Offbeat Open Hi Hat On The 'a' After Beat 2 In A 4/4 Ride Groove

If you have covered this Offbeat 16th Snare lesson the part presented here should be pretty simple. You will still be decorating a groove by adding an additional 16th note but rather than being on a kick a snare, it will now fall on a hi hat. I could show this as a closed hi hat but that would just be a very simple re orchestration of the linked lesson, so instead I will show you how using an open or 'barked' hi hat can create a really cool decoration.

A 'barked' hi hat is an open hi hat that is closed immediately after being struck and is shown in my notation by a standard open hi hat followed by a hi hat on the foot an eight or sixteenth note after. This left foot will sometimes fall in between a right hand and the timing of it is usually important. In the notation below I have shown an example of what the hands will be doing in this style of groove. Notice the left foot hi hat on beat 3.

The hands for this concept

So on the 'a' after beat 2 an open hi hat is played between the ride cymbals and is followed immediately by a left foot hi hat with the ride on beat 3. That creates the hi hat bark. This note will feel accented and will really stand out, especially when a kick drum is played with the open hi hat.

The examples listed below all add feet underneath this concept. In some examples the hi hat is barked and others it isn't, keep an eye on what the left foot is doing. There is a mixture of different ideas for the hands and feet but use what is given as a basis to construct your own grooves.


Example 1

A ride groove with a sixteenth note open hi hat on the 'a' after beat 2


Example 2

A ride groove with a sixteenth note open hi hat on the 'a' after beat 2


Example 3

A ride groove with a sixteenth note open hi hat on the 'a' after beat 2


Example 4

A ride groove with a sixteenth note open hi hat on the 'a' after beat 2


Example 5

A ride groove with a sixteenth note open hi hat on the 'a' after beat 2


Example 6

A ride groove with a sixteenth note open hi hat on the 'a' after beat 2


Example 7

A ride groove with a sixteenth note open hi hat on the 'a' after beat 2


Example 8

A ride groove with a sixteenth note open hi hat on the 'a' after beat 2


TASKS

  • Learn the grooves above up to a tempo of at least 130bpm.
  • Create some 4 bar phrases where this concept is applied to the groove.
  • Create further variations on the given examples as well as constructing your own groove patterns.

Lessons

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