Double Trouble
By Matt Byrne Published In DRUM! Magazine's August 2007 IssueThis month, we're going to work on the rudiment that we metal heads tend to overlook — the double stroke. Even though a lot of rock and metal may not really require the use of this rudiment in play, it’s very important to have in the ol' bag of tricks and will most definitely make you a better all-around drummer. One of the key points to remember when working on doubles is to avoid making the second hit a “drag” or a “buzz.” Each stroke should be equal in height, volume, and pronunciation. Mastering the double stroke is all about controlling the natural second bounce of the stick. Like anything else we work on in drumming, take it slow at first, and then push yourself as you feel more comfortable. As you improve, see how quietly you can play doubles. It's another way to work on your muscle control and to “feel” the stroke more. Below, I've provided some alternating hand pattern exercises and some basic beats that work doubles between the feet and hands.
Paradiddle Tap Orchestrations
By Wally Schnalle Originally published in DRUM! Magazine's February 2008 Issue
In this lesson I continue my exploration of “odd-adiddles,” I put the paradiddle tap in a jazz context. I’ve taken that same five-note wonder (shown in its raw form in Ex. 1) 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. Ex. 3 and 4 put the odd-adiddle in an eighth-note-triplet context, while Ex. 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.
Hotlicks: The Beats That Drove The British Invasion
By Brad Schlueter
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine's July 2006 Issue
The influx of English bands in the early to mid-1960s was more than just a new style of music; it was also a cultural revolution that ultimately would influence fashion, sexuality, and politics. Think Austin Powers, and you’ll get the idea, baby. Bands like the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and The Who made great music during the period that has passed the test of time and continues to have a profound effect on the music we listen to today. Lots of the drummers of the era had backgrounds in jazz, and some had trouble adapting to the straight eighth feel of rock, which is why much of the music has a subtle swing. Since rock was still in diapers, there also weren’t as many clichés for drummers to rely on, forcing them to often approach the music more creatively than many of today’s drummers (no offense, guys). There were many great bands and drummers who were a part of the British Invasion, but the scope of this article unfortunately limits the number that we can cover. And if we happened to omit your favorite drummer, feel free to direct all complaints to the editor, and away from me.
“The House Of The Rising Sun”
Band: The Animals
Drummer: John Steel
This cover song about a famous house of prostitution in New Orleans was one of the Animals’ biggest hits, and they recorded it in just one take during a stop while touring. John Steel’s simple drum part provided the pulse the tune needed. The recording doesn’t favor the bass drum, so it might vary slightly.
“Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”
Band: The Animals
Drummer: John Steel
“Bits And Pieces”
Band: Dave Clark 5
Drummer: Dave Clark
Dave Clark played on some Dave Clark 5 tracks but would also use studio drummers so he could be in the control room helping produce the songs. Recording technology was very different then. Songs were often played in a single pass, unlike multitrack recording today that allows drummers with bad time or vocalists with poor pitch to be Pro Tool’ed into perfection. This track has the big, dramatic drum intro shown here.
“Glad All Over”
Band: Dave Clark 5
Drummer: Dave Clark
“Glad All Over” proved a threat to The Beatles’ chart dominance, knocking the Beatles’ “I Want Hold Your Hand” from Billboard’s #1 slot in 1964. Here we see the intro fill and groove used for much of the song. Clark’s drumming has a definite pre-punk-rock flavor.
“Carrie Anne”
Band: The Hollies
Drummer: Bobby Elliott
Bobby Elliott was considered one of the best drummers of the era. His drumming on this catchy song is simple and supportive, leaving plenty of room for the steel pan solo. Matrix actress Carrie Anne Moss was named after this infectious chart topper.
“Bus Stop”
Band: The Hollies
Drummer: Bobby Elliott
Here’s another simple drum part from the always-supportive Elliott. This song was written by Glenn Gouldman, who later was a member of the band 10cc. Elliott still tours with The Hollies as one of the two original members.
“You Really Got Me”
Band: The Kinks
Drummers: Mick Avory, Bobby Graham
Ghost drumming is nothing new. Mick Avory had just joined the Kinks when this tune was recorded, but the producer had doubts he could pull it off, so he got session drummer Bobby Graham to provide the drum track for the song while Mick Avory played the tambourine part. Graham is an unsung hero of the British Invasion – a session drummer who recorded somewhere up to 15,000 songs for many popular bands of the era. Brian Epstein asked him to replace Pete Best in The Beatles, but he declined, so they got Ringo Starr instead. Ouch.
“For Your Love”
Band: The Yardbirds
Drummer: Jim McCarty
The Yardbirds began as a serious blues band and had three incredible guitarists in succession: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. “For Your Love” was one their biggest hit and like The Hollies’ “Bus Stop” was written by Glenn Gouldman. It also drove the serious blues guitarist Clapton to leave the band. Studio musicians played much of this track, including the bongo part, which is most easily played with a sticking of R LL R L R L R L. McCarty plays a twist beat during the verse, but it’s his big drum break at the tempo change that really stands out.
“I Can See For Miles”
Band: The Who
Drummer: Keith Moon
Keith Moon was the original wild-man drummer, destroying countless drum kits, hotel rooms, and tragically, eventually himself. There will never be another drummer like him. On “I Can See For Miles” Moon takes his familiar role of playing lead drums, peppering the intro of this song with tom hits and snare crescendos. His innovative and unusual approach to the instrument helped establish The Who as one of the British Invasion’s most interesting and rebellious acts.
“Get Off My Cloud”
Band: Rolling Stones
Drummer: Charlie Watts
The Stones had just had a huge hit with “Satisfaction,” and their record company was banging on their door wanting another single. This song was their response and ironically also became a #1 hit in the U.S. The transcription has excerpts from the verse and chorus showing how well Charlie Watts drives the tune.
“Paint It Black”
Band: Rolling Stones
Drummer: Charlie Watts
The Rolling Stones had a grungier sound than some of the other bands of the era. Charlie Watts plays a double-time tribal tom pattern that suits the Middle Eastern vibe of this song perfectly. The bass drum is hard to make out in that section and may be quietly thumping quarter-notes.
“In My Life”
Band: The Beatles
Drummer: Ringo Starr
Here we see an interesting example of Ringo’s drumming. He plays a cool linear groove that is a great example of simple, creative drum set orchestration.
“The End”
Band: The Beatles
Drummer: Ringo Starr
Here is Ringo’s drum solo from the post-Invasion years. If it seems surprisingly difficult to play, remember that Ringo is left-handed but plays a right-handed kit, so lots of the patterns begin with his left hand.
“She’s Not There”
Band: The Zombies
Drummer: Hugh Grundy
The Zombies were a great band that broke up too soon. Drummer Hugh Grundy played some really interesting parts that still sound fresh today – his contribution to drumming should be better known. On “She’s Not There,” he plays a linear groove for the verse that sounds like a rim-click played with his left hand, while the snare note on count 4 and the hi-hat note that follows it is played with his right hand. It’s a great groove with a hint of a Latin flavor. This song reached #1 in the U.S.
“Time Of The Season”
Band: The Zombies
Drummer: Hugh Grundy
This is one of the great radio songs of all time, but tragically became a hit after The Zombies had disbanded. Written by keyboardist Rod Argent, who also penned “She’s Not There,” this song and album wouldn’t have been released in the States if Bob Dylan’s keyboardist Al Kooper hadn’t badgered the record company to release it. After they reluctantly did, it promptly sold two million copies in the U.S. The recording quality of this song still sounds amazing, and it features another linear pattern that this time includes a handclap and vocal “ahhh” bathed in reverb. Those parts are written within the verse pattern because they’re inseparable and essential to this great groove. The chorus features another clever Latin-tinged Grundy groove.
Mastering 6 Over 4
By Jim Donovan Originally Published in DRUM! Magazine's August 2007 IssueAt the foundation of many West African rhythmic structures is the polyrhythm 6 over 4. The trick to internalizing this feel and applying it to the kit is to start very slowly. Begin by simply using your dominant hand and your kick drum. Try counting 6 aloud as you play the first exercise. Then try counting 4. The goal is to gradually be able to feel both 6 and 4 at the same time. Exercises 2–4 implement bell patterns from the Ghanaian Eve tradition. Remember, accuracy and a relaxed feel is much more important than speed while you’re learning these.
Groove Analysis: Steve Ferrone’s “First Flash Of Freedom”
By Nate Brown
Published on August 27, 2010
Our buddy, Nate Brown from onlinedrummer.com, demonstrates Steve Ferrone’s spacious drum part on the song “First Flash Of Freedom” from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers latest release, Mojo. You can find a transcription of these patterns on page 56 of the August 2010 issue of DRUM! Magazine.
Inverted Beats
By Matt Byrne
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine's February 2008 Issue
In this lesson we’re going to 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.
India Meets Brazil
Peter Erskine
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s December 2005 Issue
Challenge: Read Ex. 1!
Tricky! Famed Indian musician, composer, and sitar master Ravi Shankar showed this to jazz musician and bandleader Don Ellis in the 1960s. This is a fascinating rhythmic study. Taking the subdivisions 3-3-2 with an accent at the beginning of each group, we have a phrase that sounds very much like the Brazilian baião in Ex. 2 and 3.
Now, instead of treating the rhythm in duple fashion, let’s have fun and utilize the grouping as a series of accented eighth-note triplets in 4/4. Here’s the same rhythm (Ex. 4) with more visual clues and explanatory tuplet markings.
Try incorporating this at the kit!
Peter Erskine has played with Weather Report, Steps Ahead, and the Stan Kenton Orchestra, and holds an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee School of Music. petererskine.com
Expanding The Paradiddle-Tap
Wally Schnalle
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s December 2005 Issue
In previous columns, we’ve played with the pardiddle-tap sticking in jazz and paradiddle modulation exercises. Here we use the pardiddle-tap sticking to create “lick” vocabulary. First, we explore the pardiddle-tap in quintuplet usage and then accelerate that up to thirty-second notes through the addition of bass drum strokes. Note that the last example uses double bass to execute the 3-note pattern. Also note that I’ve added an additional accent on the left hand. This just adds a little dynamic interest. I’ve also given each pattern four possible orchestrations, but as usual explore and find your own.
