i Sed eee TG ; EEE aa CL es YA | - : | i a ye Fy ra 7 A VE i rane fen iF Albert eet i Sos Pec ae i. oo Mecsas seen ' Will Kennedy UC OU yan cs dead Labo aad,amsterdam iokalceiing © Copyright 1992 by Modern Drummer Publications, Inc. Intemational Copyright Secured Al Rights Reserved Printed in USA, Any unauthorized duplication’ of this book or its contents isc violation of dapyright lows. Adt Dir Scott Gary Bienstock Lori Spagnordi 4 Cover Phigt Ron Spagitbrdt a Published By: Modern Dru i yer Publications, Inc. 870 Pompton Avenue Cedar Grove, New Jersey 07009 U.S.A.Introduction... Developing Your Own Style By Mork Yon Dyck wannne on ‘An Introduction To Funk fy sw Pop ‘An Approach For Paying In Odd Time: Part 1 By Rod Mergent ‘An Approach For Playing In Odd Time: Port 26 Rod Morgen Style & Analysis: Bit! Bruford By Michoel Betine. The Rhythms OF Frank Zoppa By Seb Soylow Ir. Simulated Double Boss 8y Richard Meena ‘The Bonefits Of Let-Hand Ride By Wiliam F, Mile The Shuffle By Randy Martha Beat Shifting 8y Howard Fil... God's Mozambique By M, Rupert Woden. In Pursuit OF Odd Time: Part 1 By Rod Moe Un Pursuit OF Odd Time: Part 2 8 Rod Morgen. In Pursuit OF Odd Time: Part 3 8y Red Morgen. Creating The Drum Part &y Nel Peo. Style & Analysis: Omar Hokim fy Kely Plt... Linear Drurnming 8y Gary Chae nnn Funkadiddles &y Mork Hur... Linear Patterns Mode Easy By Wii F, Mier. Subdividing And Regrouping Time 8 fvathon Hever. Playing In Odd Time Signatures 8 Chad Weck Ghost Strokes: Part } By Rog Morgenteln Ghost Strokes: Part 2 By Rod Morgensein.. Quintuplet Rock By Andy Newt More Effective Drum Fits 8 Wik Keanedy‘The Art OF Seloing By We Peot... Style & Analysis: U2's Larey Mullen By Micheal Btn Style & Analysis: Simon Philips By Micoel Betine Breoking Up The Double-Boss Roll By Je Fre. Double-Bass Concepts 8y Je Fron ‘Thoughts On Practicing By Rod Moigensten. Style & Analysis: Steve Smith By Bradley Branscum Style & Analysis: Neil Peart By Michael Seine Style & Analysis: Style & Analysis: Alan White 8 Michol im Gordon 8 Bradley Bronscum. Phrasing Concepts: Part | By Je Fron... Phrasing Concepts: Port 2 y Joe Franco Style & Analysis: Terry Bozzio By Michael Bete. éth-Note Tiiplets On Double Boss By Joe Frorc.. Ringo Stare: The Early Peri By Keny Aron Ringo Starr: The Middle Period By Kenny Arno. Ringo Storr; The Later Yeors By Keny Aron. Warming Up: Part 1 By Kenny Arnot Warming Up: Pot 2 By Kenny Arnot. Rock Around The Set By bet Bouchrd nn ‘Two-Handed Riding By Honod Fes. “The Ageless Beats OF Rock N’ Roll 8 Kenny Arona. Rock Solos 8y Greg O'Argt... von Applying Double Strokes To The Drumset By Bobby Rok... “The Benefits OF A Four-Plece Kit 8y Andy Newrot on Notes.INTRODUCTION ince we began publishing Modern Drummer 16 years ago, numerous reader surveys have indicated that both rack and jazz drumming remain the primary interests of an overwhelming majority of MD readers. As a result, MD's Rock ‘N‘ Jazz Clinic and Rock Perspectives columns have appeared on a regular basis in the magazine over the years. However, many new readers who missed the importont information offered through both departments have since come on boord. Likewise, mony long-time MD readers may have also simply missed out on certain enlightening material, The purpose of The Best Of Modern Drummer: Rock is to take 50 of the finest articles from Rock ‘N’ Jozz Clinic and Rock Perspectives, and make them all available once again in a single volume for easy reference and review. ‘Though many of the articles included here were authored by successful free-lance drurnmer/writers, an even greater number were written by some of the most proficient rock drummers on today’s music scene. Articles by Rod Morgenstein, Jim Payne, Neil Peart, Gary Chaffee, Jonathan Mover, Chad Wackerman, Andy Newmark, Will Kennedy, Joe Franco, Kenny Aronoft, Albert Bouchard, Bobby Rock, and Greg D'Angelo are all included in this text. ‘Our thanks to all of the players who have contributed their ideas to MD over the years, and whose work is represented in this volume. Without them a compilation of this type would not have been possible. We believe