In this lesson you will be learning an alternate rhythm for the single stroke 7 that involves shortening the standard quarter note to an eighth note. This new rhythm causes the rudiment to be played over three eighth notes which, in the 4/4 time signature you will be playing in, means the start of each phrase doesn't line up with the bar lines. This gives a syncopated feel and has a really nice sound to it.
To further highlight the syncopation I have notated the rudiment over two bars, keeping that same rhythm going over both. This gives you five full occurrences of the rudiment with the last having a slightly longer gap at the end to force it to fit within the bar. I have shown this concept applied to both variations of the original version and have included counting and sticking under each. A similar idea has been applied to the single stroke 5 and you can find a link to this and other useful lessons at the bottom of the page.
Exercise 1
A Single Stroke Seven starting on the beat starting on the right hand.
Exercise 2
A Single Stroke Seven starting on the beat starting on the left hand.
TASK
- Using the 2 minute rule, get all exercises up to a tempo of 140bpm.
- Try adding feet as both eighth and quarter notes.
- Orchestrate each of the given patterns.
- Shorten the phrase to one bar.
- Extend the pattern over several bars.