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
Mike Cosgrove: Playing Around With Paradiddles
By Mike Cosgrove
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s September 2006
One of the best ways to challenge your technique is to play paradiddles in as many ways possible. Ex. 1 is a standard paradiddle pattern, and Exs. 2–4 shift the starting note by one beat. For an added workout, the accents also change halfway through each bar. As always, use a metronome, and keep time by tapping your foot on the floor, hi-hat, or bass drum. Also try practicing these exercises on a pillow to build strength in your hands. Good luck!
Rich Redmond’s Groove Builder Video Exercises
By Rich Redmond
Published on August 4, 2010
Do you want to make every beat count? Using simple exercises, Nashville studio and touring hotshot Rich Redmond demonstrates how to make your grooves dynamically fatter by combining accented strokes and ghosted taps. His secret combines drumming mechanics and basic musicianship to add more muscle to your groove.
10 Ways To Sound Like Bill Bruford
By John Natelli Originally published in DRUM! Magazine's March 2010 Issue
It was the ambitious fourth album by the English band Yes — a group of slightly nerdy, absurdly skilled art-rockers — that first turned the ears of the world toward the rhythmic individualism of Bill Bruford. The record was called Fragile, and rarely have the drums on a recording made such an immediate impression on generations of first-time listeners. The music was equally impressive, both in scope and execution — the tense, prog-funk grooving of “Roundabout,” the dizzying intro to “Heart Of The Sunrise,” and that incredible snare sound that could only be described as a sort of dry, punchy bonk
All would be canonized as prime examples of what had then become known as “progressive rock,” a term loosely applied to a highly diverse set of bands aspiring to move beyond the structures and conventions of the standard blues-rooted rock that had dominated the airwaves since the early ’60s. Yes was the first of these acts to achieve true mainstream appeal, although Bruford would only stick around a little longer before making the first in a series of career moves that by anyone’s terms would be considered adventurous, if perhaps a little risky. He had it figured out, though. His restlessness and pioneering instincts gave us a body of work astounding in its variety of achievements (and collaborators).
To examine Bruford’s contribution to drumming by simply compiling a list of “Brufordisms” is to diminish his legacy. Like the greatest of composers, the merits of this legacy are most apparent when his work is viewed holistically, rather than as separate achievements. After all, these techniques and innovations were not consciously devised independently of one another. They evolved as a style over time, forging one of rock’s truly unmistakable musical voices, which has modeled artistic integrity of the highest degree for the past 40 years and reflects the true personality of its owner. His prose, in fact, reads much like his drumming: meticulously crafted, yet never sounding belabored; complex, yet totally reasonable. To state it plainly, Bruford has been very successful in striking the perfect balance between brainy and badass.
1. THE GROOVES
From his legendary up-tempo lope with Yes, to his more fusion-influenced patterns of the late ’70s (see Exs. 2a, 2b, 2c), hard grooving is one of Bruford’s undeniable strengths as a rock drummer. Even the most straightforward of his earlier rock-era grooves seem to have a little extra springiness to them. Aside from the man’s inimitable feel, a few small embellishments help to create this effect. The most characteristic (and ordinary) of these is a simple sixteenth-note in the bass drum just before the snare whacks a backbeat (Ex. 1a). This little gesture can be heard frequently throughout Bruford’s entire catalog, right up to the recent “From The Source, We Tumble Headlong,” from In Two Minds, his collaboration with keyboardist Michiel Borstlap. As unremarkable as it may seem, it’s a trademark of his feel. The addition of a subtly ghosted breakbeat pattern adds even more texture and spring, as seen in “Yours Is No Disgrace” (Ex. 1b, from The Yes Album by Yes) and “Siberian Khatru” [(Ex. 1c, from Fragile by Yes). The classic “Roundabout” has a similar feel with a slightly different construction (Ex. 1d).
2. THE SNARE (CLOSE TO THE RIM)
The sound of Bruford’s drums are as much a part of the records he has recorded as the music, and the most unique and noticeable voice in this kit is the sound of the snare drum. It is one of legendary distinction, sought after by many, but never quite replicated. In fact, “Bill’s Bonk” seems to be less the result of any particular piece of magical gear than the manner in which he played those items (various Ludwig Supra-Phonics and Supersensitives — no surprises there). According to Bruford, the task of contending with his colleagues’ amps in the days before drum mikes resulted in him firing his rimshots at around the halfway point between the center of the head (tuned “fairly tight”) and the rim to produce more ring. Bruford is a lifelong believer in the au naturel school of mixing: drumheads are not to be dampened or muted because the overtones will properly absorb into the mix with the other instruments, creating a livelier and more organic-sounding record. In his words: “Crap idea, if you think about it. I just let my drums ring, and those harmonics are part of the music, as any idiot now knows.” A comprehensive inventory of Bruford’s gear by era can be found at billbruford.com/equipment.
3. THE PARADIDDLES
For Bruford, and many others, the paradiddle and its permutations provide a sort of vocabulary of stickings that allow us to explore more complex rhythmic territory. (For example, the handy RLRLRRL and RLRLRLL stickings help you to play in 7/4 by allowing you to begin each new phrase on the right hand.) Bruford has been able to exploit the endless usefulness of figures like these to a high degree in much of his playing, providing the seed for some of his most celebrated material.
Examples 2a, 2b, and 2c are all taken from three different performances of the fusion-y 9/8 workout “Beelzebub.” The first is the original studio recording from his 1978 solo debut, Feels Good To Me, the second taken from the Earthworks rendition heard on the Magna Carta label’s Drum Nation Vol. One (2004), and the third comes from a Bruford clinic at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario in 2006. Notice how he uses a distinctly different pattern for each, yet relies heavily on paradiddles for all three. Bruford is also particularly fond of the paradiddlediddle. To this day, the entirety of Yes’ “Heart Of The Sunrise” remains perhaps the greatest recorded document of one man’s ability to creatively and musically incorporate this rudiment into a piece of music. The passages in Ex. 2d are taken from this masterpiece. Similarly orchestrated figures are plentiful in the King Crimson song “Easy Money” from Larks’ Tongues In Aspic record (Ex. 2f).
4. THE SEXTUPLETS
Swift, single-stroke sextuplets have always been a reliable choice for Bruford as textural material during a fill. As a result we hear them quite commonly in his playing. Oftentimes he seems to enjoy the rhythmic contrast of following and/or preceding these with straight sixteenth-notes, as in the gripping opening phrase of “Heart Of The Sunrise” (Ex. 2d) as well as other moments in that song (Ex. 3a). Ex. 3b shows a similar application, also preceded by straight sixteenth-notes and further enhanced with an accent pattern. It is from yet another live version of “Beelzebub,” this one from a 1979 performance captured on The Bruford Tapes (each recording of this tune is unique from the others). Example 3c is his clever orchestration of a sextuplet between the hi-hat, snare, and kick, also from “Heart Of The Sunrise.”
5. THE METERS
Bruford’s facility with odd meters has come to define much of his work. This can be somewhat attributed to his often brutally discerning choice of collaborator. But it’s also very much the result of his status as the first rock drummer to explore odd meters while working within the format of a “pop vocal group,” as he described Yes in his 1982 instructional drum video. Evidently one of the first of its kind, Bruford And The Beat features the drummer explaining the genesis of his famously off-kilter groove from the hypnotic title track off King Crimson’s 1981 album Discipline (Ex. 4a). Inspired by a left-handed Swiss triplet, the phrase comprises 17 sixteenth-notes — which would make the time signature 17/16 — tethered to quarter-notes on the bass drum. Think of this as a measure of 4/4 with an extra sixteenth-note tacked on the end. Because of this extra note, the right foot won’t fall on the first downbeat of the phrase for another four measures (i.e., it will take four measures before those extra sixteenth-notes add up to another quarter-note). Another great example of Bruford’s gift for odd grooving is from “In The Dead Of Night” by uber-virtouso prog unit U.K. (Ex. 4b, from their eponymous debut).
6. THE POLYRHYTHMS
It’s only natural to hear Bruford and “polyrhythms” mentioned in the same breath (this is, after all, the man who drummed on the finest output from King Crimson, a group that spent entire LPs exploring the concept). Nonetheless, the association should not be taken for granted. While greats like Tony Williams and Elvin Jones had spent the ’60s coloring their post-bop with these clever rhythmic illusions, Bruford — certainly influenced by the aforementioned — was one of the first drummers to use the technique extensively in the rock idiom. Specifically, he likes to imply polyrhythms by the use of specific orchestrations around the kit within a phrase of otherwise typically subdivided beats. This can be heard a number of times on the King Crimson album Red, particularly in “One More Red Nightmare” and the title track, where he repeatedly outlines a 3:2 polyrhythm with a pattern orchestrated around the toms and ride (Ex. 5). The effect would be lost here if the same rhythm, single-stroke sextuplets, was played on only a single piece of the kit.
7. THE DISPLACEMENT OF THE BACKBEAT
Another clever technique in Bruford’s arsenal — no doubt the direct result of frequently playing odd-metered music — is his practice of displacing the backbeat in a groove. A rhythmic illusion of sorts, this has the disorienting effect of making it seem like your LP just skipped. In a live performance of his composition “Sample And Hold,” from a 1979 New York City radio broadcast, Bruford pulls this one a couple of times successively while the rest of Bruford (the band) churn out a dizzying melody with contrapuntal bass (Ex. 6a). Whether these are definite meter changes embedded in the composition or just the playful whim of our tricky hero is not completely obvious. Does it matter, though? We’re left with our heads spinning either way. Sometimes Bruford is able to create the opposite effect by declining to adjust the backbeat while the rest of the group transitions from one odd-metered phrase into the next. This occurs right before the turnaround during the guitar/keyboard “hook” in “Siberian Khatru” shortly before both meet up at the beginning of the new phrase (Ex. 6b).
8. THE BREAKS
Considering all the discussion of his virtuosity on the instrument, it should be noted that for most of any given song Bruford is fairly keen to lay low and lock into a groove (even if it’s in 17/16 and polyrhythmic). This inclination of his to serve the song makes the busier moments only that much more exciting. Occasionally he finds his window and takes the opportunity to teach both his kit and you a lesson not soon to be forgotten. Examples 7a, 7b, and 7c represent a small collection of these often dazzling moments.