that drummers at all levels can gain considerable benetit from the wide range of material presented here, and hopefully will find themselves referring to The Best Of Modern Drummer: Rock continuolly over the years to come. Ron Spagnardi Editor/Publisher Modern Drummer Publicationsby Mark Van Dyck Developing Your Own Style “The exciting, aggresive world of drums ining is fargus for highly skilled players tthe Jove thelr raft, Added to them are Grommers of every skill level some up- fnd-coming, some content with their ni satus and some on the way down. You may be asking where you fit in this picture and how you go about carving a Fiche for yourself. "Theansweristodevelop your own syle, <0 so will require maturity, patience 1 bard work, I will involve refements styler begin wih tecnncal matey Atleast technical proficiency) on the drum set, There are many options xs 0 what and how you play in any given musial situa tion, You are in bad shape if you play a cea way simpiy because ICs tbe only Say of which you ae capable, You should never have your style determined by a lack ‘of sil, Therefore, you must leatn neo beatgana ll, and you must be abletowen~ trate several different sounds and feel, {tom ihe same beat. Technical mastery of the drumset 1e- quires an ongoing learning program, be- cause the best drummers are themselves continuously developing new skills. Les- sons roma topnotch instructor are always beneficial. However, if you have good jfeiding and wanseription skills you can ‘ominueto grow through study of the best leaching methods and by listening to (and Wanseribing) the best drammers. Before you can develop your own style, itt important 10 be avvare of what is a J t246y going on around you, The areal clas- Seal omposer Johann Sebatilan. Bach seat large amount of time in his forma: tive years simply copying by hand other ‘emposers est materiale In his way, be ‘hovely acauaiated himself with thee tea find matbods. When i cate time to de- felop tis on muse, he did from a lable ensure chen of knowedge, rather than fron a vac, “Thesameprinspl applies today. Copy- fog op performers isa great way (ofan about ssle. You should have fstening ‘bits that cover a road spectrum of mut sTe(de broader he beter) and a8 you l= ten you should pk out the good from the bad in each gee and analyte os best you can what makesthe goed good and he bad iad ‘Once you have achieved the necessary twchaieal ils to give yours pest ot options, and you ate avare of what other Srummeia in the eld ate doing, cbecomes lnmportant to have the proper aitade in ach pavtenar” playing. suaton, We oud be more than. drummers—we Mould be musiclans, erating mood nd fflect. A al times, Ge avare of the «mo tion your drum sounds are cary “Thebes musicians are those who make the players around them sound baer. ‘Their aim syoergietearowork Godiid- tal performances that, when taken t0- Jeter, increase each othe seffectiveness). Tobeliketbe best, you must eject the de. Seto show off, Your ob to help create Aualty music. Sometimes that means you ‘tilnave to piy an inconspicuous role at ‘ther times ou wl have eaery the band tnd play «prominent pat calling for ots Of fash and plzaze. Whatever the situa ion remember that your goa! fo create the bestinuie possible, whether 6¢n0l Jou ‘ine indvidvliy. "To further understand what syle Is al about, you should Keep several baie eee Trent a the back of your mind, Fhe Rest these isthe question of complexity— ow simple or fancy should you playa par tiular song? Ask yourelt i the rong would be beter wih cluttered and busy Sam part or with en open end roomy drum prt Further, ask youre if the tor ‘aly ofthe sone fequires a broad spec. {eumot sound from tbedraon (llof bah SnJtow fone) ralimited range of pitches {poly jon the bas, snare ana hehe. ‘Next i the question of dynamics. You mould be skfll enough 10. perform ‘equally well loud or soft, end you should be able 10 change the volume of one of your multiple ines without changing the bther ines. For example, given any best, fan you change the eyinbal volume up and down without affecting the bass and snare, or vice-versa? spect