Here’s a nice little pattern I’ve been experimenting with lately, it’s broken 16th pattern(1ean) with a busy ghosting pattern on the left. You can play it straight as well and try different phrases with the kick.
Charts
Adding Ghost Notes To A Rock Beat (Beginner/Intermediate)
The ability to play soft notes in-between accented snare beats is a crucial technique for any drummer to master. Here is one of the first lessons I show my students to develop this. It’s important to keep the left hand very low whilst playing the ghost notes and snap the stick from a greater height when playing […]
Valerie By Amy Winehouse Drum Sheet Music And Demo Video (Intermediate)
Valerie by Amy Winehouse. This is fun little bounce along groove. Listen to the kick part on this groove, it’s such a common rhythm and dates way back to the ‘Charlston’ rhythm of the 20’s and was then made famous by Bo Diddley in classics such as ‘Hey Bo Diddly’ and has been used in […]
The Layer Groove (Advanced)
Here’s a little idea I’ve been playing around with for ages, so long I can’t even remember where I got the idea from! We take a rhythm and layer it between 2 voices as you can see in the notation. This creates a real thick sounding groove. Once you get the basic idea down try […]
Zigaboogaloo Drum Groove (intermediate)
This is a great groove off Jazz trumpeter Nicholas Payton’s album Payton’s Place. I love playing grooves like these where the beat shifts away from the backbeat while keeping a steady 8th note pulse on the Ride Cymbal. It’s a 2 bar pattern and it can be easy to get lost when you first play […]
Rock and Funk Drum Fills (intermediate)
Here are a few ideas for some not so ordinary funk and rock style fills. They’ll work well with 8th note type grooves or 16ths. Try playing them as a 4 bar phrase with some of the Groove ideas on the earlier post. It’s a good idea to work with a metronome at a tempo […]
Straight 8th Note Funk and Rock Grooves (Intermediate)
Here’s a selection of 8th note drum grooves with a funky flavour. When you get them down you can try playing them with a ‘swingy’ feel. Play them slow and make sure the placement of the notes is spot on, I advise starting at around 60 bpm with a metronome. Also try playing them as […]
Double Time,Straight Ahead,Half Time Feels (Intermediate)
Sometimes within a song the “time feel” can change. This means that the tempo stays the same but the placement of the snare gives the listener the impression that the music has more space or slowed or that the music has more urgency or speeded up. You should be able to easily switch between these […]
Alternative Ghosting Patterns (intermediate/Advanced)
Here is a great exercise for developing some nice ghosting patterns on the snare rather than the usual ‘a’ and ‘e’ thing. Some of them take time to get together but they’re worth it as they help add a nice feeling of motion to your grooves.
Seven Nation Army Groove sheet (Beginner)
Seven Nation Army Groove Sheet This is great one for beginners to get started on. It’s just quarter notes all the way and has some great dynamic changes from verse to chorus.The only slightly tricky bit is the dotted 8th note during the chorus,listen carefully,you’ll get it!