How To Drum - Opening The Hi-Hat

Had a lesson request come in on opening the hi-hat within a groove...simple, but necessary.

Setting Up Hits on the "a" of 4

Drum Lesson: Intermediate Samba

Once again, another lesson from my book (that's why I wrote it...so I would have something to teach out of). You can check out the book here. I also included a downloadable pdf of the sheet music to the lesson here.

Super Secret Drum Lesson: The Secret to Unbelievable Bass Drum Speed

I named it that because every time I would come across a lesson on bass drum speed online, it was lauded as some big secret. I'll let you in on the big secret...It's not. It just takes alot of hard work. Here's a lesson to help out. Let me know how it works out for ya!

Drum Lesson: Basic Beat Displacement

Another lesson from my book, Functioning In Time. Pick it up here.

MY NEW BOOK IS OUT!!!

Sorry to shout at you in the title...but I'm seriously that excited about this! I've been working for the past 6 months to pump this thing to print, and it's finally there.

"Functioning In Time" is a book on one of my favorite topics...permutation. We define what a permutation is (and isn't) and then use familiar warm ups, popular grooves, and linear patterns to work through the concept. The second half of the book deals with combinations. I know, I know, combination is a broad term...but not when it's dealt with in mathematics. And that's the definition we use to work through the topic. We take a very strict approach to the definition of combinations and then use popular sampled drum grooves to learn how to function using combinations (lots of Drum and Bass goodness!)

I made sure to put things in there for all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. I'm hoping that once you grasp the idea, you'll be able to apply it to several areas of your playing. If you'd like to pick up a copy, CLICK HERE. The book is available to be shipped worlwide in either paperback form via snail mail, or in pdf form through your email.

Above is a lesson I did on a linear pattern found in the book. It breaks the fill down, permutates it, and then applies it to soloing and grooving.

A Fill to Have Fun With

Just a simple fill to throw around and have some fun with. Sheet music is in the video description.

Simple Sextuplet Fill Drum Lesson

This is a very simple idea that I used in a drum cover and I've had alot of peeps askin' about it, so here's a lesson for ya on the breakdown.

The Herta Series

Here's a series of lessons I've put together on the Herta. I explain the rudiment in the first video and then take it through beginner, intermediate, and advanced applications on the drumset.

EXPLANATION



BEGINNER DRUMSET APPLICATION



INTERMEDIATE DRUMSET APPLICATION



ADVANCED DRUMSET APPLICATION



Email, message, or comment if you've got any questions!

A Question About Odd Time Signatures

Got an email question in the other day...

Hi Steve. I am Marc Bolger from Fresno California. I recently suscribed to your site. Very good lessons.

One thing I have trouble with is listening to a groove and determining what the time signature is....

Like is it a 5/8 or 7/8 or what not...I think I seem to have trouble listening to when the end of a measure is. I understand well the facts of 1/4 and 1/8 and 16th notes and I can read it well. But listening to it is kind of weird for me. Is there a way I can break it down by ear and understand it or did reaaing a lot just make it develope?

And I want access to all your Zeppelin riffs. You only have about 3 of them ?

I did notice many other types of riffs that I need to study as well.

I am 48 years old. I have played drums for almost 9 years now. I have played guitar for 30+ years and so my sense of timing and ear are quite developed so jumping on drums was maybe a bit for confortable for me.

My drum teacher was impressed and that was a good thing.

I look forward to learning much from you! You are very very good!!

How about some bonham cross sticking triplet paterns broken down?

I loved Fool in the rain" groove. The Ocean was not ever really one of my favorite zepp tunes but it is good schooling from you for sure! So...thanx a lot! ;p)

And again here we go with how you explained the note count within that structure in the ocean. I seem to have a hard time wondering what it is time signature wise.

How about that song by the Police "Spirits in the material world"? is that a 7/8?

I know it is odd time.... I think my main problem is separating the measures?

