Here’s Groove Of The Week 3:

This is one of my favourite grooves. It just feels great to play and has lots of forward momentum. It really pushes a song along. The most famous use of this groove is probably Europe’s “The Final Countdown” but it’s not the only song out there with this groove.

For Beginners the hard part of this groove is getting the 16th note bass drum on the “ah” of 1 and the “ah” of 3. Often the right hand will want to follow the right foot and they end up playing together.

When trying this beat for the first time, go slow (50 – 60 bpm) and count. Focus on keeping your right hand playing steady 8th notes & try to slot the 16th note bass drum in without disturbing your 8th note hi-hats.

For more advanced players, try playing the song with a quarter note hi-hat instead. Like this:

Playing quarter notes on the hi-hat will force you to think more about your bass drum placement. Try playing 4 bars of the groove with 8th notes on the hi-hat and then 4 bars with quarter notes on the hi-hat. Is your bass drum falling in the same place in both grooves? Do the snare and bass drum sound the same in both grooves? Record yourself and find out!

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