It’s groove of the week time. Let’s get to it!

Groove of the week #39 features a an interesting rhythm played between hi-hat, snare and the stack cymbal. This rhythm is often heard in drum fills and linear grooves, but this week we’re using it in a more regular groove.

Get The Groove

Let’s start by looking at the rhythm the hands are playing.

Make note of the sticking that we’re using here. The right hand is playing any 8th notes (1 & 2 & etc) , the left hand plays any 16th notes (e ah).

Play this pattern slowly with a metronome. I use a metronome playing 8th notes, I find it helps with the accuracy. Count out loud as you practice!

Now lets orchestrate the hands around the kit. The left hand is going to play the hi-hat, the right hand will move between the stack cymbal the and snare drum. If you don’t have a stack, try moving the right hand to the bell of the ride cymbal or the floor tom or a cowbell.

The final step is to add the bass drum. The bass drum is played together with the stack cymbal.

Taking It Further

Now that you’ve learnt to play the groove of the week, the easy way to change it up is to keep the hand pattern the same and change the bass drum. We’ll play the hands just between the hi-hat and snare drum, but if you want to split them up between different surfaces, please do! Here’s three useful variations:

Pay attention to where the hands and bass drum coincide. We’ve now got some bass drums that occur on their own and some that occur with the left hand. Practice these grooves slowly and count as you play them.

I hope you’ve enjoyed groove of the week #39. If you’re in Singapore and you’d like a free trial drum lesson, send us a message on the contact us page.