I have three kits. I vistalite,and Ludwig Blue sparkle with classic lugs in 7 pli North American Maple-26" kick

and my Yamaha with 2 24" kicks in Maple Custom absolute. Im also looking at getting a 36" Paiste Gong and later on I would like 29" Timpany pedal kettle.





With Much respect master Steve

Marc Bolger

I also like your rewind button! ;p()



What up Marc...

Really sorry it took me a hot minute to get back with ya...I've been slammed both with work and on the personal side of things this week...it's taken me an hour this morning to catch up on emails, and I've still got a clinic to plan for Monday! Ahhhhhhh! Good to be busy though...

You know, listening and determining the time signature to a song is a skill that's learned, so don't feel bad for not knowing how to do it right off. It takes time and patience. I would take songs that I knew the time signature of, but maybe didn't know exactly how to count, and then try to count it. Knowing what time signature it was in helped me to feel sure I was counting it correctly. And from there you just have to take each song by itself, play it over and over, and count. Figure out what the subdivision is (quarters, eighth notes, a triple feel, etc) and then figure out how many beats are in a measure. I find that alot of times I can listen to a riff (the guitar, piano, or drum groove) see when it repeats, and then go from that. Singing the riff in my head makes it alot easier to count than just reducing it to numbers...it makes it a musical event instead of a mathmatical event. Make sense?

On your question about the ocean...it's in 15/8 (the opening riff). Another way to count it is one bar of 8/8 (or 4/4) and then one bar of 7/8, and that's repeated 4 times I do believe. Just start counting at the beginning of the song, count to 15 in time, and start over...it'll start to feel right eventually.

And on The Police track "Spirits in a Material World"...no 7/8, lol. It's one of the most deceptive songs I've ever heard...I know how to count it and I still hear it wrong every time! On the intro lick, the snare hit is actually on the "&" of 4, and you start counting after that. It's in 4/4...the bass drum is on 2 and 4 and the keys and accented hihats are on the upbeats. Absolutely a sick and misleading drum intro!

I don't have anymore Led Zeppelin break downs recorded actually...they were all requests. If you have one, let me know and I'll try to get around to breaking it down for ya.

And thanks for the pics...always love some good drum porn,lol! The kits look great!

You're absolutely right about the guitar knowledge you have making it easier to transfer to the drums...you already have alot of the basics of counting and musicality down, which is a cool place to start.

Fyi, I sometimes use emails as blog posts so that everyone can benefit from a private email. I don't use names though. Hope this is ok.

Please keep up with me and let me know how things are goin' for you!

Cheers,
Stephen T.

Jazz Paradiddle

Here's a message I got from Facebook out of Australia. I think they're both killer patterns and ideas...you can probably expect a lesson on them in the near future.

Cheers for sending it Davis!


"RLRR LRLRLL RLRLRLRR and completely alternate LRLL RLRLRR LRLRLRLL. Further, you can swing this pattern between snare and ride. Speed it up slow it down, whatever- it's a great excercise.
This was an exercise Thelonious Monk Jr. Shared with me. Supposedly Max Roach taught it to him. I've got one more for you-

Standard Swing pattern on ride
2 and 4 on hats
Quarter notes on snare
Bass drum on the "and" of each snare beat

Alvin fielder taught this to me. It was a beat him and jack dejohnette experimented with. The pattern can be varied by switching snare and bass role. This seems easy, but it may drive you kind off nuts for a minute."

Email Question from You Tube

Above picture from Amorphia Apparel


"Hey how's it going?

I've been drumming for a while now, and I've got the groove aspect of playing down pretty well. But when it comes to the faster songs, I don't really know what to do. I can keep the beat, and do some more groove-like fills, but I can't really play it like a fast song. Haha does this make sense? It's like I can play it, but I don't know how to have the drums act in the song. If you could help that would be amazing. I'm a church kid, and there are a few of us that are actually not bad at music so we've been wanting to do some stuff. But there's this other guy who solely drums to fast songs and because of that I might have to play the bass. Which I'm not very good at but for some reason people think I am. Well, that's my story."