of style has to do with tothe beat ar itis perceived {by the other players. In theory, the down- ‘beat in point in time with no dimension. I practice, however, it has width, perly lowing performance, some players are “on top ofthe beat” ht is, imieally tiving. atthe beat just ly ahead of the rest of the band) tome ‘players wre “behind the beat Achythwnteally rciving” at the beat Just Slighily bebiad the rest of the band) and Some players ere “on the beat” (chythmt- cally arsiving at the beat somewhere be- tween the “op of the beat” players and the “behind the beat” players). tig crucial that you choose the proper spot In each Tn welahing the overall aspects of syle (and in using both intellect and instinct 10 Secide just what 10 play) itis also neces~ sry toconsider thelimitationsof the genre {in question and whether or not you are g0- Ing ( stick within those bounds. For ex- ample couniry drumming poral cls for simple snare, bass and hi-hat shor fils any), few cymbal crashes, and ‘emphasis on your relation tothe beat. On the other hand, new wave drumming vill ‘often enthusiastically vtllze fast Rd-note ‘eymbal and bess drum lines, and long SE composed. of straight Iéth-note rune ‘crore the toms, So be aware of genre, and ‘veigh Ks limitations. "The Maal aspect of style deals with your approach tothe business of playing. The key words here are dependability and in tegeity. Once you have worked long and hard to develop your own playing sive, be careful not to fet extraneous things Inter- Tere wish your working relatlonships, ‘Drumming s more than an artform Its also m business, and requires proper style fon boih counts. Hard work should allow Yyouto carve niche for yoursll. You cen {ive and receive much enjoyment inthe ex- ching, aggresive world of drumming by developing your own style| ERR RR RRB BRR RR RRR ER ee by sim Payne An Introduction to Funk Rock'n’ rolland funk are closely related. There's no definite line thet separates one ftom the ther. Elements of rack ean be found in funk made between the rwo styles, In rock, the bass drum patterns are generally nd "4", The hi-hat is usually played in th motes andthe tempos vary from quartes ‘Semple Rock Beats: notes and 16th notes. The 16ih-natesyncopations establish an underlying dowbletime fel. “The musiccan be fltin wo ways— pian O @ @ @ 2) Underlying double-tie fee: 123472 5 fr 7or 7 | {nthe doublesime fel, both backbets fall on the count of "3" ‘Ava complesty. In funk, the drummer generally hae more iberty and ad sibing is aceeptble. However, ovely complex patent shouldbe avded. The tat fora rly fanky rhythm isnot how complleated i stat ow hooks up mith the bas, puta another ‘instruments afresh and orga way many ches hiscam be done very simply. 4 by playing an overly complex pattern, the Sruminers yt besornes uneven, hes neplctng the most important prof his Job creating asi groove and steady ven tne fel Frank tempos are usualy slower than rok tempos. They range fom quarter note = 69 (0 quater note = 10. Syncopated th- and 16t-note bass drum patterns area uademar of moda fen, Some ofthe drmmers whe have been nnovativeio ‘he eof syacoraed bass dram beets are Clive Willams/loe Tex; George Bvown/Koo!& he Gang; and Sunes Dienond/The OMe Players Some of the patterns below require a good deal of hand and foot techwlque and cannot be learned overnight. Amare detaled, progressive coordination study wil produce more lasig and Rexible resus, Sample Funk Beas with Syncopated B,D, Paterase ® lie &s 2ekasekaseRa le & a Qehkasehad ee a ® @sold backbeets on “12” and 4" sil doosinate most funk rhythms, But sofervariatfons are played on the snare between the accented rbeate Nat Kendricks, John “Jabbo" Starks, and Clyde Stubblefield drummers who worked with James Brow, were among the fist 8 with Snare Drum Variations: Te@ete&a3e & a 4eha ©, e¢ & a tekedtehade ha to fonk the hichat is usvally played in 81h notes and various combinations of Bis and I6ihs. There isa wide range of creative patterns ha can be used. Listen to Joseph "Zig" Modelist of The Meters. Sample Funk Beats with Hi-Hat Variations: Jo 92-112 ade&adeks lehale& atcha