This is a page I’m using with some younger students this week— a variety of stock beats that can be used in most playing situations. We get so involved with technical improvement, it’s easy for […]
Category: rock
RIP Thee Hippy Slayer
Sad news, Portland drummer Steve Hanford, aka Thee Hippy Slayer, has died. Best known for playing with iconic Portland punk band Poison Idea. I’m not a follower, but I have a lot of fondness for […]
Hemiola funk series: S3B
Another variation on the hemiola funk thing, with the main pattern ending with a double on the bass drum— a snare hit + 3 bass hits. I continue to tweak the basic template to cover […]
Four on the floor drill – 01
This is a little lightweight thing that came out of practicing along with that recent Fela Kuti loop. I was playing four on the floor in a half time feel, with some variations on the […]
3+3+2
I’m really not happy with the quality of the available beginner/younger student drum set materials. For the most part they’re terribly designed. They’re either extremely dull, or they demand too much, or they’re just dumb— […]
Rock unisons drill
I’m very big on drills with the hands in unison these days. It strengthens the left hand, and is excellent training for playing singles solidly, in time, without rushing. This is a very basic rock drill […]
Idris’s clave
A page of beats based on a snare drum rhythm used a lot by Idris Muhammad. It’s a sort of one-bar clave, an inversion of the rhythm commonly called tresillo, starting on beat 3. I’ve […]
Rock drill
Here’s a rock drumming practice system, that is related to my harmonic coordination improved method, and also this post on developing rock fills. I’ve been using it with students of all ages, and have been […]
Tresillo rhythms – EZ rock orchestrations
UPDATE: pdf link works now. I’m doing too many things this week. I’ve been running some students through this, and it sounds good. A more accessible version of my funk control series. Some basic rock […]
EZ fill developer
This might be more of an item for teachers. This is a sketch of a method I’ve found to be effective for teaching younger students to play fills, and play them in time, with both […]