Sorry it took me a minute to get back with you...I've been swamped!

A couple of good things I hear in what you're tellin' me...

A) You've identified a weak area...this is always a good thing. Some people don't view it as that, but if you don't identify it, you can never fix it.

B) You've got a reason to get better at your weak area...a goal.

C) You've got competition...again, not always viewed as a good thing, but it pushes me to perform and play better. Even if the other guy gets the gig, the process i went through to prepare is the benefit that I get out of the whole thing.

It sounds like you need to work on your fast song playing. i know that sounds like a simple answer...but that's really what you need to do. So, from now on, if you really want to play the drums in this situation you've got to become consumed with playing fast songs and fast tempos comfortably. The reason you feel like you're not really playing them like a fast song should be played is because you're not comfortable at those tempos...sure, you can hang on for dear life, but I actually like to ride inside the plane when I fly and not hang out on the wings, lol!

Alot of times when we practice we go over the same things we know...or improve on areas that we're already good at because we feel comfortable there...it makes us feel good and warm and fuzzy inside. There's nothing like leaving a woodshedding session feeling like you still can't play what you were practicing. It's frustrating, borderline insanity...but it's what drives you to come back to the practice room later and tackle it again, and again, and again...until your a beast at it!

So here's what you do...stop practicing everything you usually do. You're solely focused on quick tempos at this point. Everything you can already play now needs to be played at these fast tempos....grooves, licks, fills, you name it. Find 8-10 fast songs that you like and play them over and over and over...and then play them again. You need to be setting your kit on fire every day you're playing so fast! It will be frustrating at first, but after a while you'll get better...and better...and better...until you're the only logical option for the drum chair in this situation because you play the other guy under the table in every area. It's the way I've always done it.

Your other option is to get discouraged, decide you're just not good at it, and settle for playing the bass. But I think you're a better drummer and person than that...NOW GO PRACTICE!!!

Hope that helped! You can play this guy under the table, you just have to decide to do it.

-Stephen T.

DISCLAIMER: Drums aren't a competition or a pissing contest, as they're often treated. They're a musical instrument with the abilities to play rhythm, melody, and groove...it's a beautiful thing! That being said, when you're in the running for a drum chair, the rules change. You don't become vindictive towards the other players, or cocky...you simply quietly go about dominating the competition. It's not personal, you just want the gig...whether it be a volunteer church gig or a legit touring position. And after it's all over, you can go grab a cup of joe and talk drums with no hard feelings.

"Toxicity" by System of a Down-You Tube Student Drum Cover

Here's one from Jannis Reiher...he sent me the link the other day. Absolutely kills it! Nailed the grooves and fills great! Seriously guys, you hear me harp on it, but this is absolutely one of the best ways to start letting people hear your playing and to get a little controlled atmosphere stage time. Kudos Jannis, way to put yourself out there! Great job!

Beginner Songo

The Five Stroke Roll on the Drumkit

Drum lesson on a useful fill application for the 5 stroke roll.

Fitness and the Working Drummer

Another question via Facebook...a topic close to my heart...fitness. Specifically, as it pertains to the working professional drummer.

"So, may i ask you something? You lift weights...do you feel that benefits drumming at all? I lift weights and sometimes feel I could be hurting myself with my drumming, asking your advice from a professional point of view. thanx damon..."

What's up Damon...

I do lift weights...as well as a oodles of stage time and a degree in music, I'm also a certified personal trainer…so I guess I'm allowed to have an official "opinion" on the subject, lol!

