time Shuffle Exercises

Egyptian Dance Rhythms

By Jim Donovan Published July 6, 2009

Baladii is a popular traditional Egyptian rhythm commonly played on the dumbek. Here are a few fun ways to incorporate this excellent groove onto your kit. Try learning the basic pattern first to get the feel and then work it around the kit. Learn each measure independently, then begin combining the measures and lines with each other. Play the grooves at different tempos with a metronome starting very slowly. Train your muscles by doing many repetitions at slow speeds to gain maximum dexterity benefit. For sonic variation, turn your snares off and substitute tom-toms for the hi-hat and ride patterns.

Jim Donovan is a current and founding member of the multiplatinum band Rusted Root. He has released three solo CDs as well as four instructional drumming CDs. http://www.jimdonovanmusic.com

Tiger Bill's Speed Lesson #64: Pro Chops: A Buddy Rich Fav — Part 1

By "Tiger" Bill Meligari Published July 3, 2009

This month, I feature a triplet pattern that Buddy liked to play. I showed this to the late Louie Bellson when we used to work out together and he loved it. Check it out and let me know what you think of it. If practiced properly, it will give you one heck of a workout!

Video Lesson

Study the written exercise below and then watch the video clip. As always, practice slowly at first and gradually increase your speed. Only play as fast as you can play without developing tension in your arms, wrists, and fingers.

Switch it Up!

Practice this exercise with reversed sticking too, so that both hands receive an equal workout. Next time we'll take Buddy's favorite pattern around the drumset.

Click here to play video.

For more details on my concepts of Tension Free Drumming, visit www.TensionFreeDrumming.com. For drum talk in general, check out my Drummersblog.TigerBill.com.

Feel free to email questions on this month's lesson to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Until next time: Have fun and stay loose!

Tiger Bill Meligari

Concept: Toy Dancing

By Billy Martin Published in the August, 2009 issue of DRUM!

This is a funk beat inspired by a Central African pattern that you can find in my book Riddim: Claves Of African Origin (page 68). I prefer to call this type of pattern a clave because in Spanish clave translates as “key.” And, that rhythm is key to what makes this beat funky and musical — not the bass drum and snare alone. In this situation, I like to play the clave pattern on the hi-hat or cowbell.

The notation here is within a simple one-bar phrase. But there is more to it than what is written. The feel and nuance of how I play can get lost in translation. In the video for this lesson I’m playing this beat with variations. I start this pattern on the hi-hat and switch to cowbell while maintaining two-on-the-floor and backbeat snare combinations. I also add fills when I feel it necessary and make variations on the clave itself. You can follow that with your own approach or cop what I do. Whatever gets you playing.

Click to play the video

Even without the video, you can just play what is written and come up with your own funky flavor. You can also hear (and see) recordings of Medeski, Martin, And Wood perform this under “Toy Dancing” on our compilation in the bonus DVD of the Fourplay mini-documentary.

Half Time - Normal Time

Groove Workout

By Charlie WaymirePosted on June 29, 2009

Being a musical drummer means more than just having good time or playing cool beats and fills. We have to be able to control and sometimes manipulate the feel.

In this lesson and play-along weʼre going to look at the relationship between two very important feels: Half time and Normal time. Half-time grooves are a great way of changing the feel without having to change the time.

Most of the time we play grooves that have an 8th note hi-hat with a back beat on 2 and 4.

To give that groove a half-time feel we will simply move our back beats from 2 and 4 and put it on beat 3.

Notice how the hi-hat continues playing 8th notes. We simply moved our backbeat to 3 and boom! We have a half-time groove.

To be able to use this feel you need to be able to go from a half-time groove to a normal-time groove comfortably. Although this sounds easy, it can be a bit tricky depending on the tempo. Thatʼs why the play-along for this lesson features an 8-bar half-time groove and an 8-bar normal-time groove. You repeat this 4 times.

Be sure to listen to the demo and watch the video too.

Demo

Play-Along

Download the demo MP3.

Download the Play-along MP3 file.

Download the PDF file.

Really focus on flowing between the two different feels. It should be a very smooth change and the fills you choose to play shouldnʼt disrupt the momentum. Half-time grooves can really open up some space and give a section of a song a nice laid-back open feel. Consequently, that makes half-time grooves an excellent arranging tool.

And that is exactly what weʼll look at in the next lesson.

Charlie studied music at the McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, MN and Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA where he graduated with “Rock Drummer of The Year” honors. Following graduation, he was signed to Universal Records with the hard rock act, Speak No Evil and toured extensively throughout the United States. He has since toured Europe with his band JKB and has achieved critical acclaim through his work with his Rock-Fusion trio, EGH, with the CD releases Live at MI and Itʼs About Time. Charlieʼs also stays busy writing, producing and mixing for his production company Abrasive Productions and various TV shows including Malcolm in the Middle (Fox Television) at his studio in Hollywood, CA. For PIT, Charlie teaches private lessons, Live Playing Workshops, Rock Drums & Rhythm Section Workshop. For more lessons and information about Charlie check out www.charliewaymire.com! More Lessons available at http://www.drummagazine.com

© 2009 Charlie Waymire. All Rights Reserved. Basher Beatz Music (ASCAP) http://www.CharlieWaymire.com