In the age of flashy YouTube and Instagram drumming stars it’s easy to forget that it’s surprisingly hard to play slow beats with lots of space between the notes. It makes sense to me: The more notes you pack into a beat, the easier it is to get away with sloppy placement or bad timing.Continue reading “Leaving Space Grooves”
Tag Archives: drum practice
Bomba de Corazon
This quarantine has me practicing stuff that’s out of my comfort zone. Good. That’s the only way to grow and get better.
Rates & 16th Note Variations
As a drum teacher I’ve noticed that one of the most difficult things for beginner drummers is to switch rates, e.g., to go from triplets to 16th notes, and moving between different 16th note variations. This short exercise is designed so you can play along with me (or the click only), get comfortable with counting,Continue reading “Rates & 16th Note Variations”
Time Feel Exercise
This is great exercise to deepen your pulse and improve timing on the drums. I start playing a beat at the downbeat, then move it to the “e” of the beat, then the “+” and the “a.” I’m basically moving through the 16th note grid, using each 16th note as a new starting point.