I can see what you're saying...weight lifting hurting your playing. When I was lifting heavy weights, trying to "bulk up", I found it interfered with my playing. I felt to large and clumsy...part of that, however, had to do with me becoming comfortable with a bit bigger body. It just took some time to adjust. It also took some time for me to find my body's optimal weight…and no, contrary to popular belief touted by the U.S. Health Guidelines, there is NOT a perfect weight for you height…everyone varies. They're good to use as a guideline to a healthy lifestyle, but not as the golden rule. If I went by current standards, I would be considered overweight, borderline obese! (I'm 6'1", 211 lbs)…but I lift weights 4-5 times a week, and they don't take muscle mass into account.

Overall I feel lifting weights, if done correctly, only helps your drumming. A good regimen of core strengthening, cardiovascular training, and high rep/high intensity resistance training is beneficial on so many levels. The core training keeps the back strong for the long hours you sit at the kit. It also keeps the incidence of injury due to twisting at the waist to reach cymbals and drums to a minimum. If you want to…think of your abdominals (upper, mid, lower, and obliques) as well as your low back muscles like a bandage that wraps around all of your insides. The tighter and stronger that bandage, the more support your body is given. A lot of a persons strength and stability come directly from the core.

Cardiovascular training is also an important aspect of your playing...a typical rock drummer burns 600 calories an hour! That's alot of cardiovascular strain on your system...especially if the group you're playing with is high energy or you're on tour performing night after night. Conditioning your body to prepare it for those cardiovascular drum sessions is a must. There are 3500 calories in a pound…so if you break it down, you're burning almost a sixth of a pound every hour you play at an intense performance level. Talk about weight loss! Keeping a consistent weekly regimen of 30-45 minutes of moderate to intense cardiovascular exercise, 3-4 times a week, will improve your performance and stamina drastically. Not to mention the added benefit of having more energy due to the endorphins that are released within the body during intense physical exertion.

On to the weight training. When I was pushing heavy weight, I found it hard to sustain certain movements...prolonged periods on the ride cymbal would make my shoulders burn like the dickens! That being said, since I've changed my training to a much higher repetition program that focuses on functional training and practical exercises, that's been remedied. I think that a program of moderate weight lifting 3-4 times weekly, keeping high reps while at the same time keeping them at a challenging level (1-2 reps from muscle failure, and ocasionlly pushing yourself to complete muscle failure) is VERY beneficial to a drummers health and their prolonged career. It's like a car...if you never give it an oil change, it's going to breakdown on you. We'd expect nothing less. Exercising, eating right, and getting enough sleep are like small oil changes for the body.

I'll also add a small bit about stretching…mainly, you should do it! Keeping the body limber is a must. Consistent, daily stretching improves mobility of the joints and muscles, wards away unwanted muscle strains and pulls, and gives you at least a few minutes in your day where you can be still and center your thoughts…all are so very beneficial to a healthy and balanced music career.

To sum it all up…weight training (and any other physical exercise), done correctly, will only improve you as a player.

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you…I was out doing some shows with my band…also, sorry I got long winded, lol...I'm sure that was WAY more info than you were looking for!

With Respect…

Stephen T.

Contra vs. Drums of Death

So...sometimes I just have some fun...this is one of those times. I had come across the theme for Contra and as soon as I heard the intro it brought back endless summer days spent trying to conquer that stupid game.

Student Video

Had someone that checks the lessons out on You Tube send me a video of them working on one of the lessons...love hearin' from you guys and seein' how you're progressing!

Roll Lessons

I had alot of questions about a couple of the rolls I did in a cover that I put up not to long ago...after going back and forth w/ peeps, I decided to just make a couple of lessons on the concept and how I worked on it while in college. These exercises will help you incorporate your cymbals and toms into your rolls (i.e. 4 stroke, 5 stroke, 6 stroke, 7 stroke, etc.) If you ever have any questions or video lesson requests, please just shoot me a line and let me know...that's why I'm here!

Studio Video Tour-aka "My Own Slice of Paradise"

Earlier this year I did a few posts on my studio (What it looked like before here...the process update here...and some of the acoustical treatment I did here) so here's an official (sorta) tour of the finished place and the gear that I use.