teha R etc. SS == =] F a CTs tr @ Jasra32 @® Jae02 y®ad, By) MOOR f + | Theses sep, of course itt combine bats drum, snare drum god N-a vrltion, The ceatve pombe for new paterns end rife ar endless and thas what maker modern funk and el moder music encag. Lette your own yma ple Funk Beats Combining Variations: Le &a 2e&asekadteha Aa oa a Sy > 4 mm —— ce. 1, Ss SE iF inant ern in tn uationeS SESE EES eeeeeeee | : | An Approach For Playing in Odd Time Part 1 by Rod Morgenstein hea been exehneteed msc, And beyond mus, we valk, land Faniliacty hat 474 time), we can build x foundation from Which we can leap theee steps for Fornow let's conee Play the following Beal: @ By dropping the att Bih note of the measure, we now have she 5) Foltowing beat: Play eis Sguce until it feel comfortable. Count exch beat out st aid then ty playing without counting loud. Reto peed fr of na concern. When you feel comewhal comfortable, try combining the two beats. Thir will help you understand the dilfereace between the ‘even and odd measures, 6 Aan aAnae ey ‘he folowing exerci are combinations of quar note and fun notes forthe bass drum, When 1 oF the fgures wil sound Uhe dram beats we've ll payed before, each 1/8 beat separately over and over, Then combine it with ‘corresponding 4/4 beat just like we did in.Bh ssurnsensuinsionaunan enon EEE EERE BR ERER RB Be 2 @®* ad A. i “The following exercte combines some of the ures from D and E: re samples of just a Fev different note combinations. Each bags drum, But not Doth, It should be apparent thatthe cas designed to emphasize ‘combinations are endless. 9An Approach For Playing In Odd Time Part 2 by Rod Morgenstein [15) i= = Ee SEI F ie oonig eres combine 6 Bh 48 gu actiyin boi ps De. Tr in both the snare drum and bass drum. For the fist time, we are seingby Michael Betting a: a Style & Analysis i. a Dill Bruford H , Bit Bruford Is certainly one of the most popular drummers in rock. Having played, a one time or another, with most of the progresive rock bands, he has been an influence on many an aspiring young drummer. While p noma for his highly unomthodox sje, His rademarksraniton #28 fom he vila selon “Time TK," fhe ume bw, Within he eon ses a repeating to-bar phrase, _Thetnine ls subdivided into a 45-5-4 grouping ove the ivcad ofthe phrasets picked up into the nest one by 0 6th note see snare of Boor tom, This another gaod example of rhythmic economy 1 ow we'take look at BI most cent work wih King Crimson, The ste anasto retaken from the Discipline albu Example #2 2a pert is worber pase, isis the second ana eal txRe MOF ‘While subi change, it helps a the song an interesting fel. 2vamples #4 and #5 are from "Frame By Frame.” Bil plas the sval cymbal rhythm ona highpiched Ocfoban, This use of toms | caer icon ht neveymbele ives heshythm section a strong, clan feling. Example #4 rm he fst- paced itr section, Here Bill ine cevetngpattn whee he bass rum and acs work tees By emphasing beat 4 of menses two and four, andeatng oot a Sea of measures one abd te, his phase has avery moving felig that plist along from ove measuretothe next. g | = > > > : Ist ume only =A A Sn an fn ay Example 45s taken from the verse, This two-bar /e pattern is underlined by the electronic hi-hat playing a one-measure pattern in 7/4, | 5 . f rr aes romibe mile seal telonethetow" fie abu. Thi naan shew Dishing, stom sever egtand bear Finally, example #61 under the a beat, Measures one, (wo, tree, six and ten are braken up intoa 4-3-5-3 pattern, Meas 4-43 pattern. Messtire five uses @5-3-4-3 pattern. Again, she ride pattern is played on an Octoban.i by Bob Saydiowski, Jr, The Rhythms Of Frank Zappa ets, septuplets, etc—played over standard meters. The best to keep tack of the mumber of notes being ind the space between notes Frank Zappa frequently composes using odd rhythmic groupings—quint ‘way to approach these polychythms is o subdivide each grouping into 2's and 3's, in ord played. When playing these groupings, each unit should be played as evenly s possible, making sure exch not. have equal lengths. ‘Keen in mind that, within a consistent tempo, septuplets ere played