9. THE SYMMETRICAL KIT
Just as Bruford’s career evolved through the years, so did the drums he played, until his endless craftiness and innovation joined forces in the late ’90s to produce the Bruford original: the symmetrical drum set. This configuration consists of a remote hi-hat placed due north of the snare with two toms and two cymbals equidistantly positioned on each side. The toms are placed flat with a gentle inward curve, similar to a set of timpani, and are purposefully arranged to avoid the descending pitch order of a typical setup. Bruford credits his design with a more comfortable playing experience as well as enhanced musical possibilities: “This makes for some nice combinations [and] interesting phrasing.” Ex. 8 contains excerpts from a 2005 Earthworks performance of “The Wooden Man Sings And The Stone Woman Dances” in Paderborn, Germany. The phrases demonstrate the possibilities of this unique kit.
10. THE MASTERY OF THE DOWNBEAT
Of the true holy grails of drumming, the ability to take extended metric excursions while maintaining a firm awareness of the downbeat can often prove the most elusive. At the risk of sounding a bit too admiring, it must be acknowledged that Bruford has simply mastered this concept. While every album in his catalog verifies this claim, the most compelling piece of evidence is a YouTube video of Bruford soloing over the King Crimson’s “Indiscipline” vamp at his 2006 drum clinic at Mohawk College. For the three-and-a-quarter minutes, he modulates around various pulses, manipulating the audience’s sense of downbeat with the skill of a magician and a look on his face like he’s trying to solve a riddle. Occasionally he returns to the downbeat, following it with a brief rest to remind them what planet they’re on. Then he’s off again, ad-libbing material that cannot be rationally analyzed in terms of meters, pulses, and polyrhythms. Ex. 9 illustrates a few of these moments and how they relate to the 4/4 “Indiscipline” rhythm that accompanies them. All are taken from the YouTube post titled “Bill Bruford — Indiscipline,” which must be seen to be believed.
Matt Byrne: Double Bass Basics
By Matt Byrne
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s September 2006 Issue
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 length 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!
Art Of Acquisition
By Brad Dutz
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s December 2005 Issue
Part of a percussionist’s job is creating and collecting instruments, which I think is also very fun. The more instruments you have, the more gigs you can cover. Having unique instruments can also be your calling card for studio work.
Creating shakers is very simple. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when experimenting with filler materials such as small beads, popcorn, BBs – just about anything that can make a sound. Windchimes are also simple to make. I have made them from bottle caps, piano tuning pins, keys, bamboo, nails, shells, glass, forks, spoons, pods, pistachio shells, and Brazil nuts.
Metal products are easy to come by and are very cheap in most cases. I was recently in an antique shop and found some old brass bowls that make great bells. In the same store, I found an old Iranian gong that sounds extremely groovy. The best shakers in the world are old 35mm metal film canisters, which can also be found in antique stores. Industrial supply places have great scrap metal that they get rid of cheap. I have found good anvil and bell plate sounds at metal shops. And if you can find a military supply store, old artillery shell casings make amazing big bells.
Always keep one eye on newspaper ads for old instruments as well. Many great products are sold by people who don’t care to keep them around.
Keep searching everywhere!
Brad Dutz has played with Alanis Morrisette, Kiss, Willie Nelson, and Tribal Tech; on several movie soundtracks and TV shows, and teaches at Cal State Long Beach. rhythmweb.com/dutz/
Peter Erskine: Velocities
By Peter Erskine
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s September 2006
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.
Hot Licks: The Birth Of Punk Rock
By Brad SchlueterOriginally Published in DRUM! Magazine's August 2008 Issue
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 Pistols
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 anti-Christ” 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 still gets radio play and was a last-minute addition to their hugely successful London Calling album. It was almost left off because the band felt it was too commercial. Topper Headon provided the perfect tasty groove for the song.
“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.
“Ready Steady Go” by Generation X
This was Billy Idol’s band before he became known as the solo artist with a perfect sneer. Their 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.
“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.
“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.
“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. Lucky 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.
“Gloria” by Patti Smith
Patti Smith is referred to as the “Godmother Of Punk” 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.
“I’m Bored” by Iggy Pop
Often called the “Godfather Of Punk” (wonder if he ever compared notes with Patti Smith?), 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.
Tom Bashin’
Mike Cosgrove
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s December 2005 Issue
We're gonna’ beat on the toms! Lots of rock songs use toms to push the groove with a warmer and fatter dynamic. Here are some grooves that primarily involve the toms. Be sure to play the notes cleanly: You want to really drive the songs with each groove.
Many of the patterns shown here are just building blocks for you to be creative. Some of the patterns sound better at faster tempos, some are better slower, but all can be played at any tempo. In Ex. 4, keep sixteenth-notes strong and even between your right hand and right foot so that it doesn’t sound "flammy". In Ex. 3, Ex. 7, and Ex. 8, try to open up or separate the flams a bit more to fatten the beat when hitting high and low toms together with right and left hand. Play with a metronome and try to keep time with your left foot.
Good luck!
Mike Cosgrove writes, records, and tours both with Alien Ant Farm and independently. He gives drum lessons in Southern California and loves his Cocoa Pebbles.
Hand/Foot Independence
Matt Byrne
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s December 2005 Issue
This month, we’re going to work on building coordination and endurance between one hand and one foot. All drumming revolves around singles, doubles, and paradiddles. It’s important to practice those rudiments by mixing them together using various combinations of one hand, one foot, and some imagination. Here are some patterns that will get your limbs working independently. They also make for some great fills. Go for it!
P.S. Check out a drummer named Derek Roddy, who plays for an extreme metal band called HATE ETERNAL. He is the master of similar types of 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. You can email Matt at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Ian Paice: And The Origin Of Progressive Metal
By Brad Schlueter
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s May 2006 Issue
Few bands have enjoyed the longevity of Deep Purple or survived the endless lineup and style changes that the group has weathered over the past three-plus decades. Such a healthy lifespan can be easily explained as a byproduct of the masterful musicianship and stylistic diversity found on pop tunes like “Hush,” “Hey Joe,” or “Kentucky Woman,” intermingled with their original metal and keyboard-driven progressive rock styles on “Burn” or classic metal anthems like “Smoke On The Water.” Founding drummer Ian Paice has been propelling the band from the beginning with his great technique, inventive parts, fast foot, and blistering single-stroke rolls. His influence on modern drumming can’t be overemphasized, as he arguably had a hand in the birth of both metal and progressive rock drumming. Not a bad pedigree. Flip the page to look at some of his flashier moments.
“Hush” from Shades Of Deep Purple
This cover was one of Deep Purple’s early hits. Propelled by Jon Lord’s funky Hammond organ work and Paice’s cool grooves and fills, the song’s great success now seems inevitable.
“It’s quite hard to remember that far back,” Paice admits. “Basically it’s a samba. Obviously I wasn’t trying to play the same way that a guy with congas and hand drums would do it. But I was keeping that pulse that the organ was doing in my mind in a way to complement the fairly straightforward rock-and-roll rhythm I played, so try to maintain the inherent swing of the samba while you’re playing. It finds its own feel.”
During this period, Paice’s drumming was a bit reminiscent of Mitch Mitchell’s jazzy rock drumming with Jimi Hendrix. Check out the great triplet fill that sets up the “na-na-na-na” vocal refrain. It’s okay to sing along.
“Chasing Shadows” from Deep Purple
Here Ian Paice proves that he paid close attention to practicing rudiments at his drum lessons. By playing a double paradiddle – LRLRLL RLRLRR (remember Ian’s a lefty) – with his right hand moving between his high tom and mid tom and his left hand staying on the floor tom, Paice creates a clever tribal Afro-Cuban groove.
“You put all the paradiddles into a 4/4 tempo and they work very well,” Paice explains. “It was interesting flipping the hands between two drums to create the semi-jungle feel. It was one of the times when the drum pattern created the song. I was just having fun with it by myself on the kit, and the guys came in and found that the feel was something they really liked, and started creating the song around it.”
He plays quarter-notes on the downbeats and closes his hi-hat on 2 and 4. The percussion enters after four bars, making it a bit harder to decipher how he executes this cool groove.
“Hey Joe” And “Child In Time Bolero”
Could a song be more politically incorrect? “Hey Joe, where you going with that gun in your hand?” Well, Joe’s on his way to murder his girlfriend for cheating on him, and then he’s going to escape to Mexico – not the greatest caper ever planned, but it does make for a dramatic song. Deep Purple’s take on the classic adds a two and a half minute intro built around a bolero groove that ends with a quarter-note triplet. It might be more suitable as the theme music at a bullfight.
“We had the intent of changing it and arranging it à la Vanilla Fudge,” Paice says. “It’s one of those songs that no matter who does it, it will never quite be what Hendrix and Mitch [Mitchell] and Noel [Redding] created. Sometimes there’s a benchmark set the first time you hear [a song]. And that sort of tune did give a lot of freedom rhythmically for the drummer to just sort of wave his arms ’round a bit more than he normally would.”
Paice also plays a similar if more conventional bolero pattern in Deep Purple’s “Child In Time.” Note: The bass drum part is so quiet that it could be a little different than what we have notated here.
“Pictures Of Home” from Machine Head
Paice enters “Pictures Of Home” with an absolutely killer fill from the Live At Royal Albert Hall CD. It sounds polyrhythmic because he groups these linear ruffs in clusters of three eighth-notes for sections of this fill.
“My idea for it was to use it the same way a magician uses slight of hand to deceive you – the drum intro is meant to deceive your ears because it’s a great tumbling load of notes,” Paice says. “I’m actually thinking of three beats against two when I’m playing, so I’m just trying to misdirect the listener as to where the 1 in the bar is, and it works well.”
If you want to learn it, try playing flams instead of the thirty-second-notes notes at first. Once you get the basic rhythm and voicing down, widen the flams into thirty-second-notes. Playing e and ah with your feet may seem very strange and difficult unless you try it that way first.
“Burn” from Burn
If you’re not familiar with Ian Paice’s incredible drumming and Ritchie Blackmore’s ability to craft an unforgettable guitar riff, this song should clue you in. “Burn” kicks butt and blends Deep Purple’s progressive rock leanings with their metal influences.
Paice’s blistering single-stroke assault propels this tune much like Pierre Van der Linden did in “Hocus Pocus” by the Dutch prog band Focus (but fortunately without all the yodeling and whistling). You’ll need to warm up and get a triple shot of espresso before attempting this one.
