Category: Tips for students

  • Groove Of The Week #4

    It’s groove of the week time! Here’s groove of the week #4: Here’s one of those grooves that occurs in more songs than you’d think. Having the bass drum on the “ah” of 2 followed by a bass drum on the “&” of three is extremely common. Check out “How To Save A Life ”…

  • Groove Of The Week #3

    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.…

  • Fill Of The Week #3

    Here’s fill of the week #3: That fill might seem pretty busy, it’s only 16th notes, but there is a lot going on. Let’s break it down and approach it one step at a time. First up, lets look at what the right hand is doing: So the right hand is just playing a simple…

  • Fill Of The Week #2

    Here’s Fill Of The Week #2: This fill uses 3 note groupings over 16th notes. This is a very common way of phrasing drum fills & this fill is a good introduction to it. In any bar of 16th notes you can have 4 groups of 3 and 1 group of 4 notes. This fill…

  • Groove Of The Week #2

    Here’s groove of the week #2: Like Groove Of The Week 1, this is a basic groove that is probably the 2nd or 3rd one that students learn when they first start drumming. It features in so many songs that you really need to spend the time to master it. You’ll have heard it in…

  • Fill Of The Week #1

    Here’s fill of the week #1: I’ve always like fill with flams in them. They add a lot of power to a fill and are great for making a statement. The challenge of course is to get your flams sounding consistent across the fill. Taking it further As with any fill you learn, you want…

  • Groove Of The Week #1

    Here’s Groove of the Week #1: It’s the first beat most people learn to play when they start playing drums. It’s been used in some of the biggest songs of all time such as Another One Bites The Dust, Billy Jean, Like a Virgin, Back in Black, Manic Monday, Raspberry Beret and many many more.…

  • Learning & Practicing Drum Beats – A Beginners Guide

    Let’s say your teacher has assigned you a page of drum beats to practice & you’re having some problems with them. You’re not sure if you’re playing them correctly, or they just don’t sound good. What can you do? Here’s some strategies to help you learn the beat, and some tips on practicing them so…

  • AC/DC – Riff Raff – Trinity Rock & Pop Grade 5

    It’s noise making time! Here’s AC/DC’s Riff Raff from the Trinity Rock & Pop Grade 5 exam syllabus. Time To Crash! The first challenge this song presents is crashes during the introduction. The crashes are on the & of 2, & of 3 and the & of 4. Getting these tight with guitars is essential.…

  • A Guide To Buying Your First Drum Kit

    So, you’ve started taking drum lessons – hopefully with Rhythm House if you’re in Singapore – and you’ve decided it’s time to buy your first drum kit. Pots & pans, cushions & pillows, practice pads & the occasional trip to a jamming studio no longer sate your desire to make noise. But… where to start? …

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