faster than quintuplets, quintuplets faster than triplets etc, so that the notes can fit evenly into the given beat. While praclicing these, it is recommended thal you use a metronome to help you keep a steady} pulse, When accents are marked, your best bet is o subdivide atthe accent, causing a stronger beat on the } count of the subdivision, “The Following are examples ofthe shythmie patterns fram several Zappa compositions. The first two are from “*Be-Bop Tango” (Rory, And Elsewhere, Discreet 2DS 22021973, Munchkin Music). Teoreoreraiaa12ieie2o1es12a@ See SS Ie SS ee SSS begins on the fourth beat of the first measure, re@restereaiviegizarevesd 1212128 “The next exampleis from “Manx Needs Woman’ (Zappa In New York, Disereet 2D 22901977, Munchkin Music), Note that the patero 12a 2 212 ot ot 2 t Z ‘ 4 SS i I “The following galetn comes from "Does This Sort OF Life Look Ieretng To You?” (200 Motels, United Ariss UAS 9956 1971 Manchin Music) York ©1977, Munchkin Music): } 358-66 os od = — i } i ST Zappa slo writes melodic pices forthe drumset. Heres therhythenle pattern forthe fist eight bars of “The Black Page" (Zoppe In New 16rod $s 7 I i I a 5 Hece is the same pattern, written melodically for the drumset, Remember, division of polyrhythute groupings should bein 2's and 3's, —s— ea 35 i oe ap —— 5s Allselections composed by Frank Zappa. A catalog of Scores and Parts to Frank Zappa's musicis available from Barfko Swit P 5418, Nort Hollywood, CA 91616-5418. (618) PUMPKIN. 7—— by Richard Meyer Simulated Double Bass Double bass drum techniques have increased the repertoire of drummers, both in playing beats and soloing, Here are some ideas ‘which ean give a player witha single bass drum setup the opport- nity toeffect double bass drum sounds. By alternating between the floor torn and bass drum, a drummer ‘ean play I6it-note patleras such as these: Now, let's incorporate these rhythms ia beats. The following ‘exercises are ta be played with leftshand lead on the hi-hat, andthe Tight hand moving between the floor tom and snare. Make sure that the right hand makes strong accent on beats 2 and 4. (Left- hhanded drummers will reverse the hands.) d=100 > > > = ne Inthe following example, the left hand moves between open and closed hi-hat and nate, while heright hand and [oot play continu ous L6ths. J =120 ‘The next two beats are shulMles. In the Bist, the left hand plays quarter notes on the hichat, while in the second, it moves between the hi-hat and snare. de1s2 0 > = J=a0 > = 18FS cee SF ne Sa Se ee ee ‘The same concept can be applied to soloing, as in this two-bar example, io which the left hand moves between the snare and the high tom. ‘These examples demonstrate that, with a little imagination, drummers with smaller kits can simulate double bass drums, thereby adding additional color and excitement to ther playing,The Benefits Of ‘what do Billy Cobham, Simon Phillips, Kenny Aronoff, Daniel Humais, and Lenny White have in common? They all play ride patterns with her left hand. Lefthand ride refers to the technique ‘Grummers use who play drumset in anormal, right-hand configu Jation, However, these dranimers play ride patterns on the hi-hat land ride cymbal (on the left side) using the left hand (matched grip), With thelist of notable and innovative drummers previously vreationed who employ this technique, clearly it can be used suc cexssfully. ‘Learning to incorporate left-hand ride techniques ean add new dimensions to your playing. Fiest ofall, most right-hand drum- ners have disproportionate strength and coordination in their hangs. No matter how much time a person spends practicing even- nes between hands, the right hand dominates the (wo. Riding with, the lef. band increases the strength of the left hand, Both hands in power and technique. Not only ave power and strength: ‘but an overall finesse and touch come about. ‘Generally, when playing a ide patter on a eyebal, tix drummers hold the stick in the right hand with a thumbs-up (ype ip. The left hetidis either in a traditional grip or a matched grip, Salm-down hand position, Drummers who ride with the left hand Bevelop