“We were down in a place in Wales, and the guys were running a part of the song that would become ‘Burn,’” Paice remembers. “They were going over and over it, and I was bored stiff. And as they did it one more time I just started to solo under the chords they were playing – staying in time but totally ignoring what they were doing. And they all stopped and said, ‘That was great. That’s what it needed. Do it again.’”
“Fireball” from Fireball
Want to improve your feet? Put your double pedal in a closet until you can play the intro to “Fireball.” This tune has another blistering Ian Paice drum intro that helped establish him as one of the best drummers in rock.
<.p>This fast intro would challenge any drummer to play, let alone create, which makes it even more amazing that this track chronicles the very first time Paice had ever experimented with two bass drums. “The song had basically been written, and I knew what I was trying to achieve with the drum intro,” Paice explains. “Being a one-bass-drum player, I was trying to find ways of simulating what would happen with two bass drums. I initially started by trying to play all the notes of that double-bass-drum pattern with just my left foot. I could just about get the speed, but I couldn’t get any power to make it sound convincing.“Luckily for us, the night before, The Who had been recording in the same studio, and Keith Moon’s kit was still there – the roadies hadn’t taken it away. So I took one of his bass drums out of the case and stuck it next to mine, and for the first time ever I just played the pattern with the two kicks. That gave the power and the feel to set the song up. It’s not a difficult part, but it’s a great part for that song.”
“Smoke On The Water” from Machine Head
This is the rock anthem. The song’s massive popularity has lasted for decades, and learning to play the intro is one of the first tasks every guitarist must tackle. Paice plays an accented sixteenth-note pattern on his hi-hat, gradually building the intensity until the vocals enter. He uses buzzes, ruffs, and occasional hi-hat openings during the groove to help subtly shape his beats around the vocal lines, which helps make his part breathe. He punctuates all the section changes with very tasty fills. Chops are required.
“When we were recording the Machine Head album, the first track that we did was the backing track for ‘Smoke On the Water,’” Paice explains. “We did it in a ballroom right across from the Grand Hotel in Montreux. We were recording in the evening, and Montreux that time of year is a sleepy little Swiss town. When there is no other noise and you have a rock and roll band playing very loud in an empty ballroom, the sound goes for miles. We were just about getting towards the end of the take for the basic tracks and the police were trying to break into the ballroom to stop us because of all the complaints about the sound. And the road managers were actually holding the doors shut to keep them from breaking in before we finished the track.
“Then we went on to record the rest of the record, and we thought no more about it. It was just a backing track with a nice riff. It was only after the casino burned down that the riff and the words came together. And the words came from Roger [Glover, bass] watching the smoke from the casino drift lazily across Lake Geneva. It’s a pretty controlled track from the drums. There’s a little bit of phasing at the end on the cymbals, because that was a time when we used phasing. It was a nice effect.”
“Highway Star” from Machine Head
This is another great hard rock tune and perhaps the ultimate Deep Purple track from the classic lineup featuring Ian Gillian. According to Paice, the song was an homage to all the great early rockers who influenced the bandmembers.
“‘Highway Star’ is out-and-out rock and roll,” he states. “It’s taking all the influences from the great stuff from the ’50s and throwing them all together in one joyous piece of mayhem. All the ideas – they come from Little Richard, they come from Gene Vincent, they come from Elvis Presley – they come from all those rock giants. It was the music that we grew up with, and it meant something to each one of us.” Check out this perfect drum fill that Paice places just about a minute into the tune. It in itself is a classic slice of rock history.
Speed Drumming: Derek Roddy’s Weak Foot Buster
By Derek Roddy
Published on August 4, 2010
Derek Roddy knows a thing or two about playing fast, having literally written the book on the subject — The Evolution Of Blast Beats. But he didn’t develop his superhuman speed overnight, and in this video lesson he shares his secret for developing your weak foot. Better brace yourself, though — your shins are sure to burn after this weak foot buster.
Pedaling Lesson: Art Cruz Turns On Overdrive
By Art Cruz
Published August 3, 2010
In second part of Art Cruz’s focus on bass drum technique, the remarkable Winds Of Plague drummer demonstrates how he approaches his fastest bass drum patterns by reverting to an toe-activated style that employs an odd inward angling of his right foot. He then demonstrates the technique on the song “Soldiers Of Doomsday” from the band’s brutal 2009 release The Great Stone War.
Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #77: Backsticking Speed Tricks of the Trade - Part 2
By Tiger Bill Meligari Published August 2, 2010
Last month I demonstrated a backsticking pattern using single stroke sticking. This time I'll show you how a little change in sticking pattern can make your backsticking a whole lot faster and easier to play! Take a look at the written notation and then watch the video demonstration.
Video Lesson
As with any sticking pattern, the key is to practice very slowly at first. Don't be in a rush to gain speed or you may find your technique becoming sloppy. As you alternate between the tip and butt end of the stick, strive to maintain an even triplet sound!
Practice Tips
Once you can perform this backsticking pattern cleanly and up to speed, work on it again with the sticking reversed. Try to stay loose and relaxed while performing this exercise. This will become even more critical next month when we apply our backsticking to the drumset! If you find you're having trouble playing cleanly without getting tense, refer to 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).
For free drum lessons, and expert drumming advice, visit http://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
Groove Analysis: How To Play Thomas Lang's "Loki"
By Radim McCue Published July 28, 2010
In the DRUM! Magazine June cover story about Thomas Lang he reflects on some of the changes he's made to his own style, and the sounds he created for the album stOrk. In the following lesson, Nate Brown of onlinedrummer.com takes you step by step through the tune, giving you a taste of the Lang magic. Nate says it took him a couple of days to master this, so be prepared to work.
Download the sheet music HERE.
Slamming In Six
By Matt Byrne Published in the July 2006 issue of DRUM!
I’ve explored some whacky time signatures in past columns, but this month I’m going to take it back a notch with some beats in 6/4. Although it is considered an odd time, 6/4 doesn’t really feel that off-kilter when you’re playing it. Exs. 1–8 are executed easily enough to help you feel the beginning of each measure and not get lost. Each rhythm is also written out with an eighth-note and a sixteenth-note hi-hat pattern. If you have trouble feeling the subdivisions in the eighth-note beats, play the sixteenth-note rhythms to get your timing straight. As always, start slowly until you establish a steady and comfortable flow. And be sure to plug in your metronome.
Slammin In Six 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
How To Groove In 5/4
By Mike Cosgrove Published in the September 2006 issue of DRUM!
In this lesson, we’re going to explore odd-time groovin’. Ex. 1 is a basic rhythm of five beats against four beats. Get comfortable with it before attempting the other exercises. Exs. 2 and 3 are kit-based grooves that are fairly simple to play as long as you count sixteenth-notes. In Ex. 2, keep quarter-notes with the right hand, and double up for eighth-notes in Ex. 3. In Ex. 4, incorporate alternating sixteenths (RLRL) with the hands, and make sure to nail the backbeat on 2 and 4. Finally, in Exs. 5 and 6, alternate sixteenths between the right hand on your ride and left hand on your snare. You will also be challenged to accent the bell of the ride on & of every beat. Careful: The left hand gets a little tricky in Ex. 6. Have fun!
Odd Foot Ostinatos
By Wally Schnalle Published in the September 2006 issue of DRUM!
This month’s 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 the coming months.
Left-Hand Work Out
Matt Byrne
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s August 2006 Issue
Matt Byrne is the drummer for heavy metal/hardcore band Hatebreed. He resides in Beacon, New York, where he teaches drumming to a handful of students. In his spare time, he is working on his Special Ed./Elementary Ed. Teaching degree. You can email Matt at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Swiss Triplet Beats
Mike Cosgrove
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s August 2006 Issue
Get your sticks in fighting shape because we’re gonna’ shred on the Swiss Army triplet again. This month, we'll work on accenting different parts of the pattern. Swiss Army triplets are typically played as triplets with flams, but when you put them over straight sixteenth-notes and “flatten” out the flam, you get cool layered rhythms. For each of the exercises (Exs. 1–8), be sure to focus on the different accents! Once you become comfortable with the patterns, try moving your right hand to the ride and keeping time with your left foot. Also try playing the accents on toms, cymbals, or a cowbell. Have fun!
Independent Iyesa
Richie “Gajate” Garcia
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s January 2006 Issue
In this independence exercise, we will look at two cowbell patterns that are played in the Afro-Cuban Iyesa rhythm. To get started, you’ll need two cowbells – a cha cha bell and another large cowbell. As always, start off slowly. Once you have practiced Exs. 1 and 2 separately, begin playing them together. For an advanced workout, switch hands and try adding the clave with your foot (Ex. 3).
Richie “Gajate” Garcia has played with Phil Collins, Diana Ross, Hiroshima, and John Denver; recorded movie soundtracks; taught at Musician’s Institute for ten years, and performs clinics worldwide.
Video Lesson: Art Cruz’s Heel-Toe Technique
By Art CruzPublished on July 21, 2010
If you’ve ever wondered how Winds Of Plague drummer Art Cruz can slam bass drum patterns so quickly and easily, this video lesson will remove the shroud of mystery forever. It’s all about applying a simple heel-toe technique that requires rocking your foot to acitvate the top and bottom of your pedal’s footboard in quick succession. Master this with both feet and you’ll be able to execute rapid-fire sixteenths and thirty-seconds just as Cruz does during this demonstration of the song “Chest And Horns” from the band’s brutal 2009 release The Great Stone War.
Hot, Hot Uhgada
Wally Schnalle
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s August 2006 Issue
Long ago, in a column perhaps long forgotten, I introduced DRUM! readers to what I call the uhgada (so named because if you say “uhgada” over and over really fast, it sounds like the lick). This handy little pattern (Ex. 1) is a friend to many drummers and can be used in a myriad of ways. The most common is orchestrating it around the drums at various rates of speed for great fills and solo spots. It’s also a first-rate seasoning for spicing up your grooves. Ex. 2 shows this three-stroke wonder executed on the & of 1 between the hi-hat, snare, and bass. Ex. 3 is a double-stroke application of the uhgada.
3-Against-4 Bebop
Peter Erskine
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s August 2006
Here’s a fun and rhythmically exciting bit of coordination for you to master at the drum set. Select a medium/comfortable tempo, and play Ex. 1 with your bass drum and hi-hat. Repeat several times.
Ex. 2 is the same rhythm – that is, a hemiola pattern that takes three bars to cycle or come back to 1. In this case, the first notes you’ll play will be on beat 2 of the first bar. Repeat.
Now add your hands, playing the small tom with the right hand and the snare drum with the left hand (Ex. 3).
Once you get comfortable with Exs. 1–3, try moving your hands around the kit (playing on different toms) as well as increasing the tempo (Ex. 4). A good target tempo would be the quarter-note at 200 bpm. Hold on!
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
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
Hotlicks: The Early Drummers Of Rock And Roll
By Brad Schlueter
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s May 2008 Issue
Rock and roll began as a fusion of R&B chord patterns, boogie-woogie piano rhythms, and a strong backbeat, which made the music exciting and danceable. Other artists mixed popular country influences with R&B, creating what was later dubbed rockabilly. But this music was more than rhythms and chord progressions. Culturally, it marked the beginning of the slow change in race relations in the U.S. and the gradual acceptance of minorities, first as entertainers and athletes, by the white majority. In this era, the music was often recorded directly to acetate, which forced the musicians to get it right on the first take. Let’s take a look at some of the drum parts that launched a musical revolution.
“Maybellene” by Chuck Berry
This gold record from 1955 was Chuck Berry’s first hit and shows why this talented guitarist and showman became one of the stars and catalysts behind rock and roll. “Maybellene” was closely based on Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys’ western swing song, “Ida Red,” and featured a guitar solo that showed off Berry’s double-string bends, signaling the new sound of rock and roll. It became a racial crossover hit and was even covered by Elvis before his rise to stardom. On the song, we hear the two-beat feel (accents on 2 and 4) of Jasper Thomas’ drum groove that would become a rock and roll staple. He plays this beat without fills throughout the song, proving all you really have to do is groove well.
“Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry
This was one of Berry’s many hit songs and its intro has carved itself into all our heads. It was on “Johnny B. Goode” that Berry first employed the new studio technique of overdubbing to record the guitar solos on this song. Fred Below recorded the drums on many of Berry’s Chess Records hits, and like much of the music from this era, this song has a light swing feel that falls somewhere between a sixteenth-note and a triplet feel.
“Keep A Knockin’” by Little Richard
Most drummers don’t know that John Bonham based his intro to Led Zeppelin’s “Rock And Roll” very, very closely – or perhaps just plain stole it – from Charles Connor’s intro to Little Richard’s song “Keep A Knockin’.” Like “Rock And Roll,” the intro is all in 4/4, and starts on the & of beat 3, though some drummers prefer to think of it starting or ending with a measure of 3/8. It definitely helps to count it out. If you listen to the two songs back to back, there are subtle differences, but it’s obvious that Connor’s stellar drumming made a huge impact on Bonzo.
“Rock Around The Clock” by Bill Haley & the Comets
This classic slice of Americana was one of the very first rock and roll hits, and it features an interesting drum part – or a couple of them. The intro section has unison hits on the snare drum with the rhythm section. During the body of the song there appears to be a couple of simultaneous drum parts – one playing a shuffle on the rim of a drum (notated on the high tom rim) and the snare kicks, and the other playing the hi-hat – though it’s possible one drummer played the entire part. Session drummer Billy Gussak was used for the recording of this track instead of Haley’s regular drummer, Dick Richards. The bass drum (if played during the recording) is inaudible in this section, though could be played on counts 1 and 3 or on all the downbeats. The hi-hat part gets busier later in the song, and was probably played with a stick, though I wrote it here for drummers who want to test their left-foot coordination.
“Blue Suede Shoes” by Carl Perkins
This song was one of rock’s first hits that also performed well on pop, country, and R&B charts, and was the first Sun release to sell a million copies. Out of friendship, Elvis delayed the release of his version until after Perkins’ original single had peaked on the charts. The beginning of this song has some 6/4 measures, which, according to drummer W. S. “Fluke” Holland, were the result of the band’s inexperience rather than an intentional compositional choice. The breaks later in the song revert to 4/4. Fluke went on to join Johnny Cash for a two-week tour, which lasted for the next 40 years. He also recorded all of Cash’s hits and was the first drummer to play a full set of drums at the Grand Ole Opry. We’ve notated the rim part as a tom rim, though it might have been played on the snare rim, and if there was a bass drum part, it isn’t audible.
“Great Balls Of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis was one of early rock’s most dynamic and scandalous performers, who mixed boogie-woogie, R&B, and gospel music to create his exciting and raucous songs. He was kicked out of Bible school for playing the Devil’s music, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his hit, “Great Balls Of Fire,” was considered blasphemous when it was released. There actually are only two instruments on this recording: Lewis’ piano and voice, and the great drumming of J.M. Van Eaton, who was one of Sun Records’ session drummers and played with many musicians of the era, including Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison. It has a straight-ahead rock and roll groove and memorable intro that’s worth checking out. The snare notes sound like he was hitting the rim of the drum instead of the head.
“Ain’t That A Shame” by Fats Domino
You may be more familiar with Cheap Trick’s remake of this early rock hit than the 1955 original, but Fats’ voice and superb piano playing, coupled with the deep pocket of Earl Palmer’s drumming, made this song a classic.
“I’m Walkin’” by Fats Domino
This song’s funky intro will get your toes tapping and Earl Palmer’s two-handed snare RLRL groove is another great drum pattern every drummer should know. The handclaps on the counts 2 and 4 keep the feel upbeat and moving. He plays this variation of a train beat with a light swing and a syncopated bass drum note on the ah of beat 2 in every other measure, which makes his groove ever-so-funky.
“A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley was known for fusing R&B and country together, but this song is pure rock and roll. However, if you’re only familiar with Junkie XL’s remix of this song you’ve missed out on the funky drum fill that kicks off this cool track. The fill may sound a little odd since it starts on beat 2 – the sticking used was probably RL LR RL LR. The song has a boogaloo groove that’s got a nice little ghost note on the e of 2. The tasty fill in the third measure uses a RRL RRL sticking. DJ Fontana was Elvis’ drummer for 14 years and recorded well over 400 songs with the King, including this one, and he continues to record and tour.
“Little Sister” by Elvis Presley
For this twangy rock and roll song, DJ Fontana chose to play a twist beat (snare on 2 & and 4) over and over. This transcription shows the economical way DJ sets up the first break.
“Bo Diddley” by Bo Diddley
This tribal groove is based on a Latin 3:2 son clave, which as many of you know, is a rhythmic pattern whose accents fall on 1 (2) & 4 2 3. The original recording is of very poor quality and I can’t make out a bass drum part at all, but was a bit surprised to detect the two-tom melody that is usually ignored. Drummers often play the classic groove on the floor tom and play either the clave pattern or straight quarter-notes on the bass drum. It can also be played as a N’awlins second-line groove on the snare drum with rudimental flourishes. Unfortunately, I couldn’t source the original drummer from the 1957 session.
“Not Fade Away” by Buddy Holly
Here’s another version of the Bo Diddley beat. The accents vary from a 3:2 son clave pattern at the intro, though the first two bars of the verse outline the clave more closely. For this song, drummer Jerry Allison thought outside the box and played one (a box) instead of his drums for the recording of this classic rock track. Question: can a cardboard box be properly called a cajon?
“Peggy Sue” by Buddy Holly And The Crickets
Originally titled “Cindy Lou,” drummer Jerry Allison suggested a new title for the song and also offered an unusual and signature sixteenth-note tom-tom groove that helped the song stand apart from other songs on the radio. More than a drummer, Allison cowrote “Peggy Sue,” “That’ll Be The Day,” “Not Fade Away,” and “More Than I Can Say,” though the band’s manager altered the songwriting credits. Years later, the drummer married Peggy Sue Gerron, the high school sophomore the song was named after. Allison never changes the drum part during the song, but occasionally adds brief crescendos to this two-and-a-half minute tom roll.
“The Twist,” “Let’s Twist Again,” and “Slow Twist” by Chubby Checker
The twist beat is a classic drum groove that features a snare pattern of three notes that fall on 2 & and 4, adding a little syncopation to the standard rock beat with backbeats on 2 and 4. Ironically, neither “The Twist” nor “Let’s Twist Again” uses that drumbeat. However, Checker’s duet with Dee Dee Sharp on “Slow Twistin’” does employ the beat the dance style is associated with. Ellis Tollin was the creative drummer behind these slyly suggestive songs.
Polyrhythm Practice
Peter Erskine
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s January 2006 Issue
Polyrhythmic dexterity and ambidexterity are two essential skills to have when playing modern music. Being able to hear complex rhythms in your head is a good start, but it’s also good to practice various patterns “against” one another. The following will enable you to superimpose 2-against-3 or 3-against-4 rhythms with ease in any musical setting. Starting with your hands, you can also practice with your feet or any limb combination. Interested in more complexity? Use this same method to build up superimpositions using 5s, 7s, and 9s.
Hi-Hat Seasoning
Wally Schnalle
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s January 2006 Issue
The hi-hat can do much to the groove even before you start hitting it with a stick. If you’ve been playing some of my previous columns, you’ve become familiar with my reminder to keep the hi-hat going on beats 2 and 4. In most cases, this gives the drummer a strong connection to the quarter-note pulse. The four hi-hat patterns notated below will serve as a steady pulse, but they can also change the feel of the groove. The beat in Ex. 1 is just one possibility for you to try. Feel free to use your own.
Glen Caruba: Mastering Conga-Diddles
By Jared Cobb
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s March 2008 Issue
So you thought paradiddles were strictly for drum set players, eh? Well, back in the ’90s, Puerto Rican conga sensation Giovanni Hidalgo blew everybody’s minds by applying drum set rudiments to conga technique, and redefined the boundaries of that age-old discipline. In this exercise, DRUM! columnist Glen Caruba shares a number of paradiddle variations for conga players.
Slamming Syncopations
Matt Byrne
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s January 2006 Issue
This month, we’re going to throw four over five. What do I mean by that? Simple. Here are some variations on pretty cool patterns that I’ve been messing around with between the kick and snare. They have a feel similar to the paradiddle and play out in the odd time of 5. Start off executing each pattern slowly and smoothly. Once your feet are playing comfortably, throw a straight four pattern on the bell of your ride cymbal. It’s a brainteaser at first, but it creates an awesome feel when you get it going.