the thumbs-up gtip in the left hand. Thus, right and eft hands are capable of playing a truly matched, thumbs-up type ar faround the entire kit, Ie s not necessary to switch from one hand postion to another when going from the ride eymbal 103 Bil Cobham is @ good example of a drummer who has developed his hands 40 that he plays with his thumbs up, either when riding oF ‘when playing on the drums. His grip is a timpani-hke (French) rip, which allows him to use the smaller muscles of the hands for Greater speed end control, Leftchand ride also helps (o increase Sour coordination, Most drummers play fills from the left side of the kit to the right (see figure 1), beginning with the right hand. [Lettchand ride gives you the coordination to begin fills with the eft band and move from the right side to the left (see figure 2} Right-hand lead, O Left-hand lead 20 by William FMiller Left-Hand Ride ‘Another sdvantage of Jefi-hand ride s that there: no erossing of sticks or hands in playing the hichat, Most right-handed érum- ‘mers paying rock or funk have to deal with the problem of moving thelr Fight hand out ofthe way so a backbeat can be played by the Jett hand. Riding with the left avoids crossing over (and getting in the way) to play the hihat, Also since there is no crossing, the fight bard can strike the snare drum without being impeded, tllowing youto play the loudest backbeat humanly posible! Many fimes, drummers who also sing have problems crossing over to the Hohl and singing, Left-hand ride allows you to be more open to the audience while singing and playing, and helps your posture for singing. Er drummers move to larger setups, they tend to place the cymbal and hihot further away and higher up, Drommers who he with ther ight have (o reach over racks of toms (and lately ‘ver entra rows of electronic drums too) 0 gett the ride cymbal {faving an arm lifted up aid playing ride eymbal for a period of ine eon become fatigting, Also, drummers who use two Bast {runs have the problem ofthe bi-hat being to far eft, due tothe Stadion of the second bass drum. Even with the various devices ‘which attach the hirbat othe second bass drum, the hi-hat alt Turther out, causing right hand ride drummers ta cra, reach and {orn ther bodies Just to play the hi-hat. Left-hand re solves all of these probiems, The ride cymbal can be as close as necessary, ‘ecause there aren't a8 many thiogs on the lft side to get inthe Way, The chat being placed forthe left poses no problems to the leftehand ee technique Probably the best reason for uilzing left-hand tide techniques {nthe interesting patlers this technique brings about, While play- ing ride peticrne withthe left hand, tha right hand is free to ineor- porate toms and other pereussive instruments located on the right Tie of the hit in ereative and mtleal ways, Algo, with the hishat dnd the tide cymbal on the left side, interesting patterns can be E played between the (wo. (See the end of ths article for examples.) Developing the left-hand ride technique can be dificult, fpe- cially for drummers who have been playing for 8 few years, but Suith a ide work, it can be achieved. Ina way, [tis lke siardog ‘vet. When beginning to work on left-hand ride, Tot can be done } Sven before sitting behind he kit, On a pad, practice Bth notes with | the lft hand and play backbeats with the ight. Start by just con: | tentratingon your hands; don't worry about your fet yet. AL Bs, {teeta very awkward because the left hand isnot used to working Zo nerd continuously. A good way to take your mind offshe awk- | ‘wardness sto play along with cords. Put on a recording that bas | {simple cock or swing feel, and play vey standard beat ‘Ouve the motion of the Tet hand becomes a bit more natural shenmove tothe drums, Onetip: Adjust the hi-hat helght so that it -jeappronimately the same as the snare drum (see photograph).te lay pat. Once that feels comfortable, place the ivity s not as precfse on the hi-hat asi first so give it time, Use study materials that are simple and for beginners. Your progress basiesdown. ’ “The patterns which follow are very basic. These