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. You can email Matt at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Terence Higgins’ Diddle Egg Five Video
By Terence HigginsPublished on July 9, 2010
Dirty Dozen Brass Band drummer Terence Higgins introduces the diddle egg five, a hybrid rudiment that combines a paradiddle-diddle followed by an eggbeater and two diddles — one on each hand. First Higgins takes it slow, and then, as it speeds up, he begins applying it in beats and fills around the kit. And that’s when things get crazy.
Roy Haynes Hot Licks
Trading Tough Sixes
By Wally Schnalle Originally published in the June/July 1999 issue of DRUM! Magazine
Roy Haynes has “been there-done-that,” and at 73 year’s young, he’s still doin’ it. His playing these days has the kind of fire and vitality that often eludes older musicians. He also swings harder than many younger drummers in their so-called prime. Years ago he created his own voice on the drums to which he has remained true. Haynes’s playing has always been immediately identifiable and continues to be a benchmark to which many others aspire. A tight snare and abundance of tasteful activity on it have always been evidence that Haynes was in the driver’s seat.
A true legend in drumming and jazz, Haynes’s playing credits as a sideman and a leader read like a who’s who of jazz history. He has shared the stage and recording studio with jazz greats like Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Chick Corea and Pat Metheny. With those kinds of credits and a career that spans over 50 years, it seems we should be able to get some technical advice from Haynes’s years of experience, but he is hesitant to give guidance. “When I started I was very natural,” he says. “I didn’t have people to tell me what to do and what not to do. Today we have a lot of information out there, so if I told somebody how to play something I might confuse them.” But I didn’t give up, because Haynes can play. Plus, I want to be playing in my seventies, as well.
“I started playing professionally in the early ’40s,” he says. “In those days we had more natural players. Today somebody just wakes up and decides they want to be a drummer and starts studying. In the old days it didn’t happen like that. Today everything is there for you. We didn’t have that, so you had to be kind of raw, innovative and creative. At different times, I can get different things out of the instrument. I’ve never had the kind of technique that they talk about, so I have to make up things. My technique is mostly natural.
“If I’m playing jazz, which is all I play anyhow, it really has to swing. The heartbeat has to be there. When I play, I try to give it some feeling and not make it cold by just playing something that I’ve practiced. I play according to the environment I’m in and what’s being played by other people around me. For instance, take Coltrane. [To accompany] what he is playing, you’re going to have to develop something new in what you’re playing. When I get a player like that, a guy who’s really listening, and we’re going back and forth, that development can happen.”
I see. We just have to make it swing and play with Coltrane!
When trying to learn from a master like Haynes, sometimes words aren’t quite enough, so let’s check out some of his music. Haynes released his the album Praise, in 1998, which contains recordings of Haynes in solo, duet and on up to sextet formats, with a wonderful cast of younger players, including Kenny Garrett on alto and soprano sax, Haynes’s son, Graham, on trumpet, David Sanchez on tenor sax, Dwayne Brown on bass and longtime musical associate David Kikowski on piano. Haynes has a special relationship with Kikowski. “I don’t like to work real steady, so David does his own projects and works with other people. When I get ready to do something I’ll give David a call and he’ll cancel other things because he likes to be there. He understands my concept. If I screw up musically he’ll know what it’s about, and I like that because it’s loose.”
The third tune on Praise is “Israel.” “I knew John Carisi, who wrote that tune, from the ’40s and I like the composition,” he explains. “It reminds me of those times in the ’40s when we would hang out in New York. It’s a minor 12-bar form and I like the way Miles did it.” This arrangement of the tune is fertile ground for exploration of this master’s drumming as he trades solos with fiery pianist and musical mate Kikowski.
Once again, in an attempt to glean a few secrets from the master, I asked about his concept for trading. “I usually respond with my own thing,” he says. “Sometimes I leave some space there. That has something to say as well. I like to get them fired up so they throw things back at me, which will make me go another direction. It’s a back and forth. I don’t analyze it. We’re talking to each other by making music. I play and that’s it. Whatever comes out is as sincere as possible and if it works, good. The dialogue we had when trading speaks for itself. We didn’t know in advance that we were going to do this, so what you hear is what was going on.”
Oh, I get it — shut up and play.
The transcriptions on pages 94 and 95 are four examples from “Israel.” The first two six-bar phrases come in answer to six-bar phrases from Kikowski at the beginning of the track, as they trade half choruses of this 12-bar tune. The following 12-bar phrases are from later in the tune, when Kikowski and Haynes trade full choruses.
As it is highly unlikely that any of us will get the chance to play with Coltrane (unless there’s a great jam session in the afterlife) or anybody who plays in the same league, we have to take our musical development where we can get it. Hopefully these transcriptions of a true jazz drumming master will help the effort.
Haitian Voudou Drumming
Jim Donovan
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s May 2007 Issue
Enslaved Africans in Haiti were resilient enough to retain their musical heritage while continuing to use it in their struggle to survive. Nago is a traditional Haitian piece that has its roots in Nigeria. The rhythms are played on a set of drums called rada, which are conga-shaped drums of three different sizes: maman is the largest, segon is the medium size, and boula is the small one. The drums are played both with hands and sticks. The other two instruments in this ensemble are the ogan (an iron bell) and the ason (a gourd rattle). When approaching the kit patterns, experiment by focusing on the hand patterns while just keeping time with your hi-hat pedal. Once you have this, then you can integrate the kick drum. Check out master Haitian drummer Frisner Augustin and his La Troupe Makandal at makandal.org, as well as the book The Drums Of Voudou by Lois Wilcken.
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 as in 2, with the underlying accent on the second beat. Ex. 1 uses a RLRL sticking, and 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.
Creative Congas
By Brad Dutz Originally Published in DRUM! Magazine's May 2005 IssueBrad Dutz has played with Alanis Morrisette, Kiss, Willie Nelson, Tribal Tech, David Benoit, Steve Smith, Rickie Lee Jones, and Jeff Bridges; recorded movie soundtracks for Prince of Egypt, Molly, Doug’s First Movie, Star Trek 5, Ocean’s Eleven, and All The Pretty Horses; can be heard on the TV shows King Of The Hill, Family Guy, and Mouseworks; teaches at Cal State Long Beach, and performs clinics on hand percussion and mallets. He has also written two instructional books and released a series of videos for beginning hand drummers.
This month I have sketched some conga examples to practice odd times. If you are not a conga player you may adapt these examples to drums by just reading the stickings underneath the notes. I have used p=palm, f= fingers, s=for slap, T=for tone, and a few lower notes for a second drum. If you don’t have congas, use different parts of a drum kit for the different hand sounds.
The first line is a simple 5/8 that reverses your hands every bar, and the second line is a 7/8 that does not switch your hands, so I have written it twice.
My favorite is the third line, which is a combination of lines one and two – a very interesting 12/8. Line four is different from the others because you are now using some single strokes. The last line is fun because we all need to play in 13/8 more often.
Try many different tempos and always use the metronome.
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.”
Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #76: Backsticking Speed Tricks of the Trade - Part 1
By Tiger Bill Meligari Published July 2, 2010
Backsticking was originally developed for use by drum corps drummers to add visual excitement to their performance. The goal of the next three lessons are to help you apply backsticking to the drumset not only to add an exciting visual effect but for the sound effect as well. Let's start by looking at the written notation and then the video demonstration.
Video Lesson
There are many variations in backsticking in addition to the one I demonstrate on the video. I encourage you to research them all and find one that you feel most comfortable with. As with any sticking pattern, the key is to practice very slowly at first. Don't be in a rush to gain speed or you may find your technique becoming sloppy. The difference between the amateur and the pro is precision and control at all times!
Practice Tips
Once you can perform this backsticking pattern cleanly and up to speed, work on it again with the sticking reversed. Just because you are using backsticking doesn't mean that you should feel any added tension anywhere in your arms or wrists. Try to stay relaxed while flipping the sticks around. The backsticking pattern I'm using is made up of single strokes, which are particular difficult to play while backsticking but it's a great place to start. Once I show you some tricks of the backsticking trade in the next lesson, you'll be able to perform this exercise much faster with a lot less effort! If you find you're having trouble playing 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
Squeeze Your Agogo
By Glen Caruba Originally Published in DRUM! Magazine's May 2007 IssueAlthough native to Brazilian and samba rhythms, agogo bells can be adapted to virtually all styles of contemporary music. If you come across a set that does not have a wing nut for mounting, chances are it is a hand held design in which the handle can be squeezed so that both bells hit together.
Start with the bells in one hand and a stick in another. On the first of four beats, hit the high-pitched bell with the stick (A). On beat 2, squeeze the bells together (B). On beat 3 and 4 hit the low bell then repeat (C). Try different combos of grooves utilizing this infectious squeeze technique, and nothing will stop your “go-go” anytime soon.
A
B
C
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
Messing With Time
By Mike Cosgrove Originally Published in DRUM! Magazine's May 2005 IssueThis month’s exercise is based off of a basic sixteenth-note groove with backbeats on 2 and 4. The hi-hat is accenting every third sixteenth, providing a 3-against-4 feel. It starts differently each time, and will take 12 beats to get back to the original 1.
Think of each one of the three bars as A, B, and C. Play them all starting A, B, C; B, C, A; then C, A, B. Also, play each individual line repeating itself: just A, just B, and just C. It will have a weird repeat but you’ll get a different feel.
You can also add bass drum and hi-hat notes on or around the 3-against-4 accent flow. These are just baby steps to more elaborate grooves epitomized by people like Tool’s Danny Carey and many other drummers who like to mess with the time. It’s all about feel, so take your time to let it become natural.
Remember this is just an exercise, so make it your own by jacking it up!
Mike Cosgrove writes, records, and tours both with Alien Ant Farm and independently. He has studied with various teachers and also gives drum lessons in Southern California. Every morning for breakfast, he enjoys a heaping bowl of Cocoa Pebbles.
Paradiddle-diddle Fills
By Wally Schnalle Originally Published in DRUM! Magazine's May 2005 IssueWally Schnalle is the Music Editor for DRUM! Magazine as well as a drummer, composer, and teacher based in the San Francisco bay area. He has released three solo albums, and has performed with Eddie Gale, Francis Wong, Ernie Watts, and the San Jose Symphony Orchestra.
Paradiddle-diddles are a handy little pattern. The main reason is that, as you can see in Ex. 1, the paradiddle-diddle ends with two double strokes. When executed cleanly, it’s actually less work than all singles and you get new melodic content. They can of course be played right- or left-hand lead, but here we are using them with a right-hand lead.
The fills contained here are just some starter ideas. Play your own groove for the first part of these four-bar phrases, then as you play the written fill, don’t forget to keep your hi-hat going and keep the time solid. Once you’ve learned the paradiddle-diddle pattern you should re-orchestrate it in as many as possible ways and in a variety of rhythmic environments.
Staggered Double Bass
Matt Byrne
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s May 2007 Issue
We’re going to touch on a cool double bass pattern that I’ve been jamming on as of late. I’ve been messing around with running some cool staggered and choppy patterns with my feet instead of just the standard, straight sixteenth-note rolls. This is a great concept to add to your repertoire of double kick chops and something to tease your brain with. Each beat varies between half-notes, quarter-notes, and eighth-notes played on the ride cymbal, while we run the sixteenth-note double bass pattern underneath. The snare hits also vary in each beat. They are executed on the 1 and 3, 2 and 4, and 1, 2, 3, and 4. In the following examples, I begin each kick pattern with my right foot, however, you should try beginning with your left. It’s also a good idea to try alternating by beginning every other pattern with your left.
Be A Sponge
By Matt Byrne Published May 2005I’m a firm believer in watching and learning from any drummer that you come in contact with. One positive of being in a band that tours so much is that I come in contact with a wealth of drummers, all of whom have their own style, technique, and overall approach to playing the instrument. It’s great to sit down and talk shop with any one of them, because I’ve found that as solid as you may think you are as a player, there is always someone else out there with something to show you.
Recently I hung out with my buddy, Mark Messina, who is the drum tech for Chevelle and Drowning Pool, and is a hell of a drummer in his own right. We were trading off some beats and whatnot, just being typical drum nerds. I showed him this triplet beat that I had been playing around with, and it so happened that he had his own version of it. We both decided that people would have fun with this.
Pick a solid, comfortable tempo to work with. The ghost notes are very important when playing the straight beat on the snare. They create that “shuffle” feel. When playing the second version of the beat, don’t play off only one tom. Try to move around the entire kit, hi-hat and ride cymbal included. This will make for an array of sounds in the beat and will help your independence around the drum set. Enjoy!
Matt Byrne is the drummer for heavy metal/hardcore band Hatebreed. He resides in Beacon, New York, where he teaches drumming to a handful of students. In his spare time, he is working on his Special Ed./Elementary Ed. Teaching degree. You can email Matt at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Matt McDonough: “On The Move” by Mudvayne
By Jared Cobb
Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s March 2008 Issue
With By The People, For The People, Mudvayne took the greatest hits album concept one step further and let their fans vote online to pick which tracks to include on the retrospective release. Thankfully, their fans are a knowledgeable lot and chose mostly rarities, live performances, and B-side demos.
One of those B-side rarities is the party basher “On The Move,” a relative relic written and recorded under pressure and in uncharacteristic haste, according to drummer Matt McDonough. “This is an old, old song. We recorded this about six years ago and I haven’t played it since then. It was a bonus track for our second record, The End Of All Things To Come, back in 2002. Obviously you have your whole life to write your first record, but for your second record it’s kind of like, ‘Write another one guys. Let’s go.’ So it was our first attempt at writing under pressure, writing quickly, and writing under the obligations that come with a record deal.”
By some miracle, the band was a full week ahead of schedule and was already in the studio, working the bugs out its 12 new songs while awaiting the arrival of their producer. “Suddenly management announces that we need bonus material to use on the Japanese release of the record and other special versions,” McDonough says. “And we had no extra tracks at the time. We write very slowly and meticulously, it’s a pretty painful process, and we were caught off guard.
“So ‘On The Move’ and ‘Goodbye’ were written in the studio and we tracked and recorded them with a friend of ours [producing and engineering]. They’re basically demos that were recorded during the writing of the songs. Normally we have months to work on the songs and rehearse them, fine-tune them and compose them, before we actually track them. With ‘On the Move’ it was all on the fly – writing, tweaking and recording all at once.”
Oftentimes a band’s best moments are those impromptu snapshots captured in studio and “On The Move” certainly has become a favorite among diehard Mudvayne fans. Not bad at all for a last-minute pitch-in. “We had just come off of 22 months of touring, and had never toured before, so Chad [Gray, vocals] had the idea to do Mudvayne’s version of a party song – and I say that tongue-in cheek. So we went up-tempo with syncopated bass and tried to make it real groovy and hooky.
“The highly syncopated double-bass work was kind of a signature of my early writing. And the bass drum is obviously very attached to the bass guitar. In fact, sometimes it’s hard to hear what’s bass drum and what’s bass guitar because Ryan [Martinie]’s playing style is very percussive.”
Listening to the track for the first time in years brings some nostalgia to McDonough and he enjoys comparing his earlier ways – from playing to writing to drum tuning – with his current techniques. “It’s interesting how my writing style has changed and the tonality of my drum kit has changed. And because this wasn’t recorded as well as we probably normally would’ve liked, there are things I’m playing that get a bit lost in the mix. For instance, during the verses I’m alternating between an open and closed hi-hat and it sounds like I’m just hitting an open hat.
“If we wrote this song today I probably would approach the verses and choruses from the same angle because the song requires that up-tempo, syncopated, hook-oriented style. The split choruses are a pretty typical thing for the way I write. There will be one guitar riff for the chorus and I’ll write a melodic arrangement with two different parts, even though the guitar might not change. It gives the chorus a feeling of sections, so to speak. I’m getting better at it, but for a while I was the guy in the band known for writing ten parts to everyone else’s one. I might write four different drum parts for each separate guitar riff and try to make it fit.”
If you somehow survive the verses and choruses, we wish you the best of luck getting across the bridge with its outright bizarre tom work and rolls. “The drum part in the bridge sounds more like buzz rolls, but it’s probably double-stroke rolls that sound different due to lower snare tunings and that demo audio quality. The overall phrase is double-stroke rolls, which come out sounding pretty much like buzz rolls on the toms. And I remember that was pressing the envelope for me at that time as far as how fast I could play that.
“It was unusual for me to write a part that was based on double-stroke rolls on the toms. I probably wouldn’t write it that way today. I was young and wanted to let everybody know how fast I could play. Now I don’t feel like I need to play so many notes so fast all the time. I feel more confident. As a band, we’re more in a hard rock mode right now, especially with a lot of the stuff on our upcoming album. I’m really enjoying playing more open and relaxing and letting the songs breathe for themselves.”
But you up-and-comers need not shy away from the heavy ink on these pages. McDonough offers a few choice tips on mastering the track. “Obviously this is a very kick-intense song, so focusing on the kick drums is probably the foundation of learning this song. When I was a younger player I would break my kit down and just use a kick drum, snare, hi-hat, and ride. I’d just focus on the phrasing and play songs without any of the fills. You can get caught up in listening to all the fills when you really need to focus on the verses and choruses. So just get a strong grip on the kick/snare patterns before you start working on the various fills and crashes.”
"On The Move" - Part I
"On The Move" - Part II
"On The Move" - Part III
Sextuplet Chops
By Wally Schnalle Originally Published in DRUM! Magazine's May 2006 IssueSextuplets 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.
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
Richie "Gajate" Garcia: Peruvian Pointers
By Richie "Gajate" Garcia Originally Published in DRUM! Magazine's April 2007 IssueThis month, I’m going to present two authentic Peruvian cajon rhythms – the valse (Ex. 1) and the lando (Ex. 2). Neither should be played at a fast tempo, but the valse is generally slower than the lando. So don’t rush! Feel the pulse at around 80 bpm. Once you’re comfortable with each pattern, try reversing the sticking. That way, you’ll be able to perfect open and tap tones with each hand. To get an idea of how these rhythms sound in a group context, listen to recordings by artists such as Eva Ayon and Susana Baca.
RICHIE "GAJATE" GARCIA has played with Phil Collins, Diana Ross, Hiroshima, and John Denver; recorded movie soundtracks; taught at Musician's Institute for ten years, and performs clinics worldwide.
Roots Rock Reggae
By Brad Schlueter Originally published in DRUM! Magazine’s August 2006 Issue.
Be prepared to screw your head around. You’re about to enter a rhythmic world where up is down and front is back – at least that’s how reggae feels to hapless rock drummers who have grown used to dropping the bass bomb on the 1 and 3 rather than the 2 and 4. And unlike brush bluffing, you can’t fake your way through the classic one-drop feel, precisely because feel is what it is all about, with grooves that often have the slightest touch of swing that is easy to hear but difficult to play. A little bonus for drummers – reggae tunes often begin with clever fill, and they usually make great use of percussion. Here are some famous examples that underpinned these highly political tracks.
“Legalize It”
Band: Peter Tosh
Drummer: Carlton Barrett
If you couldn’t guess what the title track of Peter Tosh’s first solo record after leaving the Wailers refers to, the cover photo depicts him smoking ganja in a field of marijuana. Doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Rastafarians believe that ganja is a sacrament that brings one closer to God. Ironically, Jamaica has very stringent marijuana laws, so there are quite a lot of songs advocating its legalization. Master reggae drummer Carlton Barrett’s one-drop groove on this song is required learning for every budding student. There’s a subtle swing that’s essential to getting Carlton’s laidback feel.
“Higher Than High”
Band: Steel Pulse
Drummer: Steve Nisbett
Steve Nisbett plays a simple one-drop groove with the bass and snare on 3, and a little triplet hi-hat figure at the end of each bar. His big fill in the eighth measure is simply a snare hit and crash on 3. It perfectly suits this simple melodic song. He embellishes it a bit more later in the tune, but this is another great feeling, yet very simple groove worth learning.
“Calling Rastafari”
Band: Burning Spear
Drummer: Shawn “Mark” Dawson
This song is from Burning Spear’s (a.k.a. Winston Rodney) recent Grammy award–winning disc of the same title about unifying separate offshoots of the Rastafari religion. It’s an upbeat, cheerful tune peppered with brass and a slow groove that has the kick on 1 and the snare on 3. Check out Shawn “Mark” Dawson’s opening fill that’s played with the left hand playing rim-clicks while the right fills in on the snare and toms.
“Lion”
Band: Burning Spear
Drummer: Nelson Miller
A song about animal conservation, “Lion” opens with a common reggae snare fill and features a “steppers” groove that’s characterized by playing the bass drum on the quarter-notes with the snare anchoring the pattern on 3. This has syncopated rim-clicks that dance underneath the relatively nonmelodic vocals that are the trademark of Burning Spear.
“Guns And Roses”
Band: Lucky Dube
Drummer: Isaac Mtshali
South African singer Lucky Dube is one of the world’s most popular reggae artists, and like many others uses reggae to express his views on race, politics, and spirituality. On the song “Guns And Roses,” Isaac Mtshali plays some fusion-esque patterns that might be more expected from Dave Weckl than on a reggae disc. He makes great use of his China and splash cymbals to color this tune. Isaac was also the drummer on Paul Simon’s cross-cultural Graceland record.
“Dread, Dread”
Band: Sly And Robbie
Drummer: Sly Dunbar
Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare are the best-known reggae rhythm section in the world. They’ve played together on thousands of recordings for a huge range of reggae artists. The fill at the intro is ametric, so the rhythmic notation is an approximation. Dunbar likes to mix acoustic and electric drums together, so the kit on this track has an electronic hi-hat that sounds as if it includes a triangle sample mixed into it. The toms are big, deep, and dead.
“Now That We Found Love”
Band: Third World
Drummer: Willie Stewart
Third World’s take on this O’Jays disco cover tune helped bring them international attention. The song maintains a strong, danceable quality, but adds real drums, a touch of reggae flavor, and a predominant bass line that helped establish the tune in dance clubs around the world. The tempo is bright, and like a lot of reggae, its feel lies somewhere between a straight sixteenth-note and the triplet feel chosen for the transcription. Willie Stewart plays a funky driving groove yet still manages some subtle tom embellishments that make this one a classic.
“Simmer Down”
Band: The Skatalites
Drummer: Lloyd Knibbs
No discussion of reggae would be complete without mentioning its predecessor – ska. The Skatalites existed briefly, but their influence is still strong today. Drummer Lloyd Knibbs plays an uptempo rimshot-driven disco groove on this tune about 15 years before disco was created. If that wasn’t innovative enough, he immediately follows it up with the ride pattern Bill Bruford used on King Crimson’s “Great Deceiver,” which was later borrowed by and is often mistakenly credited to Neil Peart. The late Carlton Barrett always credited Knibbs as one of his great influences.
“Exodus”
Band: Bob Marley
Drummer: Carlton Barrett
“Exodus” features some of the tasty hi-hat work the genre is famous for, provided by the superb Carlton Barrett. He was Marley’s drummer from 1969 until the reggae legend’s untimely death in 1981. He is often credited with creating the one-drop groove that he so expertly demonstrates in this tune.
Toy Dancing
By Billy Martin Originally Published in DRUM! Magazine's August 2009 IssueThis 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 (at drummagazine.com), 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.
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 Best Of Blue Note Records compilation in the bonus DVD of the Fourplay mini-documentary.
Medeski Martin And Wood drummer Billy Martin (aka illy B) has recorded more than 60 albums, with Bob Moses, Iggy Pop, John Scofield, The Lounge Lizards, Dave Burrell, and many others. billymartin.net
Trippy Triplets
By Wally SchnallePublished October 2006This month, we’re going to take two odd-time motifs (Ex. 1) and place them within straight-time triplets. The patterns are orchestrated between a cross-stick on the snare and a mounted tom, but you may want to practice them on a single drum at first. Once you’re comfortable, try playing these exercises against a standard jazz ride rhythm (Exs. 2–3). The two-voice melody will really help spice up a 4/4 beat. Good luck, and don’t stop here. Play these rhythms all over your kit!
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
More Fancy Footwork
By Peter Erskine Published October 2006A few months ago, this column explored some basic hemiola patterns that can be played on the kit, all of which were anchored by the bass drum and hi-hat. Continuing in that vein, let’s dive into some more challenging footwork.
First practice the bass drum and hi-hat rhythms (feet only!) with a metronome (Exs. 2–8). Ultimately, these rhythms will be played while the leading hand plays the ride cymbal pattern on the cymbal. Your phrasing will want (and need, by necessity of speed) to change from the triplet feel to a more straight-up-and-down eighth-note feel on the ride cymbal as you employ these rhythms (Ex. 1).
While Exs. 2–4 are rhythmically identical, they each begin in a different place within the three-bar pattern or cycle. It is best if you can play each of these on any beat of the bar (e.g., downbeat, upbeat, or on beat 2).
The first triplet exercise (Ex. 5) is not so commonly played in jazz, while the off-beat triplet (Ex. 6) is a typical bebop lick. Note that these triplet patterns can act as a doorway to employing some basic, though interesting, metric modulation in your playing.
Kindly watch your balance (both dynamically as well as physically!) while playing these exercises. Have fun, and above all: Make it swing.
PETER ERSKINE has played with Weather Report, Steps Ahead, and the Stan Kenton Orchestra, and holds an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee School of Music. petererskine.com
Foot Pedal Fanatic
By Anthony Geluso Published October 2006This is not for the faint of heart (or foot), but with a little practice you can keep your feet busy on more than just a single hi-hat and bass drum.
1. This is the pedal setup I use to create different sound and rhythmic combinations in my playing. I decided to go for an ambidextrous setup where I have the same pedals (more or less) on either side.
2. The left side consists of my main hi-hat, a cowbell with felt beater, and left bass drum.
3. The right side consists of my main bass drum, a remote hi-hat, and a jamblock.
Once you find a pedal setup that works for you, try using one foot to play two pedals at the same time, and then try combining rhythms by playing with the toe and heel of the same foot.
Shiko: Idependence Builders
By Jim Donovan Originally Published in DRUM! Magazine's May 2008 IssueHere are some challenging exercises designed to work your four-way independence. I’ve based the patterns for the feet on rhythms from a traditional Liberian piece called Shiko. Double kick drum players can substitute their left kick drum for the hi-hat lines. Mix and match foot and hand patterns to create lots of exercise variations. To make the most of these exercises, it’s best to aim for complete accuracy before doing them fast. Definitely work with a click to help you gauge your timing and stroke accuracy. You can find dozens of traditional rhythms that you can use in this manner on my new DVD titled Rhythmic Foundation: Interactive African Drumming For Everyone, available at JimDonovanMusic.com.
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.
Fleshing Out Your Funk
By Wally Schnalle Originally Published in DRUM! Magazine's May 2008 IssueSometimes all that’s needed is a fat backbeat on the snare and a bass drum pattern that complements the bass line – something like Ex. 1. But other times the groove can be a little thicker or seasoned in a slightly different way that can powerfully affect the music. Exs. 2 and 3 take the same groove and change the feel by changing the hi-hat pattern. This is subtle but very effective. Exs. 4-–6 change the ride pattern to fill in the cracks a bit. These can be helpful to lock in the feel at different tempos. And Exs. 7 and 8 flesh out the snare pattern with some ghost notes. Be careful to keep these low and subtle, as they can be distracting when they get too loud, and the power of your groove may suffer. And of course, all of these ideas can and should be combined in a myriad of ways.
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
Going Gota
By Jim Donovan Originally Published in DRUM! Magazine's May 2006 IssueOriginally 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!
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. jimdonovanmusic.com
Beginning Reading And Beating
By Mike Cosgrove Originally Published in DRUM! Magazine's May 2006 IssueThis month's exercise is good for beginning players and beginning readers. Sometimes it's frustrating to have to go backwards and learn to read, but I guarantee it'll serve you better in the long run. Basically, you’ll be isolating sixteenth-notes on the bass drum. First, play them before and with the eighth-note or with and after the eighth-note. If you take your time, you'll notice that you've heard all of these grooves before. You can use these in any way after you've got ’em under your belt. Try the different hi-hat patterns I've included in this lesson. Enjoy!
MIKE COSGROVE writes, records, and tours both with Alien Ant Farm and independently. He gives drum lessons in Southern California and loves his Cocoa Pebbles.
APX Clinic: Ray Luzier on No Mercy Tour
By Radim McCue Published June 3, 2010
Maraca Madness
By Richie "Gajate" Garcia Originally Published in DRUM! Magazine's May 2006 IssueLet’s have a shake at three popular maraca patterns that are 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.
RICHIE "GAJATE" GARCIA has played with Phil Collins, Diana Ross, Hiroshima, and John Denver; recorded movie soundtracks; taught at Musician's Institute for ten years, and performs clinics worldwide.
Basic Punk Fills
By Darrin Pfeiffer Originally Published in DRUM! Magazine's August 2009 IssueIn this lesson I’d like to touch on a few basic punk rock fills. The first is a straight-ahead sixteenth-note snare roll with accents on the 1’s. The second exercise is a take on the first with a short tom/floor tom fill at the end. The third and fourth exercises incorporate a floor tom/snare build with different fills on the 4. Accents are on the fourth exercise to spice up the build. Remember, try these slow and gradually speed it up.
Darrin Pfeiffer is the drummer for punk band Goldfinger, has his own record label, is a DJ at Canada's biggest radio station, and is an avid drum teacher. goldfingermusic.com
Tiger Bill's Speed Lesson #75: Single Paradiddle Multi Accent Grid - Part 3 Conclusion
By Tiger Bill Meligari Published May 31, 2010
For the past two lessons, we've been practicing the execution of a single and a double accent across single paradiddle sticking. Now it's time to move it to the drum set where it takes on a whole new dynamic and a higher level of difficulty due to the fact that we now have to move around the drums while executing the same sticking and accents. Let's check out the written notation and then the video demonstration that follows.
Video Lesson
Notice how easily I move from one drum to the next while playing all accented notes on a tom and all unaccented notes on the snare drum. To accomplish this, practice slowly at first and gradually gain speed. Never play faster than you can play while maintaining control of each stroke and don't allow your technique to become sloppy as you move around the drums.
Reverse Hands For Additional Practice
Once you can perform the written exercise cleanly and up to speed around the drum set, work on it again with the sticking reversed. The key is to try to become as comfortable and relaxed while moving around the drums as you are when you play on a single drum. If you're having trouble doing this, 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