exercises allow you to concentrate on the leftshand pattera, keeping the other limbs simplifed. Practice Wiese with a metronome, starting slowly and working up toa faster speed. As simple as these patters are, be sure 10 ‘Concentrate ov producing an even sound with the left hand, and also make sure the patterns groove. LH, on hi-hat RH. onsnaredrum rand using either the tip or shank of the stick. Begin working on just the hi- i ‘The hi-hat is easier (o start with because touch Za Now play these patterns moving the let hand to the ride eyimbal. Play the hi-hat with foot on 2and 4, onal four, and on Sth notes where applicable. "The following patterns are more advanced, They demonstrate some of the advantages of left-hand ride with a free right hand to play passages on the toms. Rock > 1 7 Leta tl can help brofden your tefaique and your overall playing. More and mare drummers ate combining left and eight- ‘hand techniques to make themselves more versatile. You have two hands, so why not use them? ; 21 = : [ Ox ee | |The Shuffle One might be hard pressed fo find anything more musically exelt- Phar a good drummer setting fire to a band by laying down = Aran araight-ahead shuffle beat, The shuffe isa very dynamic Aihie fee. thas been used ine host of diverse musical idioms, raging from the earliest of the simplistic chythm & Blues drum caeeitg the complex, hard-driving shuffles of heavy metal’s Alex Pe Halen, Though the shuffle is basic in nature, there are a punt: qa dt ways to play a good shu. For the uninitiated, let's fist ein our hat the shes nothing mere than the following yt aie Fel: “The interes lies, however, in the different ways the shullle can be ‘tated and moved around the drumset. Quarter-Time Shute Let's begin with a popular method whereby the shuule felis stated In the left hand on the snare drum, beneath straight avarter nates in the right, The changing bass drum parterns make each beat ‘Quite distinctive from the next. 3 3 by Randy Martin Ride-Time Sholle jad shufles with a standard Note how each subile snare jae pass drum variation sigoiGcancly alters the character of each peat. Be sure to snaintain a strong backbeat feel, and a good bal- nce between eymbal, snare, and bass drum, ® 3 3 3 3touse depends combined I . 23Beat Shifting “The ehythmie potential of a beat is not exhausted once it is mate {ered in its original writen forin. By employing atechnique, which fone might eall “beat shifting," any beat can be transformed into {nteresting variations that are similar to the original yet present their own distinetive favor. A vaiiation is rast easily achieved by {hifting the starting point ofthe beat from the original t0 any of the other downbeats, To Mlustrate, et us first play this basic rock. mes 3 | Now Jet us sift the starsing beat, so thatthe original 2s the new L SS Heat Ib uses the original 3asthenew 1. Beat 2e uses the original 4 as then @ miceffects. ®@ ‘The original 2is used as she new by Howard Fields ‘Any basic Latin beat can be easily varied with interesting rhyth- Clearly, neither best | nor its variations are extcemely rhythini- cally inspiring and ate merely meant to iustrate, It should be pointed out that it takes an interesting starting beat to make the Neat shifting" vechnique effective. ‘Let us now examine a good basi¢,funk beat, fl 4 =e (eat 2a uses the original 2as the new 1. ‘This fusion of funk and Latin. borrowed from St some very tasty variations. Try using a cowbell on these, ® yy ] nn ne Beat 2b uses the original as the new 1 24 ‘The original 2is used as the new| “The viginal 38 used asthe new 1. i | © _ FFA 2e= ‘The original 4s used as the new 1. © =F = | BE ae eee ! i if J {Keep in mind again that the more interesting a beat is, the more. | rewarding ere its variations. Simple 2and 4 backbeats do not bear rch thythmaie fruit, as beat 1 and its variations show. Tt is the mnore sophisticated rock, funk, Latin, and fusion grooves that lend themselves most effectively 1 the "*beal shifting’ tee «ther beats demonstrate, Vou will ind that, once the or { iscanguered, the bard work is over and the ensuing variations are lite oF no problem (o master, Hence, one beat equals four beats. ‘This is the bottom line Howard Fields was the drummer in the late Harry Chopin's band From 1975 10 198.basic patternis: v RAL RRLALLAR CARL sey %S | Thacolumn wil focus ain fel ha Steve tet 6] Gaga become Enown for. This beat iscalled 38 thesrmocambique,” and 1 recenly attended 3 bs: tlic by Sieve where he demonsiraied i, The Hecrenively apptied ita number of ways, suet as with the right tnand on the bell oF the eide ¢ymbal and the lft ‘drum: L RRL ARLALLAR ne on the snare LARL ‘ ARE ARLRLERR aS CARL Fre ‘The following patterns are simple vasiations on the mozain~ bique. Use wo basic approaches when pla right hand on the snare drum with che let hand (he right hand on the bell ofthe ride cymbal wth che left hand on theshare drum, Practice each pattern slowly until becomes auto- tmatie. Then, shill your concentration to the raht hand id you in coming up with your own combinations. t Re ALLALLAL these beats: the fon the hicbat, andl La RL 261's time to ateck odd time he exists in all styles of music, So i's probably not a bad idea to get a solid grasp of what it's all a since chances are you're going 10 meet up with sooner or Tater. [Ler's Took af the following beat: in ueig some tsi informaton, we tte pate ae ee eae ea here tur bea eo he een ete few ane il bao sean. The say aie haaed ah oe _—e, = hi-hat part, we see that it consists of eight 8th counted in the foliowing way: 1b ee ae tie Now we have created an odd-time signature (7/8) by simply removing the last lh aote of our previous exampie, Thet's experiment with this idea further by taking a stondard- setet beat and removing ihe last Bi 1k 2k By removing the last 8b note, it becomes: rm Bes i z =] f t Well, believe it or not, there is another way fo count this very ne bea, if we £0 choose. If each 81h note is given a full count, have eight beats of counts in the measure, with ‘The following examples will give you a few more simple odd eters 10 experiment with, The basic idea of these exercises is t0 Understand the coneept af how a simple common time signature ESSE Gane tne ino a 084 mee iy he sume ste prtengexanpies) is ao wren td Is counted in the following manner: ‘ 5 5 4 en ng 7s ——— lee ise 12 a Amazing? Well, nol What amazing, The polat is, 4/4 and 8/8 are Feauvatent time signatures that sound identical, The only differ- ‘ce is dat in 4/4, we count Buh notes "I de 2 & 3 & 4 &,” and in RSS ‘th notes "12 3.45678." be s see what happens if we leave off the last Sth note of the at thot we've been working with ‘which becomes: 1 2 a asiceeeell k =I r ES = J 7fs equal ta: Which becomes: 12, tt Se is equal to: which becomes: is equal to: 1 2 a SSS which becomes: 1 2 a ‘The focus of this anicle has been creating new time signatures from more “normal” ones by dropping off th notes from exist- ing beats. Try this process with your own favorite beats; it really Werks, Next time we'll continue Our pursuit and attack larger odd- time signatures. 28In Pursuit Of Odd Time: Part 2 by Rod Morgenstein CEE !9 ny last anicle, we created beats in several different time 5 based on quart ~ a To come up with larger time signatures, like 13/8 or 15/8, El joes are counted 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7, B. oleae lent time signatures, (2 tn time signotore ine signatures based on 8th notes, &thi which becomes: 1 rT oe ht SSS oo» tee ek mF i t i 1k et S Tt Tt = SSS —= 5 =—ESF sequal _ oe os 3 i » we Tt tT > f a 1 which becomes: 2 ak Sk 1 i = on al ft Lt im . EF i = ———e q “> i a is equal 1 re el * f = yt LT i imple consists of (wo identical juivatent to one measure of 1648. Notice how this last exar plus one measure of #4 1 Equivalent to one measure of | measures of 444 and B/A, Along those samme two identical measures of 8/8. One measure of Tines, one measure of 8/8 plus one measure: is possible. By taking two measures of 2 4/4 beat (or senate ccminds a second meshod for creating new time signalues fe ew time signatures are created. measures of an B/8 beat) and working backwards, an 1 1d vemoving Bib note Bk ee mat =o oo ==—pitr 7 Cf F 30lL Wh a